I just heard a report on the CBC radio, that was about this very thing where some people were going "the long way round" to actually end up, hopefully, in South Korea. It was a very interesting report.
I'm on the fence with the upbeat-ness of the background vocal work myself. I like it because it helps to keep interest in the song while listening, but as others have said, it can take away a bit from the seriousness of the song. My thinking is I'd rather have people listen to the song and get the message across then not listen because it sounds a bit drab (without those back vocals).
All in all, great work.
