Weekly Playlist 2
Another Year Ends
As 2020 nears its end, in what has been a year that the world couldn't have predicted, we think about the songs that will help us finish one year whilst looking ahead to the next.
Do you have any ideas for future playlist themes? Get in touch with us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
Find our end of year playlist here: 2020 Ends
Pied Piper chosen by ARMY
Michayla - This week's poll was a tough one and I needed four votes because each one will be leaving 2020 with me and entering 2021. 'Pied Piper' is BTS and I will be following them into another year when hopefully we will start to see the world healing, maybe even the return of small audiences so ARMY can show the members how much they've been missed. BTS performing this song live at the Magic Shop 5th Muster in June 2019, feels like forever ago now, I just hope that it isn't too much longer before they get to perform it with its dangerous choreography in front of their adoring ARMY.
Charlie - We need to finish 2020 with a fun song, and Pied Piper is one of the best choices for this. It is a song whereby BTS tease us about how we focus more on them than our studies and work, and liken themselves to the pied piper luring us away from our responsibilities with their music. I adore the self-referential lyrics about their shows, music videos and vlives, and how they shamelessly talk about how they’re ruining us. Honestly, if you haven’t been able to concentrate on your studies or work this year, that is very valid, especially as BTS have been offering us so much comfort this year, luring us away from our stresses. From Yoongi’s weekly radio show to the members making Dalgona coffee and bracelets, I’ve been thankful for the pied piper-esque escapism that BTS have offered us in 2020.
Onomey - I myself voted for Pied Piper because I never feel like going crazy at the end of the year like most people. I’m fine with having a chilled and relaxed end to the year. I thought that Go Go and or DNA would’ve won this week's poll because they’re a lot more upbeat and suited to be blasting on repeat to a new years eve party. My analysis of the vote is that ARMY are happy to continue to support BTS into the new year with their whole heart.
I could easily listen to this song on repeat all the time mainly because of the beautiful falsetto that the vocal line gave us in this song and the artistry of being able to create the connection between BTS and ARMY to the Pied Piper story. Not only that, they do it through the dictation of the lyrics and within the lyrics themselves by luring us further into the song which is what the song is about, that dedication to BTS that you forget about the other things in your life which are unhealthy.
Cheryl - Pied Piper won the last BTSRadioUK poll for the year. The lyrics for this song are very playful. BTS compare themselves to the Pied Piper, a character who played music to rid Hamelin of the plague of rats and then when the town's people refused to pay the piper, he played his music and took their children too. Knowing first hand how addictive liking BTS can be, it is amusing to think they know this too. With Pied Piper they are acknowledging that their music causes their listeners to disappear into their world but, this can also cause fans to lose focus on what is important and in this song BTS reminds them to continue studying for tests. I wonder with the strange year that we have all experienced (and continue to do so) whether we are all spending more time in the world of BTS for escapism and enjoyment, as BTS themselves know, they are our guilty pleasure.
ON and Dynamite - Michayla
The list of song choices was extensive this week and we decided to write about two. This really didn't help the decision making process so I settled on extreme predictability and went with the two songs that have not only helped me through 2020 but will, without question get me through whatever 2021 has to offer too.
ON - when Map of the Soul 7 was released in February this year, I was hit by this song, the kinetic manifesto MV catapulted itself into one of my absolute favourite MVs ever and I refuse to believe there isn't a situation that isn't suitable for 'ON'. A particular line struck a chord with me after a very difficult ending to 2019 that leaked into the first few months of 2020:
'Can't hold me down, cuz you know I'm a fighter.'
Sometimes in life, we have no option but to fight, to survive and this was me during a situation where I fought for justice and won. My eldest Son told me he was proud of me for standing up for what was right and then 'ON' was released so I connected with it instantly. Of course, the whole world was thrown into a dire situation this year and 'fighting' is something that most of us have had to do in order to make it this far. I now have that line inked forever on my arm so that I never forget, that was my first appointment after lockdown and it means a lot to me.
I was so pleased that 'ON' has been performed towards the end of 2020 because to a certain extent it feels like MOTS 7 didn't even happen, it seemed to get lost once the pandemic took over. 'ON' is everything that is required of a large stage performance and I move into 2021 with hope that I will still get to see it live one day.
Dynamite - I was 39 years old when I became ARMY and for the majority of my life before that I was a huge Michael Jackson fan. I've been lucky enough to see him live in London in 1997 and he will always be a massive part of my life. When I was first introduced to BTS I saw a connection with MJ, that was further enhanced by the IDOL outfits worn during the Love Yourself tour which I mentioned when I wrote about the concerts at the O2, so I hope you can imagine what a complete mess I was when 'Dynamite' was released this year.
If there is such a thing as perfect timing for a song release then Big Hit should copyright it because they did indeed pick the perfect time to unleash 'Dynamite' on us. From March onwards, many of us have been in lockdown, mental health has been poor where people have struggled to cope with being closed off from family and friends. Holidays, concerts and everyday social events cancelled which has been so difficult, I think everyone has suffered one way or another. Then on 21st August, this amazing song crashed into our lives with its catchy lyrics (that we could actually sing properly), vibrant colours and choreography that pays homage to the legend that is Michael Jackson.
For many ARMYs, it was a chance to smile, to really smile and it brought the biggest ray of sunshine into what had been a pretty dark year. Needless to say, I fell in love with the song, learned the lyrics as fast as possible, streamed like crazy and cried a lot because of the link to MJ. My children have had 'Dynamite' on play in our house so much that my youngest also knows the words so I say that is a success. Bring on 2021, I have both 'ON' and 'Dynamite' in my weaponry so I'm ready for you.
Seesaw and Home - Cheryl
I have chosen to write about Seesaw and Home from this week's BTSRadioUK's playlist which looks at the songs we would want to hear before this year ends.
Seesaw - I think I chose Seesaw because I am personally missing Suga from all of BTS' latest performances and interviews. With BTS acknowledging his absence by leaving space for him, makes me miss him even more whilst it also shows that he cannot be replaced or removed.
Another reason for choosing Seasaw was the live performance at Wembley and although it was a year and a half ago now, the song transports me back to the concert and happier times. Suga was a wonderful vision in his purple suit and the set was eye-catching with the city backdrop and moving floor etc.
Suga's Seesaw is about a relationship that has turned sour, or maybe it has always been so, but he has come to the realisation that this relationship is no longer one he wishes to continue with. It's about the ups and downs and also acknowledges that one person has to go up for the other to go down, but that he feels in this relationship he is always at the bottom, the heaviest. So the relationship is no longer equal.
The way the lyrics link with the seesaw game is pure genius, how if someone gets off the seesaw the game comes to an end. If someone jumps off then the other player can get hurt. He also looks at the feelings behind the relationship, if they hadn't cared or invested in the relationship then it would be easier to end the game. The fear of hurting one another and being labelled as the villain also makes it harder to end the game.
I am wondering whilst I am writing this, somehow this song relates to Suga being out of action, out of the game at the moment as it were. It feels to me as if the Seesaw game with BTS has been paused, but I am very excited for next year when Suga returns to the game once more and BTS will be whole again.
Home - I chose Home because it is such a happy song and by just reading the word I can hear the song in my head. I also remember the fun BTS had performing this song on KBS World, they were jumping on furniture and it looked like pure joy.
With the lyrics for Home, BTS relate Home to the physical place where they live, but also that feeling they have when they are in the presence of their Army of belonging and being loved, treasured and as one as shown with these lyrics:
‘It's comfortable even as you say nothing
With you, anywhere will be my home
You know I want that
Home
You know I want that
Home’
My favourite lyric from the song is:
‘But I go out the door since I know I have something to return to’
This is because it conveys the positive feeling of belonging and having a safe haven to return to after venturing outside, whether just for a local wander or a world wide tour. It sounds like a safe, secure place to return to.
I also wonder if I chose Home because of the current Covid situation. Home is definitely where I feel the safest at the moment. It's the environment where Covid does not exist and the infection feels very distant. However, when I venture outside to go shopping or walk our dogs the virus feels more real, people generally allowing space, wearing masks but not engaging, makes the outside world feel not as safe. I am aware that I am lucky that my Home is such a safe haven, I really hope others find their own safe haven too.
Am I Wrong and Zero ‘o’ Clock - Charlie
Am I Wrong - Am I Wrong is a funky, retro-sounding song from the Wings album which complains in comedic fashion about how crazy 2016 was as a year. At the time, it seemed fitting due to various political events of that year, but considering how 2020 has gone, it seems even more suited to our present year.
“It seems like the entire world has gone crazy
Seems like the end
Oh why Oh why
Oh why Oh why
Oh why why why why
OH MY GOD”
As we say goodbye to 2020, I think that Am I Wrong is the perfect song to party to as we hysterically laugh about how terrible the year was and go running headfirst into what will hopefully be a year of more positivity. It’s an incredibly fun song which the boys perform in colourful suits and Jimin belts out high notes while Namjoon continuously asks us if we’re “ready”, which I absolutely always am for this song.
The song starts with a sample of the 1994 track “Am I Wrong” from Keb Mo, in the same decade that the members were born in, which to me kicks off the old-school style of the song and reminds me that the world has always been a little bit crazy, from when the members were born, to today.
Zero O’Clock - Zero O’Clock is a more melancholy way of welcoming the new year. Its lyrics are so positive and comforting, but all I think when I hear it is how it was on an album that should have been showcased in concert this year, and how I used to listen to it at 00:00 over summer at the end of the repetitive days that followed each other this year.
“Will something be different?
It won't be something like that
But this day will be over
When the minute and second hands overlap
The world holds its breath for a little while
Zero o’clock”
Zero O’Clock is a touching song about how, no matter how badly your day went, when the clock shows only zeros or when both hands of the clock overlap, everything pauses, that day disappears and a new day begins. It’s a beautiful way of looking at something so simple as the time on a clock, and I think that this is one of BTS’s nicest songs, lyrically.
On the night of the 31st December, we will see our last zero o’clock of this year, and then it will be over. The soft, gentle tones of this song will carry us through next year as it carried us through our worst days of this year.
Reflection and A Brand New Day - Onomey
The reason why I chose to write about Reflection and A Brand New Day is that they both seem to go hand-in-hand together when talking about saying goodbye to 2020 and saying hello to the new year of 2021. Reflection obviously is very self-explanatory as it is about reflecting on the negatives you feel about yourself and your life and trying and hoping to be able to deal with those things and becoming free from it all. The outro of ‘I wish I could love myself’ is repeated almost like a mantra to try and persuade RMs mind to believe it one day. If I were to reflect on this year I would say that it has been on an extremely mad emotional rollercoaster because of the pandemic and spending most of the year indoors and letting my anxieties consume me. I have analysed the faults in myself and realised that I must start to believe in myself before it is too late as I am worth something but like RM I struggle to believe that it is true.
A Brand New Day to me is almost like a cleansing song to bring the new year in after reflecting on 2020. To be confident and to be able to realise that more people have your back and want to support you than you think. I started the year being scared to go for my dreams thinking that people won’t like my accent or the way I am etc but with the support of many people I’ve met through different communities recently I think I can overcome the obstacles that come my way.
I think of the people supporting me as Zara Larsson when she’s singing:
‘Oh I can be there, yeah
I’ll be there, be there for you, oh
I know you got them big dreams too
You can show me yours if you want to
They’re beautiful
We can look at them for hours
And surrender to their power, yeah’
It is a very warm and uplifting song with the instrumentation as well as the vocals. I like that the chorus is there to almost wake you up and make you realise that every day is a brand new day to make a positive start and do well. J-hope shouting ‘A Brand New Day’ is a great way to bring in the new year.
Award Winners
We were inspired by the awards shows this week, having enjoyed the performances at the MMA’s, MAMA and The Fact awards. We have created a playlist based on the songs that we feel are award winners, which song would you choose if you could give an award to any BTS song?
Find these award winning songs on the playlist here: Award Winners
Magic Shop chosen by ARMY
Cheryl - So, Magic Shop won this week's poll hands down really and I'm not surprised as the depth and meaning of this song is just so relatable to everyone at one time or another. Magic Shop explores the dark places we can find ourselves in but then according to the lyrics, if we open the door in our hearts, Magic Shop will be there to help ease the pain and bring comfort. All I can think is that with the current situation, right now we all need the comfort of BTS and Magic Shop.
Charlie - BTS deserve an award for how much they give to ARMY, and how genuinely good they are to us. Also, Jungkook deserves an award for producing this beautiful song. Magic Shop is the song I needed at the time, and a song that we all need sometimes. It is about how, no matter how hard life is, you can always open a door to your mind and find yourself in the Magic Shop, where BTS will meet you. The song is a gift to ARMY, a reminder of how BTS will always be in our hearts and minds no matter what, and it feels magical.
Michayla - This week we asked ARMYs to choose between three songs that link BTS to the fandom. I thought it would be closer than it was but I suspected that Magic Shop would win and rightly so, in my opinion. 2!3! is special and I would have loved to be there when K-ARMY sang it to BTS because that is unbelievably special. I cherish being able to sing Magic Shop with BTS, being able to sing ‘I’ll show you’ back to them and to have witnessed their reactions. My daughter and I were fortunate enough to have seen BTS in Paris in June 2019 and as we left the stadium we sang Magic Shop as we walked through the streets, some ARMYs singing ‘So show me’ and the rest singing ‘I’ll show you’. That is a precious memory, especially given the pandemic, so ‘Magic Shop’ will always be a special song for me, not only does it link me with BTS but it also links me with ARMY.
Onomey - When I hear the song magic shop I automatically start singing ‘so show me (I’ll show you), so show me (I’ll show you), so show me (I’ll show you) show you, show you’. The call and response are so important to the song as it allows BTS and ARMY to connect as one. There was no real surprise to me that Magic Shop won the poll by such a massive margin. This song not only has such a deep connection with ARMY all around the world, but it also came at a time where BTS seemed to explode all around the world with them performing on massive platforms and having a hugely successful world tour. The meaning within the lyrics always touches my heart, encourages and inspires me to do better and support people who are feeling down. This song truly showed me the connection that BTS believe they have with ARMY and it is a connection, unlike any other fan group and artist connection. I feel as though its core is built on positivity and being able to admit our faults before we begin to pull each other up into greatness. I’m so happy that Jungkook was inspired enough by ARMY to want to write a song like this as I don’t know many other artists who would write a song just for their fans. To want to take away our pains and fears in order to exchange them for happiness is something very noble to do.
Fake Love - Charlie
BTS’ entire discography is full of award-worthy songs, but to single one out, Fake Love is stunning. Its emo-rock song feel (emphasised even more by its Rockin Vibe remix) is so fresh, and I love to hear BTS utilise their voices and musicality for new genres like this.
Fake Love is the title track from the Love Yourself: Tear album, and follows DNA as a dark reminder of what happens once all of the bubbly, infatuated feelings of love fade away and one realises that the love they were experiencing was not real, as they did not love themselves first and were wearing a mask the whole time.
“Love you so bad, love you so bad
Mold a pretty lie for you
Love it’s so mad, love it’s so mad
Try to erase myself and make me your doll”
The vocal line belts out such beautiful notes in this song. They go from deep notes to high notes that exemplify strained and heightened stress one feels when they are lovesick and experiencing angst due to a failing romance. The rap line also shines here, somehow making rap seem so fitting and so correct despite the song being of a genre that usually would sound odd incorporating rap.
“Why you sad? I don’t know. I don’t know
Smile, say 'I love you'
Look at me, even I gave up on myself
Even you can’t understand me”
Even taking away how gorgeous the song is, the lyrics are among my favourite BTS lyrics ever because of how haunting they are. The boys recount the parts of themselves that they changed and stripped away just to please the person that they were in love with, and how they have lost themselves along the way. It is devastating and beautifully worded and beautifully sung and rapped.
My Time - Cheryl
My Time can be found on the BTS album Map Of The Soul:7 and was written by Jungkook and produced by Sleep Deez. Jungkook writes about his life experience being a member of the most successful group in the world. He wonders about time missed whilst training and what his life would have been like if he wasn't in BTS. He is telling us his story about how this all feels; travelling the world, whilst other people his age are just riding the subway and waking up in different countries and where with the time zone he could have left one country in daylight but then land after a long flight and still be in daylight. Most of us only have this experience once a year (pre-Covid) when going on holiday, but BTS could experience this more than once a week when on tour - perhaps this could be why they spaced their last tour out more with a few more days of down time in between the countries they visited.
Lyrics:
I ran to where the sun rises every night
Friends ridin, the subway, I'll be in airplane mode
Jungkook is also telling us that he has grown up in the spotlight and that it feels as if his life has been a movie. I wonder if he is expressing how unreal it all seems; the success, the adoration, the scrutiny. He also mentions that he has grown up faster than others, which makes me think he is comparing himself to his friends and I imagine that his life experiences are totally different from theirs and that perhaps he feels he has a lot of responsibilities and this has caused him to feel more mature.
My favourite lyrics are:
Sometimes when I'm gasping for air
I wear my hat low and keep running
Yeah, I don't gotta know where I go
Even if it's opposite of sun
One time for the present
Two time for the past
Happy that we met each other
Now til' the very end
I like the idea of running and not minding where you're going to end up - sounds rather exciting. Although it sounds here like Jungkook isn't running for pleasure, it sounds like puts on his bucket hat and runs (maybe this is a disguise) to release the pressure, but it does sound like he runs for positivity. Also the idea that he is happy that we met each other, this could relate to the other BTS members or Amy or both of course - but the fact that he is happy until the very end sounds like he has accepted where he is in life and is enjoying his journey.
It's hard to write about My Time without thinking about Jungkook's performance at their recent online concerts. He showed us all that he has matured and looked very comfortable and confident dancing his two solos, which were stunning visually with his choice of outfits and the dance moves - his performance proved how much he has grown since Debut.
Just Dance - Michayla
This week, I could have written about any of the songs on our playlist and found something that makes that song an award winner for me. There are so many songs that deserve an award, in my opinion, on a personal level alone, ‘Euphoria’ for the sheer number of times it has calmed my anxiety, ‘Sweet Night’ for helping me through some tough times, ‘Dope’ for being the song that made me ARMY and ‘ON’ for becoming my obsession this year, to name but a few.
It took some serious decision making but I went for the song that is undoubtedly my favourite of the Trivias, a song that makes me smile, a song that emcompasses everything that I feel about Jung Hoseok and has given me some of my happiest BTS memories from the live performances.
There is a line that I can answer for Hobi:
‘If you ask me about that moment
Bright sunshine was falling down’
That moment for me was seeing ‘Just Dance’ live at the O2 in October 2018. Hobi encapsulated the rhythm of the song, shone on stage and created a party atmosphere all on his own. Hobi’s stage presence is hypnotic, he is at home when performing and his smile is infectious. I was a relatively new ARMY when I saw them at the O2 and I’ve heard so many people say that everyone left the O2 that night as Hobi biased, he literally knocked ARMY’s socks off.
‘Just Dance’ was one of the songs that I couldn’t wait to see performed again when I went to the Speak Yourself tour in London and Paris in 2019. Hobi is made for the stage and the bigger the better! London is what makes ‘Just Dance’ one of my reasons for saying it is an award winner because we were lucky enough to be second row from the front so when those water cannons went off, we were absolutely drenched. That water went into the air and rained down on us like nothing I’ve ever experienced unless I am in the shower and that along with Hobi’s beautiful smile as we chanted ‘J-Hope, J-Hope’ is what makes this song worthy of an award.
This song is happiness and joy in the space of 3 minutes and 45 seconds, whenever it is performed, Hobi shines and he deserves every accolade possible.
Black Swan - Onomey
To me, Black Swan is deserving of all the awards in the world. There are so many things about this song that deserve so much attention, so much as the amazing different produced versions of the song, the choreography and power of vocals.
The emotional journey that the vocals take us on is amazing, despite the vocals not being extremely complicated to pull off. I find that the delivery of the vocals throughout are not coincidental as they follow the same pattern that a high hat would follow which is 4 beats to the kicks 1 beat. The delivery of this means that it sounds as though the vocals are consistent in their delivery of the vocals and where the accents on them are strong this makes you feel like the person is trying to battle on a consistent basis in order to break free of what is holding them so it's constant punching at that barrier which can be felt throughout. My favourite photos of the song or sugar as he adopts a different approach to his rap and makes it sound like he was stuttering, dazed and confused in his delivery of both the choreography and vocals which gives the lyrics an extra layer of meaning.
‘Slowly, I open my eyes
I’m in my workroom. it’s my studio
The darkness in waves brings agony
But I’ll never give up
Inside
I saw myself, myself’
Ok let's talk about the unbelievable choreography in this song, shall we? Let’s start off with the fact that only Jimin has been educated in modern dance so that’s 6 out of the 7 members who aren’t too familiar with the genre and what it entails in order to pull it off successfully. The control you have to have in your core to be able to hold certain positions throughout the song is unbelievable, especially during where they have to lift their legs up near the end of the song. The switch between modern dance and hip hop is another difficult thing they have to deal with as switching between the two can be challenging as you may find yourself getting stuck in one genre by accident. I’d love to know if there are artists out there who even dare to push themselves in dance like BTS do. They’ve managed to create a theatre piece in 3-4 minutes. We saw what they are able to do with this song when it is extended during the 2020 Melon Music Awards. They didn’t just dance to an extra bit of the instrumental, they added onto the drama of their theatre piece, giving us more of the story to relate to.
Units by BTS
This week we have been thinking about all the songs that are by the many different units of BTS that bring us so many combinations of vocals and sounds. We also changed it up with the poll this week and asked the team at BTS Radio UK which unit song was their favourite, the choices being ‘Dimple’, ‘Waste It On Me’, ‘Butterfly (prologue mix)’ and ‘House of Cards (Full length edition)’, see which song won, below.
Find this week's playlist here: Units by BTS
Dimple chosen by the BTS Radio UK team
Michayla - The poll was actually quite close this week with many team members opting for ‘House of cards’ but ‘Dimple’ shone through and stole top spot. I think for me, I chose ‘Dimple’ because of the performances at 5th Muster and the Golden Disk Awards, that choreography is what made it a front runner. When I think about vocal line songs, I actually forget about ‘Dimple’ being one of them, my brain automatically goes to ‘The Truth untold’ or ‘Zero ‘o’ Clock’ but there’s no denying the fact that it is a great tune and worthy on the majority of playlists.
Cheryl - This week we decided to try something new and asked the BTS Radio UK team to choose this week’s subunit from our poll. The winner was Dimple with its cute lyrics and play on words like "illegirl", I am not surprised that our team chose this song. With the fun lyrics about having dimples being a crime and also, the idea of wanting something even when you think it might be dangerous - it sounds rather tantalising.
Onomey - This week's poll was voted on by the BTS Radio UK team and the outcome was Dimple who beat the competition from House of Cards, Butterfly and Waste It On Me. The song was written by RM who himself has dimples which are adorable. The song sung by Jimin, Jin, Jungkook and the V is about loving the dimples that are on your loved face as it makes your heart race makes you love them all that bit more. This song will always remind me of our fellow Spotify team member, Charlie as she loves this song so much and I don’t blame her to be honest because there is so much to love about the song. The R&B vibe to this song is what allows them all to really let rip when it comes to their vocal range abilities with Jin standing out massively throughout. I’d be doing the boys a disservice if I didn’t mention their brilliant dance moves that always have the whole of ARMY shook each time they perform this song with their body rolls.
Charlie - Dimple is such a sweet song. As it is from Love Yourself: Her, it is a straightforward love song about the fluttery feelings one feels due to the dimples of the person they are in love with. The vocal line sings about how illegal that person’s dimples must be, as they look too cute to be legal. It is a very adorable song as they focus on being obsessed with one attribute of the person, and the playful way they sing “Ille-e-e-e-girl” for the pun of the girl being illegally cute is so lovable.
Outro: Luv in Skool - Michayla
It was interesting this week to track down all the songs sang by the various units of BTS, some of which I’d completely forgotten were actually not OT7. I do have some favourite unit songs and I think that Outro: Tear is probably very near the top of my all time favourites. When it came to choosing a song to write about, I decided to go for something different, something I haven’t written about before and possibly something that some ARMYs reading this may not have heard before.
