An homage to Sticker.

Only one person knows how this shrine has come to be. No one else shall be granted that sacred permission. But WELCOME to my explanation of why Sticker by NCT127 is actually the greatest song of all time, deserves to be in every hall of fame, and is the song that will greet me when I reach heaven(hell)’s gate.
Obligatory “fuck you Taeil” and “I don’t support Taeil at all” here. Hate that guy. I am, however, going to pretend he Isn’t real and imagine his voice is that of a ghost…unfortunately it’s a really pretty voice and he is quite integral to a lot of older 127 songs. Sigh. Bastard.
When I say it’s one of the best songs ever, I’m not kidding. Sticker may be the most classic K-pop song I have ever heard. Let’s break it down:

Sticker, tagging, tagging, tagging, tagging

IMMEDIATELY, you just know. You hear that insane whistle and you know you’re in for the best experience you’ve ever had. Marriage cannot compare to Sticker. Winning a Nobel Peace Prize cannot compare to Sticker. Sticker is almost better than sex. No, sticker is better than sex.
The bass right after that whistle? My GOD man. The little “rrrrrrrrr” with the “INCOMING”? You listen to the intro of Sticker and you can just feel it. The whistle is the kind of loud, the kind of grating, that almost hurts…but not quite. It’s perfect.

I got what you need 원하는 걸 골라 붙여 I can show you need Hip 하지 나란 sticker Bang, bang 한껏 힘을 준 애들 좀 봐 봐 NCT we will show you the vibe, hi 우리들의 로고를 총 모양으로 woo,

Incredible verse. Like, on a real note, this is musically/technically really well put-together. I love when artists play with auto-tune, and Taeyong does that at the start of this. He comes in SWINGING with a really good half verse which stays kinda slow, stays on tempo. Then he speeds up, creating this feeling of apprehension…he builds up to the crescendo, that fabled “woo, woo”. It’s so good. 10/10.

Baby (yeah, yeah, yeah)

I wish you could have seen the look on my face when I heard that DELECTABLE slightly whimper-y “baby” for the first time IMMEDIATELY followed with some Luhan “LU” esque “yeah yeah yeah”s. What the hell. Who thought of this. It was at this point I knew that this song was going to be an all-time classic.

겁을 내지 말아 줘 (yeah, yeah, yeah)

This line is a good one because it sounds like he’s forcing it out. Was this on purpose or did he just hate this song so much? How many takes did he have to do of this line? Who knows. It’s fucking good tho. I also think it’s interesting that “줘” is just “jwo”, but the way he sings it almost sounds like “좋아”, or “jowa” which is commonly used to express good feelings about something. Was this done on purpose? Did he perhaps have hidden good feelings about Sticker? We’ll never know…I choose to believe it though. Followed by that fucking “yeah yeah yeah” again. Intriguing motif…

Think about 네 별이 (yeah, yeah, yeah) oh!

This line is ALSO excellent because he really plays with the tempo. Pausing for just a second too long after the “yeah yeah yeah” of the last line, then rushing through “think about” to get to the rest of the line. I also love the “oh!” adlib at the end of this line. Stellar. Exemplary, truly.

잠식되지 않아 정말

Playing with the tempo in a really interesting way. The high note is almost grating…but not quite. I am once more unsure if that was purposeful but I choose to believe it was. It’s a great way to symbolise the everlasting nature of the star that doesn’t fade away which he’s talking about in this line according to the Genius Lyrics Translation of this song. Even in the face of harsh vocals, “it really doesn’t erode away”, as he says.

난 더 환하게 널 만들어 (yeah, yeah, yeah)

HARK! PIANO! Really great example of building up your instrumental. It begins with just the flute, then quickly the bass comes in, a bunch of adlibs, but the main elements are vocals-flue-bass up until this part. Super smart way to signal to your audience that a Change is coming, whether that be the climax of this section of the instrumental, or a shift to another section of the song. I also love that the piano is off-beat – really interesting texture.

두 세계 융화라는 거 (yeah, yeah, yeah) 지구 말로는 그거 L.O.V.E ah (yeah, yeah, yeah) 네 맘이 시키는 대로 말해 뜻대로 움직여도 된다는 말이야

I like Haechan. Not much to say here, I just think he’s got such an interesting and unique vocal colour that I like a LOT.

