Spotify - J-Hope Playlist
Hobi - A Playlist
Our sunshine, Mr Jung Hoseok is the subject of this week’s playlist and our poll was an interesting one with both ‘Fake Love’ and ‘Boy With Luv’ being front runners.
We all know what an amazing performer, Hobi is, but which songs remind you of him? Let us know on Twitter @BTSRadioUK and keep an eye out for our poll on Wednesday.
Fake Love chosen by ARMY
Michayla - Fake Love is a phenomenal song and MV where each member shines but for me the stand out Hobi moment is his part with Jungkook and the finger waving. He looks fantastic and his lines in the song imply that he is lost, not able to remember the path he chose ‘The route I took, I forgot’. Mr Sunshine is memorable in every song so ‘Fake Love’ really is no different.
Cheryl - I was so thrilled this won our poll, it's most definitely one of my favourite songs. Seeing the comeback on BBMAs 2018 was breathtaking - the song, the moves, the fan chants - I was mesmerised. Then the video released it was visually stunning with the black long capes and face masks.
The lyrics are rather heartbreaking, "For you I could pretend to be happy when I’m sad, or pretend that I am strong when hurt. I grew a flower that cannot bloom in a dream that can’t come true, tried to erase myself to become your doll".
The chorus of Fake Love counter attacks these feelings and I find that extremely powerful.
Charlie - Hoseok has a tendency to remind us of happy, upbeat, hyper songs, but what’s really beautiful is how effortlessly he channels his dramatic style into angsty, emotional songs like Fake Love. The Fake Love fan cams are among my favourite Hoseok ones due to how much emotion and strength he puts into his dance, which is intensified by the stunning combination of his purple highlight, leather outfit and choker. His “try babbling into the mirror” part with Jungkook gives me goosebumps every time I watch it, and his rap has an addictive flow.
Onomey - I was curious to see the outcome of this weeks poll as I thought it would be a very close call and indeed it was, Fake Love beat Boy With Luv by 3%. Hobi doesn't have many lines in Fake Love but clearly stands out to people when they think about the song with his purple highlights and fantastic dance moves. His verse, alongside the dance in that section of Fake Love is one of my favourite parts of the whole song as it has the line 'try babbling into a mirror, who the heck are you?' whilst acting out that line with Jungkook which is a bit of clever choreography.
Source: ibighit
Trivia: Just Dance - Charlie
It is definitely true that certain songs just have a completely different impact when you hear them live. When I first heard Trivia: Just Dance, I knew that it was a quintessential Hoseok song: easy to dance to, fun and with bright vocals and rapping.
However, having heard it live, I can tell you that the energy of the arena/stadium in which Hoseok is performing completely shifts at the drop just before the chorus. Hoseok, in his slick white suit, breaks out into a completely flawless dance break and I hear a chorus of “woah” around me, as if we’d never seen him dance before. That’s the staple of a truly talented performer who was born to be on stage. Hoseok looks like he was born to do this very routine, and his stage presence hits you at once when you see this song performed.
“To the rhythm of the music
However our bodies move
We’re shadows underneath the moonlight
Fall in.. fall in..”
Of the three trivia's (rap line solos) from the Love Yourself: Answer album, Just Dance joins Euphoria to represent the beginning of the Love Yourself story. (The other 2 trivia's represent development and twist, and then the Answer album as a whole acts as the conclusion.) It therefore represents how one feels at the beginning of love, and how giddy with happiness they are when they fall in love. These feelings are compared to how Hoseok feels when he dances, and the metaphor is so well written. Hoseok’s love for dance and how he expresses it through the lyrics is sweetly compared with those excited feelings of first love.
