In 2024, chart-topping K-pop artist IU released her song “Love Wins All,” a stirring ballad that solidified her position as one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the decade. Upon its release, “Love Wins All” achieved a “Perfect all-kill,” meaning it reached number one on the real-time, daily, and weekly components of South Korean ranking aggregator iChart. It has also amassed over 119 million streams on Spotify, while the YouTube music video has been viewed more than 100 million times.
Part of the song’s appeal is in its lyrical content, which stands in gentle defiance of the helpless feeling many have during these times.
“Some call this an era of great loathing. Certainly, it doesn’t seem like a time rampant with love,” she shared in a statement. “But from my experience, even in its moments of triumph, hatred is always alone. On the other hand, love is stubbornly together, even as it runs, breaks and fades away. Love definitely has a fighting chance.”
Although IU wrote the lyrics to the song, the music was composed by Seo Dong-hwan. The pianist is a member of the Palette Band from IU’s TV show. As such, they often work together.
“As musicians you [are] the best, but Donghwan is insane,” IU said of his talent.
“Love Wins All” is in 12/8, which is felt in four beats divided into triplets. The time signature gives it a solid pulse in four with the floating feeling of a waltz baked in. The song begins piano, or softly, with just a single note (C) insisting on the home key.
Dong-hwan utilized a tried-and-true chord progression to give a sense of comfort and continuity to the listener. Much of the song has a four-bar progression with the chord changing on every bar. It moves from the root of C to A minor, then F, then G. In chord numbers, this would be described as a I-vi-IV-V cycle. Keen ears may recognize this progression in songs like “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King, “Stir It Up” by Bob Marley, and “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, among others.
The pre-chorus adds some harmonic interest by moving between the A minor (vi chord) and F (IV chord), but another harmonic device kicks up the energy in the second half of the song.
“Delivered over a whisper of a piano melody and soft, unobtrusive strings, the sweeping, starlit ‘Love Wins All’ is a masterclass of a ballad. It makes you feel every ounce of emotion naturally, subtly leading you there through tone and lyricism rather than heavy-handedly signposting how it wants you to feel and react,” NME explains. Even the elegant explosion of a key change 40 seconds before the end feels entirely organic – by that point, you’ve likely already succumbed to the poignancy and romance of the track anyway (especially if you’re listening while watching the devastating music video).”
Get into the song with this amazing live performance from IU’s world tour concert in Seoul, then follow along with the sheet music for “Love Wins All.”:
