This year's 75-year-old folk balladeer of the music world, Choi Baek-ho, unpacked death through song, drawing tears from anchor Kim Ju-ha.
On the 17th broadcast of MBN's "Kim Ju-ha's Day & Night," Choi Baek-ho, marking his 50th year since debut, appeared and calmly spoke about life, music and his perception of death.
That day Kim Ju-ha asked Choi Baek-ho, "You have written more than 100 songs; what was the force that allowed you to keep composing so steadily?" Choi Baek-ho replied, "I just liked it," and added, "I have a small room at home. I read books there, write lyrics and compose songs. I'm still writing now."
When asked how many unreleased songs he had, he revealed, "About 50 to 60 songs," and then picked up his guitar to perform an unreleased song, "Applause." The lyrics — 'When I die, please clap / Praise the hours of my life / When I die, please dance too / Everyone rise and dance' — quietly filled the studio.
As the song continued, Kim Ju-ha could not hide her increasingly reddened eyes. She tried to suppress her emotions by looking at the ceiling but eventually showed tears, saying, "The lyrics felt so much like my dream."
Choi Baek-ho then explained how his perspective had changed with age. He said, "At this age, especially after passing 70, death is no longer a distant story," and added, "As friends around me leave one by one, death comes closer to reality." He went on to say, "So I wanted to leave a song that could be applauded even after I'm gone."
The confession and song, conscious of life's end, instantly changed the atmosphere in the studio and even left the host at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, "Kim Ju-ha's Day & Night" airs every Saturday at 9:40 p.m. <
[Photo] MBN's "Kim Ju-ha's Day & Night" broadcast screen capture
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