See Tình
"See Tình" (Vietnamese: Si tình, lit. 'Madly in love', pronounced [sī tìn]), also referred to by the misnomers "Ting ting tang tang" or "Ting ting tang ting" in the Philippines,[1][2] is a song by Vietnamese singer Hoàng Thùy Linh, released on 20 February 2022 as the second single from her fourth studio album Link. After releasing multiple projects in the late 2010s, she decided to create a song based around falling in love. Written in two hours, the song's lyrics talks about being "madly in love". The song's music video was directed by Kawaii Tuấn Anh and incorporates cultural and modern elements. It details the story of a mermaid who confesses her love to a boy who works as a fisherman and rug seller. The song was described as creative and lively but lacking cultural elements. The song became viral on TikTok through a remix by Cukak. The video gained millions of views on YouTube with thousands of videos using the song on TikTok. Many personalities posted videos dancing to the song, including a priest who received backlash for his performance. The song was particularly popular throughout Asia. According to the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, the song gave Vietnam a positive image. Background and releaseIn 2019, she released the album Hoang, commemorating the tenth year of her singing career.[3] With the album, she won the title of "Asia's Outstanding Vietnamese Artist" at the MAMA Awards.[4] Since 2019, she has released other music projects that have gained traction. Hoàng had an idea for a song that was inspired by her first time falling in love when she was 17 to 18 years old, saying, "Tôi muốn tìm lại chính mình ở thời điểm hồn nhiên nhất, đáng được trân trọng nhất" (transl. I want to find myself again at the most innocent time, worthy of the most respect.)[5][6] The song was composed and arranged by the group DTAP and takes inspiration from the culture of the Mekong Delta in Southern Vietnam, specifically the "aquarium under the river".[5][7] After the success of the first single from the artist's fourth studio album Link, DTAP wanted a more "youthful" single.[8] The song was written in two hours and recorded in just two days due to the song coming together "very naturally"; the group did not think the song would be internationally popular. The idea was to create a simple but memorable hook for the song.[8][9] It was released on 20 February 2022 during a presentation of the music video to journalists in Ho Chi Minh City as the second single from Hoàng's fourth studio album Link.[7][10] CompositionThe song is three minutes and five seconds long.[11] It is described as having a disco-pop and dance-pop style[10] as well as a retro vibe with a pentatonic-sounding chorus containing a cải lương piece.[5][6] "See Tình" is a pun on the Vietnamese word "si tình", which means "to fall in love" or "madly in love".[5][6][12] The song begins with the singer wondering how they were "passionately" in love with someone they just met.[13] The line "Tình đừng tình toan toan tính / Tang tình mình tình tan tan tan tình" discusses about "mourning love" and falling in love at first sight.[10] "Đem ngay vô nhà thương, đem ngay vô nhà anh để thương" (transl. Bring (me) right into the hospital, bring (me) right into your house to love.) line had a double meaning according to a DTAP member: thương meant "hospital" in western Vietnam, but it could also mean "house of love".[14] According to a website, the lyrics portray a type of "feminism" which knows how to accept emotions in life and how to "appreciate the present moments". Hoàng elaborated that through this, "you find this life much more comfortable".[15] Some media outlets also portrayed the song's message as a "revenge song" referring to Hoàng's showbiz scandal in 2007.[16] Music video.jpg) The music video for "See Tình" was directed by Kawaii Tuấn Anh and written by Minh Châu.[7][10] The video's plot is about a mermaid (Linh) who confesses her love to a boy who works as a fisherman and rug seller.[6][10] According to a website, the music video portrays the message that "when you love, everything is possible".[15] The video's fashion stylist was Hoàng Ku; dresses shown in the music video, cover, and release photos incorporated local elements.[5][17] It narratively follows the video for "Gieo Quẻ", the first single from the album Link, which was released on 1 January 2022.[18][19] The director opted for a Western Vietnamese setting with simple colors complementing the lyrics of the song, a difference from the northern setting in Linh's previous music videos.[10][18] Multiple cultural references were made in the music video, which included costumes of western Vietnam and water lilies.[5] The video extensively used CGI, with about 75% of the scenes being recorded on a green screen and processing time taking up to three months.[6][10] Vietnamese singer Isaac Phạm makes a guest appearance at the end of the video.[5][10] ReceptionThe Constellations journal compared the song to a fairytale like "The Little Mermaid". The song was described as "colorful", "innovative and creative", and like "being lost in a universe" that shares the same color. The journal concluded that the song was creative but sacrificed most of the cultural integrity and portrayal of the song.[20] Vietnam+ said the song had a "catchy melody" and a "lively choreography".[21] Vietnamese musician Huy Tuấn commented that the meaning of the song was "very Vietnamese".[22] He also said that the song had clever passages and instruments that are "very catchy".[23] A reviewer from Pitchfork commented that it recalls "onomatopoeic hooks" used in K-pop.[24] Music website Việt Nam Overnight said that the song showcases the "magic of love".[13] K-pop boy band Blank2y complimented the song's catchiness.[25] Accolades"See Tình" received numerous accolades for the song itself and its music video. In the 2023 Dedication Music Awards, the music video for "See Tình" gained best music video of the year alongside Hoàng, who gained Singer of the Year, and DTAP, gaining Producer of the Year.[26] The song received numerous accolades in the 2022 Green Wave Awards, namely: Song of the Year and Best Mixing, alongside an inclusion in the 10 most popular songs.[27] In the Zing Music Awards, "See Tình" was one of the 10 Best Songs of the Year; Hoàng received an inclusion in the 10 Best Artists of the Year partly due to "See Tình".[28]
Viral success"See Tình" became globally popular through a sped-up remix by Cukak on the video sharing service TikTok, in which users posted themselves dancing to the song.[29][30][31] The chorus and pre-chorus in particular gained TikTok virality.[32] Just two days after release, the music video of the song gained 1.6 million views. A TikTok hashtag dedicated to the song gained 250.5 million views, with more than 43 thousand videos using the song. Because of See Tình's success, some of her other songs in the album also gained popularity.[33] As of August 2023, the video has garnered 40 million views on YouTube.[9] In China alone, the number of views of videos related to the song is estimated to be up to 4 billion.[34] Shindong, a member of Super Junior, expanded the song's virality to South Korea when he danced to "See Tình".[32] When South Korean volleyballer Lee Da-hyeon won a point in a volleyball game, he celebrated by joining the trend; Kim Yeon-koung, another volleyballer, joined him. Lee Seung-hoon, a member of K-pop group Winner uploaded a clip dancing to the song. Numerous Chinese celebrities joined the trend in Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.[25] A priest in Danao, Cebu, followed the trend; his video received backlash online, leading the spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Cebu to state that the priest did not break any church rules.[35][36] Filipino basketball player Eric Tai danced to the song in one of his games with Filipino actor Slater Young.[1][32] The song gained internet virality in other countries such as Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand.[21] LegacyThe song, according to the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, gives Vietnam a "positive image" throughout the world. The website states that a Vietnamese pop song becomes viral through three elements: a catchy melody, a simple choreography, and popularity on video-sharing platforms. However, the program added that users "only exploit these songs as background music for TikTok videos or use [them] for other purposes and not to [listen] to the music."[37] Charts
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