“My dreams that once had no answer
Now becomes something we can relate to
Because our rhythm is matching
Because we have our dance, it’s a fate-like beat
Let’s get it on POP
Washing me over with those waves
Our heartbeats are in sync
You’re getting to know my heart too”
The song itself starts with quiet beats and hoseok’s soft voice, before he comes in with a smooth rap and calls for you to “dance with me”. It is physically impossible to listen to even this first verse without bopping a little. And then the aforementioned beat drop happens, and the pre-chorus sounds all distorted to heighten how disorienting it feels to watch this live, like you are completely lost in the music. The song’s energy keeps up throughout, until the bridge builds up to get you hyped to a dramatic finale. Whenever I hear it, I can still see the water cannons firing at Wembley Stadium as Hoseok does his dramatic turn. Stunning suddenly seems too weak a word to describe it.
“I felt it baby
This moment, you and me, baby
This all fits together like a math formula baby
Even obscurities, baby
Even difficulties, baby
Because of you, I’m comforted from all of that, baby”
Source: YouTube
Airplane pt. 2 - Cheryl
Straight away this song has a Latin sound with the introduction. This Latin sound then caresses throughout the song beautifully and harmonises with their vocals.
On the first play it sounds uplifting and joyful, but upon inspecting the lyrics, as always there are deeper thoughts behind the sound.
J-Hope mentions about the clouds, the chemistry of them and spending days above them and how we may not know it but over the years he has travelled hundreds of thousands (of miles). He also speaks of enjoying the airplane mode, all concerns are off, he enjoys first class (who wouldn’t) and watching the night sky. He says it fits now - I think he means that he is now comfortable with flying and finds it relaxing without many distractions. I’m sure we’ve all seen footage of BTS sleeping whilst flying.
I believe the song is about the difference between the beginning for BTS and how successful they are becoming.
Jungkook opens the song and mentions how in the beginning being a lonely child who would sing as if breathing. He just wanted to sing as it made his heart beat. Jimin sings about the feelings of frustration and failure. Tae sings about a singing star, but that he cannot see it - so modest and sounds like self doubt, to me.
I particularly like the hi-pitched sweetness of Jin’s voice accompanying RM’s rap near the beginning of the song - their voices compliment each other so beautifully. Jin repeating “We still” whilst RM sings about trying so hard and working in their hotel rooms whilst travelling. Sometimes it works out well while other days it doesn’t. Who will he be today RM or Namjoon and how at the age of 25 he doesn’t know how to live well - so much to digest in these lyrics. Suga mentions not knowing how to stop, rest or fail and that his passport has been overworked. He also mentions that they haven’t changed - they are the same as they used to be.
The repeat of El Mariachi is quite a hook together with all the countries they would be touring. I remember the thrill of hearing London to Paris in the song and wanting so much to see them. The chorus also states that wherever they go it’s a party and wherever they go they will sing. All very true!
Source: MNet
Jamais Vu - Marsha
This song has so many possible meanings for people that it just had to be included on our list.
"Again, I try to escape as always
But still, you grab me
Even as my shadow grows
My life and yours are an equal sign
So my remedy is your remedy"
J-Hope really hits us right in the feels with this right here.
Asking for a remedy but questioning if you are your own.
I've spoken to a lot of people about this song and what it means to them, some say it's a sad song that brings out the same type of feelings. To me, I find the song to be a hopeful one (pardon the pun) and gives me an overwhelming urge to continue through hardships that I have been facing.
"So give me a remedy
A remedy that will make my heart beat again
(Remedy)
What should I do now
Please save me, give me another chance
I won't give up"
The songs flow is interesting, flitting between Major & Minor it gives the song an eerie calmness but with an undertone of suspense.
Of course Jungkook & Jin do an amazing job on pure and clean vocals but J-Hope was in my opinion, the stand out in this song.
The way he can sing/rap so well and keep the flow and even switch back to his versatile style of rap with such emotion and conviction is stunning. He really knows how to convey emotion and pull you into the moment so you feel every word he says.
Overall Jamais Vu is a beautiful & complex song with many meanings to different people. I believe this is why it is such highly rated and stirs up so much emotion. This will forever be on my daily playlist as a reminder not to give up.
Source: ibighit.com
Hope World - Michayla
I am sure that I say this every week but not only have I really enjoyed doing this week’s playlist, I also love this song. The thing that I am finding with this series of playlists is that it is the opportunity to focus on one particular member, whilst looking and listening to songs from a different perspective, which is amazing.
