TUNE OF THE WEEK: EXO “Overdose”

groovyIt’s going to come as a surprise to absolute no one that my “Tune of the Week” this week is none other than EXO’s highly anticipated comeback track, “Overdose.”

exo k overdoseexo m overdoseAs we all know, EXO was scheduled to make their comeback with “Overdose” last month but after the tragic Sewol Ferry disaster, things in the world of K-Pop came to a screeching halt and understandably so. While those affected by this disaster are still mourning the loss of their loved ones, the simple fact is, at some point life must go on and so must the music; three weeks later it would seem that time has come.

 

yesI have to say, that after a month of waiting for the official release of EXO’s second mini-album, Overdose, and the much-anticipated MV of its title track, I was expecting a bit more than what SM delivered. Having been teased for what felt like forever, with pictures of EXO all smokey-eyed, dark and brooding, I betterwas hoping for something a little darker and a little deeper with this comeback, something that said, “We’re back and better than ever.” Unfortunately, “Overdose” doesn’t deliver on that score but that doesn’t mean I’m completely disappointed.

yupIn all honestly, I really like “Overdose.” I love the electronic/dance feel of the song as it makes me wish I could dance half as well as Sehun and Chanyeol’s rapping literally makes me weak in the knees. It’s his voice, okay? Well that and the fact that the lyrics for “Overdose” are, how shall I put this… Sultry? Seductive? Smokin’ hot??? Whatever you want to call the lyrics, when they’re combined with the smooth voices of EXO, there’s really no way to not 7be affected by this song, in one way or another… On top of all of that musical awesomeness, “Overdose” is ridiculously catchy which means I’ve been playing it a lot over the past two days. I’m probably going to end up overdosing on this song… Eventually… But for now, it’s got top rotation on my iPod playlist because I seriously can’t get enough of it.

taoI think what disappoints me the most about “Overdose” isn’t the song so much as the MV. SM could have done so much with this MV but they didn’t. Instead of creating an interesting story-line or at least a visually stunning treat, they decided to stick EXO in a bizarrely lit box and have them dance for four minutes. How very uninspiring. xiuminWhat’s even more disappointing is that the beginning of this MV had so much potential. I thought the whole sci-fi-ish, trapped in a labyrinth thing was a great beginning and it would have been fun to watch that story-line develop throughout the rest of the MV. Instead, we’re magically transported into some inner chamber of said labyrinth, where the boys of EXO have somehow traveled back in time and become ’90s hip-hop wannabes. Sorry 9but the outfits these boys were wearing for half of EXO-K’s MV and pretty much all of EXO-M’s MV reminded me way too much of the clothes I wore in junior high and high school. Yes kids, once upon a time those Cross Colours shirts and jackets and funny floppy hats were cool but that was a long time ago (as in when the members of EXO were still in diapers).


better intro by mThe good news is, the poor boys trapped in that psychedelic box were granted permission to change clothes at least once and their snappy suits more than made up for their Fresh Prince inspired duds. The bad news is, that single costume change wasn’t enough to inspire any sort of reaction from me other than, “Oooh! I want Kai’s sparkly shoes!” I guess I’m just not really feeling the whole “EXO in a dancingBox” thing any more than I’m feeling the choreography for “Overdose.” Again, it’s not because I particularly hate it (it is rather humorous after all, with all of the beating each other on the head with imaginary drum sticks and the pelvic thrusts in every possible direction) I just feel like EXO has the ability to do so much more and I hate feeling like they’re not living up to their potential. Call me crazy but I know EXO has more in them than this!

head whackingWhat’s even more disappointing than watching the EXO-K version of “Overdose” is watching the EXO-M version. To me, it feels like EXO-M got the shaft on this one. After watching the two videos side-by-side, simultaneously I think EXO-K got a higher quality production than EXO-M. For starters, the lighting in EXO-K’s version was better, as there were moments in EXO-M’s version where it was so dark, you could barely tell there were people in the shot. To me, the differences in choreography and 8cinematography in EXO-M’s version felt sluggish and sloppy when compared to EXO-K’s version and finally, the EXO-M version doesn’t have the spiffy outfit change at the beginning of the MV like the EXO-K version does, so we’re stuck watching these poor boys dance around in their NKOTB inspired costumes for way longer than any of us really wants to see. On the up-side, watching the EXO-M version does provide a bit more time for me to enjoy watching most of my EXO biases (and yes, I have more than one) than the EXO-K version but I find that EXO-M shines just as brightly in the EXO-K version and since the lighting in that MV is better, it’s easier to enjoy the eye-candy. Call me lame but the sweetness of the eye-candy alone is enough to draw me more towards EXO-K’s version of “Overdose” than EXO-M’s. (And let’s all be honest for a moment and admit that that’s pretty much the only reason we’ve all been watching this MV over and over and over and over… Or is that just me?)

