Monthly Pop Song and Rock Magazine
Outline
Monthly Pop Song, since its first publication in November 1971, had been one of the major media through which Korean teenagers and young adults encountered Anglo-American pop music. For a long time it was a very long-lasting and the most influential pop magazine in South Korea, before Eumaksegye (Music World), its competitor, appeared in 1984. “I am very fortunate to have your magazine, which is unrivaled. A magazine seemed to release some editions, but they were more like summarized versions of past issues of Monthly Pop Song. However, they released a combination edition last month, possibly due to the financial circumstances, and the next issue did not even come out.” (Readers’ page, 1974.11, p. 141) Apart from some momentary attempts to make magazines resembling Monthly Pop Song, it was the only pop music publication regularly circulated in Korea in the 1970s.
The chief editor, Lee Mun-se, has worked in the magazine industry long before he created Monthly Pop Song, and he had knowledge in Korean popular music as can be seen in his earlier, short-lived 1960s magazine Gayo Life (Gayosaenghwal).13 “In this period, I had worked on a magazine called Gayo Life for around five years, and I could see how things turn out in the entertainment industry as clear as glass.” (Lee, 1975.11, p. 56) So it is not surprising that he became the first
13 Kayo (also romanized as Gayo) is a term that refers to domestic Korean popular music.
"The term K-Pop (K-p'ap) has rarely been used by Koreans in the past. The prevalent term to designate domestically produced pop music in Korean language is han'guk kayo (Korean popular song), taejung kayo (mass popular song), or simply kayo (popular song)."
chief editor and the representative of Monthly Pop Song. The magazine discontinued after 1987 due to financial difficulties, but Lee continues his career making other kinds of publications. (Choi 2016)
“Circulation of Monthly Pop Song started from 3,000, but 6 to 8 hundred items returned to us every issue. We went to bookstores and listened to students. They said that Monthly Pop Song had too few scores and too many talks (…) After when we started to obtain various kinds of pop information through channels from America, Italy, and Hawaii, readers of Monthly Pop Song rose sharply.” (Lee Mun-se, 1975.11, p. 56) Seven years after its first issue, the circulation reaches 30,000 according to one editor.
Lee explains how he started to make the magazine in his congratulatory remarks for the 5th anniversary of the magazine in 1975: “There was no well-informed pop magazine back then. There were only unauthorized and inaccurate song scores published by some score publishers (...) I liked the idea of helping people understand the chaotic pop music situation in Korea and communicating with the innocent youths.” (1975.11, p. 56)
[Figure 8] “We commemorate our 7th anniversary this month, and 5,000 readers in our beginning stages increased to 30,000 by now. We are even gladder that a considerable number of our readers (overseas Koreans) subscribe to the magazine from abroad.”
(Monthly Pop Song, Editors’ notes, 1978.11, p. 184)
The founder of Rock Magazine, Sam Chung-Tan Tuan and Johnny Chung-Yu Tuan were students in their 20s when they first created the publication in 1975. They noticed that there were no magazines in Taiwan that introduce Western pop, and furthermore, local folk music (campus folk) was very popular in Taiwan by then, so they decided to make one. (Wang 2002) However, they accumulated a lot of debt after a few years later and ceased the publication in 1980. They changed their company's name to Rock Publishing Co., and then to Rock Records, which became one of the leading record labels in Taiwan afterward. “Rock Magazine already had considerable influence in Taiwan by then, so we decided to continue using the name for the record label.” (Zhang 2005)
On one page in June 1976 issue has stated the circulation of the publication in small letters:
[Figure 9] “Rock Magazine is published once every month, and our sales areas are Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.”
“Publication date is June 15, 1965, and our sales period is June 20 to July 20. Our circulations: 15,000. Subscribers: 5,000. Sales: 7,000 in Taiwan, 3,000 in Hong Kong.”
(1976.6, p. 14)
It is also notable that these magazines were sold not only in Taiwan but also to the overseas Chinese and other Chinese-speaking places. Like Monthly Pop Song
different parts of the Chinese-speaking world.
Editors, Writers, and Readership
People participating in the magazines were often journalists and those making careers related to popular music. Specific organizations or the full list of employees are not listed on Monthly Pop Song, but we can find the names of the reporters occasionally, as well as several outside columnists who regularly published their articles.
[Figure 10] Names of chairman, representative, printer, and chief editor are listed.