Hobi’s album ‘Hope World’ is a gem and if you have never heard it then I would highly recommend it. I could have written about any one of the 7 songs from it but settled on the title track, since it is one I haven’t written about before.
This song is such a bop, firstly, and you can’t fail to move to it. It starts with an underwater sort of sound then the song kicks in, the beat is lively and fantastic. I am a complete sucker for Hobi’s voice, it has a unique tone to it so it doesn’t matter which song it is, I can pick him out. Obviously, in this case, we can focus entirely on his voice and he doesn’t disappoint with a great mix of rapping and singing.
The first verse he talks about his name, I can only presume he means his stage name ‘J-Hope’ because of course this is the name of the album and the song also. ‘Hope’ is indeed a fitting name for this man because he is quite literally a ray of sunshine and our hope. If you have ever been fortunate enough to see BTS perform live or have seen ‘Bring the Soul’ the movie, you will be well acquainted with Hobi’s introduction of ‘I’m your Hope, you’re my hope, I’m J….’ and at that point the crowd finishes his sentence.
‘My name is my life (life)
A hopeful vibe
A positive rather than a negative type
I live up to my name but ain’t no price’
Hope World is such a personal and positive song with references to his parents and the fact that he lives by the things he has inherited from them. His drive for life, the belief he has in himself are things he has had passed to him and it is clear how much respect he has for them.
‘Respect
My Father Mother
I take after that blood
The baton that was passed on and received
I run in step with this motto
This is my very own delight
If ever there was a song that encapsulates the word ‘positivity’ then it has to be ‘Hope World’. Not only is the music upbeat and sounds like an 80’s disco tune at times with a synthesizer sound but the lyrics are as bright as the man himself. In one of the lines he says he is an optimist and I certainly can’t disagree with him, he isn’t our sunshine for nothing.
‘Now meaningfully, firmly
Like that of an optimist
That’s right, enjoyably all together
Above the water, we become swans
Day Day
Substitute yourself into the world
Have some faith, like a religion, Amen
To give it a meaning, was what I intended
You just need to receive it, Feel like
Payday’
If you are older ARMY you will understand what payday feels like and it is just another example of positivity and happy vibes that flow through this song. Perhaps younger ARMY will attribute a similar feeling with getting a personal best in an exam or being given an allowance by a parent or guardian.
Hope World is happiness in a song, created and performed by the man that epitomises the word ‘sunshine’.
Source: allkpop.com
P.O.P (Piece of Peace) - Onomey
This week I chose to write about P.O.P (Piece of Peace) because it pretty much sums up J-Hope, his personality, and what this song is about. I like this song because usually when people try and write political or songs about peace, they can tend to be a bit boring or cheesy but this song is neither. From listening to this song, it is a very light-hearted pop song that you can dance along to. The whole album 'Hope World' is full of stand out songs but this, in particular, resonates with me, especially during this current time that we live in.
I enjoyed the fact that we get to appreciate his great vocals in the chorus as the delivery of the vocals are very peaceful and relaxing but then his rapping style is a bit rough because the lyrics are about different situations where people can suffer which reaches a nice conclusion with the angelic and uplifting vocals which makes it feel like you're on a journey.
An example of this is in the second verse, he begins it with harsh rapping then by the end of the verse he changes his flow style to where he is almost singing when he comes to the end of the verse which makes the chorus gel well with the rest of the song.
‘A Jobseeker
Someone who can't become any more than
Just a hot potato
With one mind we become one entity
Complaining at problems
In reality, we dream about peace but
Amidst an inevitable war
Constant reports of retreat
When will we advance past this?’
I appreciate this song as not many artists would think about the fact that their music can be a way for someone to find peace within themselves or find comfort within the lyrics or by the way an artist lives their life. I would love to see a music video to this song because it would make people see as well as hear what message he is trying to send as a lot of people may not understand what the lyrics mean and may find that a music video motivates them in whatever scenario they need it for.
‘If I
Someone's strength
Someone's light
I wish I could be a
Piece of peace’
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