D.O.To wrap this up, I’ll proudly admit that I’m a fan of “Overdose” itself but I’m disappointed in SM for keeping EXO literally trapped inside a box with their MV. With Overdose being EXO’s second mini-album, I have no doubt they’ll have many other projects in the future, I just hope that when the time comes, 3SM will provide the boys of EXO an opportunity to show us what they’ve really got. I truly believe EXO has the ability to blow us all away, they just need to be given the chance to live up to their potential. (C’mon SM, stop holding these boys back!) As I wait for that time to come, I’ll happily spend my days with “Oh she wants me. Oh she’s got me. Oh she hurts me.” running through my head as it give me a legitimate excuse to listen to this song yet again. (As if I really needed one!)

1So tell me, what are your thoughts on “Overdose”? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Are you indifferent? I’d love to know what you’re thinking so be sure to let me a comment below!

 

7 Replies to “TUNE OF THE WEEK: EXO “Overdose””

  1. I – Love – Exo’s – Overdose! Okay, I don’t love it as much as I loved “Growl” but this song is really becoming addicting after watching it numerous times! I thought about doing a comparison review like I did for Growl for my blog, but I think you have most of it covered here.
    Definitely –I think Exo-K version is the better one: As you said, lighting was better and it seems like the lyrics are better (or should I say, catchier).
    For example, the Chorus, I simply liked the Korean version of “Too Much, It’s you” than the Chinese version…The Korean version is catchier.
    Where Exo-M excels is Tao! Tao! Tao! #1) Woah, the haircut? What happened. Tao looks so fierce~! And Tao’s rapping and acrobatic skills are awesome. I love Chanyeol, but Tao is in the spotlight this time! I think Tao does some excellent head drumming.
    My favorite move by far is the head drumming move. How did they move their heads like that to the drums? I want to learn! And I’m sure the crossed arms contributed to it, making it look like the head was moving more than it should. I LOVE IT!
    It’s nice to see all 12 members get a shot at participating in the song. I actually love this better than separating them six and six.
    I can’t wait to see the live version of this song now.
    Well, you can tell I’m a huge Exo fan now.. 😀

    1. By the way, I love the music video overall. They could have made a story with it, but I honestly rather watch them dance their butt off instead. Even then, I’m not sure what the story would be about since it’s a maze and nothing seems to make sense to me…hm…

    2. Hooray! Welcome to the EXO fangirl club my friend! So happy you could join us! 🙂

      Ah yes, Tao!!! I will happily join you in your praise of Tao! Tao! Tao! His martial arts skills are something I really admire and I think he’s just a doll.

      Like you, I like seeing all 12 members together. I think EXO is always the best when they’re together and I really wish SM would have never split them up in the first place. I understand that by having two groups as one, you can sell twice as many albums but from a fan’s perspective, I’d rather have EXO as one all the time. It’s obvious each member has the talent to perform in both languages so why can’t they just do a combined album or something? I wouldn’t mind but I suppose there are lots out there who would.

      I think you’re right about the Korean lyrics, they’re just catchier (in this song) than the Chinese and, for me at least, the catchiness of the lyrics is a big deciding factor in whether or not I really get into a song. As for the choreography, it’s entertaining to be sure and I guess, since that’s all this MV has to go on, it serves its purpose well. I mean, I wouldn’t be going back to watch both versions of the MV if I didn’t enjoy the show! kekeke 😉

      1. I’m really hooked on the song now. I think I’m overdosing on “Overdose.” Usually, Chen is my fav, but Tao is the shining factor this time. There’s this pic I saw in Facebook of a shot where Chanyeol is frying eggs on top of D.O. instead of drumming on his head. I think that’s hilarious! “Too much, it’s you, your love, this is overdose”

        1. At this point, I’m not sure it’s even possible to overdose on “Overdose!” I’ve been listening to it for days now and I’m still not sick of it. It’s just so darn catchy!

          Kai, Luhan, Tao and Lay are all favorites of mine so I’m really happy with both MVs as they each have their moments to shine. I know that both versions have a several million views each and I’m pretty sure half of those are mine! 😉

          1. I’m still scratching my head over the move that Kai/Tao does at the end of their rap where it looks like they are squishing a cigarette on the floor. Not sure what that means. Heh.

          2. I’m not sure either but I love Kai’s shiny silver shoes in that shot! I think I need to go find myself a pair just like them! 😉

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