It’s Less Dangerous is the first of several singles coming out in promotion for my full length album, Everyday Mania.
It was November 2023. I had a seismic shift in my mental state that began a few months prior. I was feeling the most grateful I had ever been in my life (I wrote a song about that experience called Weltanschauung. Coming soon!). It lead me to appreciate what I have and made me ponder what could have been.
My father escaped North Korea during Japanese rule and before Kim Il Sung came into power. Had he stayed, there is a strong chance that I could have been born and raised in North Korea. I’ve had this realization come in and out of my life, but it hit different in 2023 because of how immensely grateful I was feeling. It sparked my curiosity to learn more about the country, and so I picked up a book called Nothing to Envy - Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick. In it she weaves history with the true life stories of several North Koreans who defected.
“It’s Less Dangerous.” If the title makes you think of Smells Like Teen Spirit, it is intentional. While Kurt Cobain was singing the chorus to Nirvana’s smash hit, on the other side of the world, in North Korea, people lived “With the lights out / It’s Less Dangerous” … but for very different reasons.
In the 90’s, when the Berlin Wall fell, it was the symbolic end of communism. At that time Russia and China supported North Korea with energy, but when the wall came down, they recognized that the world was changing and decided to pull the plug so to speak. Despite their lack of support, The North Korean government, as they always do, doubled down with their efforts in trying to become a superpower. The people however, as a result, ended up paying for this delusional attitude and this made it so that all of North Korea was without electricity in the evenings.
This explains the opening line of the song. It sets the stage for the time period: “Tear the wall down / hit the stomp box. Pull the power/ but the rabbit’s head still wants to rule the world.” Stomp box as being a symbol of grunge music and the rabbit’s head being a symbol of North Korea much like a boot is symbolic of Italy.
Final lyric sheet…sort of. SEE BELOW
This earlier version of the lyrics dated 11/16/23 includes lyrics that are in the final recording ("starting with the line: No matter what they do") but I didn't write down with the above lyrics dated 11/21/23. Why? Because they were 1 of 2 choruses written for this song. On 11/21/23 I decided to use the second one I had written, but eventually, ended up deciding to use both and alternate them. That decision was made in the car in my head. Thus they were never written down. The lyrics starting with “We got no choice” and after were discarded and replaced.
Jun Sang and Mi Ran (not their real names btw. Demick does a great job of protecting everyone’s anonymity) were two people who fell in love, but because of the tyranny of being ruled under a caste system, we’re not allowed to publicly be together. At night, however, when the electricity stalled, was when they had their chance. So, it was indeed “Less Dangerous” for them. Still they were afraid. Took them years to simply hold hands and then even more years to kiss for the first time.
The song also touches upon many of the common experiences that North Koreans faced and still face today. Malnutrition conditions like Typhoid and Pellagra, the known risks and survivor’s guilt that accompany any attempt at escape or freedom.
It’s Less Dangerous is a love letter to the people of North Korea and a testament to the human spirit. Some terms that may be unfamiliar to the listener are: Vinalon, and Songbun. Vinalon is a heat and chemical resistant textile developed and distributed exclusively in North Korea and can be a source of pride for some North Koreans. You’ll hear “Vinalon is what we’re made of.” Songbun is the term used to classify North Korean citizens. It is based on the political, social, and economic background of one’s direct ancestors as well as the behavior (from loyal to hostile) of their relatives. It is referenced twice in the song.
It’s Less Dangerous is now available on all streaming services. Download the song at my bandcamp. where I am donating a portion of the proceeds to Flash Drives for Freedom. Price is set to $1 but you can pay more if you wish.
Flash Drives for Freedom is a non profit organization that smuggles usb drives loaded with information about the outside world into North Korea to North Koreans. It is their belief that revolutions happen from the inside out. Learn more at Flash Drives for Freedom