Weekly Playlist - 2021
Butter On YouTube
With ARMY working so hard to stream and buy Butter, the playlist team thought they would focus on YouTube this week. Follow @BTSRADIOUK on Twitter (also Instagram and Facebook) for information on how to stream effectively and take a look at the BTS Radio UK YouTube channel for some great videos and lots of playlists.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoYOmaXXGQzC-mvmBHb4RjAOzoiiLnEw8
Butter Special Performance - chosen by ARMY
Michayla - Once I’d got over the shock of the Billboard performance losing out in this week’s poll (which is where my vote went), I was able to focus on the Special performance which won by a landslide. Firstly, this version is not only fun but it is so light and airy due to the setting for the video. The members look so ‘buttery’ in their casual outfits which are all tones of white, yellow and beige and they look relaxed. Taehyung’s hair is a mass of gorgeous fluffy curls and Yoongi looks super cute in a baseball cap. The choreo is as on point as always and Jungkook’s body roll is effective, no matter what he is wearing.
Charlie - After the classiness of the BBMAs and Stephen Colbert performances, the special performance video gave another side to this song and how its performances can be. The boys are dressed in more casual wear, with shorts and baggy tops and jeans, but the professionalism and charisma they exude is still very much present. Smooth zooms in and out of our pastel-wearing Tannies show the bounciness of their movements as well as their charming facial expressions. This is such a feel-good video, and is helping to make Summer feel Summery.
Cheryl - With Butter Special Performance video winning this week’s poll, having watched it I find there is something simple and uncomplicated about the performance. Now, I’m not saying that the dance moves aren’t complicated, I think it’s the fact that BTS make it all look so effortless and that matched with their muted outfits somehow make for a clean and simple video. What I really liked about this performance is that with all I’ve mentioned above, you can tell how much fun they are having and that they are enjoying this Butter experience.
Onomey - Omg, this version is very well titled. I’m not even surprised that it won this week's poll. I’m internally screaming when writing this like we probably are. As in previous blogs, I absolutely adore dance, so this is right up my alley. The setting in which it is filmed adds that extra bit of spice as they all look incredibly good with the different shades of yellow, white, and blue colour theme with a white and clear windowed background makes the video look amazing. Like I said previously, I love dancing so the middle 8 break is my favourite section. Any time J-Hope gets to lose control in his dancing, it is always a beautiful sight to see. Speaking of beautiful sight to see, I didn’t notice it the first time around but why did the boys have to do that hip swivel around 1:48 in slow motion with the camera panning from left to right like they were moving with the boys. There was absolutely no need for them to do that but I am not complaining. The smooth transitions into the different sections of dance flowed so well throughout the video, there wasn't any point where I was wanting more as it was packed full of different movements which can be very difficult to do without making them look so obvious. Top marks, BTS. Thank you for spoiling us with so many versions of Butter as it is an absolute bop.
ON (Grand Central Terminal Performance) - Michayla
I don’t really need any excuse to write about this song or any one of the MV’s / performances of it but when this week’s playlist presented itself to me, I just had to write about it. Choosing which version to write about was the toughest part because the comeback shows were all so amazing too, despite the lack of an audience thanks to Covid-19.
On 8th February 2020 just before the whole world was thrust into the pandemic nightmare, BTS were in America for the MOTS: 7 comeback and on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The album, which is absolutely one of my favourites, had ‘ON’ as its title track and if you are a regular reader of these blog pieces, you will know that I am addicted to the song. Performing at Grand Central Station in New York was no easy task but it now adds BTS to a cluster of artists who have also graced the historic terminal, like Linkin Park and Sir Paul McCartney.
The performance was filmed in the early hours of the morning after the terminal was closed and before the cleaning staff arrived to prepare the station for reopening at 5:15am. The backdrop for the performance was as grand as you can get and I can only imagine what it must have been like to have witnessed it in person, especially as I have been lucky enough to have been to the station in 2019. The stage was as grand as the setting, with dancers and drummers and of course BTS put 110% into every movement and vocal.
The outfits and entire look for ‘ON’ is definitely one of my favourites too and I really thought they looked like the concept suited the grandeur of the famous terminal. I am sure the band would have sounded fantastic with the acoustics of the grand room, not to mention how amazing the music would have sounded as it filtered through the air. The terminal is a ginormous public space and the planning involved to pull off something like that must have been intense but they did it and what an amazing performance it is. If you haven’t seen the video, look no further, sit back and enjoy it because you won’t be disappointed.
Black Swan (Dance Practice) - Cheryl
This week we are taking a look at YouTube videos and when the Black Swan dance practice was added to our playlist, I just knew I had to write about it. Black Swan for me is just a powerfully seductive song with deep heartfelt lyrics about fear, loss and despair. The dance moves are all on point and the choreography just showcases the flair of BTS.
I know I have watched the video rather a lot, but haven’t given it much attention lately with Dynamite and Butter, but my Black Swan go to performance has always been The Late Late Show with James Corden, there is just something so sensual and intimate about BTS performing in bare feet – so imagine my surprise when about two thirds into the video when I realised, yes you guessed it, they have bare feet. So how come I hadn’t noticed it, well I have to say I think I was mesmerised by their body bopping moves, blonde Jimin, V in a large grey headband and the way Jungkook’s hair flies about, but still always falls back in place. Another noticeable feature of this video is their hand extensions – their fingers really are an extension of their bodies and amplify the movements beautifully.
In the beginning of the video all the members stay perfectly still for about 5 seconds and I find myself wondering if the video has paused, even though I can hear the music playing. Their control and muscle tone must be very strong to be able to hold their poses throughout, especially with the complicated dance moves thrown in for good measure. I am trying to find my favourite part of this video and boy, am I having trouble – this is a truly impossible task for me.
I touched on the lyrics earlier but just wanted to revisit them and chose my favourite lines from Black Swan;
A slow heartbeat in my ears
Bump, bump, bump
Trying to escape with no avail
Jump, jump, jump
No tune affects me anymore
Weeping a silent cry
These lyrics are just so painful and sad – but they are beautiful and I find myself wanting to make sure they are OK and that someone is looking after them, perhaps that is my maternal instincts kicking in. The first portion of the pre-chorus belongs to V and his body pumping moves and then Jimin comes with contemporary dance moves – somehow their dancing incorporates the aggressiveness of the emotions expressed in the lyrics and then the reaching and grasping of despair from Jimin, where he even puts his hands over his mouth as if to stop words or screams from coming forth.
The song itself is about losing the enjoyment and passion for music and how this would be their first death, which they find very frightening. The one thing that gives me comfort, is that in many recent interviews the members have expressed that they have many years of entertainment still inside themselves – so we have a lot to look forward to. In the recent Rolling Stone interview Jimin said that he sees himself sitting on a stool, on a stage performing in 40 years time, I for one hope to be there.
Fire - Charlie
As this week we were looking at YouTube videos, this was a great opportunity to view and appreciate the Fire MV again in all its car-smashing, 3:33-dancing, crowd surfing glory. BTS said that they released Butter partly because they hadn’t released a proper Summer anthem since Fire, so it’s as good a time as any to remind you of how iconic it was.
“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
Burning up”
The start of the music video is as calm as it gets here, with the boys listening to Fire on the radio behind a cage which has the word YOUTH adorning it. A hooded man approaches them, and there is all sorts of tension as Yoongi approaches him - as he shakes his hand, the in-your-face music kicks in, making me jump almost every time, and the man starts to become engulfed in flames before Yoongi smirks and delivers his famous “bultaoreune” line.
This is the rebellious side to Young Forever-era BTS. Their usually soft and emotional ballads from this album are pushed to the side for an absolutely mad video. Cars are getting dropped from the sky, the boys are ironing each other and cheering next to the blue flames of a hob which looks more like a DJ set - maybe it is a DJ set, I don’t even know - and by the end of the video, they’re performing in front of a crowd of people and Taehyung ends up crowd-surfing. It shows the more rebellious side to their youthful image, and the part of youth where you just want to party and have fun and not feel the heartbreak that is mentioned in the rest of the album.
“Hey, turn it up
Until the dawn is gone
It's ok to just live because we're still young
Who do you think you are to say otherwise
Stop comparing, I'm only human”
Only this music video could truly match the heat, passion, and energy that is present in this song. It is a hot summer song in every sense of the word.
Shadow - Onomey
I chose to write about Shadow because I absolutely love the different cinematic foreshadowing effects throughout the MV. I love the emo vibe to this song. It is filled with such heavy emotion from start to finish that picks you up and takes you on the deep journey down into Suga’s inner darkness that he tries to consistently run away from.
The MV is filled with dark colours throughout the video apart from the beige colours that Suga wears. The only times that he wears dark clothes seems to be when his shadow self is confronting him. The song begins with Suga writing down his aspirations in the field that he loves so much, music. He repeats this mantra ‘I wanna be a rap star, I wanna be the top, I wanna be a rockstar, I want it all mine, I wanna be rich, I wanna be the king’. The difference between the first and second time he says this mantra is that the first time he says that he freezes when he tries to say another thing that he wants to be and then starts again from the beginning of the mantra whilst adding ‘I want to be me’. Proceeds to run after his dream in the music video when he says ‘I want a big thing, oh boy let me see, I got a big dream’
The scene then transitions into him on top of a box stage that he is about to fall off of as he was running before this but he manages to stop himself. When he looks up he is confused as to why he stood on the stage alone with many people looking at my phone with their phones in their hands recording his every move.
Once he goes forwards with all his might and enthusiasm, he is quickly hit with the realisation that his former self who was inspired to attack his dream was now dealing with the realisation that he underestimated how lovely being at the top of his field really is. As a result, he starts to doubt themself wondering how to combat the shadow that is now in his life constantly, is very loud in his head, and is growing day by day, leaving himself to ponder what options he has to escape it.
The chorus on this song especially fills me with goosebumps as you can hear the desperate outcry of emotion as he lets us know that he just wanted to become successful, he didn’t know that it would come with such consequences that he had to face alone. It has left him feeling wary of his successes in life because he doesn’t want to shine too much in case his shadow starts to appear more and more, to the point where he loses who he is, so resorts to begging ‘please don’t let me shine, don’t let me down, don’t let me fly, now I’m scared, don’t let me shine’. When Sugas shadow then takes over, he flashes back to his intro mantra, he does it in a sarcastic way. The shadow is mimicking Suga before then laying down what the truth of the matter is. ‘Yeah, I’m you. you are me, now do you know. Yeah, you are me, I’m you, now you do know’. His shadow is letting Suga know that he is not going anywhere as they are one. Suga may find times where he battles with his shadow to the point where it becomes a burden on his mind so it may be easier to try and accept some parts of it to avoid further pain.
The complete change of beat in this outro breakdown is my favourite part of the song because it hits you like a truck. You aren’t expecting it at all and the MV does a great job of putting a visual representation of how annoying, overbearing, and arrogant your shadow can be once it shows its ugly side. It made me think that that is what Suga feels his head is like when the fight between the two parts of himself begins. The camera is going crazy, things are smashing, there are so many people around him suffocating him, he’s stuck in a box of mirrors constantly looking at himself, judging himself then it finishes on him now being in the black outfit on stage. In other words, he’s now accepted his shadow.
It was interesting to watch Suga play a number of different roles throughout this video and pull it off completely. His acting skills are next level in this MV due to the way he expresses every movement and delivery of lyrics. He makes you believe every bit of pain that is endured through the lyrics like they are your own problems which shows how talented he is.
Butter, Of Course
The playlist team has been consumed by Butter this week, with a theme that includes all the BTS songs that begin with B, U, T, E and R. The playlist counts for streaming too, so we’ve covered all bases.
Do you have a favourite ‘B’ song? ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears’ was our poll winner this week, is that your top ‘B’ song?
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and tell us which song you would choose.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6BiVlcpXtnHu9C213sILZp?si=b0df69c2354943e1
Blood Sweat & Tears chosen by ARMY
Michayla - This week, I voted for ‘Boy In Luv’ because that is one of my absolute favourites and is probably on every single personal playlist that I create. It was a difficult choice because the 4 options were all amazing. ‘Blood Sweat & Tears’ is an iconic BTS song so I wasn’t surprised that it won with a huge 47% of the votes. This is one song that has a story behind it and the MV is so much more than just a music video. If you aren’t familiar with the MV, the link is below, look out for Jin’s cracked face at the end… poor Jin, giving in to temptation.
Cheryl - This week Blood, Sweat, and Tears won the poll (my choice), so of course I am thrilled and delighted that so many of you agreed with me. Blood Sweat & Tears is a masterpiece as far as I am concerned with all the hidden meanings in both the lyrics and the videos and although Butter doesn’t have the same depth, I believe it is going to be an even bigger hit than Dynamite and will be a huge summer hit. Whilst writing this, Butter has just charted straight in at No.3 on the UK charts which is a huge achievement. It’s also been added to Radio 1’s A list, so there is still time to get the No.1 position. Stay fighting!
Charlie - Out of all the many BTS songs that start with B, I am known to have a bias for Blood, Sweat and Tears. It is a seductive and beautiful title track which is fun to dance to while still having a deep message about temptation and growing up. It is a turning point in BTS' discography in my eyes, and was also a turning point in my love for BTS. Just as Butter shows a new, mature side to BTS, Blood, Sweat and Tears shows their sexier side without having to try too hard - it is effortless and a top tier BTS track.
Onomey - Wow, I thought that this week's poll songs would be a bit closer in the final results but I was wrong as Blood, Sweat & Tears dominated. What I love about this song is that it is able to put actual art within a song. Everything about this song is very artistic, from the MV to the choreography to the lyrics, vocals, and production of the song. It takes you on a journey of emotions and tells a story the way a painting would. The thing I adore most about this song is the way the rap line are used as the narrators of the story being told as they deliver it in a silky smooth like butter way (yes, I meant that). Let's not forget about the beautiful delivery of the choruses by the vocal line. I get goosebumps just thinking about how amazing the delivery of ‘my blood, sweat, tears, and my last dance. Take it all away, my blood, sweat, tears and my cold breath’. It baffles me every time I listen to it, how they are able to put imagery in my head of someone reaching out for help as they struggle to resist the temptation. The mixture of genres being used creates a build-up of tension and an explosion of color especially during the section where J-Hope sings ‘I want you a lot, a lot, a lot with the support of the synthesized hook used throughout the song as well as the outro. I imagine fireworks during these sections which always have me vibing to the song. It is actually impressive how many great songs BTS have that start with a B. I wonder if they do this deliberately but then again, all of BTS’ songs are iconic.
Blue and Grey - Cheryl
For this week’s playlist I have chosen to write about Blue and Grey, as it begins with the letter ‘B’, which now stands for Butter. Blue and Grey was written by V for his mixtape, but it was taken and adapted for the BE album; RM, Suga and J-Hope then also contributed with the lyrics. V also assisted with the production of this song. BE was written during the pandemic and Blue and Grey reflects the thoughts and feelings that BTS were experiencing during this time, which makes for a deep, melancholic song covering topics such as; depression, anxiety and loneliness. This beautiful sad song has a delicate melody which caresses BTS vocals and soothes the meaningful lyrics.
‘Where is my angel?
The end of a tiring day
Someone come and save me, please
Is overshadowed by a sigh
I guess everyone’s happy
Can you look at me? ‘Cause I am blue and grey
The tears reflected in the mirror mean
My colours hid in the smile, blue and grey’
With the Intro it would appear that they are looking for guidance from someone or something larger than themselves and wish for someone to save them and how they wish to be seen as they are blue and grey. This makes me wonder if at this time, they feel as if the colours hid in the smile relates to their use of makeup and how this would present a false self to the world, as they appear happy and colourful on the outside, whereas inside they are feeling down and have been crying and that they wish someone could actually see the real them. Also, upon looking out at others they feel that everyone else is happy, but not them.
‘I really don’t know what went wrong
I grew up with a blue question mark in my mind
Maybe that’s why I’ve been fighting for my life
But looking behind, I’m standing here dazed
The powerful shadow swallows me
The question mark is still blue
Is it anxiety or depression?
Am I just an animal that regrets
Or is it me born out of loneliness?
I still don’t know, the ferocious blue
I hope I don't get eaten away, I'll find the exit’
Suga’s verse has so many depths to it, he talks about growing up with a blue question mark in his mind, which makes me wonder about his mental health issues, which I know he has spoken about and the struggles he had to endure for his passion of writing music. Where he questions if he was born out of loneliness, perhaps he is expressing that his drive for success, without the support of his parents made him feel lonely and this pushed him even further to succeed and prove himself. There is the hint that even when he feels the ferocity of blue, he will find an exit, which is rather reassuring.
What I have noticed with Suga’s verse is that in some previous songs, his verse comes nearer the end of the song and offers encouragement (a light at the end of the tunnel), but in this case it is placed earlier and stays with the theme of being Blue and Grey offering a small glimmer of light.
Throughout the song there are references to feeling cold, lonely (singing by myself) and wanting to be happier. Although this song has a sad feel and deep lyrics addressing mental health issues, by doing so, I feel like we are being seen and mirrored by their words which is both comforting and reassuring.
Baseline - Onomey
My song beginning with a B to celebrate the release of ‘Butter’ is ‘Baseline’ because it’s such a great hype song which is what is needed upon a new release. I have this song in my own ‘Butter’ streaming playlist too so I’m glad it was included in the teams' list.
Why is this song so short J-Hope? Why? The fact that he thought of this song as an interlude, baffles me because it is such a great track.
I’m glad he gifted a track that lays out the foundations of his life and career on such a hard-hitting but fluid track. It kind of sums up J-Hope in a way. The bass line used throughout the song kind of glides in fluidity in a repeated sequence along with the punchy kick drum is a perfect backing track to do body wave, b-boying, popping, and locking type dancing which is what J-Hope is best known for. It tends to have me whipping out my old hip-hop dance moves for sure. Especially during the parts where he delivers him to rap in an aggressive way because it hypes you up.
I do wish we had got an MV for this where we get to watch J-Hope dance hip hop style for a minute and a half. I would love every second of it for sure.
‘Street dance
10 years
Rap that’s shaped through the rhythm of my body’
This line from the song is what makes J-Hope special to me. I like the way he delivers how he began rapping. To me, it shows how wide his skill range in rap is because he danced for 10 years previously, soaking up every beat and flow that he danced to then transforming that into his rapping ability. The way he can so easily throw out numerous different flows within a song or ‘song to song’, always astonishes me. Even in this 1 minute 30 seconds we see an attacking rap flow, a chilled talking tone, a shouting tone, and a normal voiced tone.
In both songs, we get lyrics from J-Hope highlighting the group's hard work, with ‘and you know we don’t stop’ in butter and ‘I debuted because I worked harder than anyone. I slept less and did more, for myself’, from Baseline to Butter you can see the massive growth in J-Hope and BTS as a whole.
Boy Meets Evil - Charlie
Boy Meets Evil is perhaps my favourite album intro, and my favourite J-hope track. Plus, to me it is meticulously produced, smooth, and just as seductive as Butter, so it fits the vibe BTS have been giving lately.
“The light of my future is dimming
Because of my childish love, I lost my way on a path of dream
The venom of my ambition, I sharpened my knife every day
But because of my uncontrollable greed, my knife became dull”
As the introduction to the Wings album, Boy Meets Evil tells the story of a boy who has only just fallen into the temptation that he then falls further into in Blood, Sweat and Tears. It starts off quite muted, yet foreboding. It is the type of song that you know is about to build, to get more powerful and pull you in deeper.
Hoseok’s voice helps with this warning mood. His voice is deeper than usual, and raspier, and by the time the verse ends, you hear his desperate emotions as he tells us of how he has completely lost his way.
“It was crazy good
I was an idiot addicted to the sweetness
Yeah, an idiot
I didn’t want to let go of the devil's touch”
Despite how much I love the darker tones of this song, it does not lose its touch despite the dance-music style of the chorus. It still feels dark and gloomy despite the energy that the music, and Hoseok himself, injects into it.
When the song reaches its end, it is like he has thrown all his energy into it, and it slows down, like he has exhausted himself with how much he has lamented about his temptation. But it is not resolved; he simply repeats “it’s too evil”, because he has not been saved from it. And that is what makes it such a brilliant intro.
Badbye - Michayla
This week we had to make Butter our theme because the song has quite literally swooped in and taken over our lives. When Dynamite was released we used BTS songs to spell out ‘Dynamite’ but spelling out ‘Butter’ was slightly more tricky due to ‘UGH’ and ‘Uhgood’ providing the only ‘U’s’. Due to the fact that I recently wrote about ‘Everythingoes’ from Namjoon’s 2018 mixtape, Mono, I thought I would write about another gem from that amazing album.
‘Badbye’ is a collaboration with the South Korean singer and songwriter eAeon who has had a string of albums and recently joined forces with Namjoon again on a track called ‘Don’t’ which is the title track on ‘Fragile’ (eAeon’s album released this year). I think it is lovely that Namjoon is the one who approached eAeon via Twitter back in 2015 and they’ve since formed a friendship.
Of the 7 songs on Mono, ‘Badbye’ is by far the shortest in length at 1 minute and 52 seconds. It is quite a haunting track and the title is named so because it is the opposite of ‘goodbye’. It is about someone coping with the pain they are experiencing and this could refer to mental or physical anguish. We all know what an intelligent, deep thinker Namjoon is and the fact that this song could be seen as so simple, I would say means that it was probably intended that way.