우리끼린 달달하게 팍 팍 sugar

This little violin+drum combo with the lyrics is so good. I’m a slut for a good violin in a song anyway, but here it’s just outstanding. Complete shift from the first verse, while keeping the same energy. The drum weaves into that in such an excellent fashion. Really great change to show that you’re building up to the chorus now.

눈치 따윈 보지 말고 네가 boss란 말이야 걱정하지 말고 그냥 팍 팍 믿어 너만 그래도 돼 원해 그럼 너의 것이야 (hoo)

I also have to say, I absolutely LOVE the interspersing of the slightly more rhythmic vocals with the faster rap lines here. The cadence is so different and it makes a GREAT contrast. If you pay attention to the second half of this bit, you can also hear some really fun backing vocals that I’ve actually never noticed properly before. The “hoo” is a PERFECT way to go “buckle up, here’s the fucking chorus!” love it. 10/10.

내 옆에 너 꼭 붙어 있어봐 Like a sticker, sticker, sticker (ho!)

I mean, just, wow. WOW. The combination of those beautiful blended vocals being followed up with the rasp in TY’s voice is so interesting. This whole song is a push and pull, a merging of colours, it’s stunning.

내 작품의 주인공은 너니까 (ho!) Like a sticker, sticker, sticker (yeah)

Honorary mention to the “yeah” because it’s really pretty. NCT do have some real vocal talents in them. Fuck you Taeil. Also want to mention here the stopping of the piano for the bass sections, and then the way it resumes. It’s so seamless I love it.

아픈 세상은 신경 꺼 (꺼)

The stupid fucking shout of “꺼” makes me giggle. Like, what the hell, sure.

너와 나의 역사만 써 내려가 (hoo, hoo) 사랑한단 말 말곤 아껴 둬

Note the way they go from One singer to a blend of voices again across these two lines. It adds such fun depth.

내 말 맞다면 throw your hands up 섣불리 말고 세게 붙여 Know that I ain't falling off (falling off) 애착심이 솟구치네 Who put this all together I'm the sticker for your love 그니까 보인다면 ho 들린다면 바로 대답해 like baby

Mark Lee. I could say so much about you, my beautiful catholic freak man. You shall get your space in the NCT shrine one day, don’t you worry. For now I shall settle for: as usual, Mark’s verse is just ridiculously good. So well-done, he really never misses. His little breathe in the “ho”……....makes me feel things I shan’t taint this shrine with. You get the picture. Anyway. Honourary mention to Haechan coming in at the end of this to say “baby”…he would, wouldn’t he. OTHER honorary mention to the little flute change here. It's so so delicious. Thank you.

Baby (yeah, yeah, yeah) 이끌리는 느낌 쎄 (yeah, yeah, yeah)

The little giggle at the end of this line is really fun. I love adlibs. More of this please, other K-pop groups.

Talk about 너의 중력 oh (yeah, yeah, yeah) 너무 세게 당겨 난리

Again, the way he curves down that high note is so smooth, it feels like an Aussie surfing on a quiet day at Bondi beach. Yummy stuff.

아주 까리한 내 태도가 (yeah, yeah, yeah) 정신도 못 차리는 걸 (yeah, yeah, yeah) 거부할 수 없다고 baby girl, ah (yeah, yeah, yeah) You treat me like a boy 꿈을 좇는 어른 아이처럼 말이야

Yeah, hey, Jungwoo, what the fuck does “you treat me like a boy, like a grown-up child chasing a dream” mean. Like, I’ll still make out with you, but. What. What is bro yapping about. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it yet but I love the little flicks they do at the end of some of these lines – again, TEXTURE!! So very interesting and dynamic.

Fallin' into my love, my sugar

The little bit of vibrato on the “my love” bit is real sexy. Good job Doyoung. I knew I could count on you.

들어봐 봐 이건 절대 입에 발린 말이 아니야 커져왔던 내 모든 감정들은 널 맞이하기 위한 것 네가 boss란 그 말이야 (hoo!) 내 옆에 너 꼭 붙어 있어봐 Like a sticker, sticker, sticker (ho!)

