Hello and welcome to the eleventh edition of “The Best of the Best”, a monthly countdown of the very best of anything to do with Girls’ Generation. As decided by your votes last month, I listened to as many of Girls’ Generation’s songs featuring just one member as I could, from Sunny’s “이제서야 (Finally Now)” to Hyoyeon’s “Please Don’t Stop The Music”, to come up with my five favorite solo songs by individual members of Girls’ Generation. As always, I’ve included my reasons why and a video of the song being played or performed to help you decide whether you agree or think I’m crazy (I was glad to see last month that many of you thought I was!). In addition, I also created a poll for you to determine what I will tear my hair out over for the next “The Best of the Best”, so please be sure to vote! Finally, let me know in the comments what would be on your list of the top five solo songs by members of Girls’ Generation. I’ll see you next month!

5. Sunny – “Fly, Fly Away”

Though her voice seems most perfectly suited for duets such as “사랑인걸요 (This Must Be Love)” with Taeyeon or “나야 (It’s Me)” with f(x)’s Luna, Sunny’s vocal talents also shine in her solo songs as well. Her very best came in early 2012 in her performance for the Korean version of the Broadway musical adaption for “Catch Me If You Can”. Sunny played Brenda Strong, a nurse who the main character, Frank Abagnale Jr., falls in love with. Brenda falls in love with him as well, but Frank is forced to flee and leave her behind in order to escape from Carl Hanratty, an FBI agent looking to arrest him. Brenda refuses to tell Hanratty where Frank is, and with tears in her eyes, sings “Fly, Fly Away” as a message to Frank. This amazing performance by Sunny was one of many highlights in her very first musical, and begins my list of the very best solo songs by Girls’ Generation.

4. Tiffany – “반지 (Ring)”

While Tiffany’s uniquely rich and husky voice has been featured in many amazing solos, ranging from a cover of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” in Girls’ Generation’s 1st Asia Tour to “그대니까요 (Because It’s You)” for the soundtrack of “Love Rain”, none are as touching as her song, “반지 (Ring)”, for the OST of a short film, “Haru: An Unforgettable Day in Korea”. In “반지”, Tiffany begins by singing about the moment of a proposal and seeing a ring being slipped onto her finger. As the song continues, she compares both herself to a dark and lonely star that has been given light and a promise in her hand to a flower that will never wither. Later in the song, the lyrics are reversed, and Tiffany compares herself to a flower without a scent that has been given a fragrance and a promise in her hand to that of an unending light. This beautifully sung and written song takes the fourth spot on my list of Girls’ Generation’s best solo songs. Check out the lyrics for “반지” in Soshified’s Lyrics Center.

3. Jessica – “눈물이 넘쳐서 (Because Tears Are Overflowing)” 

In May of 2011, Jessica released “눈물이 넘쳐서 (Because Tears Are Overflowing)” for the “Romance Town” soundtrack, her very first OST and one of her few solo songs that shows off her control and stable voice, rather than having a cute sound. “눈물이 넘쳐서” is an emotional ballad which describes a painful love. In it, Jessica sings of tears which overflow, becoming a river and eventually an ocean, and she wonders whether they will bring a person to notice her. Finally, the song ends with Jessica asking someone to be by her side and a promise to love only them, even though to do so hurts so much. This beautiful track matches perfectly with Jessica’s soft, higher-pitched voice and wins third place on my list. The lyrics for “눈물이 넘쳐서” are available in Soshified’s Lyrics Center. 

2. Seohyun – “아파도 괜찮아요 (It’s Okay Even If It Hurts)” 

As Girls’ Generation’s maknae, Seohyun is known for constantly surprising with her maturity and intelligence. With the release of “아파도 괜찮아요 (It’s Okay Even If It Hurts)” for the OST of “Kim Sooro” in 2010, she did so once again, showing off a mature and emotional voice for a track which describes a hurtful love, similar to Jessica’s “눈물이 넘쳐서”. In this moving and heavy ballad, Seohyun sings of unrequited love for someone she cannot forget, listing the many pains that she accepts because of it. Seohyun’s vocals, which had grown since “Oppa Nappa” with Jessica and Tiffany, carried the song’s meaningful and saddening lyrics, as well as its touching melody. In addition to showing that Seohyun’s wonderful voice also suited ballads, “아파도 괜찮아요” wins the second spot on my list of the top five solo songs by Girls’ Generation. You can find the lyrics to “아파도 괜찮아요” in Soshified’s Lyrics Center. 

1. Taeyeon – “사랑해요 (I Love You)” 

From the slow and saddening “만약에 (If)” in 2008 to the powerful and jaw-dropping “Devil’s Cry” in 2011, Taeyeon has had many solo songs in her five years as the leader of Girls’ Generation, making it nearly impossible to choose the very best one. However, “사랑해요 (I Love You)”, for the OST of “Athena”, stands out as a beautiful ballad which shows off Taeyeon’s range, talent, and soothing voice. Though the lyrics are simple, Taeyeon delivers them in a way that fills the song with emotion and makes it a touching and heartbreaking ballad. In addition, “사랑해요” displayed the growth of Taeyeon’s vocals since “만약에”, showing her more mature and practiced voice. Though all of Taeyeon’s solos are outstanding songs, “사랑해요” is a incredible track which shows exactly why she is currently known as one of the best idol vocalists in Korea, and it wins first place on my list of the best solo songs by members of Girls’ Generation. Read the lyrics for “사랑해요” in Soshified’s Lyrics Center. (Warning! Turn down your volume before clicking “play”!) 

Since I love this song so much, a bonus video!

Sources: 泰妍 金@YouTube.com, HDigital@YouTube.com, CJENMMUSIC@YouTube.com,ksj0805@YouTube.com, sment@YouTube.com, ssfcedge1@YouTube.com

Written by: bhost909@soshified 

Edited by: kt9823@soshified