‘Luv in Skool’ is on the album ‘O!RUL8,2?’ and is a complete gem. It is 1 minute 26 seconds long and I wish it had a full length version because I really like it. The unit for this song is the vocal line and they certainly deliver in this brief tune. The song is about wanting someone to let you love them and it’s all consuming and possibly unrequited or maybe one sided after the relationship has already broken down.
‘Though I drink Coffee and open my eyes
It feels like I’ll fall asleep, oh no no
I imagined if I ruled the world
I would place you by my side again
Please tell me that it’s not too late
If this is a nightmare, please save me
Look carefully, I’m still waiting for only you’
The lyrics also contain the titles of two other songs from the album which I think is great, ‘Coffee’ is a song that I always feel is underrated. This is such a gentle song and really calming despite its quite sad meaning, a very worthy contender on any playlist that requires a chilled out song. Besides, who doesn’t want to hear Jungkook and Taehyung singing ‘love you girl, oh beautiful girl’ in english?
Lost - Charlie
“Lost” is a gorgeous subunit song from the vocal line that was released on the Wings album. As it came out at a time when I was deciding on which Universities to apply to, its message of being confused as to which path your life should go down was one that I appreciated a lot. Hearing such universal thoughts from the voices of our stunning vocalists, was very reassuring.
The twinkles of the instrumental pair beautifully with the sweet vulnerability of the members’ voices as they complain about how hard life seems as they do not know how to tell if they are on the right path. It fits in well with the feelings of frustrated adolescence and growing into adulthood, that is a major theme of the Wings album.
“I never felt this way before
Am I becoming an adult?
This is too hard, is this path right for me
I am confused
Never leave me alone”
However, as with all comforting BTS songs, it does not just leave you with a relatable message - it includes lines of reassurance, to let you know that once you have lost your path, then that is how you will be able to find your right path. If you feel frustrated, it means you’re going in the right direction and will find your path soon. In true BTS fashion, they vow to never give up on going after their dream.
“Even if I’m slow I will walk with my own feet
Because I know this path is mine to take
Even if I go back, I will reach this path eventually
I never I will never
I will never lose my dream”
The chorus of Lost has a very addictive and pretty flow to it, and it is beautiful and calming to listen to despite how upbeat it is, with a message to keep moving forward but remember to calm down and take a moment to accept your reality rather than getting stressed about having to immediately change it.
Her - Onomey
I chose her because I really enjoy RM and his chill rap style so I like this song a lot and with Suga and j-hope added to this song it makes it even better. The song is started off with a piano which then moves to a swell sounding keyboard as the story begins with RM who tells the story of his journey to love. He talks about how everyone is looking for love and how difficult that can be and even if you are lucky enough to find it, it can be confusing and difficult. The boys are basically saying in the chorus that you are my love so I’ll call you ‘her’ but also I know there may be times where you hurt me so ‘you’re my tear’ also.
‘All of my wonder
You’re the answer
I call you her, her
‘Cause you’re my tear, tear
All of my wonder
You’re the answer
I call you her, her
‘Cause you’re my tear, tear’
I believe that you know when a song is good when the song ends too quickly for your liking. This is the case with ‘Her’ because I seem to find myself getting lost within the vibe of the song and the story it tells. To me, Suga’s verse is the most impactful as it seems to hint towards the Love Yourself: Tear album more than the other rappers verses. In this, he questions whether he deserves the person's love because deep down he knows that he has been faking who he is in order for that person to love him.
‘I can never take off the mask
Because the me behind this mask
Is not the one you know
Makeup to wake up today too
And dress up to mask on
In order to become the one that you love’
It is enjoyable overall to see a different side to the rap line as we’re all used to songs such as Tear, the Cyphers and DDaeng. This track shows a completely different side to their rapping abilities as this song deals more with clever wordplay and quick changes of the tongue rhythms whilst sticking in the relaxed feel to it. J-Hope is a prime example of this as he continues with the dark side of having that mask on, pretending like things are alright as he begins to fall into darkness and enjoy it. This is where the song and J-Hope switch the tempo back up to being upbeat again because it's as though he's had the time to hide from the light then has to jump back up to be our hope, the J-Hope we all love.
'Tik tok the darkness is over
Once again, to be your best
I'm holding onto myself
Love makes a person go crazy'
Strange - Cheryl
Upon listening to Strange, the song has a gentle almost bell like sound going through the melody, which has a calming effect on me. However, when looking into the lyrics, I got transported to a place of turmoil. There are just so many different layers to the lyrics, they appear quite conflicting at times (I will try and explain what I mean) and I feel that even the autotuned Suga adds to the conflict.
Strange appears to explore the views of people by other people in the world and the ideas that are enforced. For example,
In a sick world, a person that is well
Isn't it strange how they are treated as a mutant
In a world with its eyes closed, a person with theirs open
Isn't it strange how now they are made blind
and
With dreams as its collateral, the capitalism injects the morphine called 'hope'
Wealth breeds wealth and tests greed
Here I believe Suga is exploring the notion that dreams are built on how much money you can earn and what can be bought and therefore, with wealth comes the test of greed. This implies that some people may never be content with what they have, whereas others may use their wealth to help those less fortunate and either of these thoughts are self fuelling and could cause a cycle of unending misery, as there is no end to either.
Another thought I had whilst exploring this song and the following lyrics was;
‘You think you got taste?
Oh babe, how do you know?
I mean for God's sake
Everything's under control
The choices you've been given
Are all preferences controlled by the capital’
When I was younger and my parents were decorating a room, my mother would have an image in her mind of what the wallpaper was she wanted, but she could never find it. I used to find this fascinating and say why not look at what is available and then choose - this is what I think Namjoon is implying here - when we choose something for ourselves we think we are being unique or on trend, but it's not really our choice as everything has been controlled and preferences have been predetermined, with consumers in mind. This idea has really got me wondering and exploring my own desires even with regards to BTS merchandise, which is packaged in such a particularly marketable way, as their merchandise has to appeal to not just females but also include a larger age demographic i.e. I believe this is not your typical fan base.
Strange is rather thought provoking!
Stream BE
What does every ARMY need after a comeback? We all need a streaming playlist, so this was our theme this week.
Do you have a favourite song on BE? Why not come and tell us you can find us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook @BTSRadioUK.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4s7zGUuMlRAEDsnXaAKcTQ?si=cwbh9Z9_SkqpPWY2emYHuA
Euphoria chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I’m not going to lie, I didn’t vote in the poll this week because I couldn’t choose. I think this has to be one of the most difficult polls that we have had. For me, I listen to Euphoria, Tear and Lights so much, I don’t think I have a playlist that hasn’t got those 3 on it and I adore Shadow so this wasn’t a poll I could vote in. I decided to leave it to the powerful ARMY Twitter voters and would have been happy with any winner.
As it so happens, I could talk about ‘Euphoria’ all day, for longer if I could because it is a song that has meant so much to me from the moment I first heard it. It does give me that euphoric feeling and has got me through some dark times and I have used it to ease anxiety. I’ve seen Jungkook perform it sitting on a stool due to injury at the O2 then smiling as he flew around the stadium at Wembley and Stade De France. I have so many feelings about this song that I would be here forever but rest assured that ‘Euphoria’ is streamed a lot.
Charlie - Euphoria is a song that will forever be beloved by ARMYs and is a welcome addition to any playlist. It is a stunning playlist from Jungkook that will be streamed on all of my Spotify playlists until such a time that I can finally stream his other solos - from his mixtape, whenever that may come. Euphoria is the song Jungkook sang down to us as he flew above our heads in stadiums, and for that it always has a place in our hearts. It is about feeling as though when you are next to a certain person, that place is your euphoria and your utopia.
Cheryl - The winner of the poll this week was Euphoria. I am not surprised as this song provokes a strong emotion for me and obviously many Army (although Tear was a close second). The lyrics of Euphoria have such uplifting imagery with words like mirage, dreams, euphoria and utopia. It’s such a happy heartfelt song and whenever I hear it I am transported back to Wembley watching Jungkook fly and such happier times.
Onomey - Euphoria won by such a small margin this week. It is definitely a song that I listen to or at least sing around the house every day, no word of a lie. I always feel like I am floating when I listen to Euphoria because of how light sounding an EDM song it is. Jungkooks vocals throughout this song are what makes the song gel so well together because of how compliments the heavenly sounding instrumentation is by singing lightly when pronouncing the words. An example of this is in the first verse where he is singing like he is talking and about to cry at any time.
'You are the sunlight that rose again in my life
A reincarnation of my childhood dreams
I don't know what this emotion is
If this place is also inside a dream'
The EDM instrumental in the chorus is what always has me dancing because I find myself trying to attempt Jungkooks choreography even though I am terrible at it, I still have a ball every time I experience this song and find new things I love about it each time.
Winter Flower - Cheryl
I am so happy that I chose to write about Winter Flower this week. I remember listening to the song when it first came out back in January and then for some reason it fell off my radar. Revisiting the song made me realise just how much I loved it. If you haven't heard it, then you are in for a real treat.
The song was written by Younha and RM and it is both delicate and powerful. I believe the song is about someone struggling with mental health and another person offering support. The lyrics sure do pack a punch for example:
They say life is full of paradox
All you gotta do is gettin' used to this marathon
"Do you think the world is harsh on you only?
Everyone has it hard"
Those words can't be your consolation
Listen carefully, winter
You made me bloom
I believe this verse is explaining that the writer has self doubt and is confused, by explaining that life is like a marathon shows that life can be hard, trying, exhausting, frustrating. By being told that everyone has it hard etc. has no healing power or offers any consolation whatsoever and possibly makes the writer feel that they haven't been properly heard or their struggles appreciated. When they say “winter you made me bloom“, as not many flowers bloom in winter perhaps this is a way of saying that after surviving the cold harshness of winter, they can then bloom when they are ready to do so?
Listening to the "hold on" sung throughout the song, makes me imagine holding onto someone's hand or being by someone's side accompanying them through their difficult struggles and being a positive force for them to rely on and not to let go.
Younha's voice is both delicate and powerful, she can bang out some force when required to do so and RM's is also delicate and then stronger. Their voices really compliment each other and the song lyrics.
The chorus:
I will take it away before you stumble
(Hold on, hold on)
I will stay by your side until you survive
(Hold on, hold on)
I hope you bloom
These lyrics remind me of a parent trying to protect a child that is learning to walk, by removing obstacles to make the path easier to travel, but those that have had children, know that the child that is learning to walk still stumbles and falls and this is the picture that comes to mind with these lyrics. Staying by someone's side until they survive, also suggests that they expect some stumbles along the way, but that they will be the other person's rock and support. The final line hoping that you bloom, which is repeated in the outro, suggests that they know this may not happen, but that they are offering some measure of hope. This chorus suggests that the person offering support is totally onboard with the other person and is accompanying the person with struggles, by their side through their ups and downs. I believe the hold on reference is the support they are offering.
My favourite lyrics are:
I never forget your warmth
I'll be the winter flower be the dancing star
I'll be by your side (Stay)
I'm with you
I think these lyrics express that the person they are comforting feels cold, which suggests they are feeling distanced and perhaps despondent with life, but by telling them you remember their warmth, perhaps this expresses that you remember a time when they were connected and living. Again, there is the offer of support by being the winter flower or dancing star and that they will always be there for the other person and that they are with them, for me this suggests that the supporter will be there for as long as it takes and can be totally relied upon, to have this level of support is purely wonderful.
Blueberry Eyes - Charlie
For this streaming playlist, we wanted to appreciate the music that BTS brought to us this year. And especially at a time when I feel the need to shower Yoongi in appreciation, I decided to review Blueberry Eyes.
The track is an incredibly romantic song by singer (and Yoongi enthusiast) MAX, featuring an all-Korean rap by Yoongi. MAX’s real-life wife features in the music video, and Yoongi’s verse was used as the couple’s wedding vows. For such an intimate moment between this couple, it is touching that they allowed a full Korean verse by Yoongi to be their vows. The thing that stood out in the music video from the first time I watched, was that the entire video comes to a standstill, Korean lyrics are shown on screen and we are focused on watching MAX and his wife lip sync every single word. The attention to detail and effort to demonstrate the meaning of the lyrics are very admirable.
Despite the song being about MAX’s romantic love, of course Yoongi sneaks in a message to ARMY, showing us as a love of his life, as well as his love for music that he demonstrates in such carefully thought-out collaborations like this. It also demonstrates a value for platonic love, love between friends, not just love between romantic partners. It is therefore a song anyone can relate to.
“My life before was just a rush to fill up the days yeah
Our days, our night, yes, our life
u AR e MY light
Friends who are each other’s support, each other’s anchor”
Overall, Blueberry Eyes is a beautiful romantic song, about the tender emotions one feels when they want to spend the rest of their life with someone important to them. It is sincere and the imagery about fruit, like strawberry skies, makes it feel refreshing and sweet.
“I’ll kiss you each morning
With strawberry skies
‘Cause I get so lost in
Your blueberry eyes”
Dionysus - Michayla
We added a good mix of songs to this week’s playlist which focuses on BE and ‘Life Goes On’ for streaming. We wanted to throw in a range of songs released this year and a few others that came to mind when we thought about the songs we stream a lot. Of course, this is me, so my input was ‘ON’ and I could quite happily have chosen to write about that song, again because I could make that song fit any theme and find something to say about it. Yet, I chose ‘Dionysus’ to give our blog readers a break from my ramblings about ‘ON’, which I still get to mention because they were both on MOTS: 7.
Many ARMY fell in love with ‘Dionysus’ almost instantly when it emphatically concludes the MOTS: Persona album, which feels like it was released forever ago now. ‘Dionysus’ the Greek God of wine and harvesting grapes turned out to be a major theme that ran through the concept photos for both MOTS: Persona and MOTS: 7 where the members were all sat at a banquet table with goblets and a feast and we had individual shots of them posing with fruit, including grapes.
‘Dionysus’ became a whole era on its own, or at least that’s how it feels now with all the comeback shows and how it opened the ‘Love Yourself, Speak Yourself’ stadium tour. Even if you weren’t able to attend the tour, I’m sure you’ve seen the photos and video’s of the giant inflatable Jaguars that parted to reveal the members sitting at a banquet table on stage. It was the perfect opening to a show, with Namjoon on the table with the first verse of the song after Taehyung and Hobi start it, holding the wand or staff, known as ‘thrysus’.
“Just get drunk like Dionysus
Drink in one hand, Thyrsus on the other
Art splashing inside this clear crystal cup
Art is alcohol too, if you can drink it,
You’ll get drunk too
You dunno you dunno
You dunno what to do with
I’ll show you I recommend you
Something different
From my mic made of ivy and rough wood
There is never a sound hat comes out in one breath”
We were also treated to amazing performances of ‘Dionysus’ at MAMA and MMA last year, which also feel like a long time ago now as we look to this year's awards shows and how different they will have to be due to the pandemic. This song is a great song to crank up loud and feel the angst that most of us feel this year, watch one of the performances and smile at the memories because ‘Dionysus’ does conjure up some great memories.
Your Eyes Tell - Onomey
The song was used as the theme song for a Japanese movie named Your Eyes Tell, just like the BTS track. I was very impressed and proud that it was Jungkook who had written the song because it's not all that often where he is the main songwriter in the groups' songs. I also felt proud because I know how much he loves films so for him to have a sound written by him as a soundtrack must have been very special to him. I find that with the songs that Jungkook has written so far, there seems to be a personal and emotional factor to them that takes you on a real journey so that you too can experience the story he is trying to tell.
I’ve never heard of a melody that is so greatly written because of the semitone gaps between certain notes which allow for the vocalists to drag themselves from note to note which creates a big impact of emotions because it sounds like they’re moaning in the pain of what they are going through, especially during both of the choruses that have different lyrics. To me, the chorus is saying that even if that special person has gone out of your life for now and you can no longer see them because of the darkness, because they are so important to you, you will always see the image of them in your mind. Also that despite any pain you may go through during being with that person is worth it because you will continue to love them unconditionally. This could be linked to the relationship between ARMY and BTS in a way because both BTS and ARMY have been together through their highs and lows.
‘Even the darkness we see is so beautiful
Please believe me
Looking only directly at you
So you don’t go away’
‘The gazing eyes are so colourful
I’ll give my everything to you
Still unable to verbalise the hopeless dream in my heart’
If you have not yet listened to this song then I would like to say that if you don’t like to cry when listening to songs then this definitely isn’t the song for you as even if you think you are strong enough not to cry, I can assure you that you will at least end up a bit teary-eyed from it. The song allows you to listen to how complicated and beautiful unconditional love can be to people.
BE-Centric
With the huge release of BE on Friday, the playlist team wanted to create something special and include songs that compliment the healing vibe of the new album. The poll had four tough choices but we had a very clear winner, did you vote?
You can find this week’s playlist at the following link: BE-Centric
Friends chosen by ARMY
Michayla - In the first 24 hours of the poll, it was Epiphany that was looking like it was going to steal the show this week but then ‘Friends’ quite literally overtook and won with a whopping 53%. What could be more healing than love and friendship? 2020 has been a socially difficult year due to the pandemic so a song about soulmates is definitely much needed. I actually found my platonic soulmate through BTS so I can definitely relate to ‘Friends’ and how important that level of friendship is.
Onomey - This week's poll results shocked me just because I thought that everyone would go for ON with it being a super upbeat and in your face approach to healing. It turned out that it was the song by the 95ers that won by a massive percentage to the second-placed song, Epiphany.
‘Friends’ is such a cute song by Jimin and V in which they talk about their friendship and how they hope that it will continue past the rollercoaster journey of emotions that have come as being part of BTS. I think even though this is a song that is specific to them a lot of us can relate to this song and having a friendship and a connection with someone that will last a lifetime even though that life comes with a lot of tough situations between the two of you we hope that you can both find the strength to move on together a lot with those memories that you have made go to waste. I like that they mention the famous dumpling incident as it could’ve turned out for the worst and made them hate each other but they were able to get over it as they clearly have a deep connection with each other which is why they sing ‘you are my soulmate’.
Charlie - Similarly to how BE is about how BTS have been coping during the pandemic, Friends gives us an insight into how specific members of BTS comfort and help each other in their everyday lives. ‘Friends’ makes me smile every time I hear it, in relief that Taehyung and Jimin have each other. I can’t believe we have only had this song for less than a year, as I feel so much love for it as if it’s an all-time favourite track. It is goofy and sweet, and mentions fond memories about dumplings and dreamcatchers, things that may not mean anything to outsiders but mean everything to Taehyung and Jimin.
Cheryl - Friends winning this week's poll is interesting as we were looking for songs to accompany the BE album. Friends fits this perfectly, as the lyrics describe the friendship between V and Jimin. But it's also about how the world as we know it, changes when we meet someone important. For Army I am sure we can all relate to how much our own world's have changed since we let BTS into it. It's also reassuring to learn that their friendship will remain even once all the cheers die down - but hopefully, this will not be for a very, very long time.
https://www.facebook.com/bangtan.official/photos/a.3690547244293844/3690550087626893
So What - Michayla
When you think of a song that has healing properties, there are probably many that come to mind, would 'So What' be one of them?
This song heals in different ways, the lyrics are telling us to stop worrying because sometimes we can make a situation worse by worrying too much. ‘So What’ is one of those songs that wants us to accept setbacks, accept that life isn’t always going to run smoothly but that is okay and you’ve just got to say “So What.”
‘In a sigh, lots of worries are hiding
Stop thinking about it. You already
Know it all.
In the middle of the road, in the
Moment you want to give up
Shout out louder
So what, what, what’
We all have different ways to help ourselves heal and many ARMYs find solace in BTS’ music which I think is such a powerful element and I am sure that the members would be touched if they knew how much of an impact they have on our lives.
“So What’ has another string to its bow in the way of its beat and the up tempo sound that quite literally makes you want to jump around. We all know how much better we feel with some dancing and this song will definitely get those endorphins buzzing around your body. I always bounce around my lounge when I hear it and in those few minutes, I can place my worries to one side and smile.
This song has proven itself to me, it was completely unexpected when it crashed into my life at the O2 in October 2018. I was numb with grief after losing my Mum in 2017 and for the first time since then, I felt such happiness. My Daughter and I were jumping around and singing along, I’d only been ARMY for a couple of months and ‘So What’ made me feel something so positive at a very dark time. It might not be the first song that is considered when ‘healing’ is the topic but for me, it is very high up on the list.
IDOL - Cheryl
Firstly, I wanted to talk about the vibe of the song. It's obviously a dance anthem but what caught my eye was the attitude with which BTS attacked the song and the lyrics. There is just so much adrenaline in both the lyrics and the dance moves.
Secondly, there is the vibrancy of the video. It is like a Matisse painting so bold and dazzling with colour.
Also noteworthy, is the use of Korean instruments and BTS' outfits, dancing lions and the chinese pavilion. It's as if BTS are saying both lyrically and visually that they are proud of their heritage and they want everyone to know it. Personally, I feel this is aimed more at the industry rather than Army; Army accepts BTS for who they are and what they stand for and know how important their history is for them!
With the lyrics:
‘You can call me artist
You can call me idol
No matter what you call me
I don't care
I'm proud of it
I'm free
No more irony
Cuz I was always just me’
In South Korea there is a difference between being an artist and being an idol. An idol belongs to a big company and that company has an element of control over the idol, whereas an artist is someone within the musical industry but not under the influence of the big companies. RM was an underground rapper before joining BigHit and becoming an Idol and he was scrutinised and criticised for joining BigHit and becoming an idol. Therefore in these lyrics he is addressing those that criticised him by saying he doesn't care and that he's proud of who he is. By declaring "no more irony" he is stating that he is now exactly who he expected to be and that he is being himself.
With the lyrics:
‘FACE OFF, just like John Woo, ay
...
Can't afford to be confused
I do my thang
I love myself’
Until researching the lyrics, I did not realise that BTS were referencing the film directed by John Woo titled "Face Off". I watched this film when it was first released back in 1997 and was intrigued with how the two main characters (John Travolta, Nicholas Cage) underwent face plant surgeries to become each other and how doing so caused problems with their own original identities - quite a fascinating concept. Referencing Face Off in the song, BTS are saying they know who they are, they do their own thing (which shows confidence) and they love themselves.
With the lyrics:
‘There are hundreds of me's inside of me
I'm facing a new me again today
It's all me anyway’
BTS are exploring the fact that everyone is made up of many versions of themselves, for example one person could be a grandmother, mother, daughter, grand daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, employer and employee. But obviously for BTS the versions of themselves could be so many more versions of themselves. Here they are expressing that they are now confident and accept that all the different versions are still them. These are my favourite lyrics of the song as they are so deep and psychological.
It is such a vibrant and confident song about being proud, accepting who you are and loving yourself.
Coffee - Charlie
When I think of healing songs, or those that make me think of what BTS were trying to achieve with BE, I think of those songs where BTS sit us down and tell us that we will be okay. They centre us in the moment and tell us to focus on being happy in the now, not worry about past or future events. Coffee is a prime example of this: when I listen, the bgm and honey-like vocals transport me to a coffee shop, surrounded by people and the sounds of spoons clinking against coffee cups. I can practically smell the cappuccinos and cakes.
“Baby baby, you’re a caramel macchiato
Your scent is still sweet on my lips
Baby baby tonight
Yeah”
The track, from the album O!RUL8,2?, uses coffee-based metaphors to describe a romantic story. Namjoon describes how his tastes changed after falling in love, and how the bitter aftertaste of not seeing her is like that of coffee. He continues to experience it, and does not let that taste put him off letting himself get hurt.
“The glass filled with memories is more bitter as I drink it
But I think I know why I keep drinking it
Why am I getting so sad that everyone lives this way?
Oh oh oh”
The song seems to be about an acceptance of the pain of love. Like the scenery of a coffee shop, they romanticise it and find comfort in explaining their feelings in terms of a coffee metaphor, to rationalise them.