(Monthly Pop Song, 1976.6, p. 180)
Many central figures that have been leading roles in introducing the overseas pop to the local audience and in promoting pop musicians have worked in the publications. Just to name a few, Na Yeonguk and Jeon Yeonghyok, famous DJs and columnists who became the bible of pop music manias in the 1980s and 1990s, have worked as chief editors of Monthly Pop Song. The magazine also sometimes wrote articles about the editors or their introductions.
[Figure 11] An interview with Na Yeounguk, the then-chief editor, about his previous DJ career, his views on Korean pop industry and the localization of pop in Korea. The photo on page 188 is a roundtable talk of Na and radio pop DJs. (Monthly Pop Song, 1980.11, p. 181, 188)
Furthermore, the magazine also hired foreign correspondents and got new sheet music or overseas news from them. “This month, we could get 14 new original pop scores and publish. We got these new scores through foreign correspondents; we will continue to keep up with the latest trends in the future.”
(Editors’ notes, Monthly Pop Song, 1976.6, p. 180)
The organization and list of employees are listed in each issue of Rock Magazine.
[Figure 12] The organization and list of employees.
27 people had been employed by December 1977 including the Duan brothers, not counting outside columnists. On the list, we can find some well-known names such as Trix Tsui (Cui Ke-quan), a guitarist of the Remen Yinyue band Rock City Band, and Kh Peng, who later created UFO Records (a later representative Taiwanese record label).
With regards to the readership, we can find out that the two publications were targeted for the ‘pop’ enthusiasts and especially the young generation.
Monthly Pop Song was a magazine for those who listened to Western pop and were in need of information and knowledge of overseas pop, and especially for the young generation. The representative and first chief editor, Lee Mun-Se, tells how he came to make the magazine by saying: “Songs that ppongjjak singers sang, the songs that cannot sound sadder and more mellow even if the parents of the singers just passed away, and bar hostesses could grasp a couple of wrinkled bills singing such songs... I noticed that the youths were sick and tired of these songs.” (Monthly Pop Song, 1975.11, p. 56) The mainstream local songs were considered as too emotional and vulgar, and many youths were not in favor of such music.
“I’m a big fan of your magazine. On the first day of each month, I used to
visit a nearby bookstore and bought Monthly Pop Song, for which I had been waiting for the whole month.” (Readers’ page, 1973.8, p. 156)
“In this season, young people run to the sea and to the mountains, holding guitars in their hands. I feel proud every time I see Monthly Pop Song in their hands.” (Editors’ notes, 1973.8, p. 158)
Since Anglo-American pop (in contrast to ppongjjak) was the music of the youths, avid fans of the magazine were mostly young people in their teenage or early twenties as well.
[Figure 13] “The only way to enjoy youth, in particular for Korean youths, is to immerse yourself in pop. Adults frown upon us, say that we only sing foreign songs and are not independent enough… No! We are just using the global language. Pop is not foreign; it is ours. It belongs to only us, the youths.”
(“Youths of the world and ‘Monthly Pop Song’” a reader’s letter from Readers’ page, 1974.11, p. 142)
The magazine was also valuable to DJs and columnists, who introduced Western pop to the domestic audience through other means such as radio programs.
“Full-time DJs had to try hard to maintain the level of professionalism. During that
time, Monthly Pop Song, a pop music magazine, was the must-read for DJs.” (Oh 2012)
Rock Magazine was targeted for young pop manias in Taiwan as well, and they also had the generation issue. In their first issue, stating their goals for the new publication writes: “Who needs Rock Magazine? The fashionable, progressive, passionate, active youths - who follow dreams, optimism, and adventures, who love music and audios, are sensitive and love to acquire new knowledge, who wear jeans14 - must all read Rock Magazine!” (1975.6, inner cover page) The front cover page of the same issue also states that it is “a magazine that the youths have prepared for the youths.”
[Figure 14] “Who needs Rock Magazine?”
(Inner cover page, 1975.6)
14 Jeans were symbols of new Western youth culture in the 1970s Taiwan, as well as in
Translation of Anglo-American Popular Music
These magazines introduced the latest trends of Anglo-American pop, delivered gossips about pop and rock stars, and made lists of new recommendable albums.
[Figure 15] “Special report 1: A miracle of 5 million records, Peter Frampton!” A report on the explosive popularity of the British rock musician. (Monthly Pop Song, 1977.4, p. 42) (Left)
[Figure 16] “Overseas news” delivering news of Rough Diamond (mistyped as Love Diamond), Frank Zappa’s UK stage, and Angel’s Japan concert.