The repetitive lyrics are significant because I feel that represents a monotonous cycle that many of us understand when we are stuck in limbo. There are situations and thoughts that loop in our mind and more often than not it can feel hopeless when you can’t break the cycle. I believe this is true whether the pain you experience is a physical pain or due to mental ill health, both can be binding.
‘Kill me, kill me softly
Kill me, kill me softly
Kill me, kill me softly
Have me be scattered as fragments
Kill me, kill me softly (kill me)
Kill me, kill me softly (kill me)
Kill me, kill me softly
Have me scattered as fragments’
‘Badbye’ is essentially at the opposite end of the scale to ‘Butter’ which is upbeat and a celebration of life it would seem. This is one thing that I absolutely adore about BTS, one minute you are listening to a song so deep with intensive lyrics and the next you are dancing around your lounge singing at the top of your voice having fun. It is this diversity and complete genius that makes me proud to be ARMY and explains why I admire and love BTS so much.
Excitement by BTS
It would have been impossible to ignore the buzz of excitement amongst ARMY this week with the impending and subsequent release of Butter so the Playlist Team have made that their focus. The playlist (link below) can be used for streaming on Spotify with it giving you your 10 streams if you listen to it all the way through, which then means you can move on to another platform for your next 10 streams.
We’ve got you covered, BTS ARMY.
Add some excitement to your Spotify playlist here: Excitement by BTS
Butter chosen by ARMY
Charlie - I have been so excited for Butter to come out, and the concept photos and teasers felt like when I saw the Dynamite teaser for the first time - I was hungry for more, so desperate to find out what this new song would sound like. Especially as the teasers made it sound like it'd be exactly my kind of song. The song is just as funky as I imagined, and it is certainly as addictive as BTS said that it would be. It is timeless, retro and modern at the same time, and I love how happy, upbeat and FUN BTS' latest music is. They just want to make us smile and that is so evident, to the extent that they name-dropped ARMY in the actual lyrics.
Michayla - Excitement is one word to describe the intense butterflies that I was feeling leading up to release, I even enjoyed the fun involved when doing the poll this week. The single releases seem to be as big, if not bigger than the actual album comebacks nowadays and with all the teasers and concept pictures it was difficult not to be excited. I knew I’d be at work all day, so I had to ensure my alarm was set for earlier than usual and boy is ‘Butter’ catchy! I listened to it all morning before leaving for work, on my journey, during lunch and on my way home! I can’t wait to spend the time learning the lyrics so I can sing it properly because it is a total bop and I feel fully justified for being so excited.
Cheryl - I have been enjoying the build up to Butter over the recent weeks and have been intrigued with the concept photos of BTS in lifts, the different hair colours, the leather and the frills. However, my favourite teaser was the very short video of BTS tilting their heads and sending kisses to what appears to be a sample from Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". My initial thoughts on watching and listening to Butter for the very first time, is that there is a lot going on for me to process in one view. I think the song is going to grow on me the more I become familiar with the lyrics and the video. I am personally hoping for an acoustic version like we had for Dynamite and am intrigued with what BTS will gift us.
Onomey - I was very excited but nervous at the same time to see what song would follow ‘Dynamite’ which was and still is such a HUGE song. From the teasers, it seems to have a funky beat which sort of leaves it in that same disco vibe as ‘Dynamite’ which was cool to see. My first thoughts of the song were that it screamed of a summer pop hit as it made me think of the sun shining straight away. It had such a chill but fun and energetic vibe that had me grooving to the beat the moment I heard it. I for sure will have this on repeat!
Black Swan - Cheryl
This week I have chosen Black Swan as the song that excites me and I really hope to see it performed in person sometime, hopefully not too far away.
So, what is it about Black Swan that I personally find exciting…. Hmm I think it has to be the choreography and the outfits, which are just beautiful, romantic and set my heart racing. As I am sure I have mentioned before, the performance on The Late Late Show with James Corden - BTS with their bare feet and the water in the background which was both sensual and mesmerising, is my all time favourite. But the recent performance on the MMA was also incredible – it was as if they were dancing on ice, the way Jungkook lifts Jimin and gracefully spins and I love how it is shown in slow motion too and not forgetting the backing dancers gracefully lifting the other members too.
The bridge is like a tease, do what you like with me and that leaves me wondering what I like, so please tell me – there is a feeling of being lost and also alone and with the background of trees in many of the performances, this makes me think of Disney films like Sleeping Beauty or Snow White where the princesses are surrounded by trees and there is a sense of pending doom.
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
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
Maybe it is the darkness of the lyrics together with the choreography which excites me, the way we are drawn into the depths of BTS’ deepest thoughts and fears is also tantalising and fascinating. I guess I would imagine that with all the love and respect they receive from Army they would be eternally happy, but the eloquent way they let us know their feelings is really special and feels very real and this is what excites me too.
We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal - Michayla
This week I had a terrible time trying to decide which song to write about and I will hold ‘Butter’ responsible because I haven’t been able to think about much else! There are so many songs that excite me for different reasons and some of those reasons are linked to memories of seeing those songs performed live. The sheer excitement of Dionysus takes me back to the Speak Yourself tour and that moment BTS appeared on stage for the first time. ‘Tear’ is a whole different level of excitement but the buzz from seeing the rap line kill it is still there even now. ‘Mic Drop (full length version)’, undoubtedly raises my temperature at the point the dance break kicks in and boy is that exciting! Then there’s ‘Come Back Home’ and the performance at 4th Muster, ‘Just Dance’ because Hobi always performs with such enthusiasm and of course ‘ON’ because anyone that knows me knows that I could attribute any emotion to that song and make it fit! So you see… this week was tough.
My final decision came down to a different kind of excitement, one that is magnified by hope because I hope more than anything to be able to see BTS perform ‘We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal’ live one day. As the world begins to heal from the devastation and restrictions of the pandemic, I have a new excitement that maybe a live concert will happen again one day and I want nothing more than to have the final moment of a show, standing side by side with ARMY singing along to this song.
The MV for this song was released as part of Festa in 2020 and I am always so surprised by the small number of views it has… not even 73 million. The MV is one emotional animated journey accompanied by equally sentimental lyrics. The journey goes through the eras, ‘No More Dream’, ‘Danger’, ‘Boy In Luv’, ‘Young Forever’ and ‘I Need U’ to name a few. The lyrics talk about the dreams they had at the start and how hard they worked:
‘We had nothing but dreams
Nothing but foggy mornings when we opened our eyes
We stayed up all night to dance and sing
The endless music sheets’
This song completes the bulletproof set of songs after parts one and two and what an emotional conclusion it is. A massive part of the song is the moment that BTS acknowledge that they were only seven but not any more. The way that ARMY is celebrated and portrayed in the MV is enough to make anyone cry. We are the purple whale that carries the seven BTS members to the stage and explodes into little purple lights forming a purple galaxy. I think by the time the ARMY logo appears with a bridge leading to it and the lyrics ‘We are not seven with you.’ are sung, I was a bit of a mess.
‘We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal'' is so incredibly beautiful and I wish the MV had the views that I think it deserves. This song fills me with excitement and hope for the future and an intense warmth that can only be felt because I know that the group I adore loves me right back.
DNA (Pedal 2 LA mix) - Charlie
As someone who was waiting for Rock BTS for many years, the Pedal 2 LA mix of DNA is something that gets me very, VERY excited. Somehow, just by taking the vocals of a very fun, pop-style BTS title track and adding the rock instrumental, this incredible song which sounds like it was made for the rock genre in the first place, is created. With how pop-y the original song is, I’m surprised at how addictive and seamless the rock version is.
“Don't worry, love
None of this is a coincidence
We're totally different, baby
Because we're the two who found our destiny”
This version of DNA gets me so excited because it instantly starts with audience cheering noises (and nothing gets me emotional-hyped like the sound of an audience yelling out for their favourite song), echoes of Jungkook’s line “In the previous life and maybe the next too / We’re eternally together”, and then the guitar kicks in and then the drums and we’re instantly sucked into a fantastic instrumental. And that’s before the vocals have even started.
The momentum of the song never dips. Not even at the raps which should not sound so fitting, or even at the bridge which is where the song slows down. All the way through, I get concert vibes from this song. As I’ve been waiting for a BTS live album and we haven’t yet had one, DNA Pedal 2 LA Mix is the closest I’m getting for now and that’s why the song gets me so excited.
“Our meeting is like a mathematical formula
Commandments of religion, providence of the universe
The evidence of destiny given to me
You're the source of my dream”
Come Back Home - Onomey
So, the original of this song is a mega tune. It is an unbelievable track and has a legendary status as well as the group, Seo Taiji and Boys, who released this song originally in 1995.
Then why I chose this track as my song this week is because as soon as I hate even thinking about this song it gets me excited. I'm not quite sure why those both excite me regardless of the reason. BTS did such a great job of covering this song and making up their own as if you had never heard of the original you just think that this was a released song on the album.
The song is brought in with a lone electric bass guitar before the song is filled with new electronic and current beats with clap sounding hi-hats that draw you in while clapping out the tempo of the song before the beat drops for J-Hope to say ‘cause I’m comin’ back home’ which I’m usually shouting all over the place as I get super hyped to it. This is when I get blown away by a strong sub-based kick that makes, what I would describe as a bomb-dropping effect which then changes the song again. This theme of constantly changing different elements of the song in quick succession but keeping the core element of it is something that excites me very much as a listener. It makes me pay attention to every detail going on throughout the song just in case something new is brought in.
The combination of Jin's falsetto intro hook ‘What am I trying so hard to find now? Where am I continuously drifting to?’ and the deep-sounding synth combines so well as his vocals sit lightly on top. Words can’t describe how amazing he sounds during this section.
The post-chorus section is so clever as it keeps me excited and enticed into the song whilst also dropping the level of vibe but still keeping an upbeat vibe by having the adlibs of ‘Yah’ and ‘ayyy’ alongside it so when the chorus is brought back in, it has the same effect on the listener as it did the first time around. I know that I find myself joining in shouting ‘AYYYYY’ to this section.
The lyrics of the songs are obviously surrounding a dark topic but it’s the way that the boys have transformed this song to make it an upbeat almost party vibe with sections such as the ‘come back to my home, come back home with V, Jimin and Jungkook section which completely change the song and gets me extra hype to a new level than before.
The rarity of which this song gets spoken about probably adds to why it gets me excited the moment I hear it being mentioned or when I listen to it because I’m reminded of how great of a hip hop dance track it really is.
'Today We Fight' by BTS
With all the voting and streaming going on at the moment, it's necessary to have that fighting feeling and embrace a winning mentality. This week the playlist team have devised a playlist to encompass this.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1iiBz8TEfWd4MLL8gca43j?si=769161c3dc1b484c
Fire chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I felt sorry for Danger this week, as it languished at the bottom of our poll with 3% of the votes. However, it was Fire that steamed ahead and beat Dionysus for the top spot. I don't think anyone can argue that Fire is a motivational song and indeed creates that fighting feeling. It's highly energetic and vibrant, it has lyrics you can sing and an MV that is captivating. This song certainly is a winner and gives that winning feeling.
Cheryl - The winner of this week’s motivational poll was Fire, with Dionysus a rather close second. Personally these are my two of my favourite strong songs from the BTS songbook. As soon as Suga says “bultaoreune” with his attitude, I was hooked. The vibe and passion of this song sure does scream motivation and power, let alone the video of BTS setting fire to people and objects, just gives the illusion of being able to accomplish anything.
Charlie - I mention in my song review of Give it to Me, that the Brit awards lit a fire for ARMY’s determination to keep helping BTS win. Therefore, Fire is a perfect choice this week. It is about our fire to succeed, but the lyrics seem to reflect how we feel after winning. Fire is about being able to dance around and have fun, knowing that you’ve worked hard enough and you deserve to be happy. It is a party song, and feels like a celebration, partly because it reminds me of happy memories, concerts and stellar awards show performances. It is one of their most impactful tracks - it’s difficult to match the energy and intensity of Fire.
Onomey - If I were to use a few words to describe ‘Fire’ I would say powerful, direct, and aggressive. When I hear this song, I feel as though I am being punched in the face with energy which we all need every now and again. The EDM song is very anthemic as well as cozy with the use of aggressive saw-toned synthesizers as well as loopy, fun synths that work in harmony together which is something very different but well sounding. ‘Fire’ is on multiple playlists of mine because it encourages me to work out, to work harder, cheer me up and energize me. It has several ear wormed hooks that catch you straight away. ‘Live however you want, it’s your life anyway. Stop trying, it’s okay to lose. Makes me calm down and get ready to fight against whatever may come my way as I tend to forget that it’s ok to lose sometimes. I absolutely LOVE the lyrics in the bridge as it’s gathering all of those who are scared and suffering from things, getting us to unite and fight back as one and release the demons that are on top of us. ‘Lift up your fists, all night long. With marching footsteps, jump and go crazy. The transition into the final outro chorus is amazing because of the choreography used in it and the fact that it's like an explosion of fire which is like stress relief to me when I start dancing around to that section.
Give It To Me - Charlie
With the Billboard Music Awards and iHeart voting underway, and the Brits lighting a fire under us to grab BTS many, many wins, I thought Give it To Me was an apt choice to write about for this playlist. This song is specifically about Yoongi’s desire for fame and success, and we want to give it to him with our voting power.
“Gi give it to me
Money, honor, whatever it may be bring it to me
Fame flashlight
Gi give it to me (gi give it to me)
I don’t mind whatever it may be so bring it to me”
I adore Give it to Me every time I hear it; from beginning to end it has a sinister edge to it, enhanced by the distorted voices under the track and the laughing that Yoongi does, resembling a man who has gone mad with power, or is simply amused by how the success keeps pouring in. Yoongi’s rapping style in it has a bite just as vicious as his bark. It is about the ambitious, hungry side to Yoongi, a side of him that longs for more power and respect. Specifically, it is about how much more deserving he is of it, than others in the industry who have not worked as hard as him. That is where the frustrated anger so clearly present in the track comes in.
“I’m the public enemy, the hyungs
Who benefited by slandering us
Every one of them had the taste of money
They say two things with one mouth
And head to the big companies
What you know about me?”
ARMY knows how much BTS deserve to win everything they are nominated for, and therefore the anger and the hungry determination present in Agust D’s songs, not least in Give it To Me, are cathartic and representative of how we feel when we say that BTS deserves to win.
Wings - Cheryl
This week’s playlist is all about motivation and positivity, so I decided to write about Wings, as this was the first song that popped into my mind due to its positive vibe and lyrics. Unfortunately, what I hadn’t taken into consideration was the emotional rollercoaster of a ride, when watching them perform this song live on YouTube and how I was quickly transported back to June 2019 and Wembley! Gosh I miss them and am sitting here wondering when we will get the chance to see them perform in person again?
Anyway, back to Wings and the lyrics. With the opening first lines of the song, I just feel that this song was written to be performed as RM tells us to raise our arms to the sky if we are feeling the vibe and are ready to fly. He then gives the control over to J-Hope who’s lyrics are:
I remember my childhood
Because I had no big worries
I knew these small feathers would become wings
I knew the wings would make me fly
I had that faith
Along with laughter
The imagery of small feathers growing on a small child and having the faith that these small feathers would grow into wings that would enable this small boy to fly, is just so powerful.
RM’s verse:
I went on the road that I was told not to go
I did things I was told not to do
I wanted things I couldn’t want
I got hurt and hurt again
You can call me stupid
Then I’ll just smile
I don’t wanna succeed
By doing things I don’t wanna do
I’m pushing myself
Word
The strength in this verse, the courage of doing what you want, rather than what others expect, the ambition of wanting things you couldn’t have and getting hurt over and over again – still finding the inner strength to strive for what you want – so empowering. The words “I’m pushing myself” just shows that he’s not waiting or allowing others to push him – but then sometimes those that push themselves push harder than anyone could possibly push, in order to achieve their dreams – I feel that this is entirely BTS’ work ethic.
“Word” being the final word of this verse is curious for me, I wonder if RM uses this last word as a play on words and that he is expressing “words are mightier than the sword” from the quote “the pen is mightier than the sword” meaning that writing is more powerful than fighting.
Suga’s verse is just so uplifting, he mentions how things may seem difficult right now, but that he has faith that the end will be great and that he believes in you, having Suga in your corner is just so comforting as we know he has had his own personal struggles and yet he still wants to support others, what a beautiful human being. He also follows on from J-Hope’s verse stating that his back is aching with the anticipation of his wings to appear so that he can fly and he tells himself not to be scared, as this is just the first flight – this just sounds like a personal pep talk which I am sure we have all done to ourselves at some point, breathe and take baby steps.
J-Hope’s verse brings the song to an end with encouragement and no regrets, he has unconditional trust and will not be sad, he will embrace his future and fly off to the sky.
The energy of this song just explodes in my ears, the beautiful lyrics of the verses surrounded by the vocals of Jungkook, Jin, Jimin and V and then there is their passion when they perform it on stage, in front of Army – like I said, such an emotional experience. Enjoy!
Base Line - Michayla
‘Base Line’ is the 4th track on Hobi’s 2018 mixtape ‘Hope World’ and is 1 minute 29 seconds of the funkiest rap. I decided to write about Base Line this week because it packs a punch, which fits perfectly with our ‘fighting’ themes playlist.
BTS have often told us how hard they have had to work to overcome the obstacles they faced, especially in the early years. There are many songs that describe their thoughts and feelings about the haters and those who threw negativity their way. The struggles they have faced as a group, they also faced as individuals and ‘Hope World’ is Hobi’s story and even though they are a long way from where they started, ARMY are motivated to propel them further.
‘Base Line’ tells us about Hobi’s gratitude for his life and career, how that gratitude is the base line. One of the verses mentions this and also says how Hobi still has dreams and still works hard. I’ve always had the impression that Hobi is grounded and so humble, he puts 110% into everything and this verse says so much:
‘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
I'm earnest
My music's dream still remains, so
I work hard
Every day
Gratitude for my work is my base
I'll eat them all up with my spoon
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
I have no worries
Base line, the source of my result
Hope world will now flip over all worlds’
I think this song will inspire ARMY to work hard with streaming and voting, wherever you are in the world. Every milestone is our baseline and as we keep pushing forwards with voting for the BBMA’s and our preparations to achieve a number one in the charts with Butter, blast out ‘Base Line’.
Dope - Onomey
With the strange-sounding synth horned melody leading the chorus, it makes the song have a chilled and relaxed vibe about it. Due to the topic the boys write about, you would think that the production of the song would be serious, aggressive, and in your face. The combination of the chilled and funny vibe in the MV along with the instrumentation showed that BTS did not need to take an aggressive or arrogant approach to the song and the message behind it because they know their worth.
The boys already at that point in time, in 2015, had experienced success and attention from around the world with their songs. Knowing the sacrifices that they had to take in order to become successful are highlighted throughout the song with lyrics such as ‘I worked all night, every day while you were out clubbing’ and ‘ok, we’re top from head to toe. Over half of the day, we drown in work. Even if our youth rots in the studio. Thanks to that, we’re closer to success.
That's what I love most about this song is that they don't need to be in your face and brag about how great they are there. Instead, they take the approach of we know we agree, we know why we are great, and will continue to be great and become greater than ourselves as well as others who are slacking whilst we put in our hard word. It is not bragging, they just know they are willing to fight harder than anyone to achieve their dreams which is super inspiring to listen to whilst also throwing shade at haters who doubted them and others who have success handed to them easily.
Personally, I wish I had even a fraction of BTS’ mindset when it comes to going for their dream will become successful because I struggle off and on with concentrating on the main goal of mine in becoming successful because I tend to waver from the original goal and lose track of it which takes time away and I could be putting in to work harder on that main goal. RMs verse is like a personal attack on how I approach things I want to achieve. I tend to start then give up halfway through or not get anywhere near starting what I have in mind whether that is through fear of failing or just not having the motivation or getting shut down by family when I express an idea. This song and verse especially, always help to realign my focus on what I’m working towards, giving me that extra bit of motivation and fight to go and attack.
‘Given up on 3? Given up on 5?
I like the number 6, how about giving up on 6?
The media and adults say we don’t have willpower, condemning us like stocks
Why are they killing us before we can even try,
enemy, enemy, enemy
Why are you hanging your head and accepting it already?
Energy, energy, energy
Don’t ever give up, you know you're not lonely
Our down is prettier than the day
So can I get a little bit of hope, yeah
Wake up your sleeping youth, go’
I like that BTS are able to have fun with this song despite it being a way for them to fight back against anyone speaking negatively about them. You boys truly are dope!
Healthy BTS
The month of May sees so many National days associated with health. There is Sun Awareness, Deaf Awareness and Maternal Mental health week, as well as May being the month of Asthma Awareness and Action on Stroke, to name but a few. With health taking the spotlight in so many ways, the team has put together a playlist to help you deal with whatever it is you are managing.