Yoongi’s verse is highly romantic and tender, as he goes into the sweetness of coffee as opposed to the bitterness of it. Hoseok, on the other hand, goes deeper into how intoxicating and addictive coffee is, and likens it to love. The tender vulnerability and simplicity of this song makes it very easy to listen to, and I find comfort in it when I want to be transported somewhere else.
Waste It On Me - Onomey
I had no worries about this song being a major bop when it was first released because it was another Steve Aoki and BTS collab which always means we are in for a great treat.
When this song first came out, it was quite fun to try and decipher what members were included in the song. I freaked out majorly when I realised RM was singing throughout the song. His vocals are light sounding to the ears whilst also having a deep and rough sounding throat voice. The combination of RM and Jungkook just works really well in this song as their vocals aren’t super different to make the song sound weird. It is a great combination between relaxed and calm vocals from RM and sweet-sounding vocals from Jungkook with small colourful riffs that add another layer to the song.
With everything that is going on in the world at the moment, it is always great to have someone to love during these times where more and more people are feeling isolated from others which is why Waste It On Me jumped out to me when picking a song.
The song is all about love and the different perspectives that people can have on it. As in this scenario RM and Jungkook play the role of the person who has had a lot of heartbreak but has not given up on love. Throughout the song, the boys are singing towards someone who has given up on love and doesn't want it any more as they think that it is a waste of time. They have created a strategy to try and get that individual to love or feel again by saying I respect how you feel about love but would you like to waste your time by being with me just at this moment without thinking of anything else like ‘past lovers or warfare’.
I think that this song wouldn’t look out of place if it was included on BTS’ newest album ‘BE’ because it has a journey of healing for two people that people can relate to. There is always space for a song that is about love but what makes this song different to most is that it has a tropical house EDM vibe to which tends to have a repeated verse and chorus. This song can show that for example there are people out there that have been hurt just as much as you have but can pick themselves up, dust themselves off, move on and grow as a human from those scars.
Unfortunately, there are people out there that are unable or maybe are unwilling to move on from the scars that haunt them and maybe need that helping hand to slowly start trusting in people again and believing that having love is worth it if you meet that special person.
BTS Eternally (BE)
Inspiration for this week's playlist comes from our excitement at the impending new album on Friday. It got us thinking about the songs that we hope will be around forever.
Follow us on all social media platforms and tell us which song from the new album you are looking forward to hearing most.
Make BTS eternal on your playlist here: BTS Eternally
Mikrokosmos chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I'm not going to lie, this week's poll was a tough one and for the first time we asked our followers on both Twitter and Facebook, with Mikrokosmos coming out on top on both platforms. I actually voted for Fake Love because I feel it's iconic but Mikrokosmos will always hold a special place in my heart from the Speak Yourself tour at Wembley and Stade De France. I would guess that to be the reason for most of the votes and who can blame them? Mikrokosmos is etched in our memories and hearts forever, not only was it simply stunning live but we had some amazing performances at awards ceremonies in 2019. I might not have voted for it but I believe that this song will definitely stand the test of time.
Onomey - It was no real shock to me that Mikrokosmos won the poll on both Facebook and Twitter this week as if you were to describe what an anthem sounds like, then this is it. The song gives you that warm, loving feeling whilst still being able to give you goosebumps when you listen to it. It reminds me of how big and impactful Magic Shop was when it was released on the Love Yourself: Tear album. It has a lot of similarities to Magic Shop which gives it it's anthem status in the same way that Magic Shop has the famous line 'so show me, I'll show you'. Microcosmos has the same back-and-forth feature in the song for the crowd and themselves to interact with each other which is the ‘ooh oo oh oo ohhhh’ sections after the chorus. This song also has a great anthemic ending with the ‘na na na nananana’ that allows people to sing all together at once with each other. It is a song that will live on forever in ARMYs hearts because of the beautiful sentiment behind it and the link between stars, and people. ’Cause you’re a big existence, let us shine’
Cheryl - This song is about people, stars and lights twinkling in the dark sky and BTS and Army coming together and lighting up the world, with the reference to being held with the lyrics I've got you, you've got me. This song should be Eternal because it embodies the power of BTS and Army both lyrically and physically with the Army Bombs at concerts painting such a pretty awesome picture!
Charlie - You don’t need reminding that Mikrokosmos is the song that plays when BTS are getting ready to leave the stage, in the moment that more than anything else, we want to stay there with them forever. It is sung in the emotional pinnacle of the concert, when BTS and ARMY feel infinite together and fireworks are going off above our heads and we never want it to end. BTS’ recent performances of this (in Dear Class of 2020 and BTS Week) make it clear that Mikrokosmos still reminds them of this, and that even when they cannot perform for ARMY, this song is an eternal reminder of these precious memories.
Baepsae & Dynamite - Michayla
This had to be the most difficult decision I've faced since I joined the team because I have a reason why I hope most of the songs on our playlist will be around for eternity. I had to whittle it down to two though and with songs like 'ON', 'Boy In Luv', 'Spring Day', 'Dope' and 'Crystal Snow' all fighting to be picked, I went with 'Silver Spoon' (Baepsae) and 'Dynamite'.
Baepsae - this song is one that ARMYs know well and it was actually one of the first songs I heard when I was introduced to BTS. Many of the most popular songs have an MV and I truly believe that Baepsae should have had one too but I love that this song is so popular but has a dance practice video only. Let's face it, it's that video that most of us picture when we think of Silver Spoon. Who can forget Namjoon’s pink cap and dungarees? Or the moment that Taehyung jumps onto Jungkook's back? Or Yoongi’s dance solo, which Jimin and Hobi find so amusing?
If you've been lucky enough to have been able to see BTS in person then you will know what this song sounds like live too. It was part of the medley during both the Love Yourself and the Speak Yourself tours and every time it was performed it received a great reaction from the ARMYs in the crowd because the members certainly gave it their all in the part of the choreography that requires a lot of pelvic movement. I know that one line of the song fits the choreography quite well, "You must be kidding me, you, you must be kidding me" which is exactly what I thought.
Another reason that this song will hopefully be around forever is because it is on such an amazing album, 'The Most Beautiful Moment In Life: Young Forever' is absolutely a masterpiece with some of BTS' most popular songs on it, including 'Dope' which is the song that made me ARMY. I suppose that Jungkook’s line that I mentioned above, could also be relevant when talking about this album too.
Dynamite - If you have read this blog since the release of Dynamite and if you follow me on Twitter, then you may be aware of my love for this song. You will also know that I have an obsession with 'ON' but that's a different story altogether.
'Dynamite' will be carved in stone forever because it brought the biggest ray of light into a year when life was so bleak for people all over the world. The music, the MV, the outfits, the colours, everything about it had ARMYs smiling and grasping some positivity for the first time in months. For me personally, there is the added element of the homage paid to Michael Jackson, which takes it to a whole new level of legendary status. I do live in hope that one day I will get to see this song performed live because I can’t accept that BTS will never get to perform songs like Dynamite and ON in front of their adoring ARMY.
Moon & Fire - Charlie
For my two songs that I see as Eternal, I picked a song that I have new memories of (Moon), as well as an iconic classic (Fire).
Moon - Moon will be around forever because it has to be, to be true to its lyrics. Moon is all about how Jin sees himself as the moon to ARMY’s Earth. In a beautiful move that shifts how idols often sing about their close relationship with their fans, Jin admits that he is too far away from ARMYs to physically stay with them, but he will always watch them from afar, destined to orbit around us but stay at the same distance. Jin will always love and watch us from afar, so I see this as a perfect Eternally song which, despite an upbeat and positive vibe (which is more up-tempo than Jin’s usual solos, which I love!), is not disingenuous. He admits that he has to look at us from up above, but he sees beauty in that.
It is also very fascinating to hear the idol’s perspective of the fan-artist relationship. We hear such things in interviews, but the wording can change, and in this song Jin immortalises his genuine thoughts about ARMY: a promise to watch over us forever. Just as we see our love for BTS as eternal and wonder how BTS feel, Jin sees his own love for us in the same light, and often ponders how we feel when we look towards them.
“Suddenly I wonder
If you're looking at me right now? (Oh)
Won't you find out all my pain? (Oh)
I'll be around you
I'll be there for you
I'll be your light
All for you”
Fire - In 2016, Fire certainly established itself as eternal. From Summer through to the end of the year performances, this was performed so much that it is not an exaggeration to say that it was the Dionysus of its day. However, I am still a firm believer that Fire deserves to be performed constantly. It is often used as a gateway song to get people into BTS as its catchy chorus, in-your-face raps and vocals, and fun English lines, are very accessible and easy to listen to. Even if you hear the first “bultaoreune” and think “Ah, this song again!”, you will still be dancing along and attempting the 3:33 dance for the 333rd time even though at this point you know full well that you cannot execute that dance move as well as the members.
Furthermore, Fire’s message is eternal. It is all about having fun and partying when you feel worried and just want to let go of negative thoughts, and I think that this shouldn’t be dismissed as shallow. It should be celebrated, eternally.
“(Fire) All you with a lot of fear, come here
(Fire) All you who are suffering, come here
(Fire) Lift up your fists, all night long
(Fire) With marching footsteps
(Fire) Jump and go crazy”
Euphoria & Serendipity - Cheryl
For this week’s playlist we decided to choose which BTS songs should Be Eternal. We then decided to choose two songs to write about. I decided to write about Euphoria by Jungkook and Serendipity by Jimin.
Here are the reasons why I think these two songs should Be Eternal:
Euphoria - This song for me is about the hope or dream of love, whether childhood ones or adult ones. The realisation that some dreams are just mirages in a desert, which makes me think of unrequited love, which I feel is the hardest love, the pain can take a long time to heal.
The music and lyrics are just timeless and just suit Jungkook's vocals to perfection. The high note of Euphoria at the end of the pre-chorus with its extra length, just packs so much emotion.
My favourite lyrics are:
Were you wondering around
Looking for an erased dream to?
It's different from the typical definition of destiny
Your pained eyes are looking at the same place as me
Won't you please stay in dreams
Euphoria
Take my hands now\You are the cause of my euphoria
Euphoria
Close the door now
When I'm with you I'm in utopia
When Jungkook sings about closing the door and being in utopia with whomever, not only are the words very seductive, but I also get filled with hope, I hope everyone can find this kind of happiness but especially BTS.
Serendipity - This song for me is about two lovers who have found each other and are soul mates and how it felt that that the universe had planned their meeting and it was all destined to happen.
Once again the music and lyrics match Jimin's vocals perfectly and it sounds like such a content song and Jimin sounds at peace with the lyrics and their meaning. It just paints such a beautiful picture of being with someone with whom you can be yourself with and how one has become two. There is also the fear that destiny may be jealous of them, which leads to the insecurity that something will damage this special relationship.
My favourite lyrics are:
All this is no coincidence
Just, just, by my feeling
The whole world is different from yesterday
Just, just with your joy
When you called me
I became your flower
As if we were waiting
We bloom until we ache
Another reason why these two songs should Be Eternal is their live performances. I will never forget watching them at Wembley and how special both were. Jungkook flying above my head and Jimin starting off in a bubble. Their dance moves were/are pure joy!
First Love & Black Swan - Onomey
When choosing my songs to write about this week I thought about how songs will be forever eternal to me rather than the wider audience of BTS.
First Love may not be many people's go-to option when thinking about BTS songs that will be eternal but for me when I heard this song it completely touched my soul because it resonated with me on a personal level which I’ve probably written about when I have previously chosen this song. The love-hate relationship Yoongi had with his piano growing up is something I think all musicians can relate to as there comes a point in life where you get tired of putting in all the hours you are putting. I think that we can agree that life just wouldn’t be the same without Yoongi blessing us with his numerous angsty songs. He has such an unbelievable ability to really capture all types of different emotions and put them into a beautiful lyrical representation of how he is feeling at that moment in time. I hope that this song will be around for eternity because I feel as though it was an important song to Yoongi to be able to express his regained love for his piano and music in general.
Black Swan, I think will be forever eternal because of how different the song is from anything they had ever done before which I’m sure shocked the majority of ARMY. Everything to me was different, I haven’t heard a song til this day that has the same sound that Black Swan has, it’s just so weird sounding yet amazing to listen to. For example, my sister does not like kpop nor does she ever want to like kpop but as soon as she heard me listening to Black Swan she started streaming straight away and couldn't get enough of it. I don't know whether it's the vocals or the production, choreography, melodies or harmonies or maybe it's just all of those things combined. There was something special about the song when it was released as we got to see the dance version released first which was a release without BTS in the video. I enjoyed this as it was another way of interpreting what the song was trying to tell us and it had the extra bonus of being dominated by the orchestral strings.
Compared to First Love, I think that although they are negative sounding songs, within them they have a positive that you can take from them. For example, Black Swan allows us to become a way of the fact that everyone can have a black swan scenario where they feel like they are just existing because they have realised but they no longer have the same passion for an area of their expertise as they used to be which can tend to lead you astray as a result. This theme is both active in First Love and Fake Love which makes both of them forever eternal in my mind as it helped me to fight back against the negatives I had around my passion.
For me, it is BTS’ songs that come from their hearts that resonate with me as it makes me realise that if they can lose a passion that they are so passionate about and still regain the strength to continue it and be even popular in the music industry as a result then I can fight back from the downfalls and heartbreaks. We are lucky that most of their songs will manage to be eternal and the boys should be very proud of that fact.
Fireworks 2020
Many people still managed to enjoy some fireworks last week so what could be better than a playlist to accompany that?
Which song causes an explosion for you? Tell us on Twitter @BTSRadioUK, meanwhile add the playlist to your Spotify here: Fireworks 2020
Cypher Pt.3: Killer chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I found this week's poll to be a difficult choice but I had to choose Cypher 3 because it is my joint favourite along with Cypher 4. 'Killer' is on 'Dark and Wild' which is also one of my top albums so I was pleased it won. It is indeed, an explosive song, with Supreme Boi's verse being my favourite part:
'Haters I have a lot but no problem, I kill
The shovels digging on my career in order to bury me
Bitch I don't care, You can't control my shit
I became a ninja who has endured distrust and returned again'
Cheryl - How does Cypher Pt.3: Killer fit in with our firework theme playlist this week? Well it’s certainly full of energy, packs a punch and explodes with colourful, thought provoking lyrics. Therefore I can see why it was chosen with a huge majority, to be the winner of this week’s poll.
Charlie - Cypher pt.3 is legendary. It is the song that gave us Yoongi’s lyrics about turning people on with his words, and all of the brilliant wordplay in every verse. This is quintessentially BTS’ rap line, and it is a pinnacle of their hip-hop side. This song is non-stop, barely giving you a moment to breathe in-between all of the burns and savage one-liners one after the other, just as how BTS barely breathe in-between their lightning-fast raps.
Onomey - This week's poll was the battle of the Cyphers which I was very excited about as it is interesting to see which Cypher ARMYs prefer the most. My favourite cypher related moment is when V had his opportunity to rap that Cypher and the rest of the group just stared at him with judging eyes whilst he was feeling himself and dabbing. Both the instrumental and the rapping are aggressive and fiery which makes the energy of the song multiply by a lot. There are a lot of moments that have a great explosion of colour to me but I think it is the combination of the rap line and Supreme Boi that does this for me. The combination of the 4 rappers that are so different in many ways creates such a great sounding track that I like a lot. The hooks in this track are out of this world, to create so many great ones in a normal track is difficult but they manage to do it in a rap track whilst still being able to show off how great their rapping capabilities are which makes me smile that they can do both things that make them shine as a firework does in the sky.
Cypher Pt.4 - Charlie
For a bonfire-night themed playlist, Cypher 4 was an obvious choice for me as the lyric “click click to the bang bang / click clack to the pow” immediately sprung to mind. This was the first Cypher I heard from BTS, and it left a lasting impression.
Namjoon’s verse stands out to me, as parts of it are in English so I instantly rap along to the “Sorry bae’s” that preface the song and let us know immediately that the vibe of this song is a sarcastic “sorry, not sorry” to BTS’ haters. I adore the rawness of the lyrics, as Namjoon admits that his face and diction were insulted prior to becoming an idol, but thankfully Namjoon is not upset about this, as at least the people insulting him know his name while he doesn’t know theirs.
“You hate me but YOU KNOW ME
You hate me but YOU KNOW ME
I like hate comments more than no comments
I don’t know you
BUT YOU KNOW MY NAME”
As the final Cypher, it’s fitting that it sounds so sarcastic and carefree. Instead of the explosive anger that accompanied previous Cyphers, it all explodes instead into a sort of glee, whereby BTS jump around completely lacking any of their previous care about their haters, as all they want is for their haters to shut up and love themselves.
Even if you hate the fireworks that have been going off, and you don’t want a song to listen to while seeing all of the lights going off, I find that Cypher 4 is also perfect for drowning out the noise of fireworks, and giving you an escape to enjoy BTS. Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed, Cypher 4 is a wonderful song to jam to as a way of forgetting about the world and seeing all the negatives as irrelevant.
“Haul to the stage all innocent okay
But I can’t be satisfied just being here
I’m climbing up there, high high high
That’s right, my method is different
I take on the road no matter what”
Fire - Michayla
There are some playlist themes that you instantly know certain songs are perfect for them, the songs that come to your mind straight away and ‘Fire’ is that song for this week’s fireworks theme.
It isn’t just the title alone that makes ‘Fire’ perfect for a bonfire night playlist, it is the arrangement of the music, the construction of the verses and even the MV. I can definitely imagine a fireworks display to this song, the rockets that would be launched into the air and the display of colours just after Yoongi says ‘bultaorune’ at the start.
This song also gives me fire in my belly and the urge to keep fighting my way through life. Sometimes life is a bit like a catherine wheel when you feel sparks fly and perhaps you keep going around in circles. BTS tell us that it is okay to feel like this, it’s even okay to go backwards and fail, sometimes you need to stop trying, accept things as they are in order to move forward. This is a message in a few BTS songs and I think it’s a lesson that most of us need to take on board at times.
There are times in our lives when we need to throw our hands in the air and scream, accept defeat and find another way through:
‘Live however you want, it’s your life anyway
Stop trying, it’s okay to lose
Errbody say La la la la la (La la la la la)
Say La la la la la (La la la la la)
Throw your hands up, scream, burn it up
Bultaoreune’
The energy in this song makes it perfect for a firework display, the title ironic for bonfire night and the atmosphere it creates is actually perfect for any cold autumnal evening. If you can attempt the choreography, that is bound to warm you up after waving a sparkler around outside.
So What - Onomey
When BTS performed this song, it was an explosion of celebration and not caring or anything which links to the song title. I find myself always mentioning this moment when writing about these songs as it is such a memorable moment in my life as someone who likes to go to a lot of concerts and gigs. This moment for sure stands out by a mile as the whole stadium had big smiles on their faces as they danced with bombs swinging in the air and lighting up the stage. This song is such a fun upbeat song. It tends to be very popular because it has that great ability to have you up on your feet and dancing within the first minute of the song. The EDM song creates a fun-loving vibe for people of all ages to let down their guards and just dance.
What I like about this song is that it isn’t a full hardcore EDM song throughout, it is able to take you on a journey of the high and low timbre of instruments whilst still being able to keep that fun and upbeat spirit. I think this is because of the use of what I would call sprinkles which are all the small sounding instruments that are in the background of the song that you may not notice a lot of the time when listening to the track. This is where I believe the feeling of fireworks comes from because it is like a combination of different sounding instruments and backing vocals that creates similarities between fireworks as I see those instruments as different colours that create an explosion of colour and harmony for your ears to enjoy. It is a song that blows you away vocally because of how simple and calmed sounding they are whilst still being able to deliver impactful lyrics. Usually in EDM songs especially, the lyrics aren’t that detailed when it comes to the meaning of them. There is usually one of two hooks that are just repeated over and over again that could be about something so simple like enjoying the sun. BTS make it clear that you should go out and live freely so you are no longer worried about every detail in your life and as a result, will feel better about yourself. When people do finally realise that they have the capabilities to do this, it can only be described as a celebration of beauty and freedom which reminds me of fireworks.
Jump - Cheryl
Jump is an energetic bouncy song from Skool Luv Affair and it was released back in 2014. It was produced by Suga (and others) and written by Suga, RM and J-Hope (and others).
This song is about remembering what it was like to have fun when you were younger, like jumping on a trampoline and dreaming of your heroes. So we are told to throw our hands to the sky and jump like we don’t have a care in the world. BTS are remembering their younger days and then comparing those thoughts to the reality of today, where they now sing and perform and have become heroes themselves.
Jump is a very uplifting and positive song which I feel is definitely relevant for the times we are currently embracing. It’s about not listening to negativity and to follow your own dreams and desires, as these lyrics show:
No matter who tries to stop me
I will go on my way
You only live one
Leggo (Leggo!)
Leggo (Leggo!)
Even if I live for the day
I’ll have no regrets
Let’s jump
Let’s Jump! (Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!)
The song also shows the reflective side of BTS, where they look back and wish they could revisit their pasts but they have to accept that this isn’t possible and that their reality hasn’t changed, as with these lyrics:
The hero you’ve dreamed of since you were young
We used to jump, wanting to be heroes
But now we’ve grown and time has passed
You’re becoming an adult but I wanna rewind
To the times when the 10-year-old boy sang the theme song to his favourite superhero comic book
I wanna go back so I close my eyes and scream
But nothing changes, reality is the same
My favourite verse is this one:
2007 is when my life changed
It’s been 7 years since I’ve sang
A killer of girls’ hearts
But sometimes, I go back to those frustrating times
Facing myself, who was like a white piece of paper
That encounter awakens a different me
Now I’ll go up on stage
And surprise everyone by jumping like Jordan
Ball
I believe the reference to the white piece of paper could be how at the very beginning they could have been anything they wanted to be - similar to a blank piece of paper that could become a story, poem or a piece of art.
Cosy & Warm with BTS
With the clocks going back in the UK and the nights drawing in, the playlist team have been thinking about the songs that make us feel cosy on a dark Autumnal night.
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https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7dyQbPaBPr2X1FGXSB3PZA?si=3GonCSU-Sjq8Hfqz-3HRgA
Heartbeat chosen by ARMY
Onomey - The poll song options were very good songs for this week's topic. It was Heartbeat who won the battle with Crystal Snow as its closest rival in second place. This song makes me feel as though I am flying when I listen to it. Warm and cosy is the best description I can think of just because of the way it makes you feel when listening to it. It makes you feel warm inside and is also a great song to listen to when you’re cold and feel like snuggling up in a big blanket or oversized hoodie. I think this is because it is such an anthemic song because of the atmospheric sounds that are used throughout the song. It's weird that it has that effect on me when I listen to it as lyrically the song is quite sad in the first section of the song.
Michayla - Heartbeat is one of those songs that I loved from the moment I heard it. I have played BTS World from the day of release and was astounded by the whole soundtrack, never before having known a game to have a whole soundtrack with such fantastic songs. Not only is this a great song but the MV makes me smile so much that it can’t fail to make me feel warm and cosy. ‘Heartbeat’ is such a beautiful song with such sentimentality and it is always a regular in my playlists.
Charlie - A lot of people, myself included, feel safe and protected when we listen to BTS. Their emotion-heavy raps, their sweet vocals, their poignant lyrics about how much they love ARMY and want to stay with us. Heartbeat has all of the above, as it is about the message behind their BTS World game: that even if we were in another universe, BTS would try their best to find us and walk side-by-side with us. I listen to this song and it is perfect and easy to listen to: the raps make me feel like I’m home, and the vocals keep me smiling along.
Cheryl - This week's poll was about feeling all safe, warm and cosy with BTS, so there is no surprise that Heartbeat won. Heartbeat is a song about feeling lost and going crazy, but how if you hold hands, listen to heartbeats and sync footsteps you can feel safe once more, finding the light and being someone’s salvation. Also, by being each other’s destiny - I don’t know about you, but I definitely have a warm feeling of being all safe and cosy!
Friends - Cheryl
Friends as a title for a song, is just so emotive. I’m sure upon hearing the word we all imagine our childhood friends, the ones we still know, our besties, the ones we lost along the way and even the mean ones.
So to have Jimin and Tae sing a song about their own special friendship feels well just so personal and I don’t know about you, but I feel “special” that they recorded their own words, feelings and memories to share with Army.
I have to say that after watching these two members over the years and how close they appear to be, it’s so obvious they have a special bond. I was very very excited to listen to the song and read the lyrics.
They start the song by singing how different they were when they first met - Tae sings that Jimin was a sweaty and peculiar child. Jimin sings that he’s from the moon and Tae from the stars and that their earlier conversations were like homework. That sure doesn’t sound like they gelled from the start. But I am sure we can all remember finding conversations strained when you meet a new person for the first time.
They also sing how one day they were best friends and the next they were enemies and how being aliens they just wanted to understand each other and how being each other’s mystery, brought them closer together and they became so special to each other.
They also sing about being soulmates and how, one day when all the cheering stops that they hope to still stand by each other, longer than the seven years that they have been together and longer than countless memories and promises, which are my favourite lyrics:
One day when this cheer dies down, stay (Ayy),
hey (Ayy)
You are my soulmate
Longer than seven summers and cold winters
Longer than numerous promises and memories
There are also references to their inside jokes; Jimin’s little pinky finger and how just like it they haven’t changed - so cute and personal and also references to being in school uniform and a dumpling incident (which we all now know was a fight about eating or rehearsing). They used to chat on the school bus but now they go for a drive together. Such an ordinary thing to do but somehow fills me with joy imagining them doing something so casual together.
They also sing about knowing so much about each other that they really have to trust one another, again so relatable, sharing secrets and thoughts with someone makes everyone more vulnerable and trusting at the same time:
Like your pinky
We are still the same
I know everything about you
We gotta trust each other
Never forgot
More than the plain “thank you”
You and me
Decided not to fight tomorrow for real
At the end of the song when they sing about being soulmates - to me this finishes the song off so beautifully - over the years of watching them I hoped this was the case as they appear to be the best of friends and hearing them confirm it, well it’s just perfect!
Mikrokosmos - Michayla
What could be cosier or fill you with warmth more than the song that ended the ‘Love Yourself, Speak Yourself Tour’? I know it makes some ARMYs feel emotional but at a time when we miss BTS and when we feel sadness because we didn’t get to see them live this year, this song makes me feel incredible warmth because of the memories that come with it. I really feel that it is our happy memories that are more important than ever right now and we need to draw on these to provide comfort and warmth during these really difficult times.
‘Mikrokosmos’ is an incredibly lovely song, a song where Namjoon asked us to turn on our torches on our phones so we looked like stars in the galaxy. In that moment, we were not alone, we were all united under the same sky and we shone our lights on the seven guys that have changed many of our lives.
‘Shine, dream, smile (Yeah, eh-eh-eh)
Oh, let us light up the night
We shine in our own ways (Our own ways)
Shine, dream, smile
Oh, let us light up the night
(Oh, let us light up the night)
We shine just the way we are (We are)
Tonight (Tonight)
Na-na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na’
One of the greatest parts of this song is the end verse where we can sing along to it and the melody is so calming, perfect for a cosy, dark Autumn evening. This song conjures up the most amazing memories, from Wembley and Stade De France to watching the Speak Yourself Final via Vlive and the stunning performance at MMA. It not only makes me feel warm and cosy but it also gives me hope for the future and a time when we get to experience BTS perform live again one day.
Sweet Night - Charlie
This week’s playlist is one for warm and cosy songs, and there are few voices that make me feel so safe as that of Kim Taehyung. Sweet Night, Taehyung’s song for the OST of K-drama Itaewon Class, has a record-breaking number of iTunes number 1’s when ARMY worked hard for this record this summer, and it is little wonder why. This song has an appeal stemming from how safe and comforting it feels - it is a song that I keep going back to, no matter what mood I’m in - and Taehyung’s voice is to die for.
As this song is featured in Itaewon Class, it tells the story of the leads slowly falling in love with each other, as their friendship evolves. Even with how much I disliked the couple it’s about (Park Saeroyi deserved better in my opinion!), Sweet Night somehow makes their love seem so much more romantic to me. There is such vulnerability in Taehyung’s lyrics, about the realisation of emotions changing and the urge to be reassured that your love isn’t just one-sided. This is especially impressive considering that the whole song is in English - Taehyung’s ability to embody such emotions in his non-native language is something to be commended, for sure.
“I'm wondering, are you my best friend?
Feels like a river's rushing through my mind
I wanna ask you if this is all just in my head
My heart is pounding tonight, I wonder
If you are too good to be true
And would it be alright if I
Pulled you closer”
This is a song that makes you want to fall in love, or makes you feel a longing for a love you’ve never had. The lyrics are so perfectly Taehyung-like, as he includes the beautiful metaphor of ships in the night passing by each other that cannot turn back. The imagery is serene; I imagine a dark night looming over slowly sailing ships that gradually get further and further away from each other.
This imagery is helped by Taehyung’s honey vocals that absolutely ooze longing and melancholy. His voice has so much heart and soul, and listening to what his voice can do in songs like Sweet Night feels like a warm embrace.
“How could I know
One day, I'd wake up feeling more
But I had already reached the shore
Guess we were ships in the night, night, night”
Coffee - Onomey
I love this theme so much as it automatically takes me into a happy place or a warm place. The team did a great job this week in picking out songs that make us feel warm and cosy. I chose Coffee because of how sweet and light sounding the vocals are throughout the song. It's such a cutesy teen love song that gives me such a happy and calm feeling.
‘Baby, baby, you’re a caramel macchiato
Your scent is still sweet on my lips
Baby, baby tonight
Yeah’
The song captures me from the moment Jungkook sings the intro chorus because of his lightly sounding vocals which give a sweetness to the song, instantly making you feel safe, warm and ready to learn more about the story within the song. I love the structure of the song because it is very different to a lot of songs’ structures out there. I don't know many songs that start with the chorus straightaway usually it is an intro then a verse or just the verse straight away it's never the chorus which is what makes it interesting but it seems right to begin the song this way because it's a love story so cynical start off with creating a metaphor between the person he likes and coffee.
It makes sense that the rap line takes the verses in this song as it is almost like they are talking to the person in front of them and telling a story about the love that occurred between the both of them. The rap line is very good at narrating a storyline within a song whilst still keeping a warm and pure feeling throughout the song. The song seems to tell the story of how sweet certain parts of their relationship was which is why caramel macchiato is used a lot. It also highlights that the relationship became bitter which is why drinking coffee now became bitter as it is filled with bad and raw memories.
‘Oh and I don’t drink macchiatos
You know that I started drinking Americans because of you
When we dated, I wondered what kind of taste this was
But this cold and bitter aftertaste
Makes sense now that you’re not here girl’
Jimin's super high ‘Ahh’ moment always takes my breath away every time I hear it, I never get used to it as there's probably like a handful of people that can reach such high vocals, he’s just so gifted when it comes to his higher vocal ranges, it's unbelievable sometimes when he belts out certain notes. Surely it can’t just be me who thinks that right?
Easy Listening with BTS
The inspiration for this week’s theme came from the concept photo for BE because BTS looked so relaxed and it definitely had ‘after party’ vibes. It got the playlist team thinking about the songs that they find easy to listen to.
‘Answer: Love Myself’ was the clear winner in the poll - did you vote? Follow @BTSRadioUK on Twitter and keep a look out for the next poll.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2IPZIGzHj1FZbBdZo1bzCN?si=IxODgTyiTJ-_fgmEgsfUxA
Answer: Love Myself chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I actually thought the poll would be closer this week but I was wrong with ‘Answer: Love Myself’ stealing most of the votes. This is one of my favourites and for a few months after watching BTS at the O2 I struggled to listen to it without tearing up but now I would definitely say it is an easy listening song for me. It has a great message and is the story of the struggle faced when learning to love yourself. Namjoon often says that he isn’t sure whether he has learned to fully love himself yet so I always think of him when I hear it, wondering if I will ever truly love myself too.
Charlie - Answer: Love Myself is sometimes underrated despite how cathartic it is to listen to. It is the ending to the Love Yourself saga, and tells the story of someone who has come to the Epiphany of loving oneself. It is a stunning ballad which outpours so much euphoric emotion, and it feels like a victory song to me. “You’ve shown me I have reasons I should love myself” is a lyric which brings a tear to the eyes of many ARMY’s, and it is made even more special when you consider how BTS sing it to ARMY with such sincerity. Indeed, Answer: Love Myself is a song to cheer you up and help you to realise that you have reasons to love yourself. It is calm and dramatic at the same time, and its message is a great comfort.
Cheryl - Our Easy Listening poll was won by Answer:Love Myself this week and although I didn’t vote for this one, I’m not surprised it won. It’s such an upbeat song about loving ourselves and how according to Suga this is harder than loving someone else, which I totally agree with. Perhaps due to the current circumstances, we should all listen to Suga and BTS and learn how to Love Ourselves a little bit more than we currently do.
Onomey - I’m a big fan of easy listening to music because sometimes you just want to sit back, relax and sing along to a song that showcases the artist in a raw and intimate setting. What is great about easy listening music and this song, in particular, is that it is not too complicated, it is anthemic and ambient in sound which makes it so easy and light on the ears, allowing all of your emotions and senses to really absorb every detail within the song. What I like most about this song is that the chorus is so simple and short but it is very impactful.
Autumn Leaves - Michayla
This is one of BTS’ most underrated songs in my opinion and yet it is one of my favourites. ‘Autumn Leaves’ also known as ‘Dead Leaves’ is a beautifully tragic song and the lyrics make my heart ache. The opening verse certainly sets the whole mood of the song:
‘Fall like those dry leaves
Just falling without strength, my love
Your heart just goes far away
I can’t catch you
I can’t catch you anymore, anymore
I can’t hold onto you, yeah’
The song is about a relationship that has failed or is crumbling, the realisation that the other person has drifted away and by the time you realise, it’s too late… like leaves as they turn from green to brown and you can’t stop them from falling from the branches of a tree.
‘With the autumn wind
Your words and expressions that
Become cold at some point
I can see that our relationship is fading
An empty relationship like the autumn sky’
The whole feel of this song is melancholic and the meaning is heartbreaking but it really is such a beautiful song. The vocal line’s voices are just breathtaking and Tae’s voice really suits this song, I am instantly drawn to it. Another voice that stands out for me is Hobi’s, he puts so much into his verse and his voice has such a gorgeous tone to it that I always find it affects me, it hits me straight in the chest. I really love watching the live performance of this song and I doubt it is something I will ever experience myself but it would be amazing to see.
I had to add ‘Autumn Leaves’ to our easy listening themed playlist because it is one of those songs that you can allow to wash over you. It may be thought provoking once you know what it is about but it is a beautiful song in which you can immerse yourself in the 7 stunning voices of BTS.
It’s Definitely You - Cheryl
It’s Definitely You was released in December 2016 and is also known as “Even If I Die, It’s You” which was an OST (original soundtrack) for the drama series Hwarang which Tae had his acting debut.
Listening to the song, Jin and Tae’s voices really drew me in and the pause after the first chorus where it ended with Tae singing “I can’t let go”, seemed to last a lifetime - it was such a poignant pause. I just felt I needed to hear more and didn’t want the song to stop (which of course it doesn’t).
This song is such a powerful love song but even as I type it I feel these words just don’t do it justice. Read the lyrics of the verses:
In my cracked heart
Your cold sighs
Like a slowly withering flower
Fall onto my heart
This damn love, because of you
I can't move even if I'm hurt
Even if I die, it's definitely you
Without you, tears fill up my heart
It's just black hell
To me, that's who you are
The key of my fate that I gave to the sky
It's in my hands again
I swallow in a long sigh and burn up my soul
So I can have you
This damn love, because of you
I can't quit even if I'm hurt
Even if I die, it's definitely you
Without you, I have no blood or tears
I become a dangerous shadow
To me, that's who you are
The pain they are describing feels so real and the words paint such a sad picture. Particularly, the opening verse of the cracked heart and cold sighs, withering flowers with petals falling onto the heart. I can definitely relate to the pain they are describing.
They also describe the toxicity of the other person at the end of the second verse, how they become a dangerous shadow because their feelings have been taken.
The song starts out with quite an upbeat sound, which builds for the chorus. The na na na’s in the song help move the story along until I can’t let go, which for me changes the song and make it darker, but then the song continues in the same upbeat way.
I find it rather interesting that the lyrics are rather dark and troubled, but the song is produced with quite an upbeat sound. For me, the pain appears with Jin’s high notes in the background, which compliment the sentiment of the song beautifully.
Boy With Luv - Charlie
Boy With Luv is one of BTS’ most joyful and easiest songs to listen to. It is beloved by ARMY, and I think that part of it is due to the time at which it came out. The Persona era brought with it epic TV performances like SNL and the BBMAs, and this album came out shortly before BTS’ Speak Yourself Tour. It is a time I think a lot of us wish to go back to, as this song holds within its bouncy hooks so many wonderful memories.
“Oh my, my, my, (uh) oh my, my, my
I've waited all my life
I want to be with you through everything
Oh my, my, my, (yeah) oh my, my, my
Looking for something right
Okay, now, I kinda get it”
Boy With Luv’s carefree pop vibe makes it very easy listening and accessible to ARMYs and non-ARMYs alike. When it came out, even my friends and family members would find themselves oh-my-my-my-ing before stopping themselves. It is a reimagining of their 2014 title track Boy In Luv, and swaps out aggressive lyrics and vocals about being a schoolboy mad with hormones because of a crush, to more whimsical lyrics about having love for the little things in life. The pinks of BTS’ feathery outfits and makeup in the music video also highlight this song as having no regard for the more manly style of Boy In Luv.
“Your every picture
I wanna have under my pillow, oh, oh bae
Come be my teacher
Teach me everything about you
Your one, your two”
Boy With Luv is one of their most bubbliest songs, which often makes people misunderstand it as another radio-friendly pop song despite its frank message about a genuine love for little things in life, and wanting to know all the trivial details about a person you care about. In this way, it is similar to Dynamite: a positive message delivered in a way that cheers people up. Except it is in Korean, and has Halsey, which are two pluses in my opinion!
Moon - Onomey
Obviously recently BTS did their Map of the Soul ON:E concert and it was amazing. I felt so happy but angry at the same time that the boys weren’t able to have the opportunity to perform this live in front of loving and adoring fans. I liked every performance obviously but the performance that stuck with me was the performance of ‘Moon’ by Jin because it is such a pure and relaxing easy listening song. I find myself smiling and bobbing my head along to this song because of how happy sounding it is. It seems to have only a handful of elements to it which are vocals, background vocals, guitar, bass and drums. There's no weird sounds to it or non-traditional structure to the song, it sticks to a popular variation of the ABABCB structure which a lot of easy listening songs use. An example of who I would class as an easy-listening artist is Adele who uses the structure in the majority of her songs, if not all of them.
This is the only Jin song that seems to be relatively positive lyrically and upbeat in instrumentation which I adore because despite it being sort of happy it still manages to create a great and powerful message just like all of his other solo songs do. The song I think is easy to listen to because it has a lot of notes that are within the vocal range of the average person so people can listen along and sing to it at the same time without having to worry about straining their voice. Elements that I notice with Jin throughout this song is that he is able to show his talents by the use of what I would call the 'ooos and ahhs' backing vocals which creates warmth, elongated making it seem fun and happynotes that appear after the bridge which we all love as listeners. What I noticed that makes the most impact is the use of syllables especially in the chorus where the second half is sung in two triplets and an extra note that fits into a bar making it seem fun and happy sounding without making the melody too complex to follow.
I would love to hear more upbeat songs like this with Jin as he has proof that he can perform songs with emotional ballad messages within them without having to have instrumentation that is very sad sounding alongside it.
Looking Forward - 2020
Did you enjoy the MOTS ON:E concerts? The playlist team certainly did and felt that the message to 'look forward' was something we all needed.
Did you vote in the poll? If you did, continue reading to see if your choice won. You can add the playlist to your Spotify here: Looking Forward
IDOL chosen by ARMY
Michayla - Idol makes me think about looking forward because it brings back such happy memories of the O2 and seeing BTS perform live for the first time. During these difficult times, I think looking back on happy memories is helpful when looking to the future. ‘Idol’ is the song that makes you feel happy and I also think that hope for the future comes more easily when you feel this way.
Onomey - This week Idol won by a margin of 18% which is a way bigger margin than last week's poll which only differed by a few percent. I’m so in love with this song because of the feeling it gives me which is why I never tire of hearing it. Just from writing this short piece I have got the main horn sousing hook that’s used throughout the song. It's so simple but such a great earworm that has you singing and bobbing your head to it. In regard to looking forward towards things, whether that is looking forward to seeing BTS next perform or just looking forward to things in your own life, this song is perfect for these situations. During these current times it gives me the motivation to get up and do things in my life as sometimes I tend to lose motivation especially during the long period of lockdown we have been under. Being able to scream along with the boys ‘You can’t stop me loving myself’ really pushes me to look forward to things such as building my radio show, being able to continue and improve on learning Spanish and pushing myself to be more active. I hope it gives everyone else the same energy to look forward towards all the things that are special to your life.
Cheryl - With Idol winning this week's poll, it reminded me of how the song sounded so fresh and inspiring when it was first released, such a forward thinking futuristic song. I don’t think I had ever heard a song like it before. It was just so new, with so many emotions. I found it to be aggressive, passionate and powerful, and the video was this and more, with BTS wearing traditional Korean costumes - it was such a stunning visual, vibrant with colours, rich lyrics and sound.
Charlie - IDOL is the title track of the Answer album, and therefore exemplifies that you must root out the Fake Love that is in you, and in the future come to the Epiphany of loving yourself. It is a perfect “looking forward” song as it is told from the perspective of someone who is in love with their self, and exemplifies the final goal of the whole Love Yourself journey: to be happy in your skin and yourself. IDOL uses a mix of different cultures as well as the traditional Korean “pansori” of “ursoo!” to demonstrate a complete abundance of joy and pride in your own culture and background, and I am thrilled to be able to write about it right now as I have been re-watching videos of when I saw it performed at the O2, suffering in such nostalgia of that era.
Awake - Cheryl
Awake is Jin’s solo from the Wings era, which was released in 2016. I found BTS in 2017 but it was the Wings content that captivated me and drew me down the BTS rabbit hole.
Awake is totally a Jin masterpiece. His vulnerability and raw emotion can be heard through every word. He expresses the pain of the realisation that something has to come to an end and that although he wants to hold on and keep dreaming, it’s just not possible.
RM, J-Hope and Jin are amongst the team of writers for Awake and the lyrics are so intricate and delicately entwined. There are references to wings and flying, which obviously connect with the title of the album. But, I believe they have deeper meanings; Jin sings about “6 flowers over there” which must mean the other members of BTS and he compares himself to the flower petals flying and how he can’t fly like they do.
Chorus:
‘Maybe I, I can never fly
I can’t fly like the flower petals over there
Or as though I have wings
Maybe I, I can’t touch the sky
Still, I want to stretch my hand out
I want to run, just a bit more’
In the song Jin even mentions conversations with himself, where when he asks himself if he is OK, he replies No, he’s scared. I find these lyrics very honest and heartfelt.
‘I’m just walking and walking, among this darkness
My happy times asked me this question
You, are you really okay, it asked me
Oh no
I replied, no, I’m so afraid
Still, I hold the 6 flowers tightly in my hands
I, I’m just walking, I said
Oh no’
Now that I’ve connected the 6 flowers to the other BTS members and that Jin is comparing himself to them in an unfavourable way, this song is becoming sadder and even more emotional. It would appear to show Jin’s self doubt about being part of BTS and that perhaps he feels doesn’t match the other members talents, but it also shows Jin’s passion and inner strength that he is determined to continue and try, stretch out his hand and run a little more, even if he is unable to fly.
He also sings about wanting to continue to dream, then at the end of the song he sings about being wide awake and I feel like this is some realisation, an awakening. With the lyrics:
‘Wide awake, wide awake, wide awake
Don’t cry
Wide awake, wide awake, wide awake
No lie
Wide awake, wide awake, wide awake
Don’t cry
Wide awake, wide awake, wide awake
No lie’
Perhaps he is giving himself a pep talk, “don’t cry, no lie”, is a way of telling himself that he really does belong.
At the beginning I mentioned it felt like the song was saying goodbye and I am wondering if this song is about letting go of his insecurities and self doubt and that he should believe in himself and totally embrace his fate and truth that is he is a whole 7th of BTS.
If I Ruled The World - Charlie
My song reviews lately have been a lot of underrated gems from BTS’ really early discography, just as how BTS performed older songs at their ON:E concert! I think BTS and I agree that to look forward, you must first look back at where you’ve come from, and If I Ruled the World details BTS’ exaggerated goals and dreams from when they had only recently debuted, with a bit of a tongue-in-cheek style.
“If I ruled the world
I’d do it all (I’d do it all)
I said 1 for the money, 2 for the money”
In this song the rap-line take it in turns each verse to discuss their own hyperbolic, ridiculous ideas of what they’d do if they ruled the world, while the chorus utilises Taehyung’s deep voice with the other vocalists’ dreamy vocals to repeat the single dream of “doing it all”, which BTS are well on their way to doing right now.
“Boys, bring me alcohol
Or you can just disappear
Anyway, this is my kingdom”
The dreams discussed by rap-line sound quite odd, because they are from the perspective of a hungry, greedy young person who just wants everything in the world to be decadently theirs. Namjoon’s rap, for instance, is about the naive desire to be surrounded by women, while men just bring him alcohol before leaving. He also half-jokes about having his own clothing brand which rivals those of Alexander Wang and the like.
However, these dreams which seem immature at first have something special to them. Even BTS cannot do a song about one’s own selfish desires, without making it linked to their love of music. Namjoon’s dream is to make a song that everyone in the world sings, Yoongi wants to “still do music with my BTS family”, and Hoseok wants to “fearlessly walk around the stage”. Therefore, while this song is very hip-hop-heavy and taps into the big chains, aggressive dancing of early BTS, it still feels extremely positive and meaningful. Even back then, BTS’ biggest dream was to perform together under a big spotlight, and looking forward in that way did them good, as they achieved it in spectacular fashion.
“I’ll shout with the name of BTS
If I ruled the world”
Nevermind - Michayla
I very much enjoyed the weekend of concerts but I found it difficult not to feel a tinge of sadness because I wasn’t seeing it in person and nothing beats that. This has been a very challenging year for everyone so looking forwards is something that doesn’t come very easily when at the start of 2020, most of us were excited about the year that lay ahead.
I chose ‘Intro: Nevermind’ because it is a strong song written by Yoongi and released in 2015 on the album ‘The Most Beautiful Moment In Life Pt.2’. I think the title itself is something we have to be saying as we end 2020 because as Namjoon said during the MOTS ON:E concerts, this situation isn’t anyone’s fault. We have to say ‘nevermind’ and learn from 2020, with the only thing left to do being to look forwards.
‘Nevermind’ is a song that tells us to remain driven and keep going, a familiar message in many of BTS’s songs which I feel is so important.
‘I only look forward and run
Without having time to look around
Without me noticing, I have become
The pride of my family.’
My favourite line in this song is this:
‘A few times defeated isn’t much.’
The reason that this is my favourite line is because Yoongi is saying that it is absolutely okay to meet obstacles, to be set back, to fail. In several songs, BTS tell us to accept that we will experience bad times, failure, setbacks but the most important thing is to keep going, not to give up because we will get to where we want to be.
The lyrics to ‘Nevermind’ are so poignant and it really is difficult not to put the whole song here but what else would you expect from genius Min Suga?
‘If you can’t return, go straight through
Your mistakes and forget them all
Never mind
It’s not easy but engrave it onto your chest
If you feel like you’re going to crash
then accelerate more, you idiot
Come on’
And then there is Hobi’s line:
‘Never mind, never mind
No matter how thorny the road is, run’
This year has been thorny but we need to look ahead because better days will come.
Paradise - Onomey
I think that the name says it all as to why I have chosen to pick this song for this week's theme.
