In our new series we rediscover the great artists of the history of Korean popular music. Ranging from trot singers to folk rock stars to punk bands, we present one hit song from a chosen musician/band and then we take a look at the covers of their song.
This edition is about one of the leading Korean ballad singers in the '80s, Lee Moon-se (이문세). Born in 1959, he stepped into the entertainment industry in 1978 as a TV host and debuted as a singer in 1983 with I'm a Happy Man (나는 행복한 사람). During the '80s he created many unforgettable, iconic songs such as If Love Passes By (사랑이 지나가면, 1987), Farewell Story (이별이야기, 1987) and Gwanghwamun Sonata (광화문 연가, 1988). Perhaps his most famous song is the upbeat, noraebang-favourite Sunset Glow (붉은 노을, 1988) which was remade in 2008 by Big Bang. Beside being a singer, Lee is a prominent radio DJ who hosted the legendary On a Starry Night (별이 빛나는 밤에) on MBC radio from 1985 up to 1996.
My personal favourite track from him is Old Love (옛사랑, 1991), you can listen to it below:
I chose two covers of the song: the first is a heartbreaking acoustic rendition by IU (live on Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook) and the second is a powerful duet featuring Brown Eyes and Jang Hye-jin:
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