The little adlib in the back of this is so good. So cunty. Excellent delivery, nice one. Makes this chorus audibly different from the first in a subtle, yet GREAT way.

내 작품의 주인공은 너니까 Like a sticker, sticker, sticker (yeah) 골 아픈 세상은 신경 꺼 (꺼)

CAN WE GET A MOMENT, A ROUND OF APPLAUSE, FOR HAECHAN’S GROWL AT THE START OF THIS LINE? IT’S REALLY GOOD. YET AGAIN I MUST SAY IT, HIS VOCAL COLOUR IS SO SO DELICIOUS. ESPECIALLY WHEN HE DOES THINGS LIKE THIS. Have I mentioned I have synaesthesia that connects sounds to colours specifically. Because if not, that adds some context to this. I want to eat Haechan’s voice.

너와 나의 역사만 써 내려가 사랑한단 말 말곤 아껴 둬 (yeah)

AGAIN, HAECHAN IS JUST SO VERY GOOD. IT’S LIKE HE’S FLOATING DOWN THE NOTES, IT’S SO VERY PRETTY. Also, Doyoung’s high note here is beautiful. Really really stellar performance all-round here.

내 말 맞다면 throw your hands up 모든 고민들은 bye, bye, bye

This bit is so good. The instrumental here is just insanely well-made. The way it keeps that little beat going, but fades in so smoothly to a gorgeous instrumental? 5 stars.

흘러가는 대로 bye, bye, bye 말해 뭐해 이미 우린 정해져 있는 걸 낮과 밤의 존재처럼 자연스러운 걸

Have to say, also – love the way they keep the “yeah yeah yeah”s going on and off through this section. Keeps that connection back to the previous sections of the song in a really fun way. YESSIR!

You will gotta be only one I love This mellow drama 너 없인 관객이 하나도 없는 그런 mono drama

The mix of singing and…not even rapping, more just spoken word here? Is so good. Yep yep yep, more of this in future please.

우리 같이 둘만의 파티를 열어 오직 너만 V.I.P. 걱정 마 준비가 됐어 곧바로 천국을 봐봐 Let's go, let's go

The sudden drum change here feels like that one gif of Cynthia Erivo tapping up her head. You just KNOW something good is about to happen. GREAT tonal shift.

Roll up to the party, roll up, roll up

The instrumental here?? WOW. WOW!!! Makes me feel like a freaky little alien about to get down and dirty in the clurb. Wondrous stuff. Glorpy. Gloopy. More of this PLEASE!

Roll up to the party, roll up, roll up Roll up to the party Roll up, roll up to the party Roll up to the party Roll up, roll up to the, yeah, yeah, yeah (hoo!)

This build-up is also INCREDIBLE. Really makes you expect some kind of crazy dance break and then they just go…right back to the status quo. Fun way to shift expectations, and the chorus is still amazing so I’m not even mad about it.

내 옆에 너 꼭 붙어 있어봐 Like a sticker, sticker, sticker (oh yeah) 내 작품의 주인공은 너니까 Like a sticker, sticker, sticker 골 아픈 세상은 신경 꺼 (꺼) 너와 나의 역사만 써 내려가 (hoo, hoo) 사랑한단 말 말곤 아껴 둬 (사랑한단 말 말곤 아껴 둬) 내 말 맞다면 throw your hands up (oh yeah, yeah)

Just, wow, all the adlibs in this section. It’s so beautiful. I love that they don’t shy away from bringing back that flute. She deserves her moment by the end. It’s so lovely. Honorary mention to that “hoo, hoo!”. It’s so good.

Like a sticker, sticker, sticker

Honestly, this song is K-pop at its FINEST. The bizarre instrumental, the weird tempo for half the lyrics which somehow works, the autotune, the FLUTE. It is SO good. And you have to give it to NCT, even if you for some reason don’t like the song, you likely still think of it semi-often if you’re in K-pop spaces online.
Everything blends together in such an incredible manner. I’ve been listening to it on repeat for…maybe an hour, now? To write this? I do have a headache forming. I refuse to believe that’s a result of sticker.
I do unironically listen to this song a lot. And I genuinely think it’s great. If you disagree? You’ve just read 2,500 words on why I think sticker is hall-of-fame worthy so…you kind of lost anyway. Sorry, not sorry.