In a couple of months some mysterious cabal will crown a ‘Song of the Summer,’ with songs such as Taylor Swift’s ‘Karma,’ Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers,’ and Morgan Wallen’s ‘Last Night’ already vying for the title.
I want to put an early vote in for ‘Cupid,’ the breakout single by K-Pop girl group Fifty Fifty. This song has reached a growing audience through a sped-up TikTok version and an English-language ‘Twin version,’ as well as the original Korean version presented here. It’s a bouncy, glittery, yet somehow melancholy, song about unrequited love. I guarantee it will get stuck in your head.
I find it interesting that even the Korean version has English phrases throughout, a trend I notice in a lot of K-Pop. I’m sure there is a complicated cultural explanation for that — one that goes beyond an appeal to English-speaking listeners — but I won’t be exploring it today.
I’ll just relax and listen to this bop one more time instead.
La, la, la, la-la-la
La, la-la-la, la, la-la-la
[Verse 1: Aran, All]
Bul kkeojin romantic all my life
Nae juwineun ontong lovely day
Nae nun soge bichin arrow sign
(Oh why, oh why, oh why, oh why?)
[Pre-Chorus: Sio, All]
I’m feeling lonely (Lonely)
Geuman hilkkeutdaego malhaejwoyo hold me (Hold me)
Dashi crying in my room
Sumkigo shipeo (Say what you say, but I want it more)
But still I want it more, more, more
[Chorus: All]
I gave a second chance to Cupid
Neol mideun naega jeongmal stupid
Boyeojulge sumkyeowatdeon love, is it real?
Cupid is so dumb
[Verse 2: Aran, Aran & Keena]
Tto kkumgileul geotneun every day
Nun ddeumyeon dashi tto flew away
Waiting around is a waste (Wastе)
Na soljikhi jigeumi pyeonhae
Sangsangmankеum jjalithan geolkka?
[Pre-Chorus: Sio, All]
Now I’m so lonely (Lonely)
Maeil kkumsogeseo yeonseuphaetjyo kiss me (Kiss me)
Dashi crying in my room
Pogihalkka bwa (Say what you say, but I want it more)
But still I want it more, more, more
[Chorus: All]
I gave a second chance to Cupid
Neol mideun naega jeongmal stupid
Boyeojulge sumkyeowatdeon love, is it real?
Cupid is so dumb
[Verse 3: Keena, Saena, Both]
I’m so lonely, hold me tightly
Jjalithan geol wonhae who’ll really love me truly
Naega gidarimeun eobseo I can’t wait
Deoneun midji anha now I’m gonna make it mine
Love is a light, I’ma show my love is right
It’s not a joke, so give it to me right now
No more chance to you
You know, hey, d-d-d-dumb boy
[Bridge: Aran, Sio]
Kkumsoge maeil bam
Someone who will share this feeling
I’m a fool
A fool for love, a fool for love
[Chorus: All, Aran, Sio]
I gave a second chance to Cupid
Neol mideun naega jeongmal stupid
Boyeojulge sumkyeowatdeon love, is it real?
Cupid is so dumb
I gave a second chance to Cupid (Hopeless girl is seeking)
Neol mideun naega jeongmal stupid (Someone who will share this feeling)
Dashi hanbeon mot deuleun cheok gihoeleul julge (I’m a fool)
Cupid is so dumb (A fool for love, a fool for love)
Meet Me In Montauk 
My vote for Song of the Summer, at least so far, would probably go to Karma or Flowers.
As to the dual language, I suspect it is partly at the urging of producers wanting to reach an English speaking audience, but also because people in Korea, and most other countries, have at least some familiarity with English, especially through English language music.
A quick google search shows Flowers and Cupid definitely in the running, while Karma and Last Night not so much. Here’s one list I found of 30 contenders:
https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/30_tracks_with_the_potential_to_be_the_song_of_the_summer_2023/s1__38815701
I’m shocked to not see ‘Karma’ on that list. And I think ‘Last Night’ is suffering from a bias against country music as Song of the Summer material, because that thing has been a juggernaut.