Two things I have missed during the pandemic have been going to watch football and attending concerts/gigs. It's the only time I really go out so I’m missing those two things so much but at the same time I am looking forward to the moment where we will return to normality so I am able to do these things again as its the only time I really have a chance to spend quality time with my siblings. My football buddy is my brother and my sisters are my concert/gig buddies. If it weren’t for my sister being amazing and going with me, I would never have seen BTS at Wembley which although was a bit stressful as we got on the wrong train and missed the first song but it was a weekend that I will never forget.
I love the chill R&B vibe to this song with the muted sounding synth with the strong kick drum and the clicking being used as a replacement of the snare. I feel as though I am in a dream and when I listen to this song it relaxes me and makes me focus on the future rather than the here and now. I think this is because it has a dreamlike sound to it and it is named Paradise which makes you imagine yourself in whatever is your paradise.
BTS talk about maybe not having a dream to aim towards or not knowing what you want to do. This is something I struggled with both over the lockdown and the pandemic, but now I have a new source of clarity as to what I want to do. Before this, I never thought to look forward towards the future and look forward towards things that I like, I just thought about the here and now, and how we are struggling to become something to be proud of.
The way RM analyses dreams is very clever as I have never thought about it from this perspective of inheriting dreams of other people and maybe focusing on the wrong dream. For example, for me, I always wanted to do music or football things like that which don't always end up in you becoming successful, but I find myself in school trying to study psychology and sociology because I thought that would be the good thing to do because people would think so negatively on the things that I loved and adored so I ended up wasting three years trying to pass my A-levels in those areas and failing. It was when I went to college to focus on my dream when everything just seemed right, I finally felt like I was living.
‘We borrow dreams from others (like a debt)
We learn that we need to become great (like a light)
Your dream. Is actually a burden
If having a future is the only dream existing
Then what is the dream you had last night in your bed?
It's alright if the name of the dream is different
Be buying a laptop next month
Just eating and sleeping
Not doing anything at all yet still having a lot of money
Who sees a dream must be something grand?
Just become anybody
We deserve a life
Whatever big or small, you are you after all’
Those last few lines speak to me a lot and I hope you can use them yourself in order to reach your final destination in your journey to paradise as it is better to focus on dreams that you are comfortable whether it be years down the line or in a few weeks time. We are always looking forward to the future as humans as it gives us something to dream about. Keep dreaming and keep listening to this underrated song.
It was National Teacher’s Day last week and the playlist team started thinking about the BTS songs that every teacher should play to their students.This is the result, with our Twitter followers choosing ‘Black Swan’ as their poll winner.
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Add the classroom playlist to your lesson plan at the following link: BTS in the Classroom
Black Swan chosen by ARMY
Cheryl - This week's poll was extremely close with each song receiving over 20% of the votes. I think this song can be relatable to teachers, as I wonder if there are similarities to how a teacher may feel at the end of an academic year. Not quite full of the same passion and energy for teaching as they do in September? I can only imagine teaching up to 30 children - as I am aware of parents trying to teach their own children during this pandemic and how some of them have found it tricky. It gave me an even greater appreciation for Teachers. Personally, I cannot think about Black Swan without remembering their visually stunning performance on The Late Late Show with James Corden - bare foot. Although the recent performance on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show is really close, if only they had worn no socks or shoes.
Michayla - I had absolutely no idea which song would win this week’s poll which made a nice change as usually I can guess the winner. The one thing about ‘Black Swan’ is that the MV or performance video should definitely be shown to a class because it is aesthetically breathtaking and the choreography is stunning. This is an emotive song, it certainly pulls at the heart strings especially when you understand that it is about the loss of passion for something (dance in this case). The lyrics can be applied to many life situations I think, which is what would make this a great topic for discussion.
Onomey - This week's poll was actually pretty close between all of the four choices. It was Black swan who managed to win in the end. There are a lot of teachable moments within Black Swan because it is a song full of emotional battles. The song is hauntingly beautiful as it is a dark topic but is an important topic that people need to be educated about. The low sounding guitar with multiple pedal effects such as distortion and reverb in order to make it sound as though the guitar sounded almost the swishing of water is beautiful and very clever. The song lets us know about the demons, fears, and hesitations we face within ourselves when we are scared to stick out and not conform to the normal way of life like everybody else. The emotion is heard throughout the song almost like there is a tough battle occurring in some parts like in RMs verse. This differs from the chorus and pre-chorus done by the vocalists who sound like they are almost hiding within themselves.
‘Heartbeat pulsing slow in my ears
Bump, bump, bump
Try to flee but back into the maw
Jump, jump, jump
No song affects me anymore
Crying out a silent cry’
This song should just be played for all pupils to hear and gain knowledge from because it is not often areas like this are touched upon in songs.
Charlie - If we’re looking at songs with an educational message or story, Black Swan is a pick that makes so much sense. Our first impression of it was of the quote: “A dancer dies twice; once when he stops dancing, and that death is the more painful”. BTS are always giving us references to literature and other quotes, and the artistic insight that went into this song is really admirable. They schooled us in the fear of losing your passion, and then taught us that they feel secure in their love for music for now. It is a tragic love song between BTS and music, with a happy ending.
P.O.P (Piece Of Peace) - Cheryl
The song choice, J-Hope’s Piece of Peace could easily have been written with Teachers in mind. Listening to the lyrics this morning, they are just so relatable with regards to how I imagine a teacher feels about their students.
J-Hope’s lyrics talk about being someone’s strength and light, how everyone makes mistakes and how he wants to convey courage. I am sure teachers wish and work really hard to inspire their students, help them grow and achieve their goals and ambitions.
With these lyrics:
‘I want to help
I used to be like them, someone with passion
Make dreams brighter, get rid of the nightmares
Peace will be right there
I want to help
I used to be like them, I had that spirit
Make dreams brighter, get rid of the nightmares
Peace will be right there’
I can imagine teachers looking at their students and thinking I used to be like them, full of passion and dreams and now as teachers they have the possibility of using their passion for teaching and they can help students reach for their dreams and help remove the students nightmares.
I find these lyrics rather truthful:
‘Blood and sweat is the daily wage that grows miserable
Answers like a drought
That makes sprouts wither
Even if you scream your song this world is hard of hearing
Yah
You guys did nothing wrong
Try crashing, try running
To bring it to fruition’
I imagine the hard work that makes the result miserable (although J-Hope talks about the daily wage, this could also apply to learning), I personally had a lot of trouble with Maths and no matter how hard I tried to learn and grasp the subject, the success of understanding it eluded me. However, my teacher would be very patient and encouraging, trying his best to help me grasp Maths.
Although J-Hope is expressing how he would like to bring people peace through his music, I do think this song could be applied to teachers too!
Dynamite - Michayla
It probably wasn’t that long ago that I wrote about ‘Dynamite’ but I really wanted to give my point of view on it for this particular theme because there are so many topics for discussion that I feel any age of student could take part in.
‘Dynamite’ is quite simply, an explosive track and there are so many elements to it in a historical context, as well as the present day… maybe even the future. The topic of music and disco in the 1970’s is certainly relevant especially when the MV comes into play. I think most students today could relate to this era as their parents would have lived through the decades of the 1970’s and 1980’s.
BTS pay homage to several people and characters in the song:
Rolling on like a Rolling Stone
Sing song when I'm walking home
‘King Kong’ from the movies - a great talking point.
‘Rolling Stone’ - this could be connected to ‘The Rolling Stones’ too.
‘LeBron’ - reference to LeBron James who is a basketball player.
One of the biggest influences of ‘Dynamite is ‘Michael Jackson’ who is the very definition of a legend and you can’t discuss the music industry without mentioning the man that had such an impact in so many ways. It would be absolutely amazing if this is the song that gets BTS a nomination at the Grammys, when you take into account that very special night in 1984 when Michael jackson won 8 Grammys in one night.
In the present day, we have the fact that Dynamite has broken records, including the most viewed video in 24 hours which is an amazing feat and in the future? Who knows?
What ‘Dynamite’ does show is that you can achieve anything if you try hard enough. BTS are a success story and great role models for today’s youth. The messages in their songs and just taking into consideration the fact that they are still working hard after 7 years and are reaping the rewards, even though they have had to come through some tough times and jump many obstacles. I would be more than happy for a teacher to use Dynamite in a lesson that my children were in.
Could You Turn Off Your Cellphone - Charlie
“Could You Turn off Your Cell Phone” is a classic track from BTS’ 1st full album, Dark and Wild. It is my pick for our National Teacher’s Day because, as well as the self-explanatory title about teaching people to put down their phones at important times, it is also important to teach new ARMYs about this song as it is quite an underrated gem.
The song starts with a speaking part of RM, which has been something that he occasionally does in their tracks even to this day. It immediately tells us what the conflict in the song is about: young people (as this album sets out the struggles of the youth, primarily) feeling like they’re losing their friendships as their friends are more interested in using their cell phones.
“(Cell phones)
(Lost friendship)
(Where are you, my friend?)
Cellphone Go!”
The track is full of nostalgia and a sort of quasi-retro vibe for me, as it is about the struggle of 7 years ago when children and teenagers having cell phones was comparatively more of a recent thing, and it is about conflicts between children who are struggling to navigate friendships at this awkward stage of their lives. Even the instrumental sounds reminiscent of the jingle of a ringing cell phone, which goes so far as to interrupt J-Hope at the end of his verse.
“Where do you wanna go? I wanna go there
They say this is the hottest spot
What should we do after we eat? Let’s not go to the PC cafe
But hey, when a person is talking…”
As this song is from a very early time in BTS’s career, the hip-hop vibe is very evident and the rap line are clearly in their element here. They sound very smooth and comfortable; flawless. In spite of this, I really like Jin’s voice here; he suits the vibe of the song despite how his penchant is often ballads. This is yet another display of Jin’s versatility which he’s been showing us since 2014. Furthermore, the rap focus in the verses does not stop Yoongi from singing some of his lines. His verse here is quite underrated in my opinion; we need to be talking about this more!
My final special mention must go to the overlapping ad libs, mostly by Jungkook, in the final chorus and final verse. His voice mingles with Jimin and Taehyung in a really satisfying way, and it rounds off the song really nicely.
Idol - Onomey
If I could describe Idol, I would describe it as an explosion of colour and cultures.
I feel like BTS are secretly our teachers in a way because through their music and lyrics they have managed to educate us on a number of things such as self-love, mental health, and striving to succeed regardless of the obstacles.
Whether you are currently in school or not, I think we can all appreciate everything that teachers do for their pupils in preparing them for life and accomplishing their dream jobs.
I chose this song because it's a lesson in loving yourself to put it simply. This song tells everyone to take the approach that BTS have when people have criticised them which is to keep on being yourself and ignore others that keep talking badly about you because it is just jealousy.
‘Keep on chit-chatting, saying this and that
I do what I do, so you do you
You can’t stop me lovin’ myself’
I think that is a lesson that we all need educating in as people tend to give up on their dreams in fear of being bullied because of them. I will give you an example, growing up I was extremely athletic and in all of the local athletic teams as well as football. I eventually gave up putting my all into my dreams of becoming a footballer or an athlete because I was too scared about being called a man head etc and when I look back now and I see people who went to my school who I trained alongside of becoming successful in those areas it makes me regret not being able to love myself for who I was during those times.
BTS.
Another way people can be educated in this song is through the type of instrumentation used, as well as the different dance moves. I’m not a teacher so I am not going to educate you on that but I do want to say that it is nice to see traditional Korean and African dances, instrumentation and clothing being used on such a platform as it only spreads it to a wider audience for people to be educated on those traditional things.
The upbeat and carnival song has that ability to make you want to take on the world once you listen to it. The little trumpet sounding melody is what drives the song throughout and is also a powerful earworm as after listening to the song, you find yourself repeating that same melody over and over again which makes it a great education tool in self-love because the song quickly gets into your head.
The playlist team got their inspiration from the turbulent weather in the UK this week, with a warm sunny day one day to high winds and rain the next, this playlist is all about extremes.
Follow us on Twitter @BTSRadioUK and listen out for our new radio show #RadioBangtan on every Wednesday on ACR, (more details available on our Twitter page).
Meanwhile give your Spotify an extreme makeover and add the playlist via the following link: Extreme Emotions with BTS
Euphoria chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I could talk about ‘Euphoria’ until the end of time so I will keep it brief. I personally have so many emotions tied up in this song that it is indeed, a song that provokes extreme emotions for me. I saw Jungkook perform it sitting on a stool at the O2 and then flying around the stadiums in London and Paris, the contrast between those performances alone, is extreme. ‘Euphoria’ is the song I play on repeat when I need to gather myself, at a time when life gets too much and my anxiety is bad. This song is right up there in my all time favourite BTS songs and it definitely belongs on this playlist.
Charlie - I am not surprised that this song won the poll. It is a song about feeling as though (with a certain person or group of people) your life is completely amazing and you are in a utopia or paradise. However, from watching the video to this song, it becomes evident that, speaking in terms of the HYYH storyline, Jungkook only feels as though he is in this place when he is with his hyungs, which leads him to jump off the building after he has lost them. It is a song about a rush of emotions that lead you to take drastic actions. It is also turbulent on the level that I know many ARMYs felt completely stunned when we first saw Jungkook fly as he performed this on the Speak Yourself tour. It is a song which brings about an outpouring of emotions and intensity, and was perfectly picked as the poll winner.
Cheryl - I am not surprised as this song provokes a strong emotion for me and obviously (with 48% of the votes) many Army. Euphoria has such imagery written in the lyrics with words like mirage, dreams, euphoria and utopia. It’s a happy hopeful song and whenever I hear it I am transported back to Wembley watching Jungkook fly - happier times.
Onomey - Just saying the word euphoria makes me smile and tends to make me think on two things, Jungkook singing the song Euphoria at Wembley and Jungkook singing Euphoria on the tv show Euphoria which goes to show how great of a song it is and how much of an impact it has made on me. It was no surprise that the song won by such a large margin as it is full of emotion because of the production of the song and the massive improvement in his delivery when it comes to emotion. Going through all of this turbulent weather that seems to be lasting for a while, only enhances my emotions when listening to this song, I don’t know why but darker weather and a beautiful song seems to do that to me so thanks Jungkook for perfecting such a great track especially that bridge ending with the riff that leads to such a high note. It gives me goosebumps thinking about it whilst I can hear raindrops bashing against my window.
Not Today - Michayla
When choosing the song this week, there were endless possibilities because I have an extreme emotional attachment to many of the songs on our playlist and I wanted it to be a personal choice instead of being solely about the extremity of the song itself through lyrics or MV. I settled on 'Not Today' for many reasons but mainly because when I listen to it now, I have a different set of emotions to those I had prior to June 2019, when I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see it performed live.
There are those songs that are so strong in so many ways, including choreography, lyrics and MV (if it has one) and 'Not Today' is definitely one of those. The opening verse by Namjoon sets the tone for the whole song:
'All the underdogs in the world
A day may come when we lose
But it is not today
Today we fight'
'Not Today' is most certainly the song to listen to when you want to feel that fire in your belly and that motivation to push forwards when it feels like life is holding you back. It is the song that says that it is okay to lose, it is okay not to succeed but the thing that will get you through, is the determination to keep going beyond that because your day will come.
'If you can’t fly, then run
Today we will survive
If you can’t run, then walk
Today we will survive
If you can’t walk, then crawl
Even if you have to crawl, gear up
Aim your gun! Ready! Fire!'
Sometimes you need to accept that things just aren't going your way but you will come out of the other side and you will achieve what you want to achieve if you keep fighting! This is the song that does that.
When I witnessed BTS perform ‘Not Today’ live, I knew then that I wouldn’t ever get over it and now when I listen to it, all the emotions come flooding back. Seeing that choreography in person was amazing and I still laugh with fellow ARMY when we talk about how Jungkook paused for what seemed like ages before his line and we were tricked as we carried on singing as we would to the CD or MV.
‘Not Today’ has a whole list of strengths that evoke strong emotions and it certainly earned its place on this week’s playlist.
House of Cards - Charlie
For this week’s playlist I decided on a song that brings up a lot of turbulent and frantic emotions. Despite its slow and calculated tempo, House of Cards is one such song. It is about a relationship that starts to decay, before completely crumbling or toppling over like a house of cards. Relationships of all kinds can be turbulent and unpredictable, so I thought this song was fitting.
First included as an outro on The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 2, but was then released as a full track on the Young Forever compilation album, House of Cards uses breathy and sultry vocals to convey a feeling of complete hopelessness. The Vocal line, the only ones present on the track, lament about how their relationship is slipping from between their fingers. It starts with Jungkook suggesting as though the relationship has failed before, representing it from the offset as turbulent and a relationship that is constantly starting, ending and restarting. It represents the friendship from the HYYH storyline well, as the boys keep losing each other to danger.
“It’s at stake again, it’s dangerous again
So bad why, we are, yeah
To withstand it more, to sustain it more
So hard hard, it can’t”
The violin instrumental sounds very back-and-forth in a similar fashion, adding to how solemn the song sounds. I find Taehyung’s deep voice to be particularly haunting in this track, and it is bittersweet to hear Seokjin’s voice, one which is known for uplifting songs such as Epiphany, pour such emotions into the lyrics of this song.
“A house made of cards, and us, inside
Even though the end is visible
Even if it’s going to collapse soon
A house made of cards, we’re like idiots
Even if it’s a vain dream, stay like this a little more”
The intensity of the song culminates in Jimin’s high note at the end, when he yells out, begging for the subject of the song to calm down. The turbulence of the relationship is evident as the song repeats pleas of denial, and begs over and over again to try to fix the house of cards that is their relationship.
Stigma - Cheryl
The meaning of the word stigma is: a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance. Similar words are shame and disgrace.
Stigma is a very emotional and heartfelt song. V’s voice sounds so sincere and as if he really is sorry, which is also conveyed in the lyrics.
Upon reading the lyrics of V’s Stigma - they definitely describe the feelings of shame. He sings about pain, regret and having no courage. These are very huge emotions.
My favourite lyrics are:
Deeper, deeper, the wound just gets deeper
Like pieces of broken glass that I can’t reverse
Deeper, it’s just the heart that hurts every day
You who was punished in my stead
You who were only delicate and fragile
With this hook I believe he is feeling the pain because someone was punished in his place and that someone did not deserve this as they were so delicate and fragile. Later on in the song he also apologies for being unable to protect them.
During the song V also apologizes to his brother and sister, what is unclear is if he actually means his siblings, or if the siblings are fictional.
In this song I also enjoy the small parts where V speaks in English - his voice is just full of emotion and sounds deep and raw.
The words of the Outro:
‘That light, that light, please illuminate my sins
Where I can’t turn back
The red blood is flowing down
Deeper, I feel like dying every day
Please let me be punished
Please forgive me for my sins
Please’
In the outro the lyrics talk about shedding light on his sins and he pleads for forgiveness and that he should be punished. The lyrics feel heavy and full of emotion and the soft caress of V’s voice just resonate with the lyrics.
Lie - Onomey
I think the title of the song gives an idea as to why I chose it for this week's theme. If you didn't know, ‘Lie’ is a solo song by Jimin that featured on the Wings album, and the repackage ‘You never walk alone'. What I like about this song mostly is that Jimin is great at dancing with emotion and feeling which put a lot more emphasis on the story of the song because he is able to act out the song and make you feel it visually and internally through watching his performances of the song. There is raw emotion from start to finish as he dances like he is trapped and being led astray against his will and better judgement.
Listening to this song during the recent turbulent weather adds another dynamic into the fold which as a result makes me think of the song in a new light and makes me want to fall deeper and deeper into analysing the lyrics of the song. To me, there are a lot of similarities between the weather and the contents of the song. Going out in the very heavy and torrential rain or even having to hide in the house away from it can tend to get quite hard because you either have to fight and push through the tough weather day to day or stay inside until the bad weather passes. You could even say that the bad weather is like the hardships Jimin faces which is captured by the lie that has caused all of the troubles and pain he faces over and over again to the point where he is slowly losing the pure side of himself.
‘Caught in a lie
Find me when I was pure
I can’t be free from this lie
Give me back my smile
Caught in a lie
Pull me from this hell
I can’t be free from this pain
Save me, I am being punished’
The delivery in vocals is very clever as it makes the listener at certain points in the song believe that the song is somehow positive because it is sung in a higher register with a lot of elongated notes being used. Whereas the orchestral strings especially the cello does a great job of counteracting this as it sounds like something big and powerful, like the weather, is trying to take over any positive emotions that remain left in Jimin.
The delivery of the vocals in the bridge completely takes my breath away every time that I hear it as he starts at a lower register almost in a triplet singing/rapping style then gets higher and higher until he belts out that last word and changing note mid-word which shows his talent as well as his final plea for help.
‘I am still the same person I was before
I am still here, the same person I was from before but
An overgrown lie is trying to swallow me whole’
It was the release of the Night time mixes of Dynamite that prompted the playlist team to revisit this relaxing theme.
Do you have a favourite BTS track that helps you wind down after a busy day? Tell us on Twitter @BTSRadioUK
For now relax at the end of a busy day by adding this to your playlist: Wind Down with BTS
Make It Right chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I did have a sneaky suspicion that 'Make it right' would win the poll this week because it is a very calming song and popular among ARMY. We have several versions of the song but out of all of them, I do love the original version. When I hear Tae's voice start the song, I'm instantly relaxed and his tone sets the precedent for the rest of the song. 'Make It Right' is gentle and perfect for a playlist to listen to when you need to wind down after a tough day.
Charlie - BTS used this song to sometimes wind down the end of their sets at concerts or award shows this past year. It is easy to listen to, helped somewhat by Ed Sheeran’s input, and it cradles you after a long day to say that whatever has happened, BTS are offering to make everything okay, and fix whatever has gone wrong. It is a beautiful and sweet song, not overstated but simply easy on the ear. In-between the rock style of Dionysus and the emotional ballads like Jamais Vu, Make it Right is a nice middle ground and is something that listeners of all genres will enjoy when they need something calming to listen to.
Onomey - This song has a very chill vibe to it for sure which is why I am a massive fan of it, I can just lay down, relax, close my eyes and listen to the vocal line do what they do best. I like to describe this song as a chilled head-bobbing song as that was you tend to do when listening to it, you are able to get lost in the song and before you know it, the song has ended. The falsetto that is used throughout the song is amazing especially when Jimin sings his lines because his natural voice is at a higher tone than the rest of the vocal line so when he sings in falsetto it sounds heavenly and way more natural sounding than the rest of the members. Not to say that the other members of the vocal line didn't perform up to their high standards just that Jimin's voice sounded more natural and suited to the song. So whether you are listening to this song in the car or listening to it at home, Make It Right is such a great song to relax to.
Cheryl - Personally, I love this song for its caresses and tuneful hugs “I can make it better, I can hold you tighter”. The song is about making the world a better place and improving relationships too, which in my opinion is just calming and soothing. Whenever I hear the song it transforms my mood - what better way to wind down and relax.
Sweet Night - Michayla
It was brilliant to revisit this theme because it was one of the earlier ones we did and so many songs that are perfect for it, have been released since then, Sweet Night being one of those. The addition of new songs made it a difficult theme when it came down to choosing which song but I had to pick 'Sweet Night' because I often listen to it at night and on occasions when I need to be transported to somewhere to mentally escape the chaos that comes with life.
'Sweet Night' was produced by Taehyung and Hiss Noise for the K-Drama 'Itaewon Class' which stars Park Seo Joon, who is one of Taehyung’s close friends and a part of the Wooga squad. The song features in a couple of episodes, making its debut in the 12th installment of the show and definitely proving to be a big hit (no pun intended).
This is quite simply, a beautiful song, which Taehyung had a hand in writing the lyrics for. It fits so well with the storyline of the drama, with someone questioning whether they've missed their chance to be with the person they love, so near, yet so far. They realise the depth of their feelings but is it too late?
'On my pillow
Can't get me tired
Sharing my fragile truth
That I still hope the door is open
'Cause the window
Opened one time with you and me
Now my forever's falling down
Wondering if you'd want me now'
I have always felt the emotional depth that Sweet Night brings, even the first time I heard it. Taehyung’s voice is unique, his tone is deep and rich, it gives this song a level of emotion that is felt even if you aren't aware of what the lyrics are. It is for this reason and many more besides, including the fact that I loved Itaewon Class, that 'Sweet Night' is probably on every playlist I create, particularly those for calming purposes.