(Rock Magazine, 1977.10, p. 10) (Right)
They also published their own analyses and critiques on overseas musicians, albums, and musical genres, selectively introducing new artists and records.
[Figure 17] “A work that let us know the true worth of Eric Burdon… He is particularly popular in Korea” (Monthly Pop Song, 1977.1, p. 106)
[Figure 18] “Music trends of ’77 – 1. Widespread of women's’ makeup by men” (Rock Magazine, 1977.3, p. 22)
While many of their articles were original, they sometimes also referred to overseas music magazines. “To richly adorn our magazine, we had a correspondent in the US and got musical scores of songs ranking top 20 on the Billboard chart as soon as possible. I read 5 or 6 pop magazines. From Japan we bought slide films of live performances, paying twenty thousand yen for a cut, and we used the photos in our magazine.” (Lee 2016, 30) Rock Magazine also included monthly Billboard charts in every issue and sometimes made use of foreign pop magazines as well.
[Figure 19] “Overseas popularity poll of the first half of ’76! Voting results from fans, published in the world’s leading magazine Creem15” (Monthly Pop Song, 1976.10, p.
36)
[Figure 20] Weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart (Rock Magazine, 1978.3, p. 84)
Through the journals, more people could encounter Anglo-American popular music. For instance, after readers got new information on pop stars and music, they could buy records (although many records circulated both in Taiwan and Korea were cheaper pirate records produced locally) or request the songs to DJs of radio programs.
They could also try singing and playing guitar with the sheet music included in the magazines.
[Figure 21] Sheet music (Monthly Pop Song, 1978.8, p. 166) [Figure 22] Lyrics and chords (Rock Magazine, 1978.3, p. 112)
From these, we can see that the process of cultural translation, which the magazines ‘translate’ the Anglo-American pop to the local audience, took place.
“Cultural translation is an action which creates meanings according to the 'context,' considering the cultural significance embodied in the language, behavioral patterns and value systems of others. (...) Therefore, cultural translation can make the relationship between two cultural agents equal, and is also able to solidify the hierarchy between the two.” (Kim 2005, 48)
In the basic sense the two publications served as ‘carriers to deliver another culture,’ (Ibid. 62) the process of cultural ‘translation’ was also taking place. The two magazines were bearing the local taste and needs of the local audience in mind and reorganized the significance of Anglo-American pop and folk to the domestic readers.
Development of Korean and Taiwanese Folk
The Beijing News: “Did the magazine only cover American rock? Back then, there must have already been a big trend for Taiwan's folk movement.”
Johnny Chung-Yu Tuan: “Right. The folk movement started in 1976. This cultural movement exerted great influence not only in Taiwan but even in the whole Chinese-speaking world. (...) In the later periods of Rock Magazine16, we gave a good deal of space to local Taiwanese singers such as Chyi Yu, Zheng Yi, and Wooden Guitar. I also had the idea of setting up a record label during this time.” (Zhang 2005)
The interview above shows Rock Magazine’s constant attention and connection to the development of domestic pop scenes. The first chief editor of Monthly Pop Song, Park Sangyun, also seems to have had interests in developing domestic pop and audience. “When I was working as the chief editor, I hoped to establish cultural centers for Korean folk and rock artists through the magazine.”
(Monthly Pop Song, 1973. 11 p. 27)
Before further examining the two publications, it would be helpful to look at the process that this genre called folk has locally developed each in Korea and Taiwan.
In the first chapter when discussing the notion of scenes, I have already talked about
16 Here 'the later periods' refer to the late 1970s, just before the establishment of Rock
how the new scenes started to appear in their early stages. The following would be a rough explanation of how Taiwan’s minge and Korean pokeu became the music of the times or the music of a generation. The graphs below are my understandings and simplications of the timeline of 1970s Korean and Taiwanese folk.
[Figure 23] Chronology of Korean folk
[Figure 24] Chronology of Taiwanese folk
Korean folk emerged in small music venues such as C'est Si Bon and House
of Tree Frogs, years after the culture of ‘singing along’ and acoustic guitars were introduced by Christian organizations such as YMCA. Folk got nationwide recognition in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A male folk duet called Twin Folio formed in 1968, and many Koreans recall the group as the first widely popular folk act. They sang not only in small venues but were also broadcast in national media, and were surrounded by many fans although they were active only briefly. Most songs they released were actually ‘translated’ songs, cover versions of overseas pop or folk hits with new Korean lyrics. It was not only Twin Folio; these ‘translations’ were prevalent practices for Korean folk singers back then, especially in the earlier stages of Korean folk. Musically, they sang with fair and easy-listening voices on top of acoustic guitar accompaniments.
