Saw it on reddit, and boy you have no idea how much I love this song
man Zombie is just one of those songs that make my heart hurt in a good way. like it's a very sad song, but there's something really comforting about it. it was released may 2020, and not only did it just feel relatable because of the pandemic, but it also portrayed the life of someone in their corporate job who felt like their life was stagnant. something a lot of grown adults have felt like for a long time.
and it's an amazing song, so when I saw that it had an english verison i wasn't quite sure how i would feel. i think a lot of songs when they're trying to be translated into a different language, especially in english, it's a little difficult for the song to give off the same vibes as the original.
safe to say, i was blown away by the english version. i was worried that the lyrics wouldn't be as deep as the korean version, which was clearly disproven. another thing i worried about was there being a word vomit trying to match the english lyrics to the korean lyrics word or word. because there's some really good korean lyrics, but they translated to be kind of long in english and didn't fit the syllable count of the beat. and they amazed me there in that aspect too. their lyrics were similar, but not exactly the same which worked wonderfully. not to mention there was some rhymes which i thought was pretty neat because rhyming just makes the song sound more complete in my opinion. it's a song that flows seamlessly together just like the original version.
if the original just made my heart hurt a bit, the english version made me want to sit and stare at a wall while my heart breaks. it completely exceeded all of my expectations. and i think a major part in that was that they didn't focus on translating the song, but simply acting as if they were rewriting the song. small distinction, but it makes all the difference.
it makes a different because they don't have to restrict themselves to what the korean lyrics say. their lyrics in the english version were completely different for their korean counterpart, but the message of the song was still the same. some of the lyrics in korean wouldn't fit well in english and some of the english lyrics wouldn't fit into korean either. but each version flows together as if they're the original song.
i think i'm finally starting to understand the things that translators say when translating. not only is it important to translate what they actually say, but it is also important to translate the feelings they're trying to express. that sometimes translations aren't the exact words, but they're matching the words to a popular saying/figure of speech of the language that they are translating for.
the closest example off the top of my head in zombie is the lyric from the english version: today is a present that I don't want. in english, the word present refers to a gift and it refers to the existing now. this lyric is a pun, that wouldn't translate into other languages because their words or gift and now are different.
and i bring that point up because it shows that they're not trying to translate the song zombie, they're trying to rewrite it. i think something some people may not factor into translating is syllable counts. all instrumentals have their syllable counts, so there is a limit to what you can say. and i think rewriting zombie completely as if it's a new song was a great choice to make. it wasn't trying to be a completely copy of the original. and I do really think it's the best kpop song that has been translated. i really do think day6 and jyp outdone themselves with this song and the song's translation.
even now as it is 2 years after it's release, it's just one of those songs that when I remember it exists, it just makes me feel the same emotions as it it's the first time. saying it's an amazing song is an understatement, I really do recommend it. it's a painfully relatable song, and this pandemic only makes it feel more soul crushing.
ZOMBIE SUPREMACY BITCHES
I FEEL LIKE I BECAME A ZOMBIE