I definitely listen to 'Sweet Night' when I need to wind down and can always be heard humming or singing along:
'Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo
Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo'
Rain - Charlie
Amongst the more hip-hop side of BTS’ early discography (which I also adore), Rain is a calm reprieve and a breather. I first found this song when trying to study as I was listening to BTS songs I hadn’t heard in a while, but I had to stop everything to properly read the lyrics and sit and listen.
“The thick color of a rainy day in Seoul
The racing cars, the squirming umbrellas all over the place
It’s cloudy and the air is clear”
BTS are geniuses at creating music that evokes a specific atmosphere or activity. For me, whenever I hear Rain, it could be the sunniest day but I would still feel as though I was sat in a small, dim room, waiting for a gentle spell of rain to finish as I stare out the window at it. The gentle twinkles of the piano fill the lingering moments in-between soulful vocals and soft raps.
This song tells a mundane but sweetly told story, of the trivial things done in a day when one feels a bit purposeless or lost. They struggle to get work done, so they simply go on a walk in the rain. I love the feeling of just feeling free while going on a walk in the rain, as a walk outside is so often needed to feel the cold fresh air and wind down, especially in our busy yet sometimes boring day-to-day lives.
“I have no where to go but I take my umbrella
And walk outside without a plan
As if the rain wants its existence to be known, my shoes get dirty
Am I someone who engraved my existence to you like the rain?
If not, am I just someone who came and went like a rain shower?”
As shown by the above verse, rain can mean a lot of different things to different people. It can remind you of your tears or emotional state, or it can remind you of how fleeting certain aspects of your life are. These thoughts are all accepted in this song, which is like a warm embrace under an umbrella which culminates in ethereal high notes towards the end.
House Of Cards - Onomey
For this week's theme of ‘Wind Down with BTS’ I have decided to go with House of Cards as my song to focus on. I am a fan of Jazz music because I played a lot of it when I studied music and enjoyed how much freedom you have in the genre that makes it so different and special.
The production of the song is so beautiful with the key thing being timbre. I love the pre verse section where all the instruments cut out apart from the shuffle drums, upright bass and what sounds like Jungkook who has an improvised scatting section. To me, the vocals seem to be having a battle between each other which is why there are multiple layers of harmonies because things are becoming more and more unstable in the house of cards as the song develops.
Even though the lyrics have a negative tone to them, I still find this song relaxing because of the genre that the song has been written in. With Jazz, the tone of the vocals tend to necessarily be a big and important part when making a track, they just become another tool or instrument to use, just like a piano or bass would be. When I listen to this song, that is exactly what the vocal line do, they use their vocal abilities to their full extent which is literally music to my ears, to be able to listen to how capable they are to do it with so much ease and confidence.
My favourite section of the song is when Jimin and Jungkook sing the same section but at an octave apart because of the sheer emotion with a hint of aggressiveness, it is delivered.
‘As if there’s no such thing as tomorrow
As if there’s no such thing as a “next time”
Right now, in front of my eyes, everything without you
Is a terribly pitch-black darkness
I say it like a habit
We won’t work in the end
Even so, I keep hoping
As long as I’m with you in the end as well, I’m ok’
This is up there with my go-to relaxing songs because of all the different elements that make it such a masterpiece. Words cannot express how difficult it is to be able to change your vocals into just another instrument (trust me, I’ve tried), but they managed to do this even with their subtle background adlibs whilst still being at one with the other instruments used in this song.
Black Swan - Cheryl
This week I have chosen to give my wind down song - Black Swan, some well deserved attention.
Personally, I find the beautiful melody with the delicate bells, just so relaxing and zen like, the lyrics for the bridge are like a cleansing chant:
‘Do your thang
Do your thang with me now
Do your thang
Do your thang with me now
What's my thang
What's my thang tell me now
Tell me now
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah’
Although the lyrics overall are rather dark, BTS are exploring their feelings about no longer enjoying their musical careers and how this would be like a death for them, the verses as always, express these emotions very eloquently.
Suga’s lyrics:
‘The heart no longer races
When hearing the music play
Tryna' pull up
Seems like time has stopped
Oh that would be my first death
I been always afraid of’
But, the references to the sea and darkness are somewhat calming and relaxing. I’ve always found a sense of peace and tranquility when I visit the seaside and I guess this song gives me the same feelings.
With J-Hope and Suga’s verses (below) I believe they are expressing how they each find their inner peace and themselves through J-Hope’s feet and dancing and Suga’s music studio. By expressing this, they are saying that we can all find a special place to make our own and find our own solace.
‘Deeper
Yeah I think I'm goin' deeper
I keep losing focus
No, just let go of me
Let my own feet carry me
I'll go in myself
In the deepest depths
I saw myself
Slowly, I open my eyes
I'm in my workroom, it's my studio
The waves go darkly by in a throe
But I'll never get dragged away again
Inside
I saw myself, myself’
My favourite performance of the song has to be the one on The Late Late Show with James Corden - BTS with their bare feet and the water in the background was both sensual and mesmerising.
This week, the playlist team were thinking all about confidence and which songs make them feel brave, the songs that put that extra bit of oompf into their step.
Is there a song that makes you feel like you could achieve anything? Follow us across the social media platforms and let us know.
Add a confidence boost to your Spotify playlist here: Confidence with BTS
Best Of Me chosen by ARMY
Cheryl - Best of Me winning this week's confidence poll, totally makes sense. Right from the opening verse, the positivity and the feeling of being larger than life comes shining through. The lyrics just give a feeling of being able to accomplish anything:
‘When you say that you love me
I walk above the clouds
Tell me about eternity just one more time
When you say that you love me
All I need is that one phrase’
Charlie - I already wrote about “Best of Me” for last week’s playlist, so I will have to be careful not to repeat myself here. “Best of Me” is a take on a confidence message which refers to how a special person in your life can bring out the best in you, and give you the confidence to succeed and be the best, most confident version of yourself that you can be. It is important because, as ARMY can appreciate, sometimes you need another person to hype you up, or comfort you, in order to find the confidence that is in yourself. This song says that that is okay; it is okay to need someone’s help to bring out your confidence. It is a lighthearted pop/EDM track despite its lyrics tinged with deep and thankful emotions.
Michayla - ‘Best Of Me’ is a fantastic song and there is so much sass and bravado about it. Listening to the song makes me feel like I could take on anything in that moment and is a reminder that I ‘can’. I am lucky that I have amazing friends and three wonderful kids that give me confidence at times when I feel lost. I actually met my platonic soulmate through BTS and I feel like there have been many times that I couldn’t have found the strength I needed to tackle a situation without her by my side. The lyrics certainly resonate with me:
‘You got the best of me
It's not important if it's a dream or reality
Only the fact that you're by my side
Thanks’
Onomey - I think it's obvious as to why Best of Me won this week by a large margin. With the theme this week being songs that give you confidence or scream confidence to you, Best of Me has to be up there on the list of songs. When listening to this song it allows me to reflect on the people I have in my life and the things they do to support me which as a result allows me to be confident within myself. Sometimes I tend to forget how much I rely on my family and close ones or lose hope and confidence within myself which is why this is a song that definitely fills me with confidence. An extra bonus to the song is that it is an absolute bop and the electronic breaks in the chorus make you want to get up and dance or go out there and conquer the world.
Mikrkosmos - Cheryl
This week’s playlist was about confidence - BTS giving us the boost we may need and being confident in themselves through their songs. I chose to concentrate my thoughts on Mikrokosmos as I know every time I hear it - I feel connected to ARMYs all around the world, which gives a very powerful feeling and lifts my mood.
Mikrokosmos is about everyone having their own unique light and how BTS do not want that light to be extinguished.
Second verse
(Ayo) One light is ambition
Some light is rebellion
People's lights
All are precious
This dark night (Don't be lonely)
Like stars (We shine)
Don't disappear
'Cause you're a big existence
Let us shine
BTS often write about stars and galaxies being inside a person, I wonder if this helps to make us feel larger than we can feel sometimes. I know I sometimes feel like a tiny seed in the vast universe. In Magic Shop the lyrics: “I do believe your galaxy, I want to listen to your melody, Your stars in the Milky Way” have a similar theme to the bridge in Mikrokosmos:
‘Where people are light
Where people are stars
In this place full of where
People are lights’
I find this song very seductive and passionate, it feels very warm and comforting. I believe this is due to all the references of being held by someone with the lyrics: “You got me” and “I’ve got you”.
I’m finding it very difficult to find my favourite lyrics because the whole song is just so empowering and uplifting, but I think I will chose the Outro:
‘Shine, dream, smile (Yeah, eh-eh-eh)
Oh, let us light up the night
We shine in our own ways (Our own ways)
Shine, dream, smile
Oh, let us light up the night
(Oh, let us light up the night)
We shine just the way we are (We are)
Tonight (Tonight)’
When this song is sung live at concerts together with the lyrics and the thousands of lights (Army bombs) which of course illustrates the lyrics beautifully, the song just comes alive and it is as if at that moment in time, we are the whole universe full of very shiny stars.
Dream Glow - Charlie
Dream Glow is a beautiful pop song which isn’t confident in a loud, epic way, but in a breezy, relaxed sort of way. This unique take on a track about confidence made me believe that it would be interesting to write about. Released in 2019 as the first of the sub-unit collaborations for the BTS World game, Dream Glow’s name precedes its pretty atmosphere and message.
The track is quite important to me as its conception makes me especially proud of BTS. Charli XCX, who features in this song, said that this song was originally about meeting someone in a club, and feeling that they had a sort of “glow” around them, but upon giving the song to BTS, the meaning shifted. It is now a track about finding the confidence to pursue your dreams, so that they, and you, glow. You must be like a beacon of light that can shine all the way past your obstacles.
“What used to be a blinding future ay ay ay
Pausing it for a while ay ay
Will glow (Hey hey)
My dream is to stay ay ay ay
I won't give up ay ay
You'll glow (Hey hey)”
The track has many English lyrics, which mean we get to hear Jin, Jungkook and Jimin (who are the sub-unit for this track) sing English in a soft accent, making the song very easy to listen to. The Jinkookmin sub-unit as well as Charli XCX have very high and soft tones to their voices, so they blend well and the transition between each verse and the choruses are seamless. Its smoothness reflects how the song suggests that it will become easy to follow your dreams, and that everything will fall into place as if your life had been carefully planned out.
The BTS World album art has a sort of spacelike theme, as it has a concept that states that no matter in what universe BTS and ARMY are, they will find each other. I find that this concept meshes well with the lyrics and spacey, dreamlike pop vibe of this song.
“The nice boys said to be easily raised
Had scratched knees they used to hide away (Hey)
My constellation is of the Sun's fragment
A radiant blackout, the dance of shadows (Hey)”
Tear - Michayla
Outro: Tear is essentially a dark song, it’s about the ugliness of that pure love when things go wrong. It is full of all that hurt and raw emotion at a time when perhaps you don’t understand why or when things went so wrong.
‘We walked towards the same place
But this place becomes our last
Although we used to talk about forever
Now we break each other without mercy
Although we thought that we dreamed the same dream
That dream has finally become a dream
My heart is torn, please burn it instead
So that pain and regret, none of that would be left’
It isn’t the lyrics themselves or the meaning that provides me with confidence and that strength when I need it. It is the conviction with which it is delivered and the amazing music. It is the rap-line that perform this song with so much emotion and conviction, it is their confidence that seeps through the music into my ears and makes me believe that I can do anything.
To have the pleasure to see Namjoon, Hobi and Yoongi perform this on stage makes me feel very lucky and I can definitely confirm that they oozed confidence. It is that fire you feel deep in your core when the chorus starts and you can sing-along:
‘You’re my tear
You’re my, you’re my tear
You’re my tear
You’re my, you’re my tear
You’re my fear
You’re my, you’re my fear
What more can I say?
You’re my…’
‘Tear’ gives me that feeling of bravery… ;What more can I say?’
Dionysus - Onomey
This song reminds me of an episode of DCs Legends of Tomorrow where they are trying to find the loom of fate and find themselves coming across Dionysus who has decided to make a college campus his home because there are a lot of parties happen there which leads to him growing in strength. I mention this because I think that BTS have tried as best as they can to deliver a song that possessed a power that Dionysus had. I say this because every time I listen to this song, I do want to dance to it over and over again because it is such a great hype song that would give everyone in the room a load of confidence and create a happy, fun atmosphere.
I chose this song due to the production and delivery of lyrics within the song rather than the content within the lyrics since they are about the god of fertility and wine who thrived in parties basically which I rarely do. I feel confident and full of energy in a number of situations when listening to this song. I love to use it as motivational music when doing exercise such as going on a run because of the tempo of the song, it allows me to speed up my tempo during the choruses and slow down slightly in the verses whilst keeping my energy and confidence up in completing my run.
With Dionysus being the god of festivity also, it is no shock that the amazing song that the boys have created, has a creative sense of festivity in the lyrics and production. The fact that he also was the God of madness because of the out of control parties that would occur is very interesting to me because I think it is BTS letting us know that it is ok to have fun in order to inspire creativity and artistry just like Dionysus would enable people to do, but it is also important not to spiral out of control and into madness as a result. So in other words, get hyped up to this song and as a result, gaining confidence but this song and BTS as a group has the capability of making you spiral out of control by spending all your time focusing on them. I may be wrong but that’s what I take from this song as that to me is why they have the chorus after the bridge where things are a lot more frantic and all over the place compared to before the bridge. The last chorus is my favourite because of all the chaos that ensues with the intensity increase with the double kick drum being used more and extremely high background vocals.
I think I could go on and on about how this song is full of confidence from the boys in their delivery of the song but I think it would get boring. This song for sure helps with my confidence and happiness so if you are feeling like you need a bit of confidence in your life then have a listen to Dionysus for sure.
This week ARMYs were treated to the re-release of the ‘Skool Luv Affair’ special edition album which provoked some thought among the Playlist Team at BTSRadioUK. We thought it would be great to release one of our playlists from the archives and repackage that with the addition of new songs.
Which album is your favourite? Come and tell us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
Meanwhile add our re-released special edition Spotify playlist here: Happiness by BTS
Dynamite (Tropical remix) chosen by ARMY
Michayla - With 4 versions of Dynamite going head to head in this week’s poll, I had an inkling that the Tropical version would win. I’m not a huge fan of remixes but this version of Dynamite is so good! When I first heard it I couldn’t believe how ‘tropical’ it sounded and I was transported to the Caribbean immediately. It makes me imagine I am on a beach with a cocktail in my hand, the waves lapping at my feet and the sun shining down… that image definitely makes me feel happy.
Cheryl - The tropical mix of Dynamite won the poll this week and I feel that the tropical sound suits the song very well. The background sound is rather delicate and I think particularly compliments Jungkook’s opening verse but I do miss the sound of claps from the original version. Out of the remixes, personally I prefer the acoustic version of Dynamite (claps included). I am curious, I wonder how many Army have tried to sing along to the instrumental version?
Onomey - Remixes of songs aren’t usually my favourite thing because I usually get upset that most of the vocals of the song tend to get cut which to me is my favourite part of any song unless it is a genre like Jazz. Tropical house is described as using elements of dancehall and deep house which I think goes very well with this song because it is all about having fun and dancing. Although the instrumentation used is very soft and gentle, it fits perfectly along with the soft and rich vocals especially with the marimba playing the main repeated notes throughout the song. The kick is another thing that is important to this version as it makes you want to bob your head along to the strong but low in timbre kick. The only part I missed from the original was the key change but we have been gifted with a new and different bridge section with vinyl scratching which was cool and different.
There are similarities to the original version in sound which is most probably why I like this remix version out of the other ones. What I like most is that the song has not been attacked with a number of big edits and cuts. They have kept most of the core (the vocals) and fitted the tropical house instruments around the vocals instead. It helps that it is a version that makes you feel good listening to it and makes you think that you should be out in the sun with it blasting for all to hear.
Charlie - The tropical remix of Dynamite reminds me of other things I hear on the radio, with its earworm of an instrumental which sounds very "beep-boopy". Dynamite is already something you cannot listen to without dancing, or at the very least tapping your toe, and the Tropical Remix adds to that, with some surprises in the bridge that keep it fresh. It is pure happiness, and I love that it goes right into the "dynanananananana"s, as that is the bounciest part of the song in my opinion.
Dynamite - Michayla
This week with the theme being happiness, it was a very difficult decision when choosing which song to write about because in all honesty, the majority of BTS’s songs make me happy. However, there has been a very recent release that has brought me so much happiness and I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to say how wonderful ‘Dynamite’ makes me feel.
BTS are a genius, with the world being in such troubling times and many people experiencing so much negativity on many levels, with the postponement of the MOTS7 tour and everything else, the world needed a ray of sunshine and ‘Dynamite’ was it. The MV is vibrant and the song is something that you can’t fail to sing and dance to and thanks to the fact that it is entirely in English, we can sing a long.
As well as the incredible euphoria that comes with everything that BTS release, my own personal situation is magnified because I am a huge Michael Jackson fan. The homage paid to the legend that is Michael Jackson in ‘Dynamite’ had me smiling from ear to ear and in the 3 weeks since its release, I don’t think I’ve stopped grinning. It is through such talented artists like BTS that MJ’s legacy will live on and I love that they have so much respect for him.
‘Dynamite’ is super fun and energetic with the catchiest lyrics and a chorus that I can’t seem to erase from my mind. I made an extra effort to learn the words so that I could sing something other than the chorus that kept repeating in my mind while at work. My favourite verse, has to be Tae’s:
‘Bring a friend, join the crowd, whoever wanna come along
Word up, talk the talk, just move like we off the wall
Day or night, the sky's alight, so we dance to the break of dawn’
I love the nod to MJ with the ‘Off the wall’ and ‘Break of dawn’ references and even if that isn’t what was intended, you can’t deny the coincidence.
‘Dynamite’ is an explosive track and I can’t really describe the happiness that stems from it so it is very worthy of a place on this playlist.
‘Dyn-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na, life is dynamite
Dyn-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na, life is dynamite
Shining through the city with a little funk and soul
So I'ma light it up like dynamite, woah-oh-oh’
So What - Cheryl
This week I chose to write about So What and this song has really resonated with me, more than I could ever think it would. Currently there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding me; husband’s job, children returning to College and University and of course the rise in Covid cases.
Listening to So What, this song has so much energy and attitude - I find it so uplifting and energising, a real positive vibe.
When BTS perform it at their concerts, it is obvious that they are enjoying themselves, which in itself is contagious.
My favourite lyrics are:
There’s nothing that works out as I wanted
There’s even fewer places for me to hide
It’s already been a while since the dice were rolled
I cannot imagine needing a place to hide and not being able to find a hiding place - The more famous BTS become the more their privacy will have to be fought for and hiding places will be even more tricky.
These lyrics are rather thought provoking:
90% of your worries are an imaginary swamp that you created
Just go instead of worrying
I think this is true of me, at the moment. I definitely can relate to this and am trying to worry less, as so much that is happening is out of my control.
The pre-Chorus:
We are, we are, we are
Young & wild & Free
Your worries, worries, without no answer
Don’t fall into them and stay in them
I may not be young, wild or free but I am going to ensure that I don’t sink so far into my worries that I get lost in them, thank you BTS such great advice.
Although the lyrics of the song cover deep thoughts positivity shines through, and the upbeat tempo just compliments the song.
I feel that So What is like a mantra; Don’t worry - say “So What”.
Best Of Me - Charlie
When it comes to songs about happiness, I think that BTS find happiness in each other, and in ARMY. Therefore, Best of Me is a fitting song for this playlist. It can be about ARMY (the "You give me the best of me so you give you the best of you" lyric from Magic Shop seems lifted from this idea), but I used to always associate it with friendship.
The lyrics and vocals of Best of Me are incredibly joyful. The song is a "thank you" to someone who brings out the best in you and makes you the best version of yourself.
"I used to rain
I used to snow
I stop all the misfortune
And I bring the heavens
Don't speak of it so lightly
There's no me without you
You’re the best of me
The best of me"
Best of Me is a song in which euphoric expressions of happiness and relief that you've found the person that makes you whole, are belted out with so much power, as if they are trying to prove with the emotions in their voices, how happy they are that that person is in their lives and how thankful they are. We are even treated to the rap-line singing, and their voices contrast with and compliment the pretty tones of the vocal line wonderfully.
"So take my hand right now
I don't believe that I'm like this
The words I've said to myself a million times
Please, don’t leave me
You got the best of me"
The song does seem bittersweet to me, as there seems to be a hint of desperation, of the person begging that the person they love never leaves them because they need them. If someone else has the best of you, there is the question of what you have without them. However, this song was on Her, not Tear, so such dark sides of the song can be considered separately from the story that this song tells in itself.
Wings - Onomey
Every time I listen to this song, I still never manage to fully figure out why this song makes me so happy from the moment I hear that chord intro followed by Jungkook’s heavenly vocals alongside RM to hype us up:
‘Take me to the sky
Put your hands up to the sky
Yeah, if you’re feelin’ the vibe
Uh, if you’re ready to fly
Yo J, let’s do it’
Maybe it's because it takes me back to the Love Yourself tour and seeing how many people were enjoying that song as well as the boys. They were filled with so much energy and happiness that raised the level of atmosphere and had people who were at the concert just to tag along with their friend or child bouncing along with everyone else. The power of this song never ceases to amaze me or it may be the production of the song with the piano chords being played on the higher end of a piano which may make you relate to happier things throughout the song. If this was used all the way through the song I think the song would end up being repetitive which is probably why they used the verses where the beat drops into a deep house vibe which makes you feel like you are in a club or rave so the rappers with their deeper vocals can flow along with the beat a bit better with the support of the powerful drum beat.
The build-up to the chorus combines both the deep house chords and the high piano chords which I’ve never fully noticed before as I tend to be dancing around at that point. To me, this was done deliberately as it combines the low, strong and sturdy beat with the lighter higher chords which makes me think musically they are saying that if you combine some foundations with the dreams that may be higher to reach, you can eventually get to where you need to be within life,
Being able to be free and spread your wings is important in life especially if you experience situations where you haven’t able to use them to fully show the world how great you are and as a result may forget about those things that you loved that once made you feel free.
I think this may be the main thing that I take from this song which is probably why I find myself feeling like 100% fresh and full of positivity after listening to it. Pushing myself outside my comfort zone is something I hope to overcome, it is made a lot easier to do when I have Wings as my happiness boost.
‘I believe in myself
My back hurting is for my wings to come out
I believe in you, even if things are bleak right now
The end will be great
Fly, fly up in the sky
Fly, fly get ‘em up high
It’s the path you chose, dude don’t be scared
This is just the first flight’
With the release of ‘Wembley’ on DVD we started to think about the songs that we would like to see performed so we created a ‘Wembley 2’ playlist.
Which songs would make your setlist? Come and tell us @BTSRadioUK. Meanwhile add some iconic Wembley atmosphere to your Spotify playlist here: Wembley Two
Let Go chosen by ARMY
Cheryl - Let Go is a song about the pain of letting someone you care for, go. The images they sing about really capture the break up of a relationship; being lost in the maze of their heart, how the path splits, going from stereo to mono (2 becoming 1), unpuzzle my Lego until it reaches a state where it cannot return to its original form. I believe that the pain in the song comes across in this verse in particular:
‘If my fate is to disappear like this, then this is my last letter
Penned words, written then erased
Feelings for you, so many to let go...
So be it don’t cry’
There is the possibility of something great and exciting to come from this ending
‘I’mma let you go and fly’
Charlie - BTS’ performances in Japan are legendary, and one reason among many is that they perform songs there that they do not perform anywhere else. J-ARMYs are very blessed to be able to see such live performances as Let Go, arguably one of BTS’ most tragically beautiful songs. Let Go is about a reluctant but resolute acceptance to let someone go, despite your love for them, because it is necessary or healthier to let the love go. The choreography is smooth and faultless, and it slows and stops in all the right moments. If BTS were to perform this for UK-ARMYs, there would not be a dry eye in the stadium (and we’ve already experienced Young Forever, so you think we’d be ready).
