His Debut Song Flopped, Then Became the Name of a Legendary Korean Band

Part 2 of 13 in The Man Who Hit No. 1 After He Died: Kim Hyun-sik

No. 12, “Spring Summer Fall Winter,” was Kim Hyun-sik’s debut song at 22, and a failure nobody remembered. Yet its title became the name of the band he formed, and that band stayed in Korean music for nearly 40 years after he was gone. As a fan, I’m deeply grateful that a name he gave lived on that long.

Kim Hyun-sik – “Spring Summer Fall Winter” (KBS) — 187,000 views

As explained in Part 1, the ranking adds up views for Kim’s original and other singers’ remakes and covers. “Spring Summer Fall Winter” comes in 12th with about 1.5 million.

A first album that waited two years

His first record had been recorded in the late 1970s. Singer Lee Jang-hee was producing it, but when Lee got caught up in a marijuana scandal and left for the United States, the debut fell apart (Weekly Kyunghyang, Nov. 8, 2005). In June 1980, Kim finally released his first album on Seorabeol Records. The title track was his own “Spring Summer Fall Winter” (Wikipedia; Melon).

The album didn’t sell. He made a few appearances on KBS and at year-end song festivals, and from 1983 he sang in hotel nightclubs. Stardom came four years later with his second album, I Loved You.

Also read: The Debut Single That Hit No. 1 After He Died: "Past Days"

Even when the year turns

봄이 오면 강산에 꽃이 피고 / 여름이면 꽃들이 만발하네

When spring comes, flowers bloom across the land; / when summer comes, they burst into full bloom.

— Lyrics and music by Kim Hyun-sik (1980), excerpt

The song walks once around the seasons. In autumn the mountains change color; in winter children run through the snow. Then it comes back to say that this land, unchanged as the years turn, is beautiful. This isn’t the cracked voice that later sang “My Love by My Side.” It’s the clear, straight voice of a 22-year-old. Almost every song he made later is about holding on to someone who is leaving, so this debut is nearly the only song he left about something that doesn’t change.

From song title to band name

In 1985–86, Kim wanted his own band for live shows. Guitarist Kim Jong-jin, drummer Jeon Tae-kwan, bassist Jang Ki-ho and keyboardist Yoo Jae-ha came together, and he gave the band the title of his first album: Kim Hyun-sik and Spring Summer Fall Winter (Chosun Ilbo, Nov. 1, 2025). Yoo Jae-ha left after six months and Park Sung-sik came in, and the third album Kim made with this band sold more than 300,000 copies on the strength of “Like Rain, Like Music.”

When Kim was arrested in 1987, the band split in two. Kim Jong-jin and Jeon Tae-kwan took the name Spring Summer Fall Winter and became the duo behind “Bravo, My Life,” while Jang Ki-ho and Park Sung-sik became Bitgwa Sogeum (“Light and Salt”) (TenAsia, Nov. 1, 2013). The title of a flop debut became one of the longest-used band names in Korean pop. Drummer Jeon Tae-kwan died in 2018 (YTN, Jan. 10, 2020).

The last stage of Sing Again 3

It was an audition show that brought this song back. In January 2024, in the free-choice round of the JTBC Sing Again 3 final, contestant No. 46, Shin Hae-sol, sang “Spring Summer Fall Winter” with a team of dancers. Three months earlier, in the first round, the song she’d chosen was also Kim’s: “Alley.” The final performance has 430,000 views.

Shin Hae-sol – “Spring Summer Fall Winter” (Sing Again 3, JTBC) — 430,000 views

MBC’s Radio Star invited the band Spring Summer Fall Winter and Lee Seung-chul for a Kim Hyun-sik tribute special. Lee has long named Kim as his role model. The clip has 1.04 million views.

Radio Star – Kim Hyun-sik tribute with Spring Summer Fall Winter & Lee Seung-chul (MBC) — 1.04 million views

No K-pop idol has posted an official cover of this song yet. Instead, the band that carries its name lived out every season he didn’t get to. Every time the season changes, I play this song and share a little of that season with him.

Next, Part 3: No. 11, “Love Love Love.” AI pulled his voice out of an old recording and put him back on stage.

Previous: Part 1 — IU Sang Him. AI Brought Him Back. Who Was Kim Hyun-sik?

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Sources: Weekly Kyunghyang (Nov. 8, 2005); Wikipedia “Kim Hyun-sik”; Melon (Kim Hyun-sik first album, June 6, 1980); Chosun Ilbo (Nov. 1, 2025); TenAsia (Nov. 1, 2013); YTN (Jan. 10, 2020). View counts as shown on YouTube, Oct. 25, 2026.