By : Sarah Weber
The show Squid Game is currently one of the most viewed and talked-about shows of the moment, so I chose to devote my writing this month to observing the soundtrack — compositional choices, chord progressions, and production.
In Summary, Squid Game is “a survival thriller set in modern-day Seoul, where destitute people are lured into playing simple children’s games to win money — or die trying. It’s a tightly crafted, although profoundly disturbing, nine-part series steeped in dystopian horror that’s a cross between Hunger Games, British sci-fi series Black Mirror, and the Oscar-winning South Korean drama, Parasite.”
From early on in the show, viewers start to realize the unique qualities of the soundtracks and begin to wonder at the larger picture of what it all means. Within the show, there is a mix between Western classical music and Korean soundtracks. The director Hwang Dong-hyuk mentioned in interviews that he used Korean children’s games in the show, to add to the cultural identity, which is probably why the distinct Korean music was also added in contrast to the western music.
A recurring theme in the show is about how the wealthy bet on human lives like horse racing, emphasizing a clear separation of power between the rich and poor. The traditional Korean soundtrack is a deliberate choice against Western classical music to depict the rich and the poor. The players wake up to the third movement of Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto, indicating the rich have control over the player’s life and demand them to start their day. However, traditional Korean soundtracks will be played when the players are playing the games. The song being played in the beginning of the show is an example of this, as the main character has a flashback to his childhood explaining a game (which is significant later in the show). Traditional musical instruments like the Daegeum(대금) and Janggu (장구) are being played in a simplistic manner, making the viewer feel as though they are in a simpler time when the character was naive to a globalized world of debt that would eventually consume him.
Other songs in the soundtrack are important for the emotions they carry. “The rope is tied” has a simple beat and occasional, slow chords of an electric guitar, creating a mysterious and ominous feel. “I remember my name” is a slow, piano composition that tugs on the heart strings and makes the listener feel the sadness behind the chords. The power in these musical choices really helped the emotions in the scenes come alive. It’s also suggested that there are many leitmotifs used from popular compositions that are typically arranged to present a tone of doom and fear.