Michayla - There are some songs above others that I would give anything to see performed live and ‘Let Go’ is indeed one of them. J-ARMYs are absolutely blessed to have the opportunity to have seen this live and I have watched the recordings of it often. This is quite simply a stunning song that conveys all the heartbreak and depth of emotion that it deserves. My heart aches just listening to it and the thought of having to let go of someone or something that means so much to you. ‘Let Go’ is one of many amazing songs on ‘Face Yourself’ and I would love to see it performed on stage.
Onomey - For starters, I think we can all agree if we were ever lucky enough to see BTS perform this song live, we would all be in a puddle of tears by the end of it. I find that a really good ballad tends to either have a piano or string intro to a song or a vocal intro. In this song, Jungkook sets the tone in how to make you feel because of his breathy vocals that make it sound like he is struggling to talk because he is feeling so emotional about the lyrics he is singing. Alongside the piano playing the individual chord notes in the higher register creates such sadness to the point where you get goosebumps.
Come Back Home - Cheryl
Upon researching Come Back Home I was surprised to learn that it was a cover, I really had no idea! However, many of the lyrics were amended, the amount of brass instruments were reduced and obviously together with BTS, this song becomes totally their own.
I did enjoy exploring the history of the song and the changes that were made. The song was originally sung by Seo Taiji & Boys and I find it interesting that this could’ve been covered by a sub unit of BTS, but instead all 7 members sing the song.
Here is an example of some of the lyrics that changed:
Original third verse:
‘My rage toward this society
Is getting greater and greater
Finally, it turned into disgust
Truths disappear at the tip of the tongue’
BTS third verse:
‘Hunnit band, hunnit band, hunnit band
An honor to my family, to my mother
And to make my family get stuffed til their stomachs explode
I continuously work hard, work hard, work hard’
Original chorus:
‘You must come back home
To warm up the coldness in your heart
You must come back home
In this harsh life
You must come back home
To warm up the coldness in your heart
You must come back home
I will keep trying’
BTS chorus:
‘You must come back home
Warmer than my heart which has left
You must come back home
In the rough life
You must come back home
Warmer than my heart which has left
You must come back home
I will complete myself’
The song seems to be reflecting on the hardships of the early days of BTS, perhaps the pull of returning home to the warmth and comfort was really powerful, while they were trying to fulfil their future promise of success whilst also wondering what it was they were searching or drifting towards. There is also a sense of tomorrow being rather scary - what would tomorrow bring, especially if they doubted their future.
There is also a sense of hope in the song as they are young and there is a decent future waiting for them. Suga also sings that their blood and sweat are truthful, so print their names on trophies, which again sounds like faith in their beliefs.
Personally, I really enjoyed the chorus sung by Namjoon and Jungkook - their voices really captured the feeling of the song for me. Perhaps it was like a parent and child combination; Namjoon (parent) saying come back home and Jungkook (child) accepting that home will warm his heart and offers protection from this rough life and he can also take time to complete himself.
My Time - Charlie
I am writing this a couple of days after Jungkook’s birthday, although it still feels like Jungkook day to me. I have been quite bias-wrecked by Jungkook lately, and maybe that is what swayed me to write about this solo. However, I may have written about it anyway, as My Time is one of my favourite songs from Map of the Soul: 7.
My love for this song has no closure or ability to be quenched, as I have not had the privilege of watching a live performance of it. This is true of all of the songs from Map of the Soul: 7 (other than the songs from Persona), but something about My Time has me putting it on full blast, waiting for the day that I can hear Jungkook sing this live. I remember just after lockdown started, having this thought as I listened to the song and fell in love with it all over again (as I do everytime I hear it): Even if I am at the back of the stadium, I need to hear My Time live.
Therefore, if BTS came back to Wembley, I would adore seeing My Time live. It is a beautiful song with an addictive chorus and post-chorus which is slow yet thrilling, cold yet fills me with warmth. It is a raw look at Jungkook’s thoughts, and how he views life as an idol. He cleverly uses the analogy of time differences and jetlag to explain the disconnect he feels between himself and others of his age who are not idols.
“I ran to where the sun rises every single night
It's like I've been to someone's tomorrow
The boy who found the world too big
Keep on runnin’ errday, mic pic it up
Friends ridin’ subway, I’ll be in the airplane mode
All over the world rock on, I made my own lotto”
The song starts with Jungkook singing in a suddenly fast tempo to mirror how quickly he feels he has grown up, only to slow at the choruses as he himself slows down and reflects on what he can and can’t do as an idol. The start of the song is my favourite bit as it clearly sets out where he is in life, who he is and how he feels about it. The chorus may refer to him addressing his childhood, or his sense of normalcy, and how it is slipping through his fingers. It is sad, but somehow Jungkook’s gentle vocals make it seem like he has accepted this, and he is saying that it is okay to just wait until you can find your time once again.
It is relatable in a way, for those who also don’t know if they’re living their lives correctly, but it is so Jungkook in how it has that gentle but determined hope running through it.
“Oh, I will call ya, I will hol' ya
Oh I will
And yes you know, yes you know
Oh, I will call ya, I will touch ya
Oh, I will
And you know”
ON - Michayla
I will take any opportunity I can to write about ‘ON’ because from the day it arrived at the doorstep of ARMYs, I have quite literally been obsessed with it. This song is quite possibly one of the most addictive songs and the very thought of seeing it performed live fills me with emotions that I am having trouble putting into words.
If you have watched the Kinetic Manifesto MV you will know what a stage performance of this song would be like with all the dancers and drums. One of my favourite performances live is ‘Mic Drop’ when all the dancers arrive on stage just before the dance break, it always looks amazing and BTS still manages to hold centre stage and shine.
‘ON’ has been a firm favourite in my household and that hasn’t waned in the 6 months since its release. The beat has flowed through my earbuds while out walking my dogs, both Mv’s have been watched regularly, it has blasted through my car speakers on the way to and from work after a bad day. I think it has probably been played for every situation I faced in the last few months and it fits everything!
As someone who has always had a particular liking for the higher pitched parts of songs, I have to say that Jungkook’s solo part blows me away every time I hear it and I’m not even going to describe how I feel about it in the Kinetic Manifesto version of the MV. It is this verse that I always sing loudly, unfortunately for everyone within earshot:
The real emotion of the song for me personally is one line:
‘Can't hold me down 'cuz you know I'm a fighter’
I think that 2020 has made the majority of us feel like we have been battling life and it is something I try and remember every day after coming through some extra tough times over the last 3 years. When ‘ON’ was released I had just won an appeal for an injustice that had consumed my life for 4 months so it really resonated with me and I like to think that BTS would be proud that I didn’t give up, even if I wanted to many times.
Paradise - Onomey
So when we were choosing the songs for this playlist, I was shocked to learn that this is a song that they have never performed live, which I think we can all agree is an absolute travesty because it is absolutely beautiful. It is such a great and pure chill R&B song which is becoming rare to see. There is minimal instrumentation which creates a relaxed feel alongside the warm synth chords and the quiet drum pattern that doesn’t make itself noticed too much as the vocals lead the song, the instrumentation is there with the sole purpose of providing an extra layer of warmth that makes you vibe to the song as soon as you hear them in the intro.
The vocals throughout are so well delivered, there's not one person who shines more than another. I like how constantly the chorus is layered with vocal harmonies as well as small riffs but you really have to listen out for them because everything is supposed to have a relaxed vibe about it because it is a song about paradise.
J-Hope's verse stands out to me just because his delivery makes his verse almost like a bridge as the volume of both the instrumentation and vocals quietens down as he delivers his rap in almost like a whisper as he builds it up into the alternative chorus outro. He has the talent to deliver his lines on the beat but twice so he is laying down 8 syllables to one bar which has four beats within the bar then switches it up to laying each word down on 3 beats per bar.
‘Yeah the world doesn’t have the right to swear
What is the way to dream a dream
Since they never taught us that
In the made-up dream, sleep-talk of tears
I wake you up from the nightmare for you
Now let’s try to smile every day, in that
Paradise’
The outro is perfect for performing for a crowd as even in the production of the song, they layer the main vocals multiple times as well as the higher octave vocals by Jimin to create an anthem type feel where thousands of people are singing along. To put it into better words, it makes it sound like the part in the song where if performed live, the boys would turn the microphone to ARMY for us to sing with them which is something that I would love to see as any moment like that within a concert is always special and intimate.
‘Stop runnin’ for nothin’ my friend
Now stop that foolish race
Stop runnin’ for nothin’ my friend
All the breaths you breathe are already in paradise
Stop runnin’ for nothin’ my friend
You don’t need something like a dream that everyone dreams
Stop runnin’ for nothin’ my friend
Every language that makes you, is already in paradise’
This week we wanted our theme to revolve around Dynamite so we have spelt out D.Y.N.A.M.I.T.E with BTS songs and used those to create the playlist.
Thank you to all who voted in our poll this week. Follow BTSRadioUK on Facebook and Twitter so you never miss a poll.
Light up your Spotify playlist with Dynamite here: D.Y.N.A.M.I.T.E
Dimple chosen by ARMY
Charlie - Dimple is a little gem in BTS’ discography. Without grand concepts or themes, Dimple is a sweet love song by the vocal line in which they fawn over the dimples of a girl they like. It fits the bubbly concept of the LY:Her album smoothly, although my opinion of it flipped once I saw their performances of it last year - it is now no longer just a sweet b-side, but a dangerous song with seductive choreography that switches the theme to making us think that it is BTS that are illegal, not the innocent dimples of the song.
Cheryl - Dimple winning this week’s poll; it’s such a fun song which the vocal line enjoy singing, I feel in a playful manner. Stating that a dimple is dangerous and that it should be illegal and then because of the existence of the girl with the dimple they call her illegirl. I personally find this so adorable. I also like the idea of wanting something even when you think it might be dangerous - it sounds a little bit tantalising. My favourite lyrics are:
‘That dimple is illegal ille~gal
No, it’s dangerous, oh yes
So I call you illegirl ille~girl
Your existence alone is a crime
Was it a mistake made by an angel?
Or a deep kiss?
That dimple is illegal ille~gal
But I want it anyway anyway anyway’
Michayla - This song is dangerous, it wasn’t classed as anything other than a sweet, lovely song until BTS performed it live at 5th Muster and since then it has taken on a whole new meaning. That performance, the choreography, the way it was delivered was nothing short of seductive and it suddenly became something not so innocent. I liked ‘Dimple’ before 5th Muster but now I can’t listen to it without seeing the imagery in my mind which is definitely not a bad thing. I wasn’t really surprised that this song won the poll, with Dream Glow second, it would appear that ‘Dimple’ is a firm favourite among us all.
Onomey - I like the electronic pop sound that they use throughout the song as it creates an atmosphere with the different effects such as long echos on the snare and reverb vocal shouts. This song has the power of making me smile by just reading the title because of how pure and cute the song sounds when listening to it and the fact that it makes me think of Jimin and RM with their adorable dimples when they smile. Lyrically, this is the song shouts of puppy love that could melt even the coldest of hearts when reading them. The key of this song is in F minor and the vocals are all perfect with each vocalist relying on each other as back up vocals and harmonies when needed which is why I love it so much when they perform this song live because they are reliant on each other rather than the backing track. My favourite section in this song without a doubt is the bridge because of the combination of V starting it off with his deep rich vocals in the most vulnerable section of the song combined with Jimin and Jin with Jungkook finishing that section off with hitting a C4 high note. I’d be crazy if I didn’t include Jin and his high note section around the last chorus that makes me repeat that small part of the song so my ears can enjoy how great it sounds with him singing the highest note of the song on a G4 note.
Danger - Charlie
“Dynamite” might be a retro track paying homage to classic artists and songs of past decades, but in terms of classic BTS tracks, “Danger” takes the cake for me. It has one of their most iconic choreographies with a memorable neck-rubbing move which adds to the frustrated schoolboy/crush concept of the song and the Dark & Wild era as a whole.
The song is about the frustrating feelings of being messed around by someone who you like, who is being unclear about their feelings for you, and is acting cold. Hormonal feelings of adolescence and that youthful anger of longing for the person you like to be more straightforward about liking you back are clear in the lyrics and boisterous nature of this song, which is very bass heavy and is punctuated with unique vocal flavours such as Taehyung’s growls and manly yells in the chorus.
“You hurt me so!
You hurt me so!
You hurt me so!
Don’t get me twisted”
All of the boys are so much younger, and yet their passion is so palpable from the aggression they display. Despite the sharp edges of the song, Jin and Jimin’s prechorus, which lends some softness to it with his pretty vocals, is my favourite part of the song. It slows it down to reveal the more melancholy side of this longing situation. As always, BTS give us a multifaceted view of a situation from different angles.
“You don’t have me inside but I’m full of you. It drives me crazy
But why are you doing this to me?
Why are you making a fool of me? Now I’m warning you!
Don’t get me twisted!”
Inner Child - Cheryl
Listening to the tender, beautiful song that is Inner Child, V’s voice is so delicate and then as the song builds to the chorus his voice becomes more and more powerful totally drawing the listener into the song and his world.
Inner Child relates to V looking back at his younger self and making comparisons between the then and now.
First verse:
‘At that time, we had it rough
While looking up at those stars in the sky, too far out of reach
You at that time, didn’t believe in galaxies
But I saw it, a silver galaxy
It must have hurt, it must have been so difficult
I ran towards the endless light’
I believe that here V is explaining how far he has grown, how as the younger V he didn’t believe in things that as a more mature V, he has witnessed for himself like the existence of galaxies.
I also feel like he is apologising to his inner child for pushing and striving for the endless light and that it must have been exhausting for the younger V to deal with his ambition.
Second verse:
‘Now I wish we would smile more
It will be okay, because today's me is doing fine
Yesterday's you, now it's all clear
I want to hug the many thorns in the budding rose
The smiling kid, the child who was always laughing brightly
When I see you like that, I can't help smiling’
This verse explores how V feels today and how he wishes he could smile more, which I find a little confusing because V does smile a lot, but I feel he also looks wistful and lost in another world sometimes. I also want to know more about the thorns that exist in his younger days. I love how he remembers the smiling child and how remembering that helps him smile today.
The bridge:
‘Tonight, if I reach my hand to yours
Can you hold that hand?
I'll become you
You just have to look at my galaxies
Be showered with all those stars
I'll give you my world
The lights illuminating your eyes, they're the me of now
You’re my boy, my boy
My boy, my boy, my boy’
The bridge is just so powerful and heartfelt. V is expressing his achievements and letting his inner child know that he shares them with him. The repeat of “my boy” helps explain that he is addressing his younger self and together with the repeat in the chorus of “We gon’ change” they will continue to grow together and just as the song draws us in, I also feel drawn to the idea of watching V grow.
Anpanman - Michayla
There was far too much choice this week and I appear to have been consumed by Dynamite and all the different versions so I used the vibrancy of that song to help me choose which song to write about. If you think ‘bright’ and ‘vibrant’ you will probably think of a few songs like ‘Boy With Luv’ and ‘Idol’ and I think ‘Anpanman’ would be one of those too.
‘Anpanman’ was our poll winner last week so obviously it is a favourite amongst ARMY and that is no surprise. The comeback stage performances are fantastic and if you haven't ever had the chance to see them, I would highly recommend searching them up. BTS also wowed us at MAMA 2018 with the special stage performance which I have added below because I love it. You might also remember the most recent performance at ‘BangBangCon’ with the character floating above the stage which was brilliant!
This song is so much fun to listen to and to watch. While listening to it you cannot fail to move your body and I often find myself singing along ‘Waiting for you, Anpanman’ at the top of my voice, especially in time with Tae at the very beginning.
‘Anpanman’ is a Japanese cartoon superhero, who is incredibly cute. BTS recognise that they might not be superheroes but they will be the best they can be. They want to be there for ARMY and for me this song encapsulates how hard they work and how much effort they put into everything.
‘Waiting for you, Anpanman
(Lemme hear ya say, lemme hear ya say)
Waiting for you, Anpanman
(Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up)
I’ll muster up the strength a little more
(Lemme hear ya say, lemme hear ya say)
I’ll be your strength
(Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up)’
BTS makes this song fun, the giant inflatable slides and obstacles that appeared on the extended stage during the Speak Yourself tour was absolutely amazing. The members bounced around and seemed to have so much fun while performing it, with Jimin turning his part with Namjoon into an ongoing comedic saga throughout the tour.
I will never forget the performance at Wembley because when Namjoon appeared on stage he was wearing a Tottenham Hotspur cap and as a huge Spurs fan and season ticket holder, my two worlds collided. It is a moment that is forever etched into my brain and was one of many reasons that Anpanman was one of my favourite stages from the tour on that day.
Attack on Bangtan - Onomey
This week I went with Attack On Bangtan as the A that made an acrostic of Dynamite. The song was released on September 11th and is the 6th track on the O!RUL8,2? album.
The intro for this song gives me vibes of old doo-wop songs with the use of acapella whilst shouting ‘rise like the BTS’ with a call and response effect used. What always shocks me sometimes when I don’t listen to this song for a while is that I forget how deep their vocals are in this song, especially Jimin as his vocals are full of grit. I am sure now we are all used to Jimin having high vocals as well as a lighter vocal sound.
Usually, the rap line doesn’t tend to brag about how great they are or if they do it is underlying in the lyrics so it may not be totally obvious. I love this song because from the first verse the boys are ok with bragging about their talents and how popular the group is because they deserve to be blunt about it so people can really see how great they are. The delivery of each of the rap line including JK variates whilst still showing their talents. For example, RM goes from the stuttering effect to speeding his lyrics up to almost flow with the drum pattern and using his vocals to emphasise certain phrases or parts of words. ‘The brave BTS, we also get out popularity bravely, ge ge get it. I’m Rap Monster, lightly sweeping away all of the rap retirees, be be beat it’.
Whereas J-Hope uses the rap-singing type in order to transition to the vocals smoothly with the pre-chorus being introduced. He still keeps to the theme RM uses of being blunt about the extent of which his talents are at but this time he refers to baseball and a rookie who set records in the sport.
‘My feet sound the alarm, announcing my entrance to the K-pop world
Look at my first bat, I hit a home run, if you’re not confident, put down your bat.
I shoot however I want on my stage but I still fill my ears with the cheers of the crowd
Yes, I’m the Hang Baek Ho on stage, I proved it, I’m just holding the mic’
The instrumentation used throughout this song has a slight marching band feel to it with the woodwind instruments being used and the heavy use of the snare which seems to be loud to create the illusion in your mind that you are marching alongside BTS into battle. I suppose this in a way is what makes the relationship between BTS and ARMY so special because we stand side by side throughout the good and bad times as it only makes us a stronger unit.
We have created so many playlists with so many themes and because BTS are so talented individually and as units, we realised we haven’t done a playlist that is purely OT7. This was a tough theme because we wanted to add every single OT7 song in BTS’ discography.
Which OT7 song would be at the top of your list? Come and tell us on Twitter @BTSRadioUK.
Meanwhile show some OT7 love by adding the playlist to your Spotify here: OT7 Heaven
Anpanman chosen by ARMY
Michayla - This song was the resounding winner this week with lots of you choosing it as your top choice out of the four fun songs we put into the poll. ‘Anpanman’ is a great OT7 song, especially when you watch BTS perform it and you see how much fun they have. During the Speak Yourself tour it became a game of cat and mouse with Jimin running away from Namjoon during their part where Namjoon is meant to give him the bread. On top of that they had the inflatable slides and they all had so much fun with it on stage. You can’t fail to smile and dance along when you hear this song and that is only magnified when you see the performances both on stage and during the comeback shows.
Charlie - When I hear Anpanman, I am transported back to Wembley, where I see that bouncy castle blow up and all the members bouncing around on it. It is a song which allows all 7 members to have fun together and just enjoy the stage that they deserve to be on, so I am very happy that it won the poll. To me, Anpanman signifies what BTS are all about: 7 “superheroes” that are here to make ARMY happy. The raps and vocal parts are equally bouncy and no members are left behind. My favourite part of the song is probably the bridge; it has an addictive flavour to it and makes us want the catchy song to end even less.
Cheryl - Anpanman won this week’s poll and I’m wondering if it’s due to the song being so uplifting and how it brings back fond memories of Namjoon in a spacesuit including the space helmet. I love the chorus and can picture BTS dancing to it doing the double claps:
Keep spinning and spinning my Anpan
Keep ballin’, ballin’ still Bangtan
As I open my eyes, I’m a hero, but still in maze
That young man, young man, young man
Keep secretly, secretly getting covered in bruises
But ballin’, ballin’ still Bangtan
Even if I’m hurt, I’m a hero, Put the fear behind
Anpanman, panman, panman
Whenever BTS performed the song they seemed to be having a blast and really enjoying themselves. Who could forget the massive colourful bouncy castle that appeared on their tour and how the members enjoyed sliding and jumping on it. Such a fun, joyous song!
Onomey - Anpanman won this week's poll by a large margin this week, I myself was conflicted on what song to vote for because both Anpanman and Go Go are very fun and bubbly songs that have choreography that has strong, sharp movements whilst also being simplistic enough for the average person who is not experienced in dance to which is awesome.
Anpanman has the ability to have anyone and everyone up dancing and having fun in my experience from playing the song and watching so many different live versions of it. When people see that dance routine and how they are having so much energetic filled fun which transcends through the screen. Before they know it they are belting out at the top of their voice ‘WAITING FOR YOU, ANPANMAN’. It is a silly and fun song to enjoy Lyrically my favourite section is Suga's verse as it lets you know how they approach their fame, that they feel that they need and want to help and be our heroes even if they know they can’t take on the world and defeat all of the world's evils.
‘I’m not a superhero
Don’t expect a lot
I can be your hero
I’m really not sure whether that even makes sense
But mom, I really need to do it
Who’s gonna do it if it isn’t me?
You can call me, say Anpan’
Boy With Luv - Michayla
The world was thrust into a haze of bright pink with the release of ‘Boy With Luv’ on 12th April 2019 as the title track of the first album in the Map Of The Soul series. It was the vibrancy of this track that inspired me to choose it this week since we have been blessed with the release of ‘Dynamite’.
The song is a collaboration with Halsey who has since become a treasured member of the BTS ARMY and has been shown lots of love and support ever since. The MV is so bright, I would recommend wearing sunglasses for anyone reading this who may not have seen it.
The BTS members always appear to love what they do and this really comes across in the MV as well as the comeback performances at the time. The vibrancy doesn’t just come from the bright pink outfits, Tae’s blue hair, Jimin’s orange hair or the colourful set, it comes from the boys themselves who shine!
‘Boy With Luv’ is the transition from ‘Boy In Luv’ from teenage angst to a more adult outlook where they say ‘love, there’s nothing stronger’.
There’s also a nod to the past and the mention of ‘Wings’:
‘Listen my my baby
(With the two wings that you gave me back then)
Now it's so high up here
I want you tuned in to my eyes
Yeah, you makin' me a boy with luv’
In the MV there are bright, neon signs with all their previous album names in lights, ‘Answer’, ‘Young forever’, ‘Wings’, ‘2 Cool 4 Skool’ to name a few. It really feels like a homage to the era's gone by and a celebration of everything since their debut.
I always find myself dancing and singing along to this song, it is one big ball of fun and that is what comes across every time I have watched them perform it. When it became a part of the Speak Yourself tour I was so excited and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. My Daughter and I were at day 2 in Paris and missed Halsey when she arrived on stage on day 1, which I am sure was great. This song is a fabulous collective song that is definitely worthy of a place on this week’s playlist.
No More Dream - Cheryl
I decided this week to write about No More Dream, partly because I am fascinated with the reference at the end of the ON music video where ‘No More Dream’ is shown and then is replaced with ‘Dream’. But also because I am intrigued with how BTS incorporate their back catalogue into their new releases.