Do you have a particular song that helps you manage your health? You aren’t alone and we'd love to hear from you on Twitter @BTSRadioUK.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5BdHtXUn8alJAhDw2BRfxY?si=jzbBgv_uRAq3lTciYj8Y4A
Epiphany chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I adore Epiphany, it was the sole reason that ARMY bombs were created, I'm sure of it. It is also the reason that my throat was sore after seeing Jin's phenomenal performances at the O2, Wembley and Stade De France. I can very well imagine how Jin's voice and the song would bring comfort to ARMYs struggling with their mental health or perhaps suffering a physical condition. It is so heart-warming and the climax of Jin hitting those notes at the end certainly flood your system with emotion. Sometimes, learning to love yourself is more difficult when you have poor health and this line from Epiphany is perfect:
'I finally realized so I love me
Not so perfect but so beautiful
I'm the one I should love'
Charlie - Jin is a healing person to me, as are the things he says, and the lyrics he sings. The whole theme of the Answer album is going on a journey to learn to love yourself, and Epiphany is the cornerstone of that. Singing along at the top of your lungs to “I’m the one I should love in this world” in its soft rock chorus, is one of the most therapeutic acts to ever do, and it forces you to confront what you should do, what you need to do, in order to heal and have a healthy mind. Nothing too grand, no huge acts of self-care, just starting with a promise to love oneself. Jin’s stunning vocals also make it incredibly easy to want to keep that promise as for me, Jin is a perfect role model for self-love and self-assurance.
Cheryl - The winner of this week’s poll relating to feeling good and being healthy, is Jin’s Epiphany. With the acknowledgement of being fake in order to please someone else which causes an internal storm to rage, comes the acceptance that self love, healing and being true to oneself and accepting our own flaws would be a healthier option. As humans we all want to be loved and we need to all start by loving ourselves first, which makes this song such a deep, beautiful and healing song.
Onomey - This song holds so much value and weight because having a powerful realisation about something you may have been suffering from is one of the main steps that are needed in order to start the self-love process. Jin sings about being afraid to face himself and how that is such a hard time as you find yourself asking why you feel the way you do.
It took me a while to realise that I shouldn't be defining my life on things I never did or can't do and instead of trying to turn those negatives in the storm and working on turning them into positives to living your life by.
I know I am working on 100% loving myself, I really hope that through Jin’s singing, you are able to try and open your eyes in order to love yourself because everyone is working that self-love, it just takes hard work sometimes to get to that point in time, I'm sure! When you are feeling like you can't breathe and there's no point in being around anyone. Think of the chorus in this song and use it as a motivator every day when you feel like giving up yourself. Let it become an almost mantra so you have something that can calm you down when you begin to hate yourself. Listen to Jin people, he knows how to perfect a piano ballad for sure!
'I'm the one I should love in this world
Shining me, precious soul of mine
I finally realised so I love me
Not so perfect but so beautiful
I'm not the one I should love'
A Brand New Day - Charlie
A Brand New Day is one of my favourite BTS collaborations. Two of the most excitable “beagle-like” members, Taehyung and Hoseok, collaborate with Zara Larsson to deliver a song that, in true BTS fashion, is wholly healing.
“As if hypnotized
Pulled me and led me through
As if in a trance
I became able to listen to the voice inside of me”
When I hear this song, I’m transported back to that Summer of 2019. When the BTS World soundtrack had just come out and I spent most days walking around listening to songs like A Brand New Day. It feels refreshing, summery and uplifting, which is owed to the mix of hip-hop vibes and Asian instruments, as well as Hoseok’s perfect vibes which make the song feel so fresh, and Taehyung’s warm vocals which make the song so easy to listen to, so welcoming and familiar.
Plus, a little bit of Vope is good for anyone’s health. Zara Larsson’s vocals are also a lovely addition to the song as I love to sing along to her verse, and I really enjoy when BTS songs have a single English verse that I can chime in with and sing along. The mix of multiple languages is something I adore about their discography.
“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”
The song starts off mentioning the fear and dread that many people feel and fear they will never be able to overcome, but it does well to not dwell on this. Instead, it is my kind of comfort song, as it is mainly about the strength that people have within them to chase their dreams and a better tomorrow. It is about the fact that even if you are unsure of the future, it’s still all the more reason to run ahead until it gets better.
“Oh yeah, though I was fearful, I didn't lower my head
Though I was dreadful, I just ran ahead
Because I believed in myself even at crossroads of persecution”
Reflection - Cheryl
Upon listening to Reflection the first thing I thought was how haunting the melody sounded and that there were many elements to the sound making it quite complex, which matches beautifully with the intricacies of the lyrics.
The first verse compares life to movies and how everyone’s life will create a unique story. RM then goes on to explain how he wants to shoot it well and wants to caress himself but, how self hate interrupts his plans. When he feels the self loathing he goes to Dduksum to calm his thoughts and reflect on himself. Dduksum is a place in South Korea that overlooks the Han River and he mentions it a few times throughout the song. He explains that the familiar darkness and people out in two’s and three’s softly comforts him and helps him smile. But he also mentions that he also has fear and this too is a familiar comfort.
With the second verse he mentions anxiety and despair and wonders if the person opposite the river, if they were to meet would it be fate and that perhaps they have met many times before in previous lives – this makes me wonder if he is curious that the other person could be just like him, feeling lonely, despair and anxious and if they could be soul mates.
Upon reflection of the lyrics they conjure up the thoughts of someone being just like someone else – being able to feel their pain and joy and have similar experiences and therefore a feeling of belonging and feeling understood which would calm those insecurities. It also makes me wonder if the person also looking at the Han river could be RM’s reflection and that he is trying to understand himself and learn what his emotions mean for him.
The other portion of the second verse compares the notion that everyone else has a purpose and knows what they are doing, whereas RM feels lost and without purpose. This resonates with me as I know I often feel like this, but I also know deep down that everyone feels this way at some point and even those that look and act so confidently could be giving a false self and that they too are feeling insecure and anxious.
He ends the song with repeating “I wish I could love myself” and having researched I found it so heart-warming to learn that during a concert in Brazil the Army responded with “we love you” each time – I can only imagine how RM would’ve felt standing there performing this song live.
Reflection was originally planned for RM’s mixtape, but was added to the Wings album and I just find it intriguing how the collection of Love Yourself albums followed, like a natural progression.
I chose to write about Reflection this week as the playlist was connected to health and wellbeing and I felt that many people will be experiencing similar thoughts to those poured into the song. I just hope that like RM we can find our own special place to calm and reflect and love ourselves that little bit more and take good care of ourselves.
Everythingoes - Michayla
With such a focus on our health and having several conditions myself, it was really difficult to choose a song to write about because I use many BTS songs as coping mechanisms. There are the songs that I use when my mental health is particularly bad and the songs that I sing in my head when I inject myself every fortnight for a skin condition. There are also the songs that I rely on when I have a migraine or having to reassess my eating habits after having bariatric surgery two years ago. There are so many and of course it also depends on my mood.
In reality, I could write about any one of the songs on this playlist because they are all fantastic with many more not included because we simply had to stop somewhere. In the end I chose a song from an album that I thought some ARMYs may not have heard or be familiar with so if one person has Mono thrust into their life then I have chosen well.
I think we all know that Namjoon is a genius and this is proven with his 2018 mixtape ‘Mono’, which is a regular on my personal playlists and an album I adore. ‘Everythingoes’ is the 6th track and features ‘NELL’, who are a South Korean alternative rock band. The song is one of Namjoon’s favourite tracks according to a Vlive he did after he released the mixtape.
‘Everythingoes’ fits our theme perfectly, the lyrics describe how everything passes eventually, which is something I think everyone needs to remember, particularly if trying to manage a health condition. It doesn’t matter if you have a physical or mental condition, I’m sure that sometimes it weighs you down and that can make day to day life even more difficult so I really feel that it is important to remember that the day will pass.
‘Just like the night leaves and the morning comes
The Spring leaves and Summer comes, but
Just like the flower wilts and the fruit grows ripe
Everything needs to go through pain
Embrace the world and suck in a breath
That prickling air that fills up your lungs says everything
Yeah, back when I wished to drink it in innumerable times
Underneath those old times when I, a fool, grew dull.’
Namjoon, our leader, always has the words of wisdom, a man wise beyond his years with incredible talent. He wrote this uplifting song to remind us that nothing lasts forever, even when the bleakest days feel like they won’t go away… they will. Over the past year, with the pandemic highlighting health, with some people having to manage mental health conditions because of lockdown, when some people have had to shield because of current health conditions, with children and teenagers facing anxieties due to the uncertainties of exams and adults coping with employment issues, I believe Namjoon sends us all a message through ‘Everythingoes’ that is worth its weight in gold.
Not Today - Onomey
Not Today will forever will me with encouragement, fight, and power to overcome whatever issues I face because of the story it tells. There are many BTS songs that do this but ‘Not Today’ is the most impactful to me whether that is for me attempting to lose weight or trying to deal with added hardships I face with my disabilities and trying to succeed in my life.
The song is so loud and action-packed with the massive electronic main melody in the chorus. It has a big party anthem feel to it which I think was a deliberate production choice in order to feed the parts of ARMY with energy and belief to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start again if needs be because they will be by our side to as a group and individually to motive all of the underdogs in the world.
There are so many things that can affect your health no matter how big or small you think those things are, they can all have a massive effect on the individual who is suffering from the health problems whether you know or not. I’m not trying to be a fear monger, I’m just trying to emphasize how important health awareness campaigns are so important as some people may not know what they are currently suffering with is a certain disease or health condition. For example, I myself suffer from under-active thyroid, and narcolepsy now, when I was growing up. I had never heard of these disabilities and neither had anyone around me. Even the doctors didn't really know what I was suffering from which took a massive toll on my life especially when it came to my studies in school because I would fall asleep in lessons and miss vital information or sleep in exams. It took over three years for them to figure out what was wrong with me and give me a final diagnosis despite this, the doctors that dealt with my condition are learning on the job because the hospital I went to was a Children's Hospital and they weren't familiar with what narcolepsy entailed and it wasn't very known especially to have the condition as an 11-year-old.
If I explain what having narcolepsy is to someone in simple terms they automatically think that it's a great thing and they usually say “oh you're so lucky that you can fall asleep all the time, I love sleep!” Usually, I try and not deal with this ignorance as it's not their fault for not hearing about it as growing up myself I didn't know what it was. My condition is not just about falling asleep. I don't want to fall asleep. I want to live a normal life and do stuff with the life I have. Sometimes sleep stops me which results in me missing out on things or turning up late to events which have led to me not having many friends. I love to listen to Not Today because if I start with her and live up to the stereotype of sleeping all the time I've lost this song on my speakers and this gives me the most vision to keep fighting another day, fighting to not let this disability take over my life to show people that I am more than my disabilities and what I have actually I'm worth more than my disabilities.
There are so many things that can affect your health no matter how big or small you think those things are, they can all have a massive effect on the individual who is suffering from the health problems. This is why health awareness campaigns are so important as some people may not know what they are currently suffering with is a certain disease or health condition.
The bridge section is my go-to section because of the build-up it leads to the final courses and the words in the lyrics.
‘Throw it up! Throw it up!
Forget about the fear in your eyes
Break it up! Break it up!
Break the glass ceiling that cages you
Turn it up! (Turn it up!)
Burn it up (Burn it up!)
Until the day of victory (fight!)
Don’t kneel, don’t collapse
That’s (do) not today!’
Upbeat BTS
If you didn’t know it already, #Butter is coming and it is described as an upbeat track so this week, the Playlist team have used that as their theme.
Which song makes you get into the groove?
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5IoR0huKM3m8U57CnsHDjN?si=hrcE42h1QgW8MhiFwu3SVw
Baepsae (Silver Spoon) chosen by ARMY
Onomey - As soon as the earworm melody hook comes blasting through my speakers, Bapsae captures my whole being from that minute onwards. It’s such a loud, shouty and in your face song to me, the boys want to make it clear for everyone to hear what they have to say about the older generation trying to act as though we have it easier as people from this generation or don’t take things seriously. I totally relate to this song as it is so tough trying to live your life to the best when things just aren’t the same as they were in the past which makes it harder to get jobs that provide stability etc. but to some people, it doesn’t matter, it is somehow the person's fault for living in the current times we are now. The energy and swagger the boys use when performing this song seeps out of every one of them. You can hear the arrogance and at some points, anger, and confusion, not knowing why people can't understand how the younger generation feel, despite this, they still are able to make it a fun hip-hop track that has you up on your feet dancing, especially during the hook.
Michayla - ‘Baepsae’ is most definitely a worthy winner of the poll but it was a difficult choice when the likes of Anpanman, Run and EGO were the other options. I think Baepsae wouldn’t be quite as popular as it is, if it wasn’t for that fantastic dance practice video. I know that when I listen to the song, my mind conjures up that practice and of course, for those who have seen this performed live, that’s a whole different set of hot imagery. Whatever your reasons are for getting your groove on to Silver Spoon, I think we can all agree that it is iconic, it gets your body moving and is there anyone that doesnt sing “They call me… baepsae.”?
Charlie - Baepsae is THE BTS hype song for me. It’s full of anger and mocking feelings towards the older generation and authority figures, with a dance routine full of kicks and thrusts - making it such a satisfying rebellious anthem. It is for sure one of my favourite OT7 songs that they perform live, because it is absolute unbridled energy, sass and power. The hip-hop aspects to it are easy to listen to even for people who don’t often like hip-hop - it’s impossible to listen to Baepsae and not get completely lost in it, impossible not to bop to.
Cheryl - With Baepsae winning the poll this week - what can I say other than this song is one of my all time favourites and it is accompanied with a fun performance. The song is about how hard the younger generation have it, with the added pressure of trying harder and putting in extra effort from those that have gone before and how it makes their skin crawl. This just makes me wonder how the up and coming groups are feeling, as BTS’ achievements are just so unattainable!
2nd Grade - Cheryl
2nd Grade just has such a positive vibe. The song,written by Supreme Boi, RM, Suga and J-Hope, was released in 2014 as part of their Dark and Wild album. It is pure fun and you can just tell they are enjoying the crowd when BTS perform this live. The song itself refers to being a rookie at school and comparing how quickly time has passed and their lives from being at school and to now setting the stage on fire.
They also compare the younger students to themselves and how cool it feels to have their acknowledgement and how they have actually learned something and then when they see their older peers, they realise they still have a long way to go. These are such real and familiar feelings – I remember such thoughts; being confused, confident one minute and then somewhat intimidated by my older peers the next.
The teachers also explained the world to them and told them how cold the world can be with prejudice, insults and indifference to name a few. I wonder if anyone could actually prepare them for the unconditional adoration they are now receiving from so many millions of Army – how could anyone be prepared for that?
With J-Hope’s verse he discusses the pressure placed on them by the teachers and ask that they remember they are people too and need to take a break without being reminded to get good grades:
‘Ah, I already became a second grader (Oh no!)
In the blink of an eye, the time flies by (Go go)
Study hard, play hard, right
1 year passes that way, like a miracle came true, bye!
But what do I do? I become worried for some reason
Even though I won’t need to be as cautious
The subjects I must learn are a feast (Shit)
Whenever I feel it’s time to take a break the teacher says, full-blown nagging (Bang, bang, bang!)
You need to get a good grade on the graduation exams!
What graduation exams
Teacher, we are people too. Accept it, accept
Shall we ditch it all and go tease our underclassmen today?
Today I can’t sleep, cuz I’m in the PC-room’
The chorus and the music are so energetic, I just love how this song makes me smile it really brightens my mood and watching BTS perform it is joy with Jungkook doing his heart bumps and Jimin and V fooling around and all members bouncing with joy, it is a sight to behold.
21st Century Girl - Charlie
21st Century Girl is one of my go-to happy songs. And not just because of how hilarious it is when it juxtaposes War of Hormone in a BTS concert marathon.
21st Century Girls is a song from - in my humble opinion - the best BTS album (Wings). It is a female empowerment anthem, and a feel-good song about women embracing who they are and seeing how beautiful they are.
"You worth it you perfect
Deserve it just work it
You look elegant, elegant
Also you’re pretty, pretty
You shine, shine
You’re the truth and the reason"
The lyrics are so much fun, as just listening to it makes you feel beautiful and worthy. Especially as it starts with Namjoon's deep voice complimenting the listener.
The voices of the boys sound deep and sultry as they flirt with the listener and tell her how pretty she is, and then at the bridge they belt out high notes as if they're so shocked about how amazing the girl in question is.
The dance to this song makes it even more fun, as the boys take it in turns to turn around in a conga line, and do selfie poses in time with the camera clicking noises - which I love to imitate when this song comes on.
"Oh bae don’t lower yourself
Okay don’t set yourself to them
You’re mine
You’re beautiful enough
Don’t worry don’t worry
Baby you’re beautiful
You You You"
In an album with such dark themes as Wings, 21st Century Girls is such a vibrant and funky song that I can never skip. And BTS always look as though they're having fun when they perform it, with cheeky facial expressions and energetic movements. That’s what stood out when I watched the comeback stages of this song for the first time - how happy they looked.
Mic Drop - Michayla
This was a difficult choice this week because all of the songs on our playlist were worthy contenders to be highlighted. This week’s theme really showed me how many songs actually get me into the groove and I had a very tough time having to choose just one to write about.
‘Mic Drop’ won for several reasons but mainly because it is one song that gets me moving every time I hear it, even in my car. This song stands out so vividly and I have so many memories of occasions where it has got people grooving, even when sitting down. When BTS took over the cinematic screens and Love Yourself in Seoul was shown all over the world, it is ‘Mic Drop’ that stands out for me. While sitting in our seats, we had our arms in the air and it was quite obvious that ARMY couldn’t sit still, having a party in our seats.
From the first verse, rapped by Hobi, there are the parts to shoot with your finger gun and ‘clap clap’ while the lyrics that follow in Yoongi’s verse let everyone know that the haters might hate but BTS have become successful, regardless.
‘Mic mic bungee
Bright lights, going forward
You thought I was gonna fail but I’m fine, sorry
Sorry, “Billboard”
Sorry, “Worldwide”
Sorry Mom, your son’s too hot
I’m being a good son in place of you
No cons in our concerts
I do it, I do it, you’re a tasteless ratatouille
If you’re jealous, sue me
Sue it’
There are many opportunities to see this performed on stage, if you haven’t been fortunate enough to see it in person, it was performed during the Love Yourself and Speak Yourself tours as well as 4th Muster. There is also the MAMA 2017 performance which follows Cypher 4 and is one of my favourite stages. Of course, if you have seen one of the tours, you would have witnessed the iconic dance break which takes this song to a whole different level and because of that, I always listen to the Steve Aoki remix (extended version) on the Love Yourself: Answer album.
‘Mic Drop’ is a fantastic song and it doesn’t seem to matter which version it is that you listen to. You can sing and dance, you can get your groove on while driving or sitting down somewhere, it will put a spring in your step while you walk and provide motivation to get you through the day. Is there anything this song doesn’t do? The answer is ‘no’ - providing Yoongi drops the mic at the end of the performance.
Go Go - Onomey
The tropical edm track gets you into a party and upbeat mood when listening to it, especially as the song develops. With instruments such as the marimba, pan flute and steel pan leading the track. It gives us a warm tropical holiday feel that gets you vibing to the track as soon as it begins.
GoGo is the number one song for me that shows off the songwriting and producing skills of BTS. When listening to this song, it can be easy to forget that it is not just a hype song. The song focuses on the social issues of young people who don’t have much money nor the opportunity to earn money. The low expectation in life due to financial hardship has led young people to take either a live for now approach or a blasé approach to life. To write about this topic hidden in such a hype track is extremely clever as to people listening to this song without knowing the true meaning of the lyrics, they would think that BTS are creating a song about being typical young people of this generation, constantly partying, regardless of whether or not they can afford to just so they can show off to people and be flashy about their lifestyles on social media.
The delivery of the vocals and rap line are performed in a relaxed, fun and silly way which coincides with the lyrics throughout and the constant use of ‘yolo’ in the chorus.
Even though everything about the track is upbeat including some parts of the lyrics, the facade the hold throughout the song sometimes falls and we get to see the real person behind the lavish carefree lifestyle. Examples of this are first introduced in the first verse when J-Hope raps ‘No money but I wanna go far away, I don’t have money but I wanna relax’ or when Suga raps ‘leave me be, even if I overspend, even if I break apart my savings tomorrow’.
My favourite section in this song is without a doubt, the outro as the tempo changes to double time and becomes a lot more intense very quickly. It sounds like every time they sing ‘just go instead of worrying’ the tempo speeds up which is fun to listen to as well as dance to. I don’t think I’ve listened to this part of the song especially, where I have not started dancing in this section. Ignore the fact that I can’t dance but I’m always trying to do the dance for that outro every time I listen to this track. I’ve just settled on doing my own improvised version of it as I am woeful at dancing. This section is intentionally being chaotic as it’s kind of encouraging people to join them in living the “yolo” life but repeating the ‘just go instead of worrying, just go instead of worrying, just go instead of worrying (everybody)’ as each member takes a turn in repeating this phrase to lure you in.
Having this song will forever make me feel upbeat about life as it is a fun and energetic song to listen and dance to but the lyrics also serve as a reminder of how hollow the phrase “yolo” can be, especially if you can’t afford to be having the “yolo” approach to life.
Songs That Tell A Story
We all know how amazing BTS are the genius they pour into their music. So many songs tell a story so our playlist team has devised a whole list of the songs that take you on a journey.
