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SHINee's latest comeback marks the group's eighth studio album, titled HARD, and the group made sure to make Jonghyun a part of it even though he is no more. For fans of the group, it was especially touching because the four remaining members started talking about how the former member's loss affected them only in the last few years.
HARD has SHINee reunite two years after their last album, Don't Call Me, in 2021, with ten tracks that included a hiphop dance track for the title song of the same name. While most of the attention is focussed on HARD, SHAWOLs have found that the lyrics of the B-side tracks have allusions to Jonghyun.
Blue Night, references to the moon, and more instances of SHINee's Jonghyun throughout HARD
1) The late singer's comforting Blue Night radio show
The Lonely singer was a huge mental health advocate. He used to host a late-night radio show called Blue Night where he would listen to fans' stories and share his thoughts about them. It was a safe space for listeners for the three years that he hosted the show, eventually having to step down due to scheduling overlaps.
Choi Ji-yun, a longtime SHAWOL who adored the late singer, participated in writing Gravity, the final track on HARD - The 8th Album, making the references to the radio show and the line, "You are my blue," all the more precious.
2) "You & I" being a reference to the audience of the radio show
As mentioned above, Jonghyun had developed a close bond with the listeners of Blue Night, and he even dedicating a song to them. U & I, released in 2015, is said to talk about the relationship between the host and his listeners, whom he held close to his heart. The vocalist wanted the show to be a space where listeners could be honest, similar to journalling, and the song was a reflection of the same.
3) The lyrics mentioning another song by the late vocalist, End of a day
Music ends up revealing a lot about the creator and singer, and Jonghyun's End of a day is an example of the same. Released as a part of The Collection: Story Op. 1, the single is an ode to his pet dog, Byulroo, with lyrics that are universal and comforting to those going through difficult times. It was first released on Blue Night, continuing the trend of assuaging stresses of listeners.
4) Mentions to moonlight in Gravity
Gravity seems entirely inspired by and dedicated to Jonghyun because of all the lyrical references to the singer in it. A more subtle allusion was using "moonlight" in one verse because he was greatly inspired by Earth's only satellite, even writing the songs Moon and Selene 6.23 about it.
This reference might probably not be understood by anyone who is not part of SHINee World. However, the vocalist is called the moon because he lives among the stars, with the group pointing to the sky when covering his parts.
5) Like It alluding to Jonghyun's solo music
This might seem to be a bit of a stretch but the seventh song on HARD, Like It, seems to refer to Jonghyun's first studio album She is, whose Korean title had the same name as this track. It also has a lyric, "deja vu," that could be a subtle callout to the late singer's Déjà-Boo, a song off his first EP, Base. One might argue that these are coincidences, but SHINee's recent willingness to talk about Jonghyun proves that it might be deliberate.
SHINee, with the exception of Onew (who is taking a break), is promoting their latest album in many shows, including SHINee’s 15m - Roadtrip Comeback Show, which featured the group going on a roadtrip, perform old favorites, and talk about the album concept and themes a bit more.
The group is also set to take Japan by storm this year as their Arena Tour will take place in September and October, taking their SHINee World VI 'Perfect Illumination' to the country. Although there has been no notice about whether Onew will perform in the tour or not, fans are hoping for the best.