No More Dream was released in 2013 and is on their first album 2 Cool 4 Skool. It’s an extremely bouncy song with a strong message and an insight into South Korea’s idealism and high expectations of their youth. Although I’m sure most parents around the world want their children to have big dreams and succeed in life and the path they choose but hopefully most will let their children decide for themselves. However, BTS are singing about having big dreams forced on them and the schooling behind those dreams. Did you know that some children in South Korea go to school from 8am till 4pm, then they clean the classroom, go home for dinner and then return to school or tutors till 10pm?
Reading the lyrics I can see the thoughts building for future Map of the Soul songs, as they are questioning who they are, what they believe in and how they see themselves - truly fascinating how their past songs link to their future ones.
The chorus (below) sounds angry and confrontational with BTS challenging the adults (or peers as I’m sure there is also peer pressure) about their own dreams - Do well yourself! There is also the repeated question of what’s your dream and then the question of ‘Is that your dream? when answered as if to say it’s not big enough, or perhaps it’s too big a dream - either way it is a knock back.
‘It's a lie you're such a liar
See me, see me ya, you're hypocrite
Why are you telling me to go another way? Do well yourself!
Don't push others!
(La la la la la)
Hey, what’s your dream?
Hey, what’s your dream?
Hey, what’s your dream?
Hey, is that your dream?’
Suga’s line is also referenced in other songs and most recently in Shadow:
‘I wanna big house, big cars & big rings
But in reality, I don't have any big dreams’
In Shadow Suga acknowledges that he has big dreams and his lyrics are:
‘The life you hoped for, the life you wanted
The life you chose: you achieved everything without regrets
And on top of that, you have a big house, big cars, big rings
All the things you wanted, you’ve got it all
So what’s the problem? Just enjoy it’
The outro for No More Dream has RM saying ‘To all the youngsters without dreams’
and I wonder how this links to ON, perhaps BTS are suggesting if you have No More Dream (as in big dreams) just dare to Dream?
Your Eyes Tell - Charlie
Upon picking a song to write about for our “OT7 Heaven” playlist, it was important for me to pick a song with a good line distribution, in which every member shines. As this song was composed by Jungkook, it sounds immaculately done with a decent line distribution. Despite it being a song which focuses on vocals, particularly in its stunning chorus with stellar high notes, the rap line are given ample time to shine in the verses.
As expected from such a thoughtful soul as Jungkook’s, the lyrics to this song are tender and sensitive. They are about going through tough times, but still knowing that things will be better if you stay with the person you love, who makes even the darkness beautiful. It is a stunning love song, which can also be interpreted as BTS comforting ARMY through tough times.
“Shadows of the past keep on chasing me
But the more I try to escape and struggle, the more it follows
But I still want to hold onto it, wherever you are I’ll find you
To a tomorrow of us”
Personally (and I wonder if you can also relate), I burst into tears hearing this song for the first time. The part that especially touches my heart is the chorus: the high notes by the vocal line have a gorgeous flow to them, and in the live performances I feel that I am seeing them putting their all into those notes. They purely emulate the desperately melancholy feeling that is required for a song that is also the OST for a romantic film. Indeed, the high notes draw out sobs from me every time.
“Even the darkness we see is so beautiful
Please believe me
Looking only directly at you
So you don't go away”
The rap line also shine in this song. Their raps have a slower tempo and are smooth to match the solemn mood of the song and complement the vocal parts. Rap line yet again show their versatility in this way, as their tones convey the hopeful lyrics beautifully. I particularly like it when the song nears its end, and I am halfway through my crying session, and Namjoon appears with his verse to slow me down and comfort me.
“To face the past and the future
How much hope is needed to reach you
It's nights like these that I keep on thinking
In the city at dusk”
As mentioned before, this song was composed by Jungkook, and I thank him for such a beautiful song that showcases the talents of himself and his hyungs. Your Eyes Tell was intended as a song for his mixtape, but I am very happy it was released now as it is just what ARMY needs right now: a song that allows us to cry, but also urges us to have hope and wait for BTS.
N.O - Onomey
My song for OT7 Heaven is N.O which was on the O!RUL8,2? album as the lead single in 2013. The instrumentation for this song is just spectacular, it alone is filled with passion and intensity through the way the strings are played which is known as brio which means with liveliness or with fire.
The rap line and their delivery throughout this song are hard, impactful and fierce. It captures your attention straight away by building up the tension for the plotline of the story to land. RM's hook is what makes the difference between a super sad song and a bop of a song whilst still lyrically keeping on topic. As it is the only part of the song that has a typical hook line that would be featured on a hip hop track where they would brag about all the things they have in life. This is why I think it is repeated in order to drive home the meaning of the song.
‘A good house, a good car, will these things bring happiness?
In Seoul to the sky, would your parents be happy?’
The vocal line also shines with their delivery of the chorus as they are shouting out the aggression that a whole generation feels towards another whilst showing off their vocal capabilities through random background riffs throughout the song. The body rolls during the chorus choreography are an extra bonus also.
‘Everybody say NO!
It’s not going to work anymore
Don’t be captured in other dreams
We roll (we roll) we roll (we roll) we roll’
I really enjoy the dub-step type dance break as it again shows off OT7 and their dances move, not only individually with J-hope, Jimin and Jungkook shining at this moment but they also shine as a unit that gels so well together. I like this section almost because it seems to me that it is the final powerful revolt to the norms that work to the point where the music is disrupted and a new creative sound completely takes over from the “boring” strings that were used in the intro of the song.
We were inspired by ‘In The Soop’ for this week’s outdoors themed playlist and ARMY on Facebook voted for their song choice to add to it.
Follow BTSRadioUK across social media for your chance to vote in future polls.
To include BTS in your outdoor activites add them to Spotify here: Outside with BTS
Spring Day chosen by ARMY
Charlie - I am not surprised that this song won the poll due to how beloved it is. It is perfect for days out in the spring, as it makes me feel nostalgic for the cold days of when it was released (especially now in this heatwave), and it also feels like a warm blanket when you feel cold and distant. Spring Day is entirely atmospheric and thrives in this style, and is therefore perfect for long, dramatic walks outside, or slow walks when you need a moment outside on your own to collect your thoughts.
Cheryl - Spring Day winning this week's poll, is not very surprising as it is a firm favourite of Army. With this week being an outdoor themed playlist, Spring Day is rather appropriate as the video is mainly filmed outside and the lyrics mention the weather quite a lot - a very British pastime. Although Spring Day was released in 2017, it is very current as BTS performed it recently, as part of “Dear Class of 2020“ - a virtual celebration ceremony for students who were graduating. I am almost certain that Spring Day would win any poll it is in, as it is such a special song with so many personal meanings, to so many people.
Michayla - ‘Spring Day’ is one of those songs that you instantly recognise from the second it begins and for me it is one of those rare songs that I adore the Japanese version of. This song is perfect for spending time outside, its melody creating a sense of calm on a beautiful day, the notes drift through the air and you really can transport yourself to anywhere you like. I live very close to cliffs and ‘Spring Day’ is just amazing when I’m watching the sea, a breeze blowing, sitting in my BTS bubble.
Onomey - It is not a surprise at all that Spring Day won because of its title. If it didn’t win the poll this week, especially due to the theme, I think it would’ve been a travesty. The idea of the song being about the struggles of transitioning from teenage years to adulthood is something I never would’ve thought it would be about as the boys cleverly use the transition of winter into spring as a way to describe how they felt during this period.
My favourite section of the song is definitely the bridge with V. It without a doubt gives me goosebumps and sometimes makes me cry listening to it just because of the rawness and emotion in his voice. It’s very hard not to think about the outdoors when mentioning this great track. Even though it was released in 2017, the meaning and the beauty of the song makes it beautiful and relevant to every age of listener which is why I think it has had constant love from people as if it had just been released recently. I’d be curious to know why the song makes them think of the outdoors or in what situations they tend to listen to it.
Dionysus - Cheryl
Personally I love the big powerful songs from BTS (Fake Love rock version, Blood Sweat and Tears and Danger to name a few). Dionysus is definitely big and powerful and the choreography is just so difficult, strong and powerful too.
When I first heard this song I knew it would be amazing to hear and see live - the lyrics “now I’m ready for the show” and “are you ready to get hyped up” set the mood for an amazing party.
Seeing the performance live at Wembley, as the opening act, no less. All members were dressed in white and looked amazing - full of self confidence and thoroughly enjoying themselves, the performance was just so thrilling.
The thumping of the fists on the set, reminded me of the scene in N.O. where Jungkook slams the desk and says No! as if they are standing up and enforcing what they believe in (rather like judges).
Suga’s lyrics in the bridge - born as an Idol and reborn as an artist - what does it matter if I’m an Idol or an artist - cheers. I believe this relates to the success of BTS being not just successful at home but worldwide and he wonders what does it matter - cheers; perhaps toasting their success.
Dionysus was the Greek god of wine but he was also known to change a room. When he entered people would dance as their inhibitions were reduced by wine and song, very similar to the affects that BTS have on their audience at concerts (no wine needed)!
Suga also says that the new record is a fight against oneself. This implies that he/they have to come to terms with themselves and I believe the success that they have achieved and everything that comes with the success; both good and bad.
I listened to Dr Murray Stein at the weekend discussing Jung and BTS and he mentioned how Dionysus is also part of shadow, a dark part of the personality, which makes Dionysus fit perfectly into the MOTS Persona album and correlates to Suga’s comments.
Good Day - Charlie
With the current heatwave, and looser restrictions allowing us to enjoy more days out, it is a good time to start thinking positively about the light at the end of the tunnel that is 2020, and to listen to cheery music to keep our spirits up.
“I said it's alright, oh yeah
One day it'll be a good day, for sure
You won't be alone, always
I'll be by your side, we'll be okay
(If) we're connected, surely it'll be brighter tomorrow”
Good Day is one of my favourite Japanese releases by BTS, because rather than making me cry, it makes me smile. It is truly uplifting, and is criminally underrated as a comforting song in my opinion. The song is so very wholesome, and is simply about uplifting your friends and assuring them that things will get better, and good days will come. It is relatable, as even worries about money and appearance are given a mention. This makes the track utterly endearing, and so smiling somehow becomes irresistible when this song plays.
“Showing off at this point, no thanks
Even without money, just seeing you is OK
So don't worry, let's laugh again
Yep bro, always the same
Yep bro, by your side”
J-hope’s best verse” discourse is rampant on the timeline, but I believe that his verse in Good Day should be given more acknowledgement. It is so wonderfully “Hobi” in how he mentions swag and hope, and it helps the whole song feel more lighthearted. Unlike other comforting songs like Spring Day and Zero O Clock, this song is less serious and takes a gentler approach to cheering one up.
“Laughing with friends until the end of our thoughts
Ma friend, don't be afraid
The swag amongst those who can hold on to their hope seriously
Ay
Hold up
Grab onto my hand
Let's fly! We in Gangnam
Now cheers! The Champagne that pops”
Despite its more lighthearted tone, the signature BTS sentiment of “I won’t just tell you it’s okay, I’ll let you complain first” is present as ever, and shows itself in Namjoon’s verse. This verse is my emotional support verse; it’s just incredibly sweet and perfect after a hard day. Maybe that is the lyrics, or just Namjoon’s voice that makes one feel safe.
“You can depend on me
You can say "it's hard"
To me
You can lean on me, lay on me
Lean on me”
Autumn Leaves - Michayla
This might appear to be a strange choice given the wonderfully sunny weather we have been having in the UK recently but I chose it because even with the sun shining, life still feels really difficult at times. We have been able to spend more time outside and I personally find ‘Autumn Leaves’ to be a thought provoking song. It is also one of those songs that you hum along to and can quite easily close your eyes and drift away.
The song is about loss, essentially, the loss of a relationship that was once vibrant but is changing like the leaves on a tree going from Summer to Autumn. Even though BTS talk about a love that is being lost, I think we could apply the lyrics to other situations in our lives where change is happening and we are trying to hold on in vain.
“Today of all days, the much quieter night
One leaf left clinging to a branch
It’s shattering, I see the end
Dead leaves becoming dried
The silence inside your aloof heart
Please don’t leave me
Please don’t leave me, crumbling dead leaves”
The situation with the pandemic this year has led to so much uncertainty in life and has been a stark reminder that sometimes we can try to, but we can’t always control things. There are times when we simply have to accept the way things are and that has never been more prevalent than it is now. Many of us have had time to reflect on our lives and reassess things like our jobs or even where we live and many have decided to take a different path. BTS have always taught us that there are times when we need to accept life as it is and be brave enough to make changes in order for us to move forward.
“Even if my branch doesn’t shake
They constantly fall
Right, my love must fall
In order to rise”
Depending on what it is that I am doing whilst outside, I like to listen to certain BTS songs and this is definitely one of those songs where I can sit back and relax. ‘Autumn Leaves’ is the self reflecting song, where you can be the tree reinventing yourself if you choose to. The world has changed and I think this is something that we all need to accept in time as we approach the end of what has been a very difficult year. As I sit in the sunshine, or walk around where I live, I know there are many aspects of this year that I will be thinking about.
Stay Gold - Onomey
I think this is one of the catchiest Japanese songs by BTS in my opinion because of the powerful and strong chorus and post chorus hook. It is there to inspire, to spark that light in your mind and to have you singing it over and over again to ensure that you never lose that meaning or feeling of warmth and inspiration.
When I think of the song, I can hear the octave spaced out piano chord harmonies at that Jungkook sings over in a wispy almost falsetto and quiet vocal tone that almost sends me into a trance when singing ‘in a world where you feel cold, you’ve got to stay gold The song then progresses into the plucked sounding chords for the Suga's verse whilst he raps lightly over it to allow the song to slowly build.
This song I’m sure was made for the purpose of having it blasting out of your speakers outside as you shout out the chorus to release any feelings of self doubt and absorb feelings of positivity and confidence instead. It’s great to listen to when you are on a journey/adventure or maybe out on a run.
Stay gold, even in a dream
Stay gold, I’ll find you
Stay gold, gold, I want to see you
Stay gold, you are everything
Stay gold, for all of you
Stay gold, my heart will be fascinated’
This post chorus hook is so simple in its words but yet so beautiful and difficult vocally as the vocal line just as they add a few small yet difficult to deliver vocal runs at the end of every three stay golds. It is such a great and clever ear worm as it keeps you wanting more after the chorus.
‘Stay, gold, stay gold, stay gold
Stay gold, stay gold, stay gold
Stay gold, stay gold, stay gold
Stay gold, stay gold, stay gold
Stay gold
Eternally, forever gold’
As we all look forward to the upcoming release of BTS’ new single ‘Dynamite’, the title of it had us thinking about those powerful songs that really have impact in one way or another.
Which song first comes to your mind? Follow us on social media and let us know @BTSRadioUK
Add a powerful playlist to your Spotify at the following link: Powerful by BTS
Baepsae chosen by ARMY
Michayla - No one can argue that Baepsae (Silver Spoon) is impactful because it is, in a few ways. The political message makes it powerful especially for the youth of Korea who live in the very system BTS talks about. I do wish this song had an MV but at least we have the dance practice which is highly entertaining on many levels. The song itself packs a punch and it is one of the songs that always gets me moving. This is undoubtedly one of my favourites.
Onomey - Baepsae is so full of energy and power that catches onto you like fire. As soon as that main melody is played as the intro of the song, straight away you’re ready for the heavy beat to come in and wipe you off your feet with RM shouting ‘THEY CALL ME, BAEPSAE’. I’d like to know if there is a human out there who could listen to this song without at least bopping their heads to it. It is filled with an attitude towards the system that puts young people down which I’m all for as well as having a fire beat for all to dance and vibe to. I notice that the beat is so powerful that when the boys perform the song live, they almost lose any sense of awareness as they totally get lost within the song and bounce to it. It has the capability to join people as one whole entity to groove to which is what makes the song dynamite to me as a powerful beat and groove is universal.
Charlie - Baepsae is certainly a song that gets ARMY’s hearts racing. Whether it is performed live (and Namjoon is hip thrusting right in front of thousands of ARMYs), or in a Kpop party where we cannot see them perform but boy do we visualise it, it always results in screams of joy. I am not surprised this song won the poll, as it is pleasingly still a beloved song 4 years after its release. It is also a song that makes ARMY feel empowered in a way, as it is a song that criticises the older generation for how they look down upon the youth for the problems that have been caused by the older generation themselves, or at least those of them who are in positions of authority. It is an angry, determined side of the Young Forever concept, as opposed to the nostalgic and morose tracks like Run and I Need U. It gives a rebellious edge to the concept of growing up, and is therefore fitting for a playlist about volatility.
Cheryl - With Baepsae winning the Facebook poll this week - what can I say other than it’s one of my all time favourites. The song is about how hard the younger generation have it with the added pressure of telling them to try harder and put in extra effort from those that have gone before and how it makes their skin crawl.
My favourite part is the bridge:
‘It’s my fault, you’re joking, right?
This is fair? Oh are you crazy?
This is right?
You must be kiddin’ me
You must be kiddin’ me
You you must be kiddin’ me’
Burn It - Michayla
This was the song that jumped out at me when I first listened to Agust D-2 when it was released in May this year. The song features American music artist ‘MAX’ whose voice really struck me, I love the tone, and it sounds so great with Yoongi’s voice.
The song itself could be interpreted in a few ways, either way I believe it is about ridding yourself of something and starting afresh. It could be a complete change within yourself in order to move forward, it could be ridding your life of certain people. It feels like the type of drastic change that you need to make when you are at your wits end and simply can’t go on with life as it is.
‘I see the ashes falling out your window
There's someone in the mirror that you don't know
And everything was all wrong
So burn it till it's all gone’
When I hear the song and read the lyrics I think about a phoenix rising from the ashes and wonder if this is how Yoongi feels about his life at times? He has always been open about his struggles and he has overcome a lot to get to where he is today. His first verse in ‘Burn It’ explains this perfectly:
‘Let's go back to the past days, ey
The time that had destroyed me, ey
Jealousy, hatred, and the feeling of inferiority
The life held captive to resentments, ey
What has changed in me compared to then? ey
I don't know, I'm not much different, ey
Let's burn it, my past self
It would burn again to the deepest pits below, to the very last
Set fire to it, more fire to it, wonder what will remain thereafter
I don't know I don't know, after it's all burnt
We don't know if there'd be ashes left, or will it remain the same’
Whether you are metaphorically burning down a version of yourself or an element of your life, it is a decision that takes courage. It isn’t always easy but at times, things get worse before they get better. Listening to ‘Burn It’ gives me motivation, it gives me that fire in my belly to want to make changes to enable me to move forwards.
2nd Grade - Charlie
If there was ever a song to make me burst with energy, it would be Second Grade. When I was first getting to know the b-sides of BTS’ discography, this track stood out to me as one that was full of fun. It felt fresh, and even now it feels sort of timeless. This is fitting for a song that is about the daunting nature of the passing of time and growing up.
“At the blink of an eye, I went to grade 2
Pulling on my chains again cause time flowing fast”
This song is one to get the crowd smiling and bouncing, with its sweet vocals from a younger vocal line, including Taehyung’s growls that I still love to hear. We also have playful aspects to it such as Jungkook’s “annyeonghaseyo!” to mimic a younger student greeting their seniors. We also have energetic raps including Hoseok’s legendary verse in which he raps in 4 different flows. This song really does have it all.
“Work hard play hard right
A year passed like a miracle bye
But what to do? I’m getting worried
I might be a bit more comfortable but there’s still so much to learn
Every time I get a break, the teacher keeps nagging
“You need to take the test!”
What do you mean test
Teacher, we are human too”
This song will drive energy into a crowd, as it carries the frustrations of being pushed through an education system and having to start working hard again in your second year of school. BTS parallel this by comparing it to their second year of being idols, in a beautiful display of “We may be idols, but we go through similar frustrations that you do and we just want to play and burn energy too”.
With this being a song about BTS’ second year, it feels surreal to look back on now that we are experiencing their seventh year. We have gone from “I’m already in my second year” to “after seven winters and springs”.
On a brighter note, it is a very cute song to listen to now that we know what they have achieved ever since feeling these frustrations of being younger idols. They sing in this track about setting the stage on fire, but today they have achieved way more than they thought possible back then. Despite their youth and ignorance of their bright future, we can still hear 2014 Bangtan’s passion and fiery determination through this song. Even their signature “bang it bang it” which is so reminiscent of their debut years, is so wonderfully Bangtan.
Baseline - Onomey
This week’s theme of dynamite song was slightly difficult for me personally because you can have variations of songs that are dynamite especially when it comes to BTS and their talents in being able to release song after song that is major tunes. Songs can be fire and explosive that are slow in instrumentation but powerful lyrically as well as songs that are upbeat and dynamite in production but may not have dynamite lyrics so this week’s theme was so interesting.
The mixtape Hope World by J-Hope seems like it was released so long ago when in reality it was only as recently as 2018. I hold onto the hope that there will be a Hope World pt 2 or a J-Hope solo album soon as I will be excited to see if he sticks with the similar sound that he created for this album or whether he will change things completely.
The song informs the listener of the foundations of his life and where his love of music originates from so it can help people who may not know about him be more aware of where he started from and how he built everything on showing gratitude towards those who helped him become the man he is today. The lyrics are very straight to the point in its structure, it goes from the introduction that allows you to understand and become one with the character which is where he said ‘you’re in my world’.
J-Hope has named the song well as it has a very strong and powerful bass kick that you can feel through your soul. It reminds me of really the really ‘old skool’ hip-hop mixtape tracks with the use of the vinyl scratching breaks which no doubt came from his love for street dancing and listening to that genre on repeat growing.
‘Street dance, 10 years
Rap that’s shaped through the rhythm of my body
Now a name tag, top class
But my life plan still boils my blood’
The rapping flow is what makes the whole song complete and adds the extra fire to the song because it is as hard-hitting as the kick drum as he rides the beat with aggression whilst also being able to have fun with it at certain points by inserting fun shouting sections.
The fact that the song is so explosive, full of texture and soul in such a short amount of time, shows how much effort is put into every song that he takes part in. There is a reason why this song went viral with the baseline challenge because the song makes you want to let all your energy out and dance your heart out along to J-Hope.
Danger - Cheryl
Personally, I have always enjoyed Danger and watching the video today, it struck me how much BTS have grown up and matured. What I am trying to say is how young they look and how much hunger and passion they had for the success they are currently achieving. I’m not saying that they are no longer hungry or passionate but that they seem to be enjoying their achievements, so there is an air of maturity about them.
Danger was released in 2014 and is the title track for their album Dark and Wild.
I believe Danger is about being in a relationship, where one feels that the relationship is rather one sided and that the other person doesn’t have the same depth of feelings as them. I feel the pre-chorus expresses this:
‘You don’t have me inside but I’m full of you. It drives me crazy
But why are you doing this to me?
Why are you making a fool of me? Now I’m warning you!
Don’t get me twisted!’
I think that the danger relates to how far the relationship can be pushed before they become twisted. Hopefully, as this particular relationship doesn’t appear to be a healthy equal one, it will end before they or their heart becomes twisted!
More examples of the relationship being unequal are;
‘You only care about yourself like you are just you
Does your phone work right? Really?
Am I really your boy friend? I’m sick of this!
Why are you holding back your expression of love like you put off your homework?
Is it like a business relationship for you? Or Do you hate me or what?
We are like parallel lines. We are so different though we both are looking at the same place
You are the only one that I got inside but I feel like that I’m outside of you
Whenever I turn sulky you ask me, “Are you mad at me?”
My favourite verse belongs to J-Hope:
‘Contact. Absence. Unlock. Wanted
I’m searching for your real intention
You always send me just 1 or 2 line of text messages and that’s it
Was this really love I’ve wanted and dreamed?
Where is the love story filled with ups and downs?
Get soap opera heroes and heroines out of my way!
I am tearing my hair out like hundreds of times
You are so calm and feel no guilty, and you kick my ass’
I feel this verse is rather relatable whether in a new or established relationship. Phones have the power for us to question how important we are to someone else. If a text is sent we hope for a fast reply and even the length of the message becomes important.
The question, "is this really the love that I have dreamed of?" is really an important one and could also belong in the Love Yourself era.
Memories - BTS
A Karaoke Playlist
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