IU’s ‘Through the Night’ was Korea’s most beloved song in 2017

On January 10th IU won the best song award at the Golden Disc Awards with “Through the Night”. The life of the song began in early 2017 from an unfinished demo by Je-Hwi Kim, a junior singer that IU used to know from three years ago. 

 

After listening to the demo, IU fell in love with the warm, soft melody of the acoustic guitar and started writing lyrics as if she were writing a love letter, with phrases such as “Just like letters on the sand where waves were, I feel you’ll disappear”. To harmonize with the delicate and sentimental tone of the original song, IU chose a theme of “a lonely, misty night missing your lover” as the storyline. 

“Tonight, I’ll send the glow of a firefly to somewhere near your window” refers to a phrase common in the 50 and 60s, helping make the song especially resonate among older Koreans, however, with the purity of love expressed through the song, the song became beloved among all generations.

 

 

[Lyrics]

 

Tonight, I’ll send the glow of a firefly

to somewhere near your window

It’s that I love you

I remember our first kiss

I close my eyes whenever I can

and go to the farthest place

Just like letters on the sand

where waves were

I feel you’ll disappear

To a far off place

I always miss you miss you

All the words

In my heart

I can’t show them all to you

But, it’s that I love you

How can I be so lucky

to have met you, who is a blessing

If we’re together now

Ah how great it’d be

Just like letters on the sand

where waves were

I feel you’ll disappear

to a far off place

I miss you again and miss you more

In my diary

All the words

I can’t show them all to you

It’s that I love you

Tonight, I’ll send the glow of a firefly

to somewhere

Near your window

I hope it’s a good dream