“I wanted to pass on the passion and sense of justice of that day to our children, grandchildren, and the next generation through song.”
Famous composer and singer-songwriter Song Si-hyun (61) has released a new song titled “Child of May” to commemorate the May 18 Democratization Movement.
Under his project band Song Si-hyun Dream, he used folk rock to tell the story of a family tied to the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, focusing on a son’s growing pains and resolve.
This is the band’s second track, following “Dreamy World” released last April.
In a phone interview on the 16th, Song Si-hyun shared, “The 1980s were the golden age of my life and a time when my career was moving forward without hesitation.” However, he added, “Back in May 1980, I only heard stories that something had happened in Gwangju, but I didn’t know exactly what it was. After entering college in 1985 and learning the reality of May 18, I felt a huge shock, along with a sense of debt and guilt.”
Since debuting in 1986 at the MBC Gangbyeon Song Festival with “You Who Cannot Be Hated,” Song Si-hyun has composed massive hits for Lee Sun-hee, including “I Always Love You,” “With a Burst of Laughter,” and “When Turning the Pages of Memories.” As a singer-songwriter, his own song “Dreamy World” was also widely loved.
This isn’t the first time he’s written about May 18. The first song he ever wrote after entering college was “With a Burst of Laughter” (1989), a hit for Lee Sun-hee.
During an era when tear gas was common in the streets filled with youth, he felt heavily weighed down by the guilt of not achieving social change. He recalled, “I felt a very strong obsession that I had to express my thoughts through music during that time.”
The message he shouted through Lee Sun-hee’s voice back then, “The sighs of the youth in this world are too deep to ignore with a burst of laughter,” has now evolved into “Child of May” in 2026, which he sings himself.
Song Si-hyun explained, “I felt that my role was to seek out the stories tucked away in the crevices of history.”
In “Child of May,” the narrator is a son who lost his father during the May 18 Democratization Movement. The son vows to continue singing the songs of freedom that his father couldn’t bring himself to sing out loud.
While songs about May 18 are often dark and heavy, this track features a bright and upbeat melody. The goal is to create empathy among people of all ages and genders.
“Born in May 1980, I’ve never once seen my father’s face… Dad! Don’t worry, your son is here on this land. The song of May is a song of freedom, peace, and hope.”
Song Si-hyun said, “I believed that for a song to convey its meaning across generations, public empathy is most important. I created a story based on a single family’s narrative rather than making it conceptual or political.”
He is preparing more songs about various historical events using this storytelling format.
He revealed, “I am preparing a musical about May 18 seen through the eyes of a soldier sent to Gwangju by the martial law command. I also plan to release storytelling songs about the Jeju April 3 incident and Dokdo.”
He emphasized, “We often encounter absurd historical distortions and denials of reality. I intend to create songs filled with emotion and narrative so that we can pass the correct history on to the 10s and 20s of the future without giving in.”
Song Si-hyun celebrates a meaningful 40th anniversary of his debut this year. He has been busy as a composer, singer-songwriter, professor at Busan Arts College, and musical producer. Throughout these 40 years, his bond with Lee Sun-hee has been inseparable.
Lee Sun-hee was the MC of the 1986 Gangbyeon Song Festival, where Song Si-hyun made his debut.
Lee Sun-hee, already a star after winning the grand prize with “To J” at the 1984 festival, told Song Si-hyun, “You would be much better at singing this song than I would,” and helped him pick his debut song, “Dreamy World.”
Their connection continued with the representative hit “I Always Love You.” Song Si-hyun wrote this song in just 20 minutes while taking a bus to Gwanghwamun during his freshman year of college.
“While preparing for the Gangbyeon Song Festival, I always carried my sheet music like a treasure. During the preparations, Lee Sun-hee told me through her manager that she wanted to meet at night. I almost didn’t go because it was the day before the finals, but I found myself going anyway. I spread out my music and sang over 100 songs for her until 4 AM. Haha.”
He recalled, “Lee Sun-hee was waiting for me at Namiseom with a watermelon. The memory of eating watermelon and singing all night is still vivid. I think she liked ‘I Always Love You’ among those songs.”
Song Si-hyun plans to continue releasing music through his project band, which includes veteran musicians Song Sang-hoon (vocals, acoustic guitar), Jung Yu-jin (vocals, acoustic guitar), and Park In-hwan (electric guitar).
He admitted, “Experiencing mega-hits early in my career made me mistakenly think that while writing a song is hard, making it a hit is easy.” He added, “My band members, who have also been active for 30 to 40 years, have many stories they want to tell through music. I plan to gradually expand the scope of our stories to include theirs.”
