Lee Young-hoon (composer)

Lee Young-hoon (chosŏn'gŭl: 이영훈) was a South Korean composer.

Life

Lee Young-hoon was a musician who mostly focused on theatre, mainstream media and dance music. After he was acquainted in 1985 with Lee Moon-sae from Um-inho he began to compose well known tunes. In the same year, with the accomplishment of different tunes that Lee Moon-se sang, he opened up another genre called 'Pop Ballad'. In 1987, Lee Young-hoon became one of the most prominent authors in the nation by winning the Golden Disc Award and the ‘Best Composer Award’ with "When Love is Gone", "Break Up Story", and "Only the Sound of Her Laughter".

His third collection turned into an immense hit and sold 1,500,000 copies. His fourth collection sold even better, with 2,850,000 copies. His fifth album had several thousand pre-orders before it was released, and it caused Lee Moon-se to win the Golden Disc Award three times. The high end ‘pop ballad’ songs that Lee Young-hoon wrote changed people’s perspectives on popular music. His work is credited as having played a significant role in the growth in popularity. These songs became popular with teenagers. He released eight more regular albums and three special albums with Lee Moon-se until 2001. He was diagnosed with colorectal cancer but still continued to compose. During this stage, he wrote Old love1·2 and produced the musical Gwanghwamun love song. He died on February 14, 2008 at the age of 49.

• Memorial statue for Lee Young-hoon at Deoksugung Palace, Seoul.
  Memorial statue for Lee Young-hoon at Deoksugung Palace, Seoul.

Hit Songs

Translated Song Title	Original Song Title	Singer(s)	Singers in Hangul
Under the Street - Tree Shadow	가로수 그늘 아래 서면	Lee Moon-se Lee Seung-chul (2005) Yim Jae-beom (2006) Jang Jae-in (2010)	이문세 이승철 임재범 장재인
When autumn comes	가을이 오면	Lee Moon-se Seo Young-eun (2004) Park Sun-ju (2006)	이문세 서영은 박선주
Gwanghwamun love song	광화문 연가	Lee Moon-se Lee Soo-young (2004)	이문세 이수영
Meet again	다시 만나리	Lee Moon-se Park Wan-kyu (2006)	이문세 박완규
In the rain	빗속에서	Lee Moon-se Leessang (2010) John Park (2011)	이문세 리쌍 존박
When love is gone	사랑이 지나가면	Lee Moon-se Lee Soo-young (2001) Lee Eun-mi(2005) Kim Ji-soo(2010) IU(2014)	이문세 이수영 이은미 김지수 아이유
The girl	소녀	Lee Moon-se Sung Si-kyung (2004) SG Wannabe (2006) Monday Kids (2011) Oh Hyuk (2015)	이문세 성시경 SG 워너비 먼데이 키즈 오혁
Forever love	영원한 사랑	Lee Moon-se Lee Seung-chul (2006)	이문세 이승철
Sorrow	애수	Lee Moon-se Clazziquai (2006)	이문세 클래지콰이
Old love	옛사랑	Lee Moon-se Brown Eyes (2007) Yoon Jong-shin (2007) Kwak Jin-un (2014) Yoon Min-soo (2015)	이문세 브라운아이즈 윤종신 곽진언 윤민수
Red sunset	붉은 노을	Lee Moon-se Yurisangja (2003) Shinhwa(2004) Bubble Sisters (2006) MC the Max (2007) Big Bang (2008)	이문세 유리상자 신화 버블시스터즈 MC the Max 빅뱅
Good bye story	이별 이야기	Lee Moon-se Seo Young-eun (2004) YB(2007) Wax(2010) Park Bo-ram (2010)	이문세 서영은 YB 왁스 박보람

Props Album

Lee Young-hoon completed the album A Short Piece in 1992 with orchestra musicians from Russia's Bolshoi Theater. The album consists of songs he wrote in his 20s and 30s. There is a "wintery" sentiment to it, as the songs were based on cold times like a heavy snowy winter in Moscow. Its words from the prologue of 'A small pieces, When love is gone.'

He busied himself with his own composition and spent some time apart from Lee Moon-se. They were together for 7 albums. Then he moved to Russia and started releasing his 'A Small Pieces' album with the Boishoi orchestra. The first album with Sorrow String Melody in 1993, was the start of his effort that let the world know of his own music. A year after his first album, the second album was released by arranging his hit songs for orchestra sounds and he submitted them to the largest music exhibition in the world, MIDEM in Cannes. At the end of his works for ‘A Short Pieces’, the third album was released. Gun Hee Park, who opened the first internet exhibition in South Korea, designed the album ‘A small pieces’ and provided his support to a way of maestro. Gun Hee Park also did experimental thoughts about melody as often and as much to his ability.

About albums

name	dates	tracks
A short piece	15.10.1993	Conversation with you Sad love song Poem in the afternoon Memories of youth Afternoon in gyeongbokung Angel of Seoul Your picture Rain in the light
Collection	01.02.1994	When love is gone Girl Under the street-tree shadow Thinker Good bye story Another way Memories of baby’s breath Poem for poem Where the night stay I still don’t know
A small piece	01.10.1994	Flying deep night Tears through mind You in my dream Memories about you Le Balcone North Seoul Composer age of 33 Tears through mind Angel in Seoul Like my thought now on

Awards

He received the grand prize of Golden Disc Awards in 1987. He received Golden Disc Awards for three consecutive years since 1986.

Critics

The end of pop-music program, the pioneer of new genre ‘pop ballad’

Before 1980, there was no pop music genre in Korea. People usually listened to Teuroteu or American songs. However, Lee Young-hoon and Lee Moon-se were the 80’s invincible partnership. As Lee Young-hoon came up with poetic lyrics, he triggered the beginning of the Korean ‘pop ballad’.

In 2000, retro culture made a trend of re-making music, and Lee Young-hoon’s songs were guaranteed. In the past, only few re-make songs contained in music album, but in 2008 the album with all re-make songs of Lee Young-hoon appeared.

Recently, Bing bang, IU, Oh-hyuk did a cover of Lee Young-hoon’s songs. This can obviously prove how Lee Young-hoon’s music emotionally affects Korean society.

The most famous music critic in Korea, Lim Jin-mo said, “Lee Young-hoon’s classic based melody and poetic lyrics improved the dignity of Korean pop music”.