[Movie] Blackpink ‘Pink Venom’ Song Review – A catchy and addictive single

Introduction

Blackpink is one of the biggest K-pop girl groups of the present time. From making their debut in 2016 to eventually rising to become one of the most successful music acts in the short span of six years is commendable.

The fact that the four girls have collectively released no more than 30 songs over the last six years and still made it to the top with their limited discography is proof of the fact that a  can work smart and not hard to still be successful.

However, recently their fans (Blinks) had been vocally demanding new songs for the girl group in order for them to break records in the competitive K-pop industry. After being on a 22-month long hiatus, the girl group finally released their first original single, ‘Pink Venom’ which was released on August 19.

The single serves as a pre-release track from Blackpink’s upcoming album, ‘Born Pink’ which will drop on September 16 this year. The song is already breaking records one after the other as it becomes the best-released single of the year and Blackpink’s most successful song to date.

Music

One thing about Blackpink is that their  music is very trendy all the time. Be it hits like ‘Playing With Fire’, ’Ddu-Du Ddu-Du’,  ‘Boombayah’, ‘Kill This Love’, or ‘How You Like That’ and more, their songs always find a way of staying around in the minds of fans and non-fans alike.

Their catchy music is Blackpink’s USP (Ultimate Super Power) and ‘Pink Venom’ has understood the assignment in terms of music and melody for the most part of it. The song appears to start with one melody but works its way to another midway through only to drastically change into a third very chaotic rhythm after the beat drops.

Music analysts believe this is the case because producers looking for ways to make the song a hit on TikTok. ‘Pink Venom’, too seems like it was made with the purpose of getting a viral number instead of presenting a piece of honest music created with a single flowing rhythm.

Arrangement and Melody

The beginning of ‘Pink Venom’ offers a traditional beat with a switch up to drums with Jennie and Lisa’s rap which moves on to an electric guitar as Rose belts out her immense vocals. However, this flow is abruptly lost as soon as Jisoo’s voice is backed up with upbeat drums.

The beat then drops to the chorus, which is also the most addictive part of the song. The same mixed rhythm follows through the second half of the song which starts with Lisa and Jennie’s rap followed by Jisoo and Rose’s vocals. Following this, the song rises in tempo and Rose’s voice works amazingly with the melody while Jisoo’s voice sounds a little raspy in contrast.

However, the beat drops, and the final part section of the song starts. This is the part I have the most questions about, my first being why? The section felt like a reject melody that was pieced together with what felt like a pretty good song on its own.

Style

The song is pretty much like a lovechild of ‘Kill This Love’ and ‘How You Like That’ but it reportedly also has interpolations from past hits like ‘Kick In The Door’ by Notorious B.I.G, ‘Pon De Replay’ by Rihanna, and ‘P.I.M.P’ by 50 Cent. However, these interpolations make the song repetitive.

You cannot forget the originals because they were hits and this shout-out takes fans back to the original. The single is addictive and catchy and gets your attention from the first rap itself. However, ‘Pink Venom’ fails to offer something new and different from the girls.

Blackpink and their producer Teddy Park have understood the formula of success and because of this repetitive nature of the song, ’Pink Venom’ feels like a repurposed single with the same blueprint as Blackpink’s older title tracks.

The song has less space for meaning as most of their work goes into keeping the production value, aesthetics, and Blackpink’s trademark “big-scale music video” in check.

Lyrics and Message

I don’t think Blackpink released the song with the purpose of sending a message to fans. The lyrics are definitely not any different from their other songs and each line seems like a diss to their trolls. The song is actually held on by the rap and Jennie and Lisa manage to keep fans hooked.

Rose really is an underdog among the four and I wish her mesmerizing vocals got more attention with ‘Pink Venom’ in comparison to the other three.

The song has some catchy lines that stick with fans and don’t get caught off-guard if you find yourself mumbling, ‘Taste that Pink Venom’ or ‘Straight to your dome like whoa whoa whoa’, or the classic – ‘I bring the pain like.’

Music Video

The music video in my opinion is the ‘killing point’ of the single. The girls are one team but their differences show as each member is good at something in comparison to the other.

Be it Jennie’s model-esque body as she walks down the runway or Lisa’s baller all-Celine fit that highlights her dancing skills or Rose with the electric guitar or Jisoo being the group’s silent killer. However many inconsistencies were heard in the song, and are otherwise compensated with the music video.

From the black-pink apple from ‘How You Like That’ which Lisa takes a bite out of as her eyes turn pink or the Jennie coming into the scene in a giant vehicle much like the tank from ‘Ddu-Du Ddu-Du’.

To Rose entering the dark world that is turning red after what happened in ‘Kill This Love’ or Jisoo being worshipped by people when she was being attacked in ‘Ddu-Du Ddu-Du’. All four members shined equally to an extent but some credit to the rap line has a better impact in ‘Pink Venom’.

Conclusion

I personally really enjoyed most of the song but the ‘Ratata’ part seems really unnecessary to the otherwise great track. Is this single the best K-pop song ever? No. Is ‘Pink Venom’ the best thing Blackpink has released ever? Maybe. But, is the song a great, catchy, upbeat party track that you can jam to while working out or during your dance sessions? Definitely.

Among the four members, I personally felt Jason’s voice did not fit well with the other three. Jennie killed with her opening line while Lisa’s mid-section rap was tenaciously holding on to the listener. Rose’s bridge was my personal favourite part of the entire song while Jisoo is exceptionally pleasing to the eye as she exudes grace all through the video.

What are your thoughts about Blackpink’s ‘Pink Venom’? Did you enjoy the single? Let us know in the comments below!

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