Which BTS song reflects you and your life? Why not let us know on Twitter @BTSRadioUK
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1fxcBJpK9U4dI3Ndw8Noay?si=1lawaVOmRCC0rB9AypPiqw
Save Me chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I will hold my hands up and say that in the poll this week, I voted for 'Lights' but I had an inkling that 'Save Me' would win. This song is a worthy winner for this week's theme because it tells a story on its own, then the story completes when 'I'm Fine' follows. 'Save Me' is about the need to have someone, when life feels like there's a gaping hole and you reach out for salvation. As someone who has an amazing support network around me, I understand looking to others for reassurance and help but of course, in the end, there is only so much people can do and you need to find strength from within… cue 'I'm Fine'.
Charlie - Save Me is part one of a story that then continues into I’m Fine. It is a story of someone that feels that they cannot be strong if their person is not around them; they spend their story clinging to that other person because they cannot be independent on their own yet. It is a tragedy, which then has a happy ending with I’m Fine. The Save Me instrumental chorus used to be the type of music that I wouldn’t usually listen to, but now when I listen to it I instantly feel the drama and anguish of the song’s mood, while still enjoying it as a song to dance to.
Cheryl - This week looking at the stories behind the songs, I am not surprised Save Me won the poll. The story of within the madness being the salvation of another, is just so powerful and meaningful especially right now. I am sure we have all had moments of wanting to be saved and at least BTS songs are so readily at our fingertips that we can reach out and grab them for our salvation and guiding light, just as RM said “use me, use BTS to love yourself”.
Onomey - What I love most about Save Me is that not only does it have its own story it also has a connection with 'I'm Fine' as a continuation of the storyline of ‘Save Me'. I may not be 100% right about the story that ‘Save Me’ tells. There are so many ways ‘Save Me’ can be interpreted which I think is why so many people are able to relate and identify to the story being told. To me, it tells a story of someone being so involved and dependent on someone to the point where they are no longer able to cope without the person they are in love with which becomes very toxic. On the other hand, I think it tells a story of someone being in the depths of despair and darkness finding love that is so strong, it is able to pull that person up out of the darkness they were encumbered by which is seen by the lyrics in the chorus ‘give me your hand, save me, save me’. The EDM track has the power to attract both avid and casual listeners to it because of the breakdown beat that is the main focus of the track and the fact that every human can identify with the emotions being sung about throughout the song.
I’m Fine - Michayla
The poll winner made this week’s song choice easy for me because it seemed only right to choose ‘I’m Fine’ since it usually follows ‘Save Me’.
The completion of the Love Yourself series in August 2018 with the album ‘LY: Answer’ was my first comeback and was the album that gave us ‘I’m Fine’. This song is the follow up, it is the answer to ‘Save Me’ and of course most ARMY will know that the two song titles are an ambigram when written in their iconic font.
‘I’m Fine’ is about realising that you may have leaned on someone too much and that you can achieve what you want on your own. Whereas in ‘Save Me’ the whole story is about wanting that person to be there and believing that you need them in order to survive, ‘I’m Fine’ is finding out that you can find strength from within. There are times when life does get too much, maybe there are obstacles in your way or perhaps you feel lost. There are times when the black clouds descend and the days are a struggle. During those times it is wonderful to have people around you to call on if you need to but sometimes you have to find your own path and remind yourself that you will be fine.
‘It’s alright, even if it’s not us
Even if sadness erases me
Even if there are dark clouds
Even if I’m in an endless dream
Even if I’m endlessly crumpled
Even if my wings are torn
Even if some day, I’m not me anymore
It’s alright, only I am my own salvation
I won’t ever die in this walk
How you doing? I’m fine
My sky is clear
All pain, say goodbye
Goodbye’
Maybe the people you have had around you for support have done their job and enabled you to go the rest of the journey alone? Either way, this song is about finally being okay after coming through a bad time and accepting that you can get through whatever is next. BTS obviously felt that they could spread their wings and fly unaided, that they had accomplished enough at the time this song was written to be able to say ‘I’m so fine’. I think that this once again shows us how much they have grown and how far they have come, acknowledging how tough things were in the beginning.
‘I’m so fine, you so fine
All of the sadness and scars
Become an old memory now
So let’s smile and let go, we so fine
I’m so fine, you so fine
Our future will only have happiness
So put away your fear
Enjoy it, you worked hard, we so fine’
From ‘Save Me’ in 2016 to ‘I’m Fine’ in 2018 they accomplished a lot and now nearly 3 years on from the final installation of the Love Yourself series, they continue to take the world by storm.
Louder Than Bombs - Onomey
I chose Louder than bombs because it's telling the story of BTS and how they deal with the demons that are inside them that have appeared as a result of becoming so successful.
The production of ‘Louder Than Bombs’ is what captures my heart mostly. The deep 808 sub-bass kick drum, which vibrates and hits the depths of your soul, dominates the whole song whilst acting as the bombs being dropped with a light and simple click, leads the track as Jungkook starts with his light and airy vocals. The sub-kick drum helps to create a story within my mind without needing to know all of the lyrics.
To me, it makes me feel a bit uneasy during the verses because of the way the vocals are also delivered, especially the way the rap line deliver their verses in an almost whisper-like tone which gives me goosebumps because its almost as if the pain they are going through is extremely draining so they aren’t even able to feel pain in an angry way like they do in ‘Tear’. The approach of delivery by the rap line differs which adds to the story being told. In RM’s verse, he whispers more than Suga and J-Hope to add to the dark emotions floating about in this song, J-Hope sounds like he is almost reciting a spoken word poem as it is in rhythm but isn’t what a typical rap would sound like. He uses the spaces between lines very well to keep the sporadic feeling that is in the song throughout which is very clever. Suga takes on similarities to J-Hope's verse at first but then he switches it up and starts putting a bit more aggression into his voice when he then starts to speak about his haters and how they feel that BTS shouldn't feel the way they do because they are successful.
'People say they're jealous of us
The pain I have, they say it's hypocrisy
No matter what I do, I get caught up in shit
If not us, yea, who will do it?'
Having the song finish on the chorus is beautiful as it is finishing on a crescendo and outpour of emotions by shouting out in the high-pitched vocals about the bombs they face so people will listen and hear the pain they feel. To me, the final chorus is saying that they will try to sing over the noise that the bombs make despite how deafening they can be. They will continue as long as ARMY continues alongside them.
'Louder than bombs, I sing
Make a promise for you and I
Whatever wave may sweep over us
We will endlessly sing to you
Louder than bombs'
Life Goes On - Cheryl
This week's playlist is about exploring the stories behind BTS songs, so I decided to write about Life Goes On and the theory surrounding it.
Life Goes On is a perfect description of how the pandemic changed the world, how time seemed to stand still as we were unable to go about our “normal” everyday life, but the seasons continue to change like usual. It also illustrates how we all had to stay home and shops and businesses closed.
‘One day, the world stopped
Without any warning
Spring didn’t know to wait
Showed up not even a minute late
Streets erased of footprints
I lie here, fallen to the ground
Time goes by on its own
Without a single apology, yeah’
The second verse addresses the gloom and pain of our current situation and that although we might try and run from the situation, it isn’t possible and that we have to know our own limitations of being human and being susceptible to the virus. Then with the final words of the verse RM offers a glimmer of hope with the words:
‘Once winter comes, let's exhale
A warmer breath’
With the third verse Suga is acknowledging that the world has changed but gives thanks that everything between us (BTS and ARMY) nothing has changed at all - love is still exchanged and received.
Once again there is a glimmer of hope in the 4th verse where although the world is stopped we are encouraged not to hide in the shadow, in the darker parts of our psyche - once again daylight will glow and with that reference there is the hope of a brighter, changed day.
‘There's no end in sight
Is there a way out?
My feet refuse to move, oh
Close your eyes for a moment
Hold my hand
To that future, let's run away’
The first time I read these lyrics whilst watching the video I cried - these lyrics are just so applicable they hurt! Then the thought of holding hands and running away just captured what I was feeling, so completely - however as time has passed, running away is not the answer we have to stay and fight this pandemic with the help of all the medical teams across the world, we will see a brighter tomorrow.
‘Like an echo in the forest
The day will come back around
As if nothing happened
Yeah, life goes on (Oh, woah)
Like an arrow in the blue sky
Another day flying by (Flies by)
On my pillow, on my table
Yeah, life goes on
Like this again’
Here with the chorus we can feel the relentless cycle of one day being very much like the rest and how time is passing so very quickly. Personally I cannot believe we have spent the best part of a year indoors, I was made redundant and can definitely relate to these words and how quickly the time has passed.
What I love about this song is the nostalgia for remembering what life was like before, but also the hope of a brighter tomorrow and knowing that life will be so much sweeter when we can all return to concerts and live events.
My Time - Charlie
My Time is one of my favourite recent solos, for the story it tells. It tells the story, or rather the movie, of Jungkook, of an idol who is reflecting on his entire life and wondering if he's living it "correctly".
"24, feels like I became a grown-up faster than everyone else
My life has been a movie, all the time
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, pick the mic up
Friends ridin’ subway, I’ll be in the airplane mode"
As with every well-written story, My Time has metaphors. Jungkook talks about how he's lived a life so far removed from that of his same-age peers, and likens it to feeling like he's in a different time zone to them.
"This got me oh just trippin’
It feels I'm roaming over
Don't know what to do with, am I livin' this right?
Why am I alone in a different time and space?"
I've just watched the Concept Films for the MOTS photobook, and the My Time instrumental used for Jungkook's film made the gorgeous guitar sounds stand out for me more. It reminds me of frustration with a little bit of sadness, about feeling like your life has something wrong about it that you keep wishing to fix.
But he doesn't have something to fix, because the hero of this story is Jungkook, and the inner conflict he feels in this song is something we all wish he didn't have to feel. My Time is such a beautiful but heart wrenching song as we dive deeply into how Jungkook feels about living life as Jeon Jungkook.
Sing It with BTS
If you were able to watch BangBangCon21 on Saturday, you were probably singing your heart out to the amazing songs performed during the three concerts and everything in between. Here is a playlist of the songs that our team thinks that you can’t help but sing along to.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4jS0X7b56NnibOLcZdDzZF?si=ibupnwfgT_y5gWeIZsBS_g
IDOL chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I will not hide my disappointment that ‘ON’ didn’t win the poll this week, if you follow me on Twitter, you are aware of the addiction I have to that song. However, I can’t really deny that ‘Idol’ is a worthy winner because I am guilty of singing it out loud whenever I hear it. ‘You can call me artist, you can call me idol’ is always sung with conviction and that is just the beginning! This song is a great song to sing out loud, especially in the car. The lyrics are catchy and when you attempt the iconic choreography too, I think that we can all agree that ‘Idol’ has legendary status in the extensive BTS discography.
Charlie - We have been deprived of wild, BTS concert bops for over a year now, so I am not surprised that the song we all want to jump around and sing together is IDOL. You can bet I’m having my own mini-concerts in karaoke venues as soon as I can, and IDOL will be put firmly on the queue. We all want to “woah-oh-oh-oh” to the chorus together (maybe even attempt Nikki’s verse), and sing along to BTS’s immortal words “You can’t stop me loving myself”. IDOL is easy to sing along to at a karaoke party if you’re a non-native Korean speaker, so it’s perfect.
Onomey - I miss this era of BTS as it reminds me of how they would dominate the many award shows with their performance of this song and always brought something different every time they did. ‘Idol’ screams karaoke song to most of us Army as most importantly, it isn’t the most vocally complicated song in the world so for the people like myself who aren’t blessed with amazing vocals, we are able to sing along and enjoy ourselves without fully embarrassing ourselves too much.
It is such a confidence-boosting anthem as well which makes it perfect for singing karaoke. There are a lot of English words, especially in the chorus so that's great for me. And the hype you up and that's what you want with a karaoke song to hype everyone off in the room as well as yourself. It really doesn’t surprise me that ARMY chose this song as the winner of this week's poll as they too are probably thinking about themselves with a mic in hand screaming at the top of their lungs ‘YOU CAN’T STOP ME LOVING MYSELF'. I think I’d like to take RM and J-Hope's verse if we had to split the lines up between the playlist team and I’d end up trying to whip out the dance moves also. We all know that Michayla would take all the V lines and then Charlie and Cheryl can fight amongst each other for the rest of the lines. I think we’d have a brilliant time perfecting this song and if anyone disagrees, they’re lying.
Dope - Michayla
There were so many songs on this week’s playlist that I sang out loud and wanted to write about, I must have changed my mind at least ten times. The obvious ones were ‘Waste It On Me’ and ‘Dynamite’ because of the fact they are in English, as well as ‘Sweet Night’ but I thought I would choose a song that is less obvious.
‘Dope’ is that choice and as many who read this blog may know, it is the song that made me ARMY so I do have a particular connection with it. I do not profess to sing it well or know exactly what I am singing through some of it but I still sing it regardless. Due to the fact that when I listen to the song, I don’t sing the english translation, I will put the romanized lyrics because that is what I attempt to sing.
As soon as the song begins, I simply can’t help myself to join in with Namjoon, followed by Jungkook, with the english part being the part that makes sense coming out of my mouth:
‘Eosea we bangtaneun choeumiji?
Ayo ladies and gentleman
Junbiga dwaettdamyeon bureulge yeah!’
One of the great things about ‘Dope’ is that each member's part has elements to it that I have picked up and can sing confidently. I’m not saying that I can be understood but it makes me happy to at least be able to sing some of the lyrics like Yoongi’s ‘Sorijilleo’ which I think most ARMYs say and respond to when it features in lyrics or when BTS are demanding us to ‘make some noise’.
I am lucky enough to have seen this song performed live four times and each time, Jimin hands his part over to ARMY so I am yet to hear him sing it. Each time, ARMY have done a fantastic job and the smile on Jimin’s face always said everything we needed to know.
‘Ireon ge bangtan seutail
Geojitmal wackdeulgwaneun dalla’
It is a challenge at times when the artists you adore, sing in a language not native to your own but I really do believe that it is possible to sing along. BTS have a gift of delivering a song with so much depth and emotion that a lot of the time you feel the meaning before you actually know what it is. Learning the lyrics in your own language helps but mostly, when the song is playing, you just have to go with it and sing whatever leaves your lips.
I am almost positive that if BTS heard me singing, they would probably laugh out loud then leave the room promptly but I am at peace with this because they are the ones with the talent. I am merely a 41 year old woman whose talent for singing remains restricted to the car or shower because no one needs to hear that.
Jump - Charlie
For our New Year’s playlist, when we were hoping that this year would be better, I recommended “Jump”. Now, for our karaoke playlist, when we are hoping to soon be able to go to indoor venues together I am still recommending “Jump”. There are few BTS songs I can freely listen to in a laid-back way without crying, and Jump is one of them, so it is immediately on the karaoke playlist for me.
“(Let’s jump!) All the dreamers
(Let’s jump!) Put your hands up
(Let’s jump!) Throw your worries away
Let’s jump! jump! Ju-ju-ju-jump!”
Jump is such a special song to me, because of its message. It is all about just wanting to jump around as if your worries don’t exist, which is such a 2021 mood for me. I am literally counting down the days until I’m safely able to party and jump around with more than 6 friends, preferably at a karaoke venue, where my worries of today will no longer be an issue.
I’ve been to a Kpop karaoke venue before so I know how difficult it can be to sing along to Korean lyrics - and I won’t attempt the raps - but Taehyung’s iconic bit is one that I’m sure we can all sing along to fluently.
“Nuga nareul magado
Naui gal gireul gandago
Insaeng han bangirago
Leggo (Leggo!)
Leggo (Leggo!)”
Jump is a classic old-school BTS hip-hop track, with a timeless quality and message to it. That’s why it would be perfect to listen to at karaoke and have a right bop and song-and-dance to. And that’s also why I love BTS: their ability to put such amazing messages into songs that are still fun to dance and sing along to.
Stay Gold - Onomey
Every week when I pick a song to talk about, I end up using the same words to describe BTS songs. A word I tend to use a lot is ‘anthemic’. This is because BTS have so many feel-good songs there just take your breath away and lead to you getting lost in the moment.
‘Stay Gold’ is a song that makes you want to sing along as soon as you hear the chorus at the same time. Everyone who I have forced to listen to the song ends up singing along to the chorus or humming the tune because it has that earworm element to it and the elongated note when ‘stay gold’ is mentioned. It makes sense that this song is being used as a theme song for a Japanese television drama as it is so catchy yet simple in production, making it stay in your head after only a few listens.
The section of the song I would absolutely crush would be the bridge section, mainly because I can’t rap but I’d give it a good go because I love this song. The bridge section is so beautifully sung and the lyrics are equally amazing.
'Just close your eyes
Don't say a word
I'll steal your heart
Like magic
if you want a miracle, I’ll show you one
Give me your hand’.
It gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it as it's full of emotion. Thank you vocal line for your delivery in this section. In fact, thank you BTS for continuing to give us such amazing Japanese releases. It baffles me how every time you guys release a song, you continue to better the previous release, please tell me your secrets. Sorry that was a massive side rant, back to karaoke!
We all need this song to be on our karaoke playlists as it is a song that motivates us to stay at our best level and best self in life at all times regardless of what is going on, try your best not to lose your spark.
I shall be practising my vocals just in case I end up at a karaoke bar and need the ultimate power ballad to smash. You’ll find my belting out ‘STAY GOOOOLDDD, STAY GOOOOLDDDD, STAYY GOO OO OOO OO OOOLD, FOREVER, FOREVER GOLD’. I shall try and do the vocal line justice in this song. Jungkook watch out! With my amazing Spotify playlist teammates as my back up vocalists, I think we would leave many people speechless. I don't know whether that would be in a positive way or not. Karaoke is all about the fun anyways which is my excuse for sounding terrible when I sing.
The Great Outdoors with BTS
The weather has been brighter, the clocks have gone forwards and in the UK we are allowed to meet our friends and family outside now that lockdown restrictions are easing. This week, the Playlist team at BTS Radio UK have created a playlist for your outdoor gatherings.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qkWCCocGuSZgHOJwNnDxw?si=DpiMmPloTcSWWg05QE5yAQ
Chicken Noodle Soup chosen by ARMY
Michayla - This week’s poll winner is perfect for a socially distanced outside gathering. Seeing those people you may not have seen for months, laughing and enjoying the company of people you love. Hobi and Becky G brought us such a fun and upbeat song with ‘Chicken Noodle Soup’ you just have to watch the MV and search it up on TikTok to see the fun that came with it. At a time like this when we have more hope than we have had in a while, I think this song is a perfect dose of lightheartedness.
Charlie - CNS is such a fun song for this weather. It is ideal for playing at a park, or a barbecue, and dancing around to as if everything will turn out okay. It also has a universal meaning behind it in that it was a song that meant a lot in the upbringings of both Hoseok and Becky G, and it was truly a song that brought people of different cultures together. Although it was released in September 2019, it feels like a Summer song to me, and is perfect for the Spring heat we seem to have been experiencing.
Cheryl - I was not surprised that Chicken Noodle Soup won this week's poll. CNS has such a sunny, upbeat vibe that it is just a perfect accompaniment to getting out and about and finally meeting up with family and friends. This song is just so catchy and positive - which reflects my mood of lockdown easing and hopefully warmer days just around the corner.
Onomey - Chicken Noodle Soup always brings the energy and vibes when the song gets played. The ‘I let it rain and clear it out’ has you on your feel and bopping to the song with almost immediate effect. This song radiates warmth to me because of the brightness in tone despite the heavy bass in parts and strong kick. It reminds me of being outside as a kid in the summer having the original tack blasting whilst showing off our best dance moves like no one was watching. The sun shining on your face and just losing control in the moment in something you love to do, I don’t think there’s much that compares to it. This is why I love this song so much because I’m able to reminisce on great times like that where we spend 90% of our time outside and enjoying ourselves. I can’t deny that I may find myself bouncing around outside and embarrassing myself with my dance moves once the lockdown is fully over. Sorry, not sorry.
Hope World - Michayla
When I think about meeting up with friends outside, with the sun shining, my mind instantly goes to our very own sunshine, Jung Hoseok. The easing of restrictions brings happiness and I just knew that this week's playlist was perfect for a Hobi tune. It was quite a task deciding which song to write about but eventually I settled on the song that has the same title as the mixtape it is on, 'Hope World' and the song that Hobi described as an introduction to himself.
'My name is my life (life)
A hopeful vibe
A positive rather than a negative type
I live up to my name but ain't no price'
As most ARMYs know, Hobi’s stage name is J-Hope and if you've ever been fortunate enough to witness a live performance, you'd have been a part of his, "I'm your hope, You're my hope, I'm J…" For me personally, this was a huge moment and I will never forget Hobi’s face each time. I have bucket loads of hope that I will be able to join in with a crowd of ARMYs and finish the sentence, shouting "Hooooope'' again one day.
When it comes to Hope World, released as the first song on the mixtape by the same name in 2018, Hobi said he drew his inspiration from the book 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea' which he remembered from childhood. He wanted people to go on a journey of discovery and Hope World was the introduction. The first part of the chorus even mentions the book:
'Say hello to my Hope World
This is my world, my own story
I run 20,000 leagues under the sea'
When thinking about meeting up with people and having fun, my mind always connects the sunshine of BTS to happiness and any similar occasion. With lockdown rules easing and having hope that we are coming out the other side of the pandemic, songs like EGO, Just Dance and Daydream are perfect to give you that feel good factor.