Before long, this new music gains big popularity and folk music becomes one distinctive feature of Korean ‘youth culture.’ In the early and mid-1970s, not only music but also literature and films, along with other kinds of cultural symbols and movements started to represent an alternative culture for the young generation. There was a saying that ‘jeans, draft beer and acoustic guitars’ are three symbols of youth.
(Kyunghyang Shinmun 1974) People also started to argue what this social phenomenon would mean on newspapers and roundtable talks. Some folk musicians began to make musically more dynamic songs combining folk, rock and other genres of Western-style popular music.
However, the so-called marijuana crackdown in 1975 led to a temporary halt to this atmosphere. This refers to an incident when the government suddenly arrested a large number of musicians, actors and those working in the entertainment industry on charges of smoking marijuana. Many of the musicians were those who were particularly popular among the youth. Some were sentenced to jail, and more
experienced difficulties in their musical careers after being restricted from performing and releasing albums, while newspapers were continuously reporting these ‘marijuana entertainers.’ Folk scene and venues, along with the rock scene which was simultaneously developing in the urban areas and its venues (they were often called
‘Gogo clubs’), had similar difficulties.
[Figure 25]
“Many singers, whom our readers would have often met through our magazines or broadcasting and TV, are under arrest now after being blamed as marijuana smokers.
Before weighing the gravity of their crimes, I am worried about their health, who must be locked up in isolated places under sub-zero temperatures. I only hope they are released as soon as possible and make new comebacks.”
(Editors’ notes from Monthly Pop Song, 1976.2, p. 160)
This incident is now considered by many Koreans as a means of political oppression. However, the majority of the musicians involved did not show apparent political inclinations. In fact, the political opponents of Park Chung-hee regime and student movements were often opposed to this idea of youth culture, calling the folk and rock trends merely pleasure-seeking and overlooking the current political problems of the society. The authoritative regime oppressed these anti-government organizations as well, but the opposition power was also against the ‘seemingly
apolitical’ folk culture.
The crackdown does not mean that the history of the genre stopped all of a sudden, but afterward, it relatively failed to make new changes or trends as a social phenomenon or come out with fresh masterpieces. A few years later, in the late 1970s, folk was once again in the spotlight for a short time due to the sudden popularity of
‘college song competitions’ such as MBC Campus Music Festival. There were some amateur or semi-amateur college students who sang folk-style songs in these competitions, but in fact, the musical trends were already changing, along with changes of the Anglo-American pop. The mainstream youth pop goes under
‘reorganization’ with rock, dance and disco music in its center.
In Taiwan, musicians and the audience who played acoustic guitar pop and wrote their own songs appeared in the early 1970s. Hong Xiao-qiao has hosted the TV program Golden Melody Awards17 in the CTC channel, which had just opened, from the early 1970s. In this program, the viewers, mostly in their teenage or 20s, wrote songs in the Western pop style and sent them to the program. Hong has played herself some songs among them and released an original album herself. Meanwhile, some musicians continuously performed in venues mainly associated with students and the young generation, such as Ara-Kimbo.
This emerging trend becomes a ‘movement’ after a college student and musician Yang Hsien starts what he calls Chinese modern folk. He had a concert in Zhongshan Hall, Taipei and presented music of which the lyrics were borrowed from the renowned poet Yu Kwang-Chung in 1975. This monumental concert became the
17 The current Golden Melody Awards, a representative awards program in Taiwan and the Chinese-speaking world, has the same name with this 1970s program, but they are two
talk of the town and many cultural figures, as well as the media, were interested in Yang’s idea of Chinese modern folk. Yang Hsien's music had elements of both the Western guitar pop and art songs, using the vocal music and slow accompaniments in an antique style. This combination shows Yang's, and many youths’ general antipathy towards the ‘vulgarity’ of the mainstream popular music or the ‘decadent songs.’ Yang labeled his songs Chinese modern folk from the idea that he wanted to make his music
talk of the town and many cultural figures, as well as the media, were interested in Yang’s idea of Chinese modern folk. Yang Hsien's music had elements of both the Western guitar pop and art songs, using the vocal music and slow accompaniments in an antique style. This combination shows Yang's, and many youths’ general antipathy towards the ‘vulgarity’ of the mainstream popular music or the ‘decadent songs.’ Yang labeled his songs Chinese modern folk from the idea that he wanted to make his music