K-pop Songs with the Same Title but From Different Generations

With thousands of K-pop songs released yearly, it's common for them to share the same name. While some share similar themes, others have vastly different concepts from their counterparts. Let's look at some K-pop songs with the same title but from different generations!

Deja Vu is a French word that refers to the feeling of having already experienced something happening now. Diverting from the group’s pirate concept, ATEEZ’s Deja Vu describes the magical feeling of encountering their crush, whom they have previously dreamt of, and reveals the boys’ desire for her. The icy synths and plinky plonk percussion base give out a mysterious atmosphere, not to mention the mesmerizing rap by Hongjoong and Mingi, which matches perfectly with the dreamy feeling of Deja Vu, making it one of the most iconic hits from the team.

Back in 2008, the legendary “flower boy boy group” SS501 also released a title track named Deja Vu. Despite having a more punchy beat, it shares a similar theme as ATEEZ’s version. The members sing the excitement of meeting their crush, whom they believe they have seen before, and show their determination not to let go of her. The members shared in a variety show that they found the “db db db dib dib” that strings throughout the track strange when they first listened to the demo. Still, it turned out that this became the most memorable part of the song, which makes it equally addictive as the “da da da ra da” in ATEEZ’s Deja Vu!

Although the debut album of the former I*ZONE main dancer wasn't a success, Lee Chae Yeon didn't give up and returned with a new EP this April. The title track Knock is a catchy dance pop with energetic beats, in which Chae Yeon sings that she's confidently knocking on her lover's heart. Chae Yeon looks stunning in pink hair and school uniform in the music video, highlighting her unique high teen girl crush charm. The choreography, especially snapping the tights and shooting in the chorus, and the smooth movements in the dance break suit her dancing style so well, and many K-pop idols and fans did her addictive knock dance challenge!

Nine years ago, Nasty Nasty dropped their debut single, Knock. Nasty Nasty is a co-ed trio that consists of Kevin from ZE:A and Kyeongree and Sojin from Nine Muses, and the group shares a similar dark, sexy style as Trouble Maker. Unlike Chae Yeon’s version, Nasty Nasty’s Knock is a risque song that describes the love triangle between the three members. In the music video, Kevin and Kyeongree are a couple, while Kevin gets attracted to Sojin and cheats on Kyeongree, a storyline rarely seen in the K-pop scene even today. The lyrics are also one of the most suggestive K-pop songs that invite the other half to knock on their heart. On top of that, the saxophone overlying the mid-tempo dance beat gives a sexy yet classy feeling to the song.

Since its debut, Golden Child has been widely known as a boy-next-door group that often showcases bright and refreshing images. However, the group challenged themselves by experimenting with a dark and mature concept in their latest title track, Replay. This song expresses the members’ wish to turn back time after breaking up, asking their lover to give them one more chance and come back to them. Replay is one of the most high-tension tracks in Golden Child’s discography by far, with heavy synth bass sounds as the base throughout the song. The punchy bass slap and bombastic rock guitar sound in the dance break and the powerful choreography add extra energy to the track, bringing out a brand new masculine side of the group that surprised Goldenness.

Fifteen years ago, SHINee debuted with the title track, also called Replay, which gives out a pure and innocent vibe that is precisely opposite to the counterpart by Golden Child. The lyrics are about a bitter-sweet puppy love story, where the members are shyly confessing to their crush, but their desire does not accept their love as they are too young. The boys thus get tired of their relationship and hope to replay the good memories with their crush. The refreshing beat showcases the youthful and adorable charms of the group, and the signature line in the chorus (which is the same as the song’s Korean title), “Noona, you are so pretty,” never fails to steal the hearts of thousands of “noona fans” even until today!

Kep1er released an excellent summer track called Up! last summer, in which the girls sing their excitement to set off to their dream world and invite the listeners to leave their fear and worries behind and follow them for the magical adventure. The music video is also delightful to watch. While dancing to the adorable choreography, the girls have fun in different places, like the camping tent, the middle of an ocean, and even the space. The girls' refreshing vocals and lively rap on top of the catchy beat make this a perfect summer song for driving away the scalding heat.

Exactly a decade ago, Epik High dropped their first album under YG Entertainment, “99”, and one of the b-side tracks is also called Up. This meaningful song encourages listeners to never give up in the face of difficulties and failures because if you keep trying, you will succeed one day, which has a different theme from Kep1er’s version. The track also features 2NE1’s Park Bom, and her powerful vocal not only perfectly conveys the empowering message of the lyrics and adds an emotional feeling to the song but also harmonizes with Tablo and Mithra Jin’s freewheeling rap nicely. If you are going through hard times and need encouraging beats to lift up your spirit, this is the right song for you!

Veteran K-pop fans may have noticed that MONSTA X and BEAST have a song called Beautiful, and interestingly, both of them showcase a different side from their “jimseungdol” (beast-like idol) image. MONSTA X’s Beautiful is the title song of their first full-length album, in which the members sing their admiration towards their crush, who is “too beautiful to handle.” While the explosive trap beat still preserves the wild character of MONSTA X, the boys showcase an elegant and classy concept that vastly diverts from their usual street style by wearing suits while dancing to the graceful yet powerful choreography. The members taking off and throwing away their suits at the end is a blessing to all of MONBEBE’s eyes!

BEAST’s Beautiful shares a similar theme with MONSTA X’s version, in which the lyrics express the members’ love for their crush, promising they will always support and treasure her. The boys singing the signature line “so beautiful my girl oh oh girl” while dancing to the adorable choreography always give B2UTY butterflies and showcase a bright and lovely side of BEAST different from their previous dark and wild releases like Shock and Breath. The music video even featured Apink’s Naeun as the female lead, which contains a cute storyline of Gikwang and Junhyung competing for their classmate Naeun.