Reviewing BE
Reviewing BE
BTS' new album BE was released last Friday, 20th November 2020; their most personal album to date, not only did BTS members all have a hand in composition and production, but they also took up the roles which oversaw the visuals, direction, and promotion of the album. There was a lot of expectations from ARMY regarding what the album would look and sound like, and its pretty safe to say that they were not disappointed.
As I am writing this I am tuned in to BBC Radio 1's Official Chart Show with Scott Mills, waiting with bated breath to find out where the album has landed on our UK Album Charts. Fingers crossed! - Shinara Hussain
Our playlist team took the opportunity to review the album, here's what they have to say:
Life Goes On - Onomey
To me, the song is very familiar-sounding but yet at the same time sounds very different to what they and others have done before due to the authentic human-sounding instrumentation used like mouth clicks highlighting out the beat and the acoustic guitar and what sounds like conga drums.
When I heard this song for the first time, it gave me vibes of “Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat due to the relaxed and easy listening sound of the song and the intricate and difficult vocals that they pulled off with ease. The similarities of both songs are clear during the choruses of both songs when the harmonies are used as in both there is one who is singing roughly an octave above the normal vocals which sweetens the overall sound, making it a pleasure to listen to. The vocal line is split into pairs during these sections with Jungkook and Jin, and then V and Jimin. In their pairs, they both take turns in singing the octave and normal vocals allowing them all to show their range and keeping you interested in the song when listening.
I always appreciate songs where we get blessed with beautiful vocals from the rap line as it is clear to see how much they have improved in that area and how much their confidence has grown. They’re still able to keep that rap sound to the vocals which are what gives to the song an edge, Suga especially stood out to me with his mmm mmm mmm mmm mumble similar to his song brilliant song, “People”.
The song is able to relate to how everyone in the world is feeling right now with Covid. Most of us are fed up of being stuck indoors, feeling like you can't breathe and as though we are losing ourselves slowly due to the boring same isolated routines we’ve been in for almost a year with no sight of the future to look at. In reality, we know that in the blink of an eye this pandemic will be over and soon everyone will forget about everything we have had to go through and carry on with their normal lives once again which is why the song is titled “Life Goes On”.
Just when I thought the song couldn’t get any more beautiful, the song ends with amazing adlibs between Jimin and V both together and as a back and forth. Thank you, boys, for this beautifully put together song. If you haven’t checked out the lyrics to this song I would definitely suggest doing so as it makes the song more special.
I love how the music video was directed by Jungkook; he did a great job with this video, especially during a pandemic. I like how the video reflects this too with the boys hanging out in their pyjamas whilst still being able to do something that highlights the seriousness and massive impact the pandemic has had by singing in a huge empty stadium.
Fly To My Room - Cheryl
Fly to my room is a song about how the pandemic has changed everyone's lives and how many people are confined to their homes. This song is about changing your mindset from being blue and depressed because you're stuck in doors, to embracing the situation and seeing your room as an open room with endless opportunities and scope for dreams and change.
I am wondering how many people in their homes have actually changed the room they spend the most time in, perhaps by decorating or adding some soft furnishings, or even attending some jobs that they hadn't had the time to complete etc?
With the lyrics "zoom anywhere" I am wondering if this refers to the amount of zoom meetings being had with people all over the world. Zoom has enabled family members to reconnect, work meetings to take place and even people to play games in groups. Zoom has really taken off during this pandemic.
I can totally relate to this verse:
Everyday
It's so
frustrating, it's driving me crazy
Feel like it's
still day one
Somebody turn back
the clock
The entire year got stolen
This room is all I
have
Then, what can I do
here?
Into my world
Let's change it, yeah
It really does feel as this year has been stolen, everyone's plans have changed one way or another. Being in one room is totally relatable but, I do like the question What can I do here? it sounds hopeful and empowering and then into my world and let's change it - this just really grabs me and makes me excited to think of the possibility of change.
Within the song there is a reference to how small the room has become and I think this can be transferred to everyone's lives. Due to the pandemic and quarantine laws we cannot travel freely and holidays have been cancelled but, throughout all the hardships we are encountering, BTS are sending us their healing words of wisdom - how safe the room feels, how it hugs us and allows us to dream big. Therefore being safe in our own homes is a comfort. Also the idea that if you change your thoughts then a negative can become a positive and by doing so the negative task becomes and enjoyable one.
Fly to my room is a
delicate upbeat song, where the members voices can be heard prominently above
the gentle background music, which somehow makes their message more clear.
Blue & Grey - Michayla
This song was eagerly anticipated due to the snippet that was heard during an episode of ‘In The Soop’ and detective ARMYs were on the case. Hopes were raised especially when the tracklist for BE was released and it was looking likely that it was in fact the same song. During the comeback live, Taehyung explained that ‘Blue & Grey’ was written in English and was intended for his mixtape but the members heard it and wanted to work it into the album, I’m so pleased they did.
The first time I heard it, I found it difficult to ignore the emotions I felt, it is essentially a sad song so that is conveyed somewhat. This doesn’t detract from the beauty of it though and the members' voices are all so beautiful that I couldn’t help but fall in love with it. I have always found comfort in the tone of Taehyung’s voice and this song really showcases his talent with the rich tone and the higher pitches. The gentle sound of ‘Blue & Grey’ really allows us to hear the voices of all the members so clearly and I love that because individually they all provoke different feelings and bring something unique to every song.
I can relate to the lyrics on a personal level, not as a struggling artist but as someone who has experienced depression and feels lost. The lyrics make me feel sad that Taehyung has felt like this but I’m also pleased that he channels it into his music and can obviously be open about it.
My hands have reached out countless times
Colorless echo
Oh, this ground feels so heavier
The lyrics are definitely fitting for the pandemic situation that the world has faced this year and continues to face. Lockdown has meant that many are without family and friends, that feeling of loneliness is all too familiar for so many people. There is also the fact that ARMYs and BTS have had the tour cancelled, a time that should have been extreme happiness, replaced with an uncertainty, which is difficult for everyone involved. While watching MOTS ONE I felt blue at times because I miss them so much and you could see how much it has affected the members too.
‘I felt when I walked on the cold winter streets
The sound of my fast heartbeat breathing
I still feel it
Don't say it's okay
'Cause it's not okay
Please don't leave me alone, it hurts too much’
‘Blue & Grey’ is a stunning addition to the album and I am thankful that it was included. I do hope that somewhere along the line, Taehyung will release the English version because I adore the pronunciation of words and I would love to hear it as he first intended. This song is a melancholic gem on an album that reflects a year that has indeed been ‘Blue & Grey’.
Skit - Charlie
This is BTS’ first skit since their Billboard Music Awards speech that was included in Love Yourself: Her in 2017, and it records the members’ spontaneous reactions to their very first Billboard #1 with Dynamite, which they achieved this year.
And then at the end, we hear Namjoon ask Hoseok, “is this what happiness feels like?”, which is the cherry on the cake for me. When BTS were first creating ideas for this album, they were probably far from happy, and not expecting to feel this pure happiness that radiates from this sweet skit. So, for that to be the last line of this Skit, it feels like a reminder that happiness can still be found in the most stressful times.
The placing of this track is very important. It comes after the more melancholy-sounding tracks, and all of the songs after it are more upbeat in spite of their sometimes sad lyrics. To me, that is because the Skit represents a turning point in BTS’ way of thinking this year. They hit a roadblock when their tour was postponed, and felt depressed, but then their Billboard achievement made them realise that ARMY will always make them smile and give them something to celebrate, even when BTS haven’t been able to perform in person for us this year. The Skit puts a pause on all of the sad music and puts things into perspective by giving us an authentic look at how this year has given something good to BTS and ARMY, and given us something to celebrate.
I always adore the skits, seeing them as underdogs of their albums, and I am so happy that this album was the one to return the skits tradition to BTS’s discography. Its inclusion means that the Billboard number one was a turning point in BTS’s career just as much as their first ever BBMAs win was, and even more than that.
Telepathy - Michayla
The intro is probably one of my favourite introductions to a song, the first 18 seconds take me to a place of tranquility, I really like the sounds a lot. Once the vocals kicked in, I was already sold on this song and that was before I knew that the lyrics are about BTS missing ARMY.
'Telepathy' is so cheerful and it definitely makes me smile. There is a section of the verse that Hobi and Jungkook sing that I feel is exactly how they want us to feel, to immerse ourselves in a world outside of the negativity we are experiencing right now.
'Worries are useless for a while
Let it go for a while
Let's have fun together, remembering together'
I really think that every time BTS go live, put a post on Weverse or Twitter and especially the MOTS ONE concert, those lyrics are exactly what they want us to feel. For anyone that has read my recent song pieces in the Playlist Team blog, you will know that I have mentioned how important our memories are at a time like this and those lyrics say the same. It is so easy to allow memories to fade at a time when we should be creating new ones but we need to keep those memories alive to get us through until we are with BTS again.
My favourite verse in ‘Telepathy’ is sung exquisitely by Taehyung and Jungkook the first time we hear it. I feel it really encapsulates my feelings as ARMY and it really does feel like a personal message from the members to their devoted fandom:
‘Even though we’re far away now
Our hearts are still the same
Even if you’re not by my side, yeah
Even if I’m not by your side, yeah
You know we’re together’
Dis-ease - Charlie
“Maybе
It's because I'm sick
Becausе of my many thoughts
I hate that
I'm not so simple
I'm too young, my body's the only grown up”
Produced and written by J-Hope, Ivan Jackson Rosenberg, GHSTLOOP, RM, Pdogg, Suga, Jimin and Randy Runyon, Dis-ease is about an ambivalent feeling that I know I relate to, and I’m sure many others related to this year: the struggle to relax, even when a lockdown means that you have to put a hold on work. The BTS members have made it clear how hard it has been for them to take this forced break from concerts this year, and the heartbreaking lyrics of this song make it even more apparent - even if the catchy beat of this song tricked me into thinking that the message would be lighthearted.
This track, with all its record scratches and classic rap flows which make it reminiscent of a 2014 BTS track, is about how BTS have wondered if the real ‘disease’ for them has been their inability to feel ‘at ease’ as they struggle to distract themselves from the pressure to be productive during the pandemic. As the coronavirus led to such pressures, with people anxious about making it known that they had spent their time at home productively, this song is very important to our times. It questions whether it makes someone sick that they are unmotivated during the pandemic, or whether the world’s capitalistic tendencies to make people feel useless for relaxing, is really the thing that is sick.
The bridge of this song is my favourite part, as it explodes into absolutely gorgeous vocals by our vocalists. It sums up the mood of the song: a pressure to keep going on and working harder than ever, even when the world is going through a literal crisis. Jimin wrote this part in around 4 minutes, and I have to point out how incredible his mind is as I have been tempted to have this bit on repeat, and would do so immediately if I weren’t determined to give every single second of this song the streams it deserves.
“Sick and tired
But I don’t wanna mess up
'Cause life goes on
Through the fire
I'll walk more like myself, woah
(Walk it, walk it, walk it)”
Stay - Cheryl
Upon listening to the lyrics this really feels like a song created by BTS for Army - it appears to be about BTS knowing that their fans are not going to leave them, they know we will always Stay. BTS's Army are very loyal and the lyrics show some hope that BTS and Army will be together again in the future (or at least in memory) with the lyrics:
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