I’ll be honest: a shiver runs down my spine when I see a song title like “Eenie Meeny Miny Moe.” Nursery rhymes have been a part of pop music for decades, but K-pop likes to go overboard with the approach, utilizing their sing-song melodies for the basis of an entire song. Fifty Fifty’s quirky Pookie enjoyed moderate success in Korea earlier this year, and judging by this new song title I feared their agency learned all the wrong lessons from that.
Fortunately, Eeny Meeny Miny Moe (가위바위보) isn’t all sing-song nonsense. In fact, the nursery rhyme is relegated to brief moments during the pre-chorus. I’d rather not have it at all, but the surrounding segments are quite enjoyable — if bland — pop. The chorus exists in a long lineage of cute, melodic girl group tracks. Spice it up with more interesting production and you might even have the basis for a Lovelyz or Oh My Girl song. Instead, much of Eeny Meeny Miny Moe opts for a beige palette, soft and unassuming when it should be pushing bolder and weirder.
When it comes down to it, the song’s strengths aren’t captivating enough to compensate for the irritating sing-talk that forces its way into the track. For a nursery rhyme style to work for me, a song must either recontextualize it or surround its offending moments with material so exciting that I’m willing to gloss over the sing-song nature. Eeny Meeny Miny Moe is too polite to do either of those things.
Hooks
8
Production
8
Longevity
8
Bias
7
RATING
7.75