“Drunk-Dazed” by ENHYPEN

Just when we thought we finally got our hands on a K-pop song where the artists are portraying bad boys, the lyrics of “Drunk-Dazed” are less than naughty. Or if they are intended to actually point to the reality of being drunk, that idea is shrouded behind so much indefinite wording that we wouldn’t be able to say for sure.

For instance, if what we are dealing with here is a case of the singer referring to himself as being “drunk”, that’s a term in and of itself that can be interpreted in a number of ways. It is most standardly used to describe the state of being inebriated. It is for this reason it is possible that just maybe Jungwon and the boys would be singing about getting boozed. 

Are they singing about literally getting drunk?

If we play around with the lyrics a bit, they can be understood as alluding to such.

For instance, in the first verse, as translated into English by Genius, the vocalist proclaims that he’s living “in a world with no rules”. Then in the second he’s “turning up the party” with his “feet in the sky”. 

That first statement can be seen as metaphorical for his badas*ery. And as for the latter ones, they can be read as pointing to the notions of him being wild and boozed at a party. 

Indeed the vocalist gets so entranced in the atmosphere that there’s ‘ringing in his ears’. And that is perhaps the first sign that he had too many drinks. In fact later on, in the pre-chorus, we find him so intoxicated, with the ‘world… swirling’, that he actually becomes afraid. But ultimately it’s a sensation that he likes. Or more to point, he still has no intention of leaving the party either way.

And then, as further elaborated in the chorus, behaving in such a manner is like a cycle. Or put more simply based on this theory, the narrator at hand loves getting drunk and partying, even if he has to deal with some of the negative side effects, such as falling a bit ill. If interpreted this way, “Drunk-Dazed” reads almost like an Eminem song. But this type of lifestyle is really indicative of the vocalist being free and unafraid to live it up as he sees fit.

Getting drunk is used metaphorically in “Drunk-Dazed”?

We may have committed a serious degree of stretching in the above analysis. And why? That is because once again, popular K-pop artists are not known as the types to espouse controversial behavior, such as abusing intoxicants.

So more logically what we are actually dealing with here, as postulated earlier, is a song in which being “drunk” is used as a metaphor. And what it possibly means is something like the vocalist being drunk on life within the context of his career.

So in the second verse when he’s referring to “turning up the party” for example, what he is actually speaking of is being on stage. And that “carnival” which he and his cohorts are ‘loving’ is actually their stardom. 

And in terms of being “drunk”, what that statement really points to is being caught up in this whirlwind world of celebrity. However, this is not in the sense of not being in control. Instead we can say that his drunkenness is also metaphorical of a don’t-give-AF attitude in terms of pursuing his dreams. 

And yes, his head may be in a “daze” due to all that’s going on around him. But he’s “addicted” to the game and as such stays in it. In fact that idea of one pursuing their destiny as perceived appears to be what’s really going down underneath it all here.

Final Verdict

So with all of that being noted, let’s conclude by saying that the lyrics of “Drunk-Dazed” are so metaphorical there are at least two or three possible storylines. One interpretation centers on the singer reveling in his party-like lifestyle, which includes the regular intake of alcoholic beverages. 

The second is rather based on his career and him likening the rush of stardom to intoxication. And still, it can also be said that he is referring to the general act of hard partying throughout.

But regardless of which of narratives you accept, they all eventually lead back idea of the vocalist chasing his dreams. Simply put, he is chasing after the lifestyle he wants to live, despite sometimes getting “dazed” by it. And by extension, he would be encouraging the listener to do something similar. And that type of idea is more in tune with the positivity thinking which commonly highlights these K-pop songs.

Summary

This song centers around about being caught up in a wild party-like and/or celebrity lifestyle. However, it ultimately encourages listeners not to be afraid to chase after their dreams and live them.

Quick Facts about “Drunk-Dazed”

Enhypen is a South Korean boy band. With this song coming out on 26 April 2021, it is early in the history of the group, as they formed as recently as 2020. In fact it is a part of their second project overall, an EP entitled “Border: Carnival” (2021).

As of the release of this track, all of the members of Enhypen are teenagers. And they are, in alphabetical order, as follows:

• Heeseung (age 19)
• Jake (18)
• Jay (19)
• Jungwon (17)
• Ni-Ki (15)
• Sunghoon (18)
• Sunoo (17)

The labels behind this song are Genie Music, Stone Music Entertainment and Belift Lab.

Wonderkid and Hitman Bang, the two producers of this track, also co-wrote it with Lindgren Schulz, Melanie Joy Fontana and Lil 27 Club.