We all need a good dose of optimism at this time, as we adhere to new rules and see the people we care about in the great outdoors. ‘Hope world’ is that hope and Hobi brings us sunshine:
‘Now meaningfully, firmly
Like that of an optimist
That’s right, enjoyably all together
Above the water, we become swans’
Set Me Free - Charlie
Set Me Free is the haunting but beautiful interlude of Yoongi’s second mixtape, D-2. I chose to write about this for the outdoor gatherings playlist because for two main reasons: the title, and the sounds that we hear at the very start of the song.
The song starts with outdoor noises: birdsong, and a gentle melody (once, I played this, and my brother thought that the birds were being loud outside). The thing that I am most appreciating right now is the feeling of the outdoors; I now no longer finish work in the pitch black, and I look outside to see a fresh Spring scene cheering me up. And I am grateful for being able to see a few friends outside during this time. So, the outdoor ambience which carries throughout this song is linked to that feeling for me.
“Set me free, yeah, even though I know it won't turn out however I want to, hm
Set me free, yeah, even though I know it is not what I want, oh no no no”
The song starts off in a way that would make me think it was a straightforward, calm song, but the silence surrounding the outdoor noises, which is then overtaken by Yoongi’s solemn voice and calling out of “set me free”, proves otherwise. This song was finished in May 2020, when we were just getting used to the blue and monotonous days of the pandemic but were hoping it would be brief, and it shows in the lyrics.
“Set me free, I'm freely afloat in the air
Set me free, these days I feel blue for some reason
My day crawls on the ground
And another flies in the sky
Why why”
Guitar noises join Yoongi’s voice, adding to the sombre feel of it. It is clear now that the outdoor noises from the start, were of days slowly passing by, the world turning outside our bedrooms, and now we wish to be set free and able to see people again. This is a good song for outdoor gatherings for that reason: it is calming background noise at the same time as being a sincere interlude that lets us relish being outside with people again.
ON - Cheryl
I thought this week I would write about ON and its complexities. Firstly the title references their 2013 song N.O. and I believe N.O. reflected their teenage thoughts about being forced to study to be no.1 even if it meant crushing friends to get to the top. Whereas ON relates to where they are now (in their 20’s) accepting their careers and their successes with the lyrics: “Can't hold me down cuz you know I'm a fighter. Carried myself into this beautiful prison”
Then with Jungkook’s solo section regarding blood and tears, this makes me think of “Blood Sweat and Tears” one of my all time favourites! The difference being that with ON, Jungkook is claiming “I’m takin’ over” I believe meaning he is now in control of himself and knows his own mind and he has no fears.
With RM’s verse there are references to his insecurities with the lyrics “ Of course I‘m not unafraid Of course it's not all okay But I know awkwardly I flow. I fly together with that black wind” which I believe coincide with the lyrics in his “Persona” solo where he talks about his doubts but again with ON he is moving forward and with some awkwardness he will fly with his shadows.
With Suga’s verse:
Even if I fall, I come right up, scream
That's how we've always been
Even if my knees drop to the ground
As long as they don't get buried
It won't matter
Win no matter what
Whatever you say, whatever they say
I don't give a uhh
I don't give a uhh
I don't give a uhh, yeah
His lyrics seem to resemble previous lyrics regarding falling and keeping on going but reflect further that as long as they are not buried he will continue which could relate to his feelings about music, as long as there is enjoyment he will continue. There is also some growth and robustness to his lyrics in so much as he will not pay attention to other people’s perceptions of him.
I truly believe ON to be one of their masterpieces - it’s just such a powerful, fighting anthem with the brass instruments resembling a marching band and the strength of their performance, video and lyrics - I really hope to one day see it performed live in all its glory!
My Time - Onomey
When I heard this song for the first time I fell in love with it; it was the first time hearing Jungkook sing a solo song that sounded like a pure 100% R&B sounding song. I can’t wait to have this song blasting from my speakers as I chill outside and breathe in the fresh air as the summer slowly approaches us. The weather currently has been a bit all over the place with it being sunny, snowy, windy and rainy all in one week. Being outside always makes me smile as I feel a sense of tranquillity when being around nature. It doesn’t matter whether that is with family and friends or by myself, it allows me to slow down the world around me and relax which is what we all need, especially in current times. We’ve all been cooped up for so long and are all searching for a bit of freedom and space where we can relax and let all that stress and pressure fall off our shoulders which is why the bridge section is so relatable to most people.
‘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’
It was amazing getting to see his performance of this on the Map Of The Soul ON:E live stream concert but heartbreaking that we weren’t able to witness his performance; his dance moves were just as smooth as his vocals. They worked as one to command the stage and overtake your mind with confidence and swagger. I REALLY hope we are able to see him perform this song live in the flesh as otherwise, it will be a massive shame as it is such a brilliant song.
The title ‘My Time’ in regards to the outdoors makes me want to go out there and take the world by storm once lockdown is fully over as I finally, after years of self-doubt, believe that I can make something of myself if I just apply myself correctly and begin to make the connections that I will need if I want to make it in the music and content creator industry like I want to. It is no longer the time to keep dreaming about all the things I could and want to do. It is the time to pick myself up and conquer everything that I set my mind to because I need to believe that it is ‘My Time’. I have consistently hidden inside from every challenge or hardship that came my way so now I am pumped up and energised to go outside and experience the world. It’s nice to have Jungkook’s journey from a shy trainee who ‘found the world too big’ right through to him in the present day feeling like he ‘became a grown-up faster than everyone else’.
I hope everyone very soon is able to find their time, whatever that may entail as it is very important.
Japanese BTS
The release of ‘Film Out’ adds yet another fantastic Japanese song to BTS’ discography so this week the playlist team has created a playlist full of the Japanese songs.
Do you have a favourite Japanese song? Let us know your favourites on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5RhOAxFq7Uacr98npeHDlT?si=3jKZbEvlRTiRZi1nqQvjQg
For You - Michayla
This week we chose to embrace the Japanese songs and the Japanese versions of BTS’ discography, of which there are several. There are so many legendary songs that have Japanese versions, that perhaps some ARMYs haven’t ever heard of them, and hopefully this playlist will be an introduction. Who knew that there is a Japanese ‘War of Hormone’, ‘Dope’, No More Dream’ or 'I Need U’? Who has heard the Japanese version of ‘Young Forever’, ‘DNA’ or ‘IDOL’? There really are so many and that made this week’s choice of which song to write about, even more difficult but I opted for a song that I haven’t written about before, as tempting as it was to write about the Japanese version of ‘ON’.
‘For You’ is such a beautiful song and possibly one of the songs that many don’t listen to often. It is the 11th song on the Japanese album ‘Youth’ which has some absolute gems on it, so if you haven’t listened to it in a while, I’d definitely recommend giving it a listen. As well as Japanese versions of great songs like ‘Fire’, 'Save Me’ and 'Baepsae’, it also has three original songs on it, which are ‘For You’, 'Good Day’ and ‘Wishing on a Star’.
This song is about a long distance relationship and how difficult being apart is, perhaps the other person has recently moved away and it’s about getting used to the distance now.
‘Baby why you so far away
I can’t get used to you not being here
I feel like something is missing
I just want to be together with you always’
There is so much emotion in the lyrics that you feel the longing and the sadness, you get a real sense of how difficult it is for the couple to be apart:
‘When I realise we were only able to meet inside this smartphone
You appeared before my eyes
Today too I feel the sadness of not able to see you
Contrary to my feelings time passes rapidly
Even if I feel insecure
I believe that my heart will not leave you
My heart will reach past beyond the wind
I am always under the same sky my baby’
‘For You’ describes loneliness but also the things that provide comfort even though there is a distance between them.
‘Truth
Even if we are apart
Our hearts are connected to each other
Forever with you’
The lyrics are beautiful, the piano intro is delicate and continues throughout the song, each member’s voice lends itself so perfectly to the melody and the overall sound is so heartfelt. If you haven’t heard this song before, please seek it out on our playlist because it really is a wonderful song.
Dionysus: Japanese Version - Charlie
BTS have such beautiful Japanese ballads that break my heart, but as they make me cry too much, I decided to write about a Japanese version of one of their tracks. The Japanese version of Dionysus goes hard, and I think we should talk about it more.
“If we’re there, then wherever in the world is a stadium party, ay
From a Kpop idol reborn as an artist (reborn as an artist, reborn as an artist)
An idol or an artist, it doesn’t matter ay”
We’ve heard Dionysus so many times at award shows, and it was the opener for the Speak Yourself concerts, so the song was just starting to become one of those that I’d heard too often so wasn’t addicted to playing it anymore, and then they released the Japanese version of it. And somehow, the song that I’d been listening to so often became new and fresh, and the opposite of stagnant. I don’t know how, but it somehow hits differently in Japanese and sounds like a new song. Especially Hoseok’s lines in the first verse, which have an added kick to them somehow.
“Drink it up at once, toast (sippin’) appearance (tippin’)
In one go thyrsus (grippin’) grape (eatin’)
Drink it up at once, mood (keep it) D style (rip it)
In one go this place (kill it) let’s steal it, the illest”
This is also a timely song for me to listen to these days, as we have a date for nightclubs returning and my current coping mechanism is to fantasise about getting drunk, having fun, and partying like it’s 2019. It’s a perfect song for Spring, then, as shops start to open up and it’s the anniversary of Map of the Soul: Persona and it feels like we’re on the home stretch to being able to drink and party together again.
Also, I have been saying for the past 2 years that we need a Dionysus MV, and having a Japanese version makes me all the more adamant of this. If they could pull an Airplane pt. 2 and release a music video for the Japanese version of this song, it would be much appreciated.
Your Eyes Tell - Cheryl
As I’m sure we all know ‘Your Eyes Tell’ was written and composed by Jungkook as it was meant to be for his mixtape (which to date has not been released). However, it was decided it would be a BTS Japanese song and was presented as the OST for the Japanese film of the same name at the last minute and was chosen. This made Jungkook the first foreign artist to have his song chosen for a Japanese film and he was only 23 (allKpop.com).
Your Eyes Tell is a love song tinged with sadness and pain but woven with the sense of hope. It’s about the uncertainty of the future and the pains of the past but knowing that being together you can face anything, as described in the bridge:
To be loved
To love someone
I'll become your eye
For the adventure that lies ahead
My favourite lyrics are:
A future without you is a world without colour
Filled with monochrome coldness
Still unable to verbalize
The hopeless dream in my heart
Looking only directly at you
So you don't go away
The gazing eyes are so colorful
You taught me
That someday the sadness
Will wind us together
The power in the lyrics just encompass the passion and fear of having that special someone and that if you take your eyes off them for even a moment they will disappear or vanish, which I feel is the true reflection of first or a new love which is totally intense, thrilling and scary all at once.
This song is one of my favourites from the Map of the Soul:7 - The Journey album, as the melody and BTS vocalists and rap line just compliment each other so beautifully and the song has that intense feeling which transports me to another place and another time. The emotion the song embodies just flows right through me and it’s both powerful and gentle at the same time.
I have found myself curious and wondering if the song originally had a different title as, it wasn’t written especially for the film and also thinking how Jungkook wrote and composed this song just makes me so eager to hear his first ever mixtape and I wonder how much longer he is going to make us wait, before he releases it?
I Like It Pt.2 - Onomey
BTS and Japanese releases, always tend to be releases of vocal masterpieces. When other artists seem to do different language versions of their song, it tends to be the exact same as the original. Doesn't matter that song is in another language to the needs of language he still finds a way to express themselves fully which is why I think the Japanese releases always tends to make me emotional So if you don’t know, I Like It pt. 2 is a continuation of the first part in which they talk about love being lost and wanting to rekindle that love
I like that they keep the same smooth hip hop/R&B vibe that’s filled with creamy vocals and warm piano chords. I love the way the song starts as it sounds like someone is searching for the song on a CD player with them playing part 1 before changing to pt 2 which is kind of giving you the equivalent to a TV programme doing a previously on… at the start of each episode.
The rap line does such a great job in telling the story throughout this song, the way they deliver it makes you want more and more from them because they deliver them with such swagger and confidence in order to try and persuade their former lover to meet them again but also as emotion as they reminisce about how great their relationship compared to what they are like now which is important to this song.
From the start, we see through Suga’s delivery it is confidence mixed with almost confusion and angst as he tries to wrap his head around the fact that the dynamics between the two are no longer how they used to be and have become awkward with lines such as ‘The awkwardness surrounds us’ and ‘when did a wall form between us? Two people who pass by without noticing each other’.
Just like pt 1, it is the chorus that really makes the song for me because it’s got such a powerful groove to it that makes you just want to relax and let go despite the simplicity of the lyrics in the chorus. The way the song sounds makes you feel happy and want to smile for days which can be seen in the lyrics as they are practically trying to serenade the girl. The smoothness in vocals and the simplicity in which they casually drop in and out of a light falsetto in parts tends to give me goosebumps for a good reason. I’m sure if they were to sing this to any of ARMY, they would easily melt into a puddle with the sweetness the chorus entails.
‘Don’t know, looking like you don’t know
A girl who seems fun
I’m still crazy about you, you’re still cute
You’re still dazzling girl
Don’t know, looking like you don’t know
A girl who seems fun
A girl who shines’
A Playlist for New ARMY
With BTS in the media more than ever, the playlist team thought about those songs that they would choose to introduce someone to the group. Having such an extensive, amazing discography made the choices difficult but this is what we’ve came up with:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5In3TYF8FvKQHZ5mlVhFKu?si=YBIDTLN4TOCYlbn-hbBkcA
Heartbeat chosen by ARMY
Charlie - Heartbeat is cinematic brilliance. It is the main soundtrack song from the BTS World game, and for me it feels like a true introduction to BTS’ recent sound. Each member has a standout moment in this song, and the bridge with Jimin and Jungkook’s high notes is a particularly impressive moment that showcases the talent that people are in for when they discover BTS. There are enough lines in English to get listeners interested who may be skeptical about enjoying music that they don’t at first understand, but at its core it is a gorgeous OST song that shot up to my top 5 BTS songs within a short time of hearing it.
Michayla - I was so pleased that Heartbeat won this week’s poll because it is one of my favourites. When I introduce new people to BTS I like to be able to show them an MV alongside the song so Heartbeat is great for that. This song is so beautiful, from the lyrics to the visuals in the MV and certainly has a ‘wow’ factor when people find out that it is the title track on an OST for a mobile game. I think the fact that Heartbeat was created for a game really shows the effort and hard work BTS put into everything they do. It’s always great to have the captions on for the MV too, so someone can read the lyrics as they watch. If someone’s interest wasn’t peaked after being introduced to Heartbeat then I would be surprised.
Onomey - When I saw that this song had won this week's poll, I thought about how I would pitch this song to my family members in order to make them fall in love with BTS. If I were to play this song for something, I think I would make sure I mention what album this song came from so I could big up BTS’ story game mobile app. The song also shows how highly BTS class ARMY to not only their success in music but in which they live their lives as they sing about what they would’ve been like as humans without ARMY in their lives impacting them in a positive light as without ARMY they use phrases such as ‘I been losing my mind, I’ve been craving my shine’, ‘you’re my light and salvation and ‘it leaves me feeling seasick’ to describe how they would feel without ARMY. It gets you emotional though so don’t forget to give the person you’re making listen to it a bit of a pre-warning as it would be cruel not to. After listening, they definitely will find themselves installing the game to find out more about the song because it's only natural after getting introduced to BTS.
Cheryl - Heartbeat won this week’s poll as the song chosen for new Army’s. I find this song to be an emotional, passionate 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 - which ties in beautifully with BTS and being an Army. I personally felt all these emotions in the beginning and even now when a comeback is coming.
Eight - Charlie
When thinking of songs to introduce someone to BTS, “Eight” by IU ft. and produced by SUGA was a song that I was immediately keen to include, especially as the last time we covered this theme it was before this song had been released. It combines the undisputedly, objectively beautiful musicality of IU, with the sheer brilliance of how Yoongi put words and sounds together to create magic.
The song title comes from the age of 28, as the song is a letter from IU’s 28-year-old self to describe all of the pain and dramatic emotions she feels as a result of growing up and passing this age. Yoongi was also 28 at the time of this song being released, so it is a beautifully relatable song about two people just explaining how it feels to grow up, and how hard it can be for people their age. And its human relatability and nostalgic feelings are very evident in the stunning music.
“So are you happy now?
Finally happy now? Yeah
Well, I'm just the same
I feel like I lost everything”
Yoongi’s rap in this song spoke to many ARMYs who heard it for the first time, and I think new ARMYs would be pleasantly surprised by it if they read the lyrics. It already sounds beautiful and genuine and has so much pained but heartfelt emotions pouring from it, but the lyrics themselves show how beautifully profound his music is - a perfect representation of BTS’ music as a whole.
“Island, yeah, this is an island, a small island we made together
Yeah, mm, forever young, the word “eternity” is a sandcastle
Saying goodbye is like a disaster alert
I miss you when the morning comes
Let’s both pass this aeon
We’ll surely meet on this island once more”
It is no wonder that everytime I introduce this song to a non-ARMY or someone who hasn’t kept up with BTS’ music, Eight is always a song that gets them interested, or gets them singing along. It has such wide appeal and is genuinely such a great song for almost any audience.
Crystal Snow - Cheryl
Crystal Snow is an original Japanese song from BTS, i.e. not a Korean song translated to Japanese. It was released in 2018 and is on the Face Yourself Album. I would encourage a new BTS’ Army to listen to their Japanese songs either original or translated as I personally find the Japanese songs to have a different sound to the Korean ones. I personally find it interesting that they release their songs in the different languages and it just adds confirmation of how talented BTS are.
Crystal Snow is a song about comparing the love of someone to snow. They sing about love slipping through their fingers, running out of time, love melting, unrequited love and that no matter how you wish for it love can be elusive like snow. I am sure as children we have all wished for a snow day so we could have a break from school and how even if promised by the weather forecast, it would not appear and then the disappointment would set in.
My favourite lyrics are:
Like snow piles up, I remember what you gave me
You gave me the courage to live
We met each other beyond all time
So now how do we do? Can we make it work?
This fragile love
Namjoon’s lyrics are very creative and describe very clearly the images of the feelings of love and how even if the feelings are fake they still want the other person. The way he describes how it’s not possible to “choose the paint that colours us” makes me imagine that we cannot choose who we fall in love with, or who loves us back in return and how when we find that special someone they make everything seem special and better by being sparkly and shiny.
The two of us are already far apart
Even though we are meant to be together
Now we can't choose the paint that colors us
Even the black breath
Even your thick white fog
I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel
Oh yeah, oh, crystal snow, crystal snow
Inside the white fog
Even though you pass through me and turn to water, you are still in my heart
(You are in my heart)
I watch you shining and reflecting on every single sparkling thing
I’ll wait for you no matter where
I want to see you, even if you're pretending, please hold this hand
The melody and lyrics combined make for a snowy scene of love and adventure, as who knows where this new found love will take us and what will be discovered, very much like the love of BTS and Army – bound together forever on a very exciting journey.
Idol - Michayla
There are so many songs that I would choose to introduce someone to BTS that this really was a tough decision. Of course ‘ON’ was my first choice but I appear to be quite predictable when it comes to that song (no idea how) so settled on another song that I have quite an attachment to. I came very close to choosing Dope because that was the song/MV that tipped me over the edge and thrust me into the fandom but Idol was my final choice.
Idol was actually my first comeback and I was quickly taken in by the vibrant MV, the energetic choreography and the catchy sound. This was further magnified when they opened the Love Yourself tour with it and I will never forget the moment they rose up out of the stage in sparkly military style outfits and ‘Idol’ reverberated around the O2.
As I mentioned above when writing about ‘Heartbeat’, I do like to have an MV when introducing someone to BTS. There is something about seeing the artist at the same time as hearing their music for the very first time. Having the option of lyrics on screen is always helpful too, especially with a group like BTS where the messages in their songs are so important. The visual experience from the Idol MV definitely mirrors the energy of the music, with elements of traditional Korean and Chinese culture represented.
‘Idol’ is a response to haters and those who have criticised BTS heavily. They say that people can continue with their chatter because it won’t affect them, they will be who they are and carry on:
‘Keep on chit-chatting, saying this and that
I do what i do, so you do you
You can’t stop me lovin’ myself’
What a fantastic message to introduce someone to BTS, a message that I believe everyone could try and apply to their lives. I believe that ‘Idol’ has every ingredient to be a great advocate for the group and I say this because I have tried and tested it. My friend had a somewhat negative first impression of BTS until I showed her ‘Idol’ amongst other songs and it was enough for her to go home and do her own research. I now take full credit for her transformation and watching her fall apart at Wembley when she saw her bias for the first time and hearing how desperate she was to see the Idol choreography performed live was a magical thing.
Make It Right - Onomey
I chose to go with Make It Right because of how many hints of different genres in one is in this song. It is a very well sounding, chilled and relaxing song that you can vibe to no matter what mood you’re in. You could be feeling emotional, wanting to have a little dance, blast it in your car in the summer etc. It really does suit all weathers and occasions. The simplicity of the song really allows you to focus on the vocals throughout the song. Especially the falsetto chorus and the different vocal riffs that are in the background of the song as they are short but sweet which keeps you wanting more from the song. It isn’t a ballad that may have you bored of the song after the first verse, it keeps you wanting more due to a number of reasons, starting with the bass which is very deep and sparse but when it hits, you 100% know about it as it has a swing about it which makes you want to dance.
This song to me is a go-to for when people try to say that BTS can’t sing or that they use autotune or lip-sync. I pull videos up of them singing this song live, sit back, relax and wait for the reaction in their faces when they realise that they have come across musical gods. It’s even better when you mention how Ed Sheeran had a hand in writing the song as they are usually shaken by the fact that Ed even knows who BTS are, it’s always great to see. The vocals in this song can’t be argued with, they stand out by a mile even in the live performances they do, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one where they have hit a bum note. It’s such a rarity which makes this group so special.
I’m mentioning my favourite verse which is Sugas just because I know that I always bring his verse up when making new BTS listeners listen to this song. The lyrics and the delivery of his singing rap are what gets to me every time. Just a few lines in this bridge that stand out to me are ‘the reason why I survived in hell it’s for you, it was not for me’ and ‘I know the sea without you is the same as a desert’.
Another reason why I chose this song is that this song doesn’t have an MV or dance routine therefore whoever is listening to it won’t get distracted by the boys' amazing dance moves or complex ‘movie’ like MVs. I know that there is an MV for the version with Lauv but it isn’t distracting enough to bring you away from the sound and lyrics in the song. This song is all about the vocals which are what music should always be about and BTS are a testament to that.
A Blooming Playlist
BTS and ARMY had a disappointing week after the Grammys and it made the Playlist team think about fresh starts. As Spring flowers break through and alert us to a new season, this playlist is all about newness, bringing positivity and hope.
Did you vote in this week’s poll? Which song makes your heart bloom?
Follow BTS Radio UK across all social media and let us know what your choice would be.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2vU5j5BE3hf98pkV1hHMuj?si=9VA5mrhuRGuODuH422oeLA
HOME chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I was surprised that ‘HOME’ won the poll this week given the other three choices but I think that’s mainly because I find this song comforting more than anything. Due to lockdown, I think ‘HOME’ is the place that the majority of the world has had no choice but to be in and perhaps people’s homes have become more of their safe place than ever before. This song was BTS’ message to ARMY, to tell us how we make them feel and that in itself makes my heart bloom. I love how they always manage to let us know how important we are to them and it makes me feel like I’m part of something special. As a fan, it goes without saying, how important BTS is to me and the impact they have had on my life so it always makes me feel warm to hear that the fandom means so much to them.
Charlie - “Home” is definitely a song that makes my heart bloom and makes me think of Spring. The whole Persona album does, but especially this one, as it sonically and lyrically is sweet like Spring flowers. It reminds me of Spring 2019, when BTS released this song right before touring the world for the Speak Yourself tour - hence the lyrics, about BTS feeling at home with ARMYs no matter where in the world they are. I hope they still felt comfortably at home this past year, despite not being with us physically - wherever in the world they are is their home, so I know that they’ll always be welcome whenever they come back.
Cheryl - This week's poll was won by Home and I am not surprised as this song is all about the meaning of Home for BTS and in this instance Home is where their fans are and after the week they have had and us too - I feel energised, safe and secure with the lyrics of this song and the sentiment behind it.
Onomey - This well-named track for sure makes my heart bloom because as the saying goes, home is where the heart is. When I think about spring, I think about the flowers and trees starting to sprout, the sun starting to show itself again and the genuine warmth you begin to see from individuals because the growth of nature makes you naturally smile. This song brings the same vibe as it is a very warm, rich-sounding and fun song whilst still having a chilled out vibe that reminds me of the slow process of plants becoming alive. It is very melodic and has funky sounding beats which bring energy alongside the rap line. The vocalists bring the sweetness and light mood that comes with spring. The chorus is what I would best relate to in regards to spring as it makes me feel warm and full of energy, I feel like I'm a new and bright person when spring comes around and when I listen to this song also. 'That place is probably mi casa with you I'mma feel rich. That place is no other than mi casa, turn it on your switch'
Begin - Michayla
This has been a pretty tough week which seems to fit perfectly in the tough year that the world has been experiencing. I think it’s important to regroup after a disappointing time and find comfort in the people and things you hold close to your heart. This is definitely something BTS did after the Grammy announcement when they did their Vlive for ARMY, always wanting to make sure that we are okay and to let us know that they are around. I chose ‘Begin’ because after every knockback, we have to start again, dust ourselves off and push on, so the title stood out to me as the first reason for picking it.
‘Begin’ is Jungkook’s story from the Wings era and it really shows how much he has grown, even more so, if you look back now. I love the first verse, how he describes the world being too big and he was so small, it must have been a scary prospect for someone so young to enter the world of Idols.
‘When I was fifteen years old, I had nothing
The world was too big and I was small
Now I can’t even imagine now
I was scentless and completely empty, I pray.’
As I am now, nearly 42 years old, I can think back to many occasions in my life where the situation has been daunting and I have felt small. I think that being able to get through these times and come out the other side is what gives you strength and provides learning curves that will undoubtedly shape you as a person.
In this song, Jungkook sings about his love for the other members of BTS and how they have helped him grow, I’m sure that today, nearly four years on, it is even more obvious to him the impact they have had. Jungkook has always said how quiet and shy he was at the start and how the members, particularly Taehyung, helped bring him out of his shell. At fifteen, you feel so grown up but so daunted by life at the same time so I can imagine how he must have felt.
‘Love you my brother, I’ve got brothers
I discovered emotions, I became me
So I’m me, now I’m me’
Life is terrifying at times, sometimes with hindsight you realise that situations that you thought were awful at the time, were not so bad after all but that doesn’t change how you felt in that moment. We have to do our best, whatever that means for us and draw on the people around us for support to help us through whatever situation we are facing. Regrouping and moving forwards is an important part of resilience and will give us the tools to deal with the next situation that arises. I’m sure that 2021 Jungkook can look back at his 2016 self and see how much he has grown, let alone going back even further to the 2013 version of himself, which must feel like a lifetime ago.
Spring brings newness and as we come to the end of the first quarter of 2021, we need to dust ourselves off and go again, as individuals, as a fandom, as people who adore those seven guys from South Korea. ‘Begin’ could quite easily be applied to BTS and ARMY with the hook because I think it runs both ways, especially during times like this.
‘You make me begin, You make me begin, You make me begin
(Smile with me, smile with me, smile with me)’
Stay - Charlie
It’s a new season that we’re all having to get through just to get closer to the day that we can all see each other again - and still, we’re staying for BTS. BTS were disappointed last week and worried that we were too - and still, we’re staying right here for them.
Originally intended as a song on Jungkook’s mixtape, but a perfect fit on the BE album as it perfectly encapsulates the never-wavering love between BTS and ARMY, Stay is an upbeat EDM track about how BTS know that ARMY will always stay with them, no matter how seasons change or no matter how long we have to spend apart.
“For all of
Today's brilliance, hey yeah
Oh, every night and day
Yeah, I know you always stay”
“Stay” is a perfect song for Spring. Just like this fresh, blooming, new season, ARMY and BTS’s love for each other still feels brand new because of how strong it is. Not only that, but it reminds me of “So What”, which came out in Spring, in that it feels like a party anthem, one that we’d jump to in concerts, and it’s towards the end of the album in a finale sort of way - and yet, just like So What, it has really heartfelt lyrics that, once read, make my heart clench.
“Was it a dream?
I think I saw you
When I open my eyes
The room's empty again
I gently cast a spell
My heart beats louder than ever
We're always in this moment
Together, wherever, yeah”
Overall, Stay feels like the type of song we’ll be hearing at a concert venue. It makes me think of a Spring concert, where we’re able to have a fresh start after all of this and just jump around together under the sun of a roof-less stadium, staying together after all this time.
Epiphany - Cheryl
As I am sure most Army know Epiphany features on the Love Yourself: Answer album and reflects upon how adapting oneself to fit someone else’s perception of you, means that you are not being yourself. It then follows in the song that Jin decides he will be his one true self and will love himself as he is and that he may not be perfect but that he is still beautiful.
The following lyrics depict his feelings of not being himself and instead tries to be the person the other would want, but how that is causing him discomfort:
Adapted to you with everything, I wanted to live my life for you
But as I keep doing that I just can’t bear the storm inside my heart
The real myself inside the smiling mask
With these lyrics he is questioning why he was so afraid to meet his true self and why did he keep it hidden and is asking himself the questions:
I’m shaking and afraid but I keep going forward
I’m meeting the real you, hidden in the storm
Why did I want to hide my precious self like this?
What was I so afraid of?
Why did I hide my true self?
I personally enjoy the realness of these lyrics, it reminds me of how when I have met someone for the first time, being so nervous might mean I am not quite the real me, frightened of being judged, or not liked. It also reminds me of an earlier relationship where the other person pretended to have similar interests to impress me and then later when the relationship ended they expressed their dislike and fakeness, which somehow felt like a double betrayal.
My favourite part of the song is the chorus:
I wanna love in this world
Shining me, precious soul of mine
I finally realized so I love me
Not so perfect but so beautiful
I’m the one I should love
As these lyrics reflect upon the old saying that in order to love someone else you should love yourself first and here Jin is singing that he is going to do that, he is going to love himself so that he can find love in this world.
The word Epiphany means to have a sudden realisation or great revelation and with the song it would be Jin’s realisation that he needs to be himself and not try and mould himself to fit someone else’s ideas of him and this song really ties in with the Love Yourself: Answer album as it expresses that he is going to love himself in order to find love.
Of course, I cannot end this piece without mentioning Jin’s vocals which are exquisite in this song and suit the piano accompaniment too. I am so happy to remember seeing this performed live, he gave a brilliant live performance.
The Truth Untold - Onomey
When I first heard about Steve Aoki being involved in another BTS song, I thought it would be a song more in a genre of Mic Drop or an EDM track. I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to the track and discovered that it was a breathtaking power ballad sung by the vocal line. So before I start, I’d like to say thank you so much Steve because it is well and truly a vocal masterpiece.
I absolutely love spring because I’ve always been very into gardening because my mum does too, so I tend to get very excited when spring comes around as I love seeing how plants slowly start budding and eventually come to life and love seeing when trees start to gain their leaves again as get to witness different bright colours, smells and growth which puts a smile on my face every time. Planting and caring for plants as well as vegetables is something that me and my mum bond over so I’m always grateful for spring. The Truth Untold is so hauntingly beautiful but with the mention of flowers, it’s a song I had to choose for this week's theme for sure.
This song is a very sad song which may have many people wondering why I chose to write about it and I totally understand that. The main reason why I chose to write about this song in regard to spring and making my heart bloom is that it feels me with a warm feeling as soon as I hear V sing ‘full of loneliness, this garden bloomed full of thorns, I bind myself into this sand castle’ in his deep whispering vocal tone.
The section of the song that really makes me think of spring is the bridge section. The way the song was set up to have the bridge as the main section to be filled with such an outcry of emotions makes me think of things blooming.
It is difficult to describe but the bridge sounds like a sudden explosion, like before this, there isn’t much instrumentation going on or too many vocals, they all sing individually until that point which is where we are greeting with what I would call an explosion of vocals. They all intertwine so well whilst the instrumental does its job in creating an almost theatrical sounding beat to support the vocal line whilst also leaving space to let them shine. The bridge in a song is usually where the song shoots into a different mode either in a positive light, for example, the singer overcomes whatever battle they face within the song lyrics, or in a negative sense where the song drops in tone and it turns into a dark section followed by the chorus that helps bring the mood back up again before the ending. The BTS vocal line manages to do both things within this section by having the vocals and instrumentation sounding positive whilst having a negative tone within the lyrics because they were unable to find a resolution from the situation they were in. The bridge is more about reflecting on what could’ve been rather than moving on, they are still upset about the situation that has happened as they can’t stop thinking about what they cared for.
BTS Radio UK OST
BTS have the BTS World OST and this week the playlist team decided that BTS Radio UK needed an OST of our own. They put together a series of questions and polls which were put to the team and after a lot of soul searching and tears (for the songs left out) they had the final list that makes up this wonderful playlist.
One of the questions put to the team was: Which 3 songs couldn’t you live without?
What would your answer be? Why not come and tell us on Instagram, facebook or Twitter, we’d love to hear what your choices would be.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6fe5jy6dsjM0artg4AXDW9?si=kVjFjDrUQgONbrBu0ccIjg
ON - MIchayla
Yes, yes… I know, but how could I choose any other song when ‘ON’ is undoubtedly a song I personally couldn’t imagine life without? There are times when this song feels like it could be the soundtrack of my life so of course I was going to choose to write about it this week.
I wasn’t the only team member who chose it though, I have deep rooted feelings towards ‘ON’ and asked myself which two words come to mind when I think about it. My two words were: Courage and Resilience. When ‘ON’ was released I had been fighting a huge injustice that caused me to experience a low period I hadn’t felt for some time. There were many days when I didn’t think I could see it through to the end but the people around me encouraged me to continue because I was in the right. After nearly four months, I came out victorious and my eldest Son wrote me a card telling me how proud he was of me for standing up for what is right, even when it was me against something so big.
‘Bring the pain
It’ll become my blood and flesh
Bring the pain
No fear, now that I know the way
Breathe on the small things
My air and my light in the dark
The power of the things that make me, “me”
Even if I fall, I come right up, scream.’
I posed the same question to two of the team who also picked ‘ON’ and agreed wholeheartedly with their choices too. Sofiya said: Confidence and Power. Eve said: Motivation and Strength. I think the six words chosen between us encapsulate this song perfectly and it goes to show what impact it has had when those are the words chosen.
Since its release on 21st February 2020, before the world was thrown into complete chaos, this song has driven me forwards on so many occasions. There is one line that shone through and hit me like a runaway steam train, so much so that with the small financial gain I received after winning my case, I had the line tattooed on my arm in a font called ‘soulmate’ because without the support of my closest friend I’m not sure I’d have made it.
‘Can’t hold me down, cuz you know I’m a fighter.’ is now a part of me and a line that resonates with that period in my life as well as serving as a reminder of the positive impact my decision to ‘fight’ had on my children. So, on the days when life is gloomy and I’m unsure of whether I can carry on, I repeat that line and listen to ‘ON’ because the song is about not giving up, whatever comes your way.
‘ON’ is definitely a motivational song and Eve chose it as one of her top songs for this reason amongst others as she listens to it before work to put her in the right frame of mind. Eve likes a song with a strong beat made to power you up, which of course ‘ON’ is, absolutely. The strength that this song conveys is unwavering and Sofiya said that ‘it tells us that we can fight anything that comes our way. We can take the pain and no one can drag us down.’
Would it be too much to say that ‘ON’ is the anthem of BTS Radio UK? The team strives to get BTS played on the radio in the UK and continues the battle on a daily basis, spurred on by the passion to get their music heard far and wide. ‘Passion’, ‘Drive’ and desire to succeed, no matter what the obstacles are, try and try again… that is exactly what we do at BTSRadioUK along with ARMY and some great fanbases.
‘Even if my knees drop to the ground
As long as they don’t get buried
It won’t matter
Win no matter what’
Blood, Sweat & Tears - Cheryl
This week we decided to mix things up and change how we choose the songs for the playlist. We thought it would be a great idea to ask the BTS Radio UK team for 3 songs from BTS that they just couldn’t live without. This proved to be a very interesting exercise, as you will hear there are some perhaps unusual choices and perhaps your favourite isn’t even on our list – let us know.
My all time favourite BTS song just has to be Blood Sweat and Tears. Perhaps it’s because I feel it is the song that got away. I became an Army just after the Wings era and maybe that is why it appears so special and seductive because I really wish I had witnessed the curiosity and hype first hand rather than playing catch up!
The introduction to BTS and Blood Sweat and Tears was all thanks to my daughter (I’ve mentioned this before, I’m sure) she would have the dance practice on repeat and I was mesmerised with how these 7 men moved – not just in time to music but it was the synchronicity and precision of their movements and how seamlessly it all appeared. It was actually a while later that I watched the MV, which I enjoyed for the artistry and seductive moves. Then again, sometime later I found the Japanese version, which is even more beautiful.
I then decided to look into the theory behind the song and music video and was blown away by all the artistic representation behind the work. The different meanings were intriguing to say the least.
The main theory I think about whilst listening or watching this song, is the fact that to change from boys to men, BTS must succumb to temptation, whether that be; alcohol, smoking or sex and it is all there for us to enjoy. It also depicts BTS as younger boys walking through the museum with toys (catapult, bicycle) and then shows them in a more mature light suspended from the ceiling, lying in bed or kissing the statue. The song is also like a little film in its own right – but what I wouldn’t give to see this played out in an hour long film.
My favourite lyrics are:
Kiss me on the lips
A secret just between the two of us
Deeply poisoned by the jail of you
I cannot worship anyone but you and I knew
The grail was poisoned but I drank it anyway
I asked Charlie, a member of BTS Radio UK what makes Blood Sweat and Tears so special for her and this was her reply:
“BST is really important to me as it was the first BTS comeback I properly witnessed as it happened – it’s the MV that changed my entire perspective on them as a group as it was a very mature concept and I adore religious imagery so I’m intrigued by the MV and all the theories around it. The time when it came out was a very nice time in my life so I feel so nostalgic for it and it's so seductive yet fun to dance to, it’s brilliant in every way.”
Writing up Charlie’s comments I can feel the passion and adoration for both Blood Sweat and Tears and BTS and I feel this mirrors the whole team who are passionate about getting BTS more airplay on UK radio shows.
Outro: Tear - Charlie
I know that Tear is a dearly beloved song of the BTS Radio UK team, with many of us having seen it live and/or communally cried when BTS revealed that the lyrics are not just about the love story that is told throughout the Love Yourself series, but was written when the BTS members were having a hard time and considering disbanding. For this reason, I am not surprised to see it in this list for our team OST. It has a lot of meaning for all of us, and isn’t a song that we can just listen and move on, or do without.
“The ugly and pathetic old friends within me
Would you still be able to love me again like before
With that smile with which you used look at me
Stop saying things like forever, forever
After all, the end originally exists”
The gut-wrenching lyrics of Tear are matched by its intense musicality. We hear violins soaring throughout, adding to the heightened emotions of the song. Michayla, who chose this song to be on the playlist, said that she partly chose it due to how hard-hitting it is, which gives her motivation - it is even more impactful due to how watching it live blew her away, to the extent that it is one of her favourite live performances.
Michayla also said that Hoseok’s verse in particular hits her hard. I have to agree, as the emotions that he unleashes onto his verse are unforgettable. He sounds like he is crying out in pain, but in a theatrical way that isn’t over-the-top or corny. He just sounds like he is fully committed to the song, which, knowing of the song’s true meaning, hits hard.
“Our end that two letters handed to us
That I won't cry, that I won't tear it up
I can't say those kinds of words. In the future I, too
Breakup, incurable disease
You're my beginning and my end, That is all
My meeting and my farewell”
BTS Radio UK knows all about teamwork, and heightened emotions about BTS, so it’s no surprise that a song about the members’ love for their own team resonated with us. Especially when we were lucky enough to experience the Love Yourself era live.
Fake Love - Onomey
Although I didn’t choose Fake Love in my original 3 songs, which was SO difficult by the way, I couldn’t live without it. I did include it in the list of 12 songs we had to put together.
Fake Love for me personally is a song that really captivated me more than a normal BTS song would. There was something special, something big about this song right from the beginning. I remember watching the teaser clips and being so excited because they were so mysterious, full of drama, emotion and amazing movie-like video production compressed into the small teaser clips compared to previous song teasers. The backstory behind this song too was very interesting, it was the first time that I really went deep-diving into the different theories about the MV.
I’m glad that Megan too also had this point of view too as she said ‘I chose Fake Love as one of the songs I couldn’t live without as it was the first performance that stood out to me. I enjoy the dark concept and the way emotion is conveyed in the lyrics. As a fairly new fan, it was one of the MVs that got me intrigued in the different stories BTS portrayed with their music.’
This song to me was a massive statement song to the western world, especially in the US as it was the first song they performed at the Billboard Music Awards. Not many of the artists knew who they were and was shocked by the sheer amount of Army that managed to get tickets to that award show and the amazing talent that they showcased in their performance as not only did they sing amazingly they also happened to perform a song that had a different kind of dancing to what is expected of a performer in America, especially for men.
Cheryl, like myself, mentioned how important the Billboard Music Awards was in her decision to include Fake Love in the songs she couldn’t live without.
She said ‘Fake Love was my first comeback and it was an amazing experience. Watching BTS perform the song live for the first time during the Billboard Music Awards and hearing the American Armys joining in with their own fan chant was totally enthralling. The bond between BTS and Army was truly something to witness and very impressive. Due to this performance, Fake Love will always be in my top BTS songs as it was a very special event that I will never forget.’
I think that we can all agree that the comeback for Fake Love was unbelievable. I’m actually jealous of Holly that this song was her first BTS comeback because it was such a big one in the journey of BTS. Here is what Holly said about the song:
‘The reason why Fake love means so much to me is that it was my first comeback since I fell in love with BTS and the whole experience of waiting was incredible. It also happens to be one of my favourite comebacks since I joined the ARMY! Everything about this song is perfect: the vocals, rap and MV there isn’t anything you can fault about Fake Love.’
Lyrically, I could understand the song but through a friendship type of way, losing myself to people who I thought were my best friends and loved me no matter what, just like how I loved them but they would never let me just be myself and would always question or try to change me. It took me years to even realise what they were doing to me, I pretended like the things didn’t affect me by laughing or making jokes, but on the inside, I was hurting. I look back and think I completely lost who I was during those times, now that I feel like I am truly myself, they didn’t want to speak to me anymore which is why the lyrics below relate to me a lot.
‘For you, I could pretend like I was happy when I was sad
For you, I could pretend like I was strong when I was hurt’
‘Look at me, even I gave up on myself
Even you can’t understand me
You say I’m unfamiliar, changed into the one you used to like
You say I’m not myself which you knew well’
Thank you to Holly, Cheryl and Megan for including their reasons as to why they love this wonderful masterpiece of a song. It is nice to know that people love it for so many different reasons but can still come together and admire it as a whole.
Courage
With recent events highlighting the prejudice that the Asian community are facing, the playlist team wanted to focus on words like ‘courage’, ‘fighting’, ‘strength’ and ‘resilience’. They have put together a playlist full of songs that they feel encompasses these words with the help of ARMY who chose ‘Daechwita’ in the poll.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3vGm9daKfHqKOA2mVIKWpG?si=277l98xgQkqOOe9va7bq1g
Daechwita chosen by ARMY
Michayla - ‘Daechwita’ is a type of Korean traditional music that is played while marching in the military so it is indeed an appropriate winner this week. The fandom have stood together in the face of adversity against racism, regardless of ethnicity, in the defense of the Asian community and celebrities have joined us too. ‘Daechwita’ is a reply to Yoongi’s haters and one line I feel is appropriate about anyone supporting hate, ‘All shit-talk they got no game, Off with their heads.’
Charlie - D-2’s lead single is one to bang your head to and completely lose yourself in a burst of anger and triumph all at the same time. I think it’s very meaningful that this song won the poll, as it even starts off with traditional Korean music, that which plays during the ceremonial walk of a king. For those who have been trying to put BTS down for their Korean roots, Daechwita broadcasts those Korean roots in the first few seconds of the song, and then again in the pre-choruses, to remind you that their roots are their strength, and BTS will always win out over those who try to see them fall.
Cheryl - I love that Daechwita won this week's poll as it was my choice. This song has such a fighting vibe to it - Suga fighting at his best and then there's the MV which is pure artistry with his sword dance and blonde power play. The lyrics are all about confidence, achievement and power, with a little insecurity thrown in too. It was also interesting that So What was a close second, this is another powerful fighting song which is a real crowd pleaser at concerts. I wonder if we'll ever see Daechwita performed live.
Intro: What Am I To You? - Michayla
There has been a lot of negativity recently, particularly after the situation with the radio host and the increase in prejudice aimed at the Asian community. BTS ARMY were joined by many celebrities in standing up to be counted in our fight against racism, not only in defense of BTS but the asian community as a whole. Through the darkness came light and it shone brightly as we all found courage in the face of adversity and that is exactly what inspired the theme this week.
We all need courage and need to search our souls for strength at one point or another in our lives and it doesn’t matter what situation calls for it, it can be quite daunting. While thinking about this and about the events concerning racism in the last year, I still struggle to understand why people are judged on skin colour and ethnicity. The song title, ‘What Am I To You?’ seemed to be so relevant from the title alone.
This Intro is a hidden gem, it is on the album Dark and Wild and is 2 minutes 45 seconds of Namjoon aka Rap Monster (back then). It starts in a classroom setting, you can hear the hustle and bustle of students and a bell, so you immediately know this is a song set in the throws of youth. I really love this album because many of the songs are ‘teen angst’ songs and even now at nearly 42, I remember those days.
‘What Am I To You?’ is the story of a relationship that appears to be very one sided where one person seems to put in all the effort and the other person is more reserved. Namjoon tells the story and as the song goes on, the tone of his voice changes as his emotions alter. It starts with him winning the girl over, he describes his heart racing and how he wants her to see him as being different from other guys. He also makes reference to how the girl is quite prickly, defensive perhaps? But he only sees the good in her.
‘I’ve never felt like this before
My mom couldn’t even stop me
I told you how I really felt
And in the end, I won
Baby you should know you change
All of my negatives to positive
You put up your thorns
But I can see you’re a rose
Who’s making my heart race again’
As the song goes through the journey of the relationship, Namjoon sounds hurt and frustrated in places. He isn’t getting what he wants from the girl but doesn’t seem to understand why. He texts her and she doesn’t text back, they aren’t affectionate, he realises that his smile is one out of habit, therefore fake. One of my favourite parts of the song is when he likens the girl to a goalkeeper who has lost heart and likens himself to Lionel Messi, one of the greatest footballers of all time. This speaks volumes to me and tells me exactly what is happening for him and also the courage he would need in order to change things.
When he accepts that his infatuation is ‘puppy love’ and how even given the coldness displayed by the girl, he is still willing to try, the song takes quite a sad turn. Sometimes people bury their heads in the sand because the reality is quite scary and change is terrifying. People struggle with change and it takes a whole load of bravery to alter a situation, which is sometimes where the battle comes into it.
Even though this song isn’t directly linked to racism or the prejudice faced in recent times, it is about wanting a situation to be different and accepting that the way things are isn’t working. The angst and emotion in Namjoon’s voice mirrors the voices of ARMY and the celebrities on social media who spoke out against the radio host and hate against the asian community. Many people who condone such hateful actions really do need to search their souls and accept that they need to change their views and the people fighting against those views need the courage to make their voices heard so racism isn’t a taboo subject anymore.
Dis-ease - Cheryl
For this week’s fighting playlist I chose to write about Dis-Ease as I felt it was appropriate on many levels. As you may be aware the title of the song was J-Hope’s brainwave and it is a play on words. If written as disease it means illness and suffering, whilst written with the hyphen Dis-Ease means the opposite of feeling at ease, so it could be insecurities that accompany anxiety and has more to do with mental health.
Whilst reading the lyrics the song gives a real sense of the struggle for BTS dealing with the sudden forced rest caused by the pandemic. The lyrics include feelings of loss, uncomfortable happiness, having the time to think more and finding themselves.
I feel that the song is about the inner turmoil that the current situation has caused and is relatable to everyone, which I sometimes find unbelievable how this virus (disease) can affect the whole world in such an awful way and that like BTS we all need to find a new positive, for each new day.
J-Hope’s lyrics:
Uh, it looks like I lost something
I relieve my anxiety with a sip of coffee
An endless rest
Happiness suddenly comes towards me uncomfortably
24 hours, that’s plenty of time
I could sleep all day but there’s still no problem
I think I should work till my body breaks
I’m the damn guy who eats three meals a day
My crime, the dog bit me while I was resting
Scream “Don’t do that,” but I’m depending on results every day
E'r'yday do my thang, damn if I fail
Keep growling, tap a rotten rope
Insecurity, this is a disease
The physical stuff is a stun from work, ow!
Here we can see the effect of the pandemic. BTS have all spoken about the lack of interaction with their Army and perhaps this is what J-Hope is alluding too with the loss of something, this can also mean that something has been taken away from him, which also applies as it’s through no fault of them that concerts and fan meets have been cancelled, therefore an endless rest has begun. He also mentions that he feels he should continue to work hard and it almost feels like he is punishing himself with “I’m the damn guy who eats three meals a day”. He seems rather driven by results and therefore finds resting unsettling and insecurities set in.
RM’s verse:
RM, yeah
Even our hearts need a vacation
Oh, just do your job like it's one
I’m ill, yeah, I’m the job itself
The friend called ‘rest,’ oh, I never liked him
How much do you have to earn to be happy?
This glass bottle hits your head
Is the world sick or am I sick? I’m confused
I take off my glasses, but the dark doesn't blur
Whatever label is attached to me after this time
I hope they’ll all be you
Your you, you
With RM’s lyrics he appears to be questioning the situation and asking if he himself is happy and how he doesn’t like to rest. It also appears that he is telling us that he should just approach work as a job, but that this is difficult because he is the job, so there is no distinction between going to work and resting as its all him. The last section of his verse regarding the label, I believe he is hoping that he recognises himself in how he is perceived by others.
Suga’s verse:
Everyone has a lot of diseases, what I’m confused
Is that mankind is inherently evil
There more than 400 kinds of mental diseases
But no one really fits into any of these categories
Yo, is the world sick or am I sick?
Or do we just interpret things differently?
Or is that all to it?
I don’t know, changing myself is faster
Than looking at people differently
Here Suga looks at mental health and how difficult it is to place anyone into the 400 types of known mental health diseases, which is rather enlightening and it shows that everyone’s illness is unique to them. Like RM he is questioning whether he is sick or the whole world and maybe this is how we are all feeling, as the situation effects us all and is stopping us from living our usual lives. He is also stating that change comes from within and therefore starts with us.
Pre-Chorus
Maybe
I'm sick, yeah, because I think too much
I hate that
I’m childish but not that simple
I’m just young, only my body’s grown
Limping all my life
One for the laugh, two for the show
Just like I'm so fine
The pre-chorus details how the theme of thinking too much continues and makes them feel sick and I feel that with how the pandemic has affected many of us, as generally we are at home more than ever before, which allows more rest and thinking time, which can lead to anxiety as the situation is rather uncertain. However, it ends on a positive note with the last two lines which apparently relates to a childhood nursery rhyme.
With V’s outro: “Close the window” for me this relates to keeping us safe and secure in our own homes – the disease will stay outside.
What Do You Think? - Charlie
Judging by the fact that Daechwita won the poll, I think it’s safe to say that D2 has the perfect vibes for a playlist all about determination and fighting back. It’s no surprise, then, that I chose to write about “What Do You Think?”, the third track from Yoongi’s second mixtape.
This is one of those songs that immediately gets straight to the point, blasting you with his thorny chorus. He mockingly repeats the question from the title of the song, not giving anyone time to answer as he yells it again and again, not caring about the answer and stating in no uncertain terms that that is the case. This song is the perfect reply to anyone who gives their unwarranted opinions to BTS, as they do not care if someone is put off by what they do.
“What do you think? What do you think?
What do you think? What do you think?
What do you think? What do you think?
No matter what you think, I'm sorry, but shit, I have no fucking interest”
The first verse is just as unrelenting as the chorus, immediately swearing his head off (which we love to see) - and these swears aren’t bleeped out, until we get to the bit where he mentions people who dare to listen to BTS’s music while insulting them in the same breath. I love this verse as it highlights the fact that, even the people who insult them, know who they are, because they listen to them and feel they have to act defensive about this by insulting them.
“The ******** who're listening to this song are so freaking pissed they faint
Without reversing, I'm zooming straight forward once again, I'm global, so fly huh
I have no need to do it. Flexing but I'm on a chartered plane. So fly huh”
The song is also positive, though, as it matches its rage with a sense of victory; Yoongi calls back to the “big house, big car, big rings” line of their debut and mentions their Billboard #1 4 months before they even achieved it. It even directly mentions people who bring up BTS’s enlistment ignorantly, or bring up the very name of BTS for clout.
This song mocks those who think that their words or actions will have any effect on BTS’s deserving fame, and states that no matter what others might think, BTS will still keep achieving everything that they deserve. It is one of Yoongi’s most scathing songs, and rightly so.
If I Ruled The World - Onomey
This song has a very old school hip-hop vibe from the 70s 80s. It reminds me of old school Snoop Dogg songs with the way the bass guitar was the main instrument in the song throughout. It sounded very smooth and loud but at the same time, it created a very chill vibe throughout the song which coincides with the vocals that are chill.
You can tell it is inspired by musicians like that as it's one of the few BTS songs that are constantly talking about how they would use that power to have a lot of girls, material things and money so that everyone will be jealous of them. It is Suga that has the most sensible approach to his verse as he talks about buying his family a house and use his savings to buy a car rather than gamble or invest in stocks with his money. I like that he says that even if he did rule the world, he would still want to be part of BTS and conquer the hip-hop genre. I love how in this verse, he refers to his dream as an unreasonable dream because he could probably afford to buy multiple-multi pound houses and cars.
‘And buy a house to live in with my family
Yes, next I’ll awaken my savings
And buy a four-wheel drive, put in some gas
Even if it’s too much
I’ll get it with zero-interest discount
Stocks and gambling
I don’t wanna do things like that
I rule the world so why would I dream small?
Don’t ask me that because
I still want to do music with my BTS family
I will become the Kim Jung-Un of the hip-hop world’
If I were to rule the world I honestly don’t think I could handle the pressure that responsibility brings so I would be awful at it. If I did though, I would hope that I was able to help eradicate hate in this world and make sure that as many people as possible did not have to suffer in life from poverty and homelessness especially. This song makes me want to fight for my dreams and become successful in them for my family because they are my world.
Even though the song makes me think of what I could do to help those who are in need just from the title. It makes me realise that I don’t need to rule the world. I can keep working and fighting for the things that I believe in. Just because I don’t have much right now, does not mean I can’t continue being who I am and try my best to create a better society as right now it seems to be very toxic and people love to say outlandish and damaging things about people just because they can. I can rule the world by doing what I am currently doing in meeting likeminded people who believe in equality like BTS Radio UK and put stuff into action to make more and more people realise that the world can be a better place if we all just realise we are human beings living on this planet together.
Celebrating with BTS
ARMY has a lot to celebrate, with the release of BE Essential Edition, BTS’ appearance on MTV Unplugged, and albums being silver and gold certified in the UK. There is always a reason to celebrate when you are a member of the BTS ARMY so our playlist team has created a celebratory playlist.
Do you have an idea for a playlist theme? If so, contact @BTSRadioUK on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let us know.
Meanwhile add this celebratory playlist to your Spotify here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2E1DOci7B0VGv56Iq11DgU?si=PzzavvyARHW6PYmyUWqLSA
DNA chosen by ARMY
Michayla - The four choices that made up this week’s poll appeared to have caused ARMY some problems with a lot unable to choose between the songs. DNA might’ve won with 35% but the remaining three songs were close, sharing the votes (25% 22% and 18%). I totally understand why DNA was the winner though because it is such a vibrant upbeat song. It really is one of those songs that you can’t fail but move along to and maybe even attempt the choreography? Personally, I’m not so brave so I will leave that to BTS who are the experts, the extent of my input is to raise my hand as Jimin does at the end.
Charlie - DNA is such a joyful song about the naive and ecstatic feelings of loving someone and feeling like it’s destiny that you will always be together. In times like these, classic pop songs like this are exactly what we need to lift our spirits. Every second of this track is bursting with vigour, and it’s such an easy song to listen to if you don’t want something too heavy when you want your mind to feel at ease.
Onomey - DNA is such a sweet and pure song which I think is why it made such a great impact on its release around the world. The song switches up so many times which keeps the listener interested and very intrigued in knowing how the song eventually concludes. The EDM song has many strong pulses throughout the song which makes you want to dance, especially in the chorus as the kick drum to me acts as the heart beating wildly for the person who the boys sing about in the song.
‘From the day of the universe’s creation and beyond
Throughout the infinite centuries and beyond
In the previous life and maybe the next too
We’re eternally together'
This song has been celebrated so much and has helped with the development of their success in the western world. I will never forget when they performed this song at the AMA awards and just the reaction it got both in the charts and in the building itself. When I hear it play, it is like playing the celebration of their success as it was a very important song to it.
Cheryl - I believe DNA won the poll this week as this song cannot help but lift spirits. It has such a sunny, celebratory vibe from Jungkook's whistling to the colourful video and upbeat melody. I am not surprised that Army voted for DNA as it encapsulates positivity.
Respect - Michayla
When it comes to celebratory songs, a song that starts with the lines...
‘Put your hands in the air
Put your hands in the air
Just like you don’t care
Just like you don’t care’
… has to be near the top of the list and that is one of the many reasons that this week I decided to write about ‘Respect’ instead of ‘ON’ (I expect laughter if you read the blog every week). Another reason that I chose this song is because we have recently celebrated one whole year with MOTS: 7 and it is undoubtedly one of my favourite BTS albums.
‘Respect’ is a Namjoon and Yoongi unit song and when they performed it at Bang Bang Con, they certainly appeared to be having a lot of fun with it. The lyrics are quite literally about what respect means and Yoongi states that it is more superior than love, which I tend to agree with. Respect is one of those things that people say but overlook, yet I feel it is vital in any and all relationships that we have. If I think about being a Mum, it is a given that I love my children and they love me but respect is something you have to earn on both sides. There is a chance that you will always love someone even if that person does something to make you lose respect for them.
‘It’s obviously superior than love
Probably a concept that exists at the
Most superior rank’
This song is really upbeat and another one that you can’t help but move your body to, even if it’s just a nod of your head. It’s also catchy and I definitely find myself singing ‘Should I go or should I stay?’ as well as repeating ‘Respect’ along with Namjoon and Yoongi.
On 3rd March it is my eldest Son’s 21st birthday so I have an extra reason to celebrate at the moment, even if part of that is how old I feel! I will play ‘Respect’ and do a little dance to it around my lounge to keep my limbs loose in my old age… grateful as always to BTS for keeping me young.
Go Go - Charlie
Being at home for so long can be ever so monotonous, especially when I’m working from home, so I like to cheer myself up by spending this hard-earned money online (if I can’t spend it by going out, I may as well buy material possessions with it). In that spirit, this week I chose Go Go to write about for our celebratory playlist.
When Love Yourself: Her came out, BTS dubbed Go Go as their song that was critical of society; they have one song like this on every album, and have said that a BTS album wouldn’t be complete without at least one such song. And as it came out when I was a University Fresher, spending money on nights out, and I’m still now spending money at home 3 years later, it seems that Go Go is timeless in how fitting it is.
“Dollar dollar
Squandering it all in one day
Run, run, I make and waste my own money
Run, run, run, run
Run, run”
On closer inspection, however, it’s not a song that’s critical of the people spending their money, but of the system that makes people feel that they have to spend money crazily on their weekends because of how hard they’re forced to work during the week. And so, as I write this review on a Friday after a week of work, ready to celebrate the work week being over, Go Go is a perfect song.
“Worked hard to get my pay
Gonna spend it all on my stomach
Pinching pennies to spend it all on wasting it
Leave me be, even if I overspend
Even if I break apart my savings tomorrow
Like a crazy guy”
Overall, Go Go is such an enjoyable song that pokes fun and features a really amusing reference to the backpack kid dance. Every moment is packed full of energy, especially the ending bridge which is when everything comes to a head with super fast footwork.
Telepathy - Cheryl
Researching Telepathy I found that Suga wrote the song in just 30 minutes and said “the song almost wrote itself” (metro.co.uk). The song was originally meant for Suga’s mixtape but didn’t make it and then the other members heard the song and we got to hear it on the BE album.
Telepathy is a love song for Army. The opening lyrics “Among the days that feel the same, I feel happiest when I meet you” explain how BTS feel currently in this pandemic and like the rest of us they are finding the days rather repetitive and also like us they are happiest when we have some interaction. We are also told that we are the most special person to them. Thus proving that they need and miss their fans.
Suga’s verse:
Everything's fine, right? You're doing well, right?
I feel like I’m, well, floating on air these days
Thanks to having so much time
With this much time I’m writing a song like this
This is a song for you, yeah, song, yeah, song
Suga is totally addressing Army with these lyrics and checking in and hoping that everyone is doing OK and he even mentions that the song was able to be written as he had some spare time.
The lyrics also include references to the blue sea and the sea has been a story line throughout BTS history with videos and lyrics. BTS often depict the sea as somewhere they feel happiest and have the most fun, the sea appears to be a safe place for BTS. It’s also somewhere I like to go to feel calm and relaxed, there is something about sitting on a beach watching the sun glisten on the water and listening to the waves, that transports me away and allows me to collect my thoughts.
The pre-chorus:
We may be far apart now
But 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
These lyrics are so meaningful given the pandemic and life in general. They express the feelings of even if we cannot actually physically meet or see each other we are still connected and this just expresses how close BTS and Army are. But it also applies to everyone and their family and loved ones too.
The reference to “Bibilly Hills” is explained in “Genius” as being translated into Korean as something or someone to lean on, which would make the lyrics to; Can I be the person you lean on, like you were for me, as when RM has having a hard time he said that the fans had helped him heal.
Verse:
Too fast is a little dangerous
Too slow is a little boring
Let’s try matching our speeds
Without going too fast
Or going to slow
This is a pretty long and fun roller coaster
I believe with these lyrics, BTS are letting us know that they are enjoying their roller coaster of a ride that is their life and that they hope we continue to support them, by matching our speeds. They are expressing that sometimes it is all happening too fast which can be scary, but life can also be slow and boring.
Throughout the song there is the hope for life returning to a new normal and that we will all get to meet in person sometime and have a huge celebration together. “Although we’re far apart now” implies that this will not always be the case and I for one will be dreaming for the time we can see BTS live in person once more.
Baepsae - Onomey
We all know that you could make like 5 albums worth of BTS songs that make you want to party or celebrate. Recently there have been a lot of things to celebrate for ARMY in regard to BTS with BE Essential Edition, the year anniversary of Map of the Soul:7 the other week and BTS performing their own MTV: Unplugged show. Personally, I celebrated my birthday last week which was fun as I was lucky enough to be able to spend it with the majority of my family. We spent it eating A LOT of food because my parents bought me two birthday cakes. We ordered a big Chinese takeaway and watched movies and football on a big projector. For the record, watching BTS on a big screen is amazing!
When the topic of partying and celebration is brought up when talking about BTS, Bapsae is definitely a 100% bop and I won’t hear anything other than agreement because you are lying to yourself if you say that this song does not make you want to get up and dance. It puts you into a partying mood as soon as you hear that xylophone sounding intro melody, you find yourself humming along to it as the suspension rises for RM shouts ‘THEY CALL ME, BAEPSAE’. It took me a while to even notice that the lyrics were so meaningful because I found myself having a ball just listening to music and dancing along. They do well with this song to mask the real meaning behind the song to casual listeners of BTS. This is because the choreography is so fun to dance to and simple to dance to, alongside the instrumental which is very in your face and dance-heavy.
I find myself listening to this song by watching the boys perform it live because I like to feel the energy that comes from watching them perform. They all seem so energetic when this song comes on and seem a bit more alive, almost like it ignites a fire inside of them especially when it comes to J-Hope who owns the stage with confidence, swagger and of course plenty of hip thrusts.
Is his first verse that is my favourite as he adds little ad-libs throughout it after every line he delivers. This to me adds more power and fun for you to join along with but also is a reaction of almost disgust to the statements he’s making to each line in the verse.
‘At a part-time job, “it’s all for experience”
At school, there’s the teachers
My superiors use violence
In the media, they go on about “the generation that’s given up”
It is unfortunate that a generation of people have to go through mistreatment because of an older generation not understanding or wanting to learn about the struggles that they go through as everyone in life struggles at some point in time, no matter the generation. Baepsae has allowed people to use it as a way to get out all of the frustrations and issues they face by listening to an upbeat song to motivate you to disregard what those people have to say which I think is fantastic.
If you are wanting to celebrate both your own and BTS’ successes or just feel like partying to release energy then this is one of the many go-to songs. It is very powerful in so many different ways which to me makes it an ultimate party banger! Get learning the dance too if you don’t already know it!
The Forgotten MV’s
With so many BTS MV’s reaching great heights, the playlist team decided to take a look at those that have surprisingly low views. Can ARMY get the MVs in our playlist to 500m so they can join the likes of DNA, Dope and Dynamite?
Add our Youtube playlist to your views here: The Forgotten MV's
Young Forever - Our Poll Winner
Michayla - This week we asked which MV has the lowest views and 'Young Forever' was indeed the correct answer with only 73 million views. This song is a big favourite among the fandom so it was a shock to find just how few views the MV has. Hopefully our playlist will introduce you to some videos that you may not have seen, perhaps there are ARMY's who aren't aware that there is an MV for Young Forever, when in fact, there are two (one has 73 million and one has 30 million). If our playlist has introduced you to a video for the first time, let us know, we'd love to hear from you.
Charlie - This week, ARMY collectively answered correctly that Young Forever was the music video in the poll that had the lowest views. On a level, I understand - just because this song is so heartbreaking and reminds me of Wembley, I often cannot bring myself to watch it as I would just be asking to cry my eyes out. However, this song is so stunning, and its music video does it justice. As the members lament about their fear of losing fame, and not being good enough, we see them run desperately through a maze. This video tugs at my heartstrings as I see the BTS of 2016, the BTS I loved back then before my love for them grew to what it is now, and I’m overcome with missing them and feeling so fond for those boys running through that maze, white feathers floating across their faces. Young Forever is such a special song and the music video is beautifully simple, giving us easy-to-understand visuals that allow us to focus on one of their best songs.
Cheryl - This song is a firm favourite with Army. Interestingly this video appears to follow on from I Need You and Run videos and it shows BTS finding a way out of the metal enclosures and finally being free like the birds flying overhead. Perhaps symbolising their growth from boys to men.
Onomey - I’m always very shocked to hear that a lot of ARMY have not heard of this song as it is so beautiful that everyone needs to hear as it is such an emotional song and very underrated. I can’t believe that it hasn’t even reached 100 million views yet, it’s absolute madness! I hope the focus on this song inspires ARMY to get the views up for this MV. Not because it’s a BTS song but because it is a well-produced and crafted song that deserves to have more people aware of it so they too can enjoy the goosebump giving song. I would say to people who have not seen the MV or heard the song before to be aware that you will cry listening to this, it just has that power to do so. The acting in the music video is amazing, the emotions that the boys produce throughout, especially when they are stuck in the many mazes trying to escape to highlight that they are constantly trying to hide how they are feeling so they find themselves lost within themselves. To think about the loneliness they must've felt as teens especially throughout their fame makes this song all that much sadder when looking back on it. As I’m typing this now, I’ve just got the outro on repeat in my head as it has that stadium anthem effect on it where it sounds like hundreds and thousands of people are all singing it together as one.
‘Forever we are young
Under the flower petals raining down
I run, so lost in this maze
Forever we are young
Even when I fall and hurt myself
I keep running towards my dream’
Heartbeat - Michayla
My first choice this week was to write about ON Kinetic Manifesto because a) my addiction continues and b) I think it is a travesty that it is only at 327 million views. However, I was surprised that some MVs with well known songs haven’t even reached 200 million so it makes this playlist worthwhile if we can introduce ARMY to some of those. After careful consideration, I went for a video that has only 68 million views and is a song that is forgotten so many times but is undoubtedly one of my favourite MV’s and one of my favourite songs.
I was so excited when the mobile game ‘BTS World’ was released in June 2019 and I will admit that I have played it every single day since then, without fail. The soundtrack that accompanied it, is a hidden gem in BTS’ discography and if you haven’t heard it then I highly recommend it. We are so lucky in this fandom, having a game released is one thing but a whole soundtrack to go with it, too? It certainly makes me count my blessings because the physical album made a beautiful addition to my others.
‘Heartbeat’ is the track that you hear in the lobby when you enter the game and is such a beautiful song about how BTS would have felt had they not met ARMY. The lyrics conclude that the coming together of BTS and ARMY was inevitable which is more or less the underlying story of the game.
‘If I was only by myself
If I didn’t know you
Maybe I’d have given up
Lost at sea
But my heart’s still on fire
With a burning desire
Gonna get you back like it’s destined’
The video itself is stunning and I’m at a loss for words to describe how it makes me feel and I think that ‘emotional’ is the best I can come up with. BTS members each take on characters in the game and their stories are reflected in the MV, with clips of each in their game roles. Seven guys, whose jobs are completely separate, whose lives shouldn’t really cross paths but of course, they do. In the game, you are the manager that brings them together and once they are a unit, they come together with ARMY as BTS.
One of my favourite parts of the MV is Jimin’s scene where the whale makes an appearance, which of course represents the fandom and appears in ‘We are Bulletproof: The Eternal’ MV (which only has 64 million views). That whole scene in ‘Heartbeat’ is a visual masterpiece and there is so much to captivate you in the 4 minutes 17 seconds that even if you haven’t played BTS World, you can’t fail but to enjoy this MV.
Run - Cheryl
What a cinematic masterpiece Run is, although I have watched it many times, watching it today while getting ready to write about it, I was reminded of how deep the content of this video actually is. It consists of so many emotions and variations of growing up, some of which are light-hearted whilst others are rather dark. Here are my thoughts:
Rebellion
RM throws his cup on the floor (littering). RM and Tae are doing graffiti and although they run from the police they do get caught and are put into handcuffs. Whilst being placed in handcuffs they look at each other and smirk.
There is a traffic jam in a tunnel being caused by Jin because he has parked his truck sideways across both the lanes. Whilst the cars are stationary, drivers are becoming more impatient and sounding their horns; J-Hope spits his drink onto a cars window, Tae spray paints a window. They throw their drinks at the cars and just cause chaos.
Fighting
J-Hope appears to be in a hospital bed as a drip can be seen and the bed has a metal frame. Jimin is standing near him and they start a pillow fight with feathers flying everywhere.
Later in the video there is another pillow fight which appears a bit more feisty. The hits of the pillow match the beats of the song and there is some pushing and shoving. Suga and Jungkook have a fight (not a pillow fight) definitely more aggressive with Jungkook punching Suga and Suga pushing him which causes Jungkook to hurt his side.
Water
The video starts with Tae falling very elegantly backwards into water and then throughout the video Tae is seen sinking in the water and then fighting with the water, perhaps he is trying to survive and get out of the water. Then at the end of the video Tae is seen coming out of the water. I am wondering if this symbolises battling your demons and winning, or perhaps feeling overwhelmed with emotions but then finding a way through them to emerge?
Another part of the video shows Jimin walking into a bathroom where all the other members are already - in high spirits - they grab Jimin and roughly push him into the bath which has been filled with water; then a member tries to force his head under the water. Then straight after the view is, all members laughing and joking in the bathroom whilst Jimin is laughing sitting in the bath.
Party
There is a scene of a party which I found interesting, all the members appear to be drunk and messing about, whilst Jungkook is just sitting on the floor watching. This suggested to me that as the younger member he could only look on at the others behaviour, which appeared to be very jovial. Or could it be that he is the most drunk and is therefore unable to join in?
Overall the video suggests that they are young, fearless, rebellious, looking out for each other and I feel that the scenes change as often as a teenager’s mood swings. It shows the successes and failures (Jin building a stack with cards, which then collapses). There are some serene moments; the members lying on the grass, Jungkook sitting on the floor and it looks like the party has ended. My favourite scene is the one where they are altogether having fun, wearing glasses in what appears to be a photo booth.
Blood, Sweat and Tears (Japanese Version) - Charlie
As a Blood, Sweat and Tears enthusiast, and with the original Korean version currently having a respectable 700M views, I thought it was only fitting to draw everyone’s attention to the Japanese version, which currently sits at 46M views. For a Japanese release from 2017, that number is perhaps expected, but with how gorgeous and innovative and creative the music video is, giving me all the seduction from Blood Sweat and Tears while still making nods to the HYYH era, I thought deserved some more appreciation.
The music video starts with some similar but slightly differing imagery to the original - Jungkook is lying on a mattress in a room splattered with neon paint, not a grand bed with a golden frame in an opulent room, and Jimin is wearing similar BST clothing but in a new and unfamiliar setting.
“Blood, sweat, tears,
I’ll give it even now
It’s overflowing”
We see quite psychedelic imagery of the boys, seemingly out of it and looking dazed after drinking what is presumed to be absinthe - we even see Namjoon clutching Jungkook’s neck as he makes him drink it, and Jungkook then spits it out into a toilet. It makes it quite a dark music video compared to their others, which I find so intriguing.
“Because it can be painful
Never let it go again
I just want you to tie me up
It’s funny”
I love a bit of angst and intrigue in my music videos, and this one features the boys lashing out at each other, running away from each other, and even Taehyung and Jin fighting in a kitchen for an unknown reason. The music video descends into chaos similarly to the Korean version, except this time it takes the form of clashing colours onscreen, and Jungkook’s mattress floating in space.
Overall, this music video gives me a taste of a new side to BTS, visually - with abstract colours, dark themes, and an implication of reality itself not being what it seems. It’s therefore why half of its views are mine, and why it is one of my top music videos.
Chicken Noodle Soup - Onomey
I love how the song starts with a group of young teens doing the skipping dance that’s in the original song then J-Hope is introduced in a street setting in LA whilst he talks about his journey in dance. I chose chicken noodle soup just because of how impactful the original song was to my life and my love of dance. I thought that this song would have a bigger reach than it did because of how big the original one was. I know it's not necessarily an underrated MV, I just think that with the work that J-Hope and Becky G put into this song I believe it should be celebrated a lot more. To me, it seemed like the song came out, it exploded, especially when the boys did their tiktok dances of it and then it exploded on tiktok as well but then once that all happened it died down a bit too quick for my liking.
It may be because I hold the original track so close to my heart so I may have overestimated its impact in this generation or maybe I have not seen the reach it has had to many people. It is one of the highest on this week's playlist, but to me deserves way more views. To take a song that was so important to a generation of people all over the world, especially in Harlem where it was created, and make it into a success through making it your own song and keeping enough of the original to keep that core base of people connected to it.
I really enjoyed J-hope’s verse because you can tell how much hard work and effort was put into it due to him only having one verse in the song. He is able to lay down his whole career mainly dance related in one verse which is incredible, to be honest. He makes a reference to Harlem straight off the bat by letting everyone know that his version of Harlem is Geum-nam Chun-hang Street and making it known to people who don’t have a clue who he is that he knows where the song originates from and he’s not just taking the song and making it his just for the sake of it. He then tells us about how much work he was putting in conquering and perfecting his craft. Spending time as a teenager pulling an all-nighter is practising different styles of hip-hop whether that was popping, locking, flexing etc. He wanted and needed to conquer it all because he loved it.
The only negative I have for the song is that I wish there was a tiny bit more freestyle dancing at the end scene where they’re all having fun. I would’ve loved to see more of J-Hope's freestyle dancing as we only got a small little snippet of it where he was just warming up.
The mix of cultures is what I appreciate the most about the song. They could’ve got professional dancers that BTS usually use but they decided to keep the urban American feel to it by having a number of dancers from diverse ethnicities involved. I found it very fitting with having so many young people involved as these kids will be the professional dancers of the future for many years to come. It also gave me the feeling that this will be a new generational song that will grow up with these people included in the music video. The fact that they kept the same setting and didn’t go overboard in production is what keeps that connection to the original song for me. If you somehow have not heard of this song, I suggest you check it out. The MV is amazing, just too short for my liking as I wish it would’ve gone on forever.
LOVE
With Valentine's day making 'love' the word on everyone's lips, the playlist team made that the theme this week. We all know how important it is to love yourself and whatever 'love' means to you, BTS has a song that fits the occasion perfectly.
Add the playlist to your Spotify here: LOVE
Blood Sweat & Tears and Telepathy chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I was surprised by this week's poll results, with the four songs divided into two. The winners getting 33% each and the other two getting 17% each! Interesting. I was expecting BS&T to win because it has such a sultriness about it, the MV is quite sensual to a certain extent and I think the overall feel is semi erotic. As for Telepathy, that has a completely different vibe, so upbeat and quite funky. Perhaps it was voted for because it is a song written to lessen the heartache of BTS not being able to meet with ARMY which undoubtedly shows us their love. I personally am so pleased that BTS wanted Telepathy included on BE because it is heartbreaking to think that we wouldn't have known of its existence otherwise.
Onomey - BS&T is just wow, but to put a Valentine’s Day spin on it, I would say that it takes BS&T to make a relationship a good and solid one. They can be super complicated but once you are able to overcome the hardships, that can only lead to a long time of happiness hopefully. Jimin's vocals in this song are an absolute treat, they make me forget about wanting any Valentine's Day chocolate because they are so sweet sounding. It is a pleasure to listen to this song and it is one of my favourites because of the choreography, the outfits and the slaying of vocals that occurs throughout the song. I am so thankful this song exists. Telepathy on the other hand is just so, so sweet. It reminds me of what is often phrased as the honeymoon phase of a relationship because it’s a very bubblegum pop-sounding song and the lyrics also back this up. It’s fun and happy which is what we all should strive for in a relationship whether it is a platonic one or not. It also is nice to know that even though we aren’t allowed to go out and see people, at least we have BTS who are always thinking of us in their hearts. Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone out there and enjoy your day regardless of whether or not you have a Valentine. Have a BTS instead if you want to, These two songs for sure will cheer you up in a heartbeat, what a happy accident that I referenced another BTS song. As the boys say in Telepathy ‘Among the days that I feel the same, I feel happiest when I meet you. Among the different everyday lives, you’re the most special to me’.
Cheryl - I find it very interesting that Blood Sweat and Tears and Telepathy tied for the poll this week. I feel that these two songs represent the different emotions of love for Valentines Day. Blood Sweat and Tears relates to temptation and passion whilst Telepathy relates to the stability of knowing that you have each other and how comforting that is, even if you cannot physically be together presently.
Charlie - I am so glad that Blood, Sweat and Tears was one of the poll’s winners. As a song about temptation and a love that feels poisonous, it gives a nuanced and complicated view of love - it views it as something that people sin for, that people are tempted into, and something that makes people want to give everything up for one person. It is a gorgeous song and one that I am glad our poll voters voted for because of how interesting it is to consider. Telepathy is a more wholesome approach to love than Blood, Sweat and Tears. It is about BTS feeling that even when they are far apart from us, we still all feel connected because of our bond. “Telepathy” is a word that BTS brought up a lot when developing the BE album, as they shared with us in their initial meetings, and therefore it is a special song that reassures us that BTS are still thinking of us, and that they miss us and will see us again soon. I’m glad that this and BST were the joint winners, as one gives us a darker view of love where the other is more playful and positive in how it talks about love being so strong that distance cannot break it.
Euphoria - Michayla
This week I had to choose a song that encapsulates the word ‘love’ for me and there were several songs that I considered, but there's one that stood out above the rest. That song is Euphoria and it is a song that has meant something to me from the first day that I heard it so it seems fitting to write about it.
I struggle to find the words to express how much this song means to me because it feels like we have been through so much together. Love Yourself: Answer was my first comeback and the second I heard this song, my heart was stolen and it has refused to let it go.
The first time I saw Jungkook perform Euphoria was at the O2 where I was lucky enough to attend both dates in October 2018. I can almost guarantee that Jungkook wouldn’t agree with my opinion on his performance because it wasn’t as he intended due to a foot injury but I thought he was amazing. My heart broke for him as he had to sit in a chair on stage and sing live in the UK for the first time but he had me in pieces. The vocals were outstanding and I was a mess through the whole song, I was bowled over by his voice, incredibly sad for him but the love I felt for our golden maknae was overwhelming. When he sang, ‘Take my hands now, you are the cause of my euphoria.’ my daughter reached for my hand and held it, it is a moment that I will never ever forget.
My love affair with Euphoria continued when life threw up some big obstacles and I had to battle with poor mental health. I found that the song was my safety net, sometimes I even had it on repeat and it genuinely helped during times of darkness. Euphoria is like a campfire in a forest clearing, the overall feeling of fresh air but it provides a warmth that comforts you.
‘I hear the ocean from far away
Across the dream, past the woods
I’m following this clarity
Take my hands now
You are the cause of my euphoria’
The pinnacle of my journey with this song was seeing Jungkook actually perform it as he had always wanted to during the Speak Yourself tour. I saw him fly around Wembley and the Stade De France, seeing that smile on his face and hearing his phenomenal voice was something that will stay with me forever. I think after the O2, I felt even more privileged to have witnessed the performance of Euphoria and I hope Jungkook was able to lay the ghosts of the foot injury to rest.
I have shared these moments with people who mean the world to me which adds to my connection with Euphoria. I had my daughter and two nieces with me at the concerts and at the O2 I met my platonic soulmate for the first time after messaging for a month or so online. Along with her two daughters, we have experienced so much together and we have our own group of seven, creating memories that are etched in our hearts for life.
‘There is a green oasis in the desert
A priori deep inside of me
I’m so happy, I can’t breathe
Everything’s getting blurry’
Stay - Cheryl
As this week’s playlist is all about love due to Valentines Day, I thought I would write about Stay, which upon listening to the lyrics really feels like a love 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' 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:
Hold still, it's an order
The stars are brighter than ever
No matter where we are right now
Wherever you are
I know you always stay
The cold wind blows
I take your hand, I feel your breath
I close my eyes
We are together
The song opens with lyrics regarding seeing Army perhaps in a dream and then the realisation that this thought or dream wasn't real and how cold the room now feels, which I imagine is like the cold light of day knowing that we cannot be together and I find that rather sad. But perhaps these lyrics also reflect how Army feels as concerts were cancelled and it has been a while since BTS and Army have been physically together. I know we have been luckier than many fans, as we have had some virtual concerts, but I personally feel that although these experiences are special in their own right, it is not the same as seeing them perform and feel the energy of BTS and Army together.
Then, there is also reference to the current Pandemic with the following lyrics:
Tomorrow that does not change
Like a madman, ...
It ain't the end of the world
The present, ....
Every day is very much like the previous one (groundhog day) and BTS are giving us some positivity by stating that it isn't the end of the world, which also gives hope that things will change and improve.
There are many lyrics that relate to the togetherness of BTS and Army but the most important one is about using 7G for connecting. As we know the current network connection is 5G so I believe this to be a play on numbers. As we know 7 is such an important number and perhaps the 7G is a play on the 7 members continuously connecting with their Army through social media.
Although I have connected the song to BTS and Army, it could also relate to any new relationship where two people cannot spend actual physical time together due to quarantine and the pandemic – so I believe Stay proves to be very relevant for love and Valentines Day.
For information, according to Genius "Stay" was meant to be the last song on Jungkook's mixtape and was originally meant to be sung all in English but it was added to BE and the lyrics were changed to add some Korean.
MAMA - Charlie
On behalf of all those who don’t want to hear romantic songs during the Valentine’s season, I decided to write about a form of love that is just as important: love between family. During this time when people maybe haven’t seen certain family members, or when you have and those family members have been your rock during this difficult time, I wanted to write about ‘Mama’.
‘Mama’ is one of Hoseok’s solo tracks from the Wings album, and it tells a story of how, when he first wanted to become a dancer, his mother supported him. The song is so joyful and is an outpouring of genuine, emotional love from a grateful son to a hardworking mother. It starts with the sound of an old vinyl starting to play, before we hear brass instruments play the catchy little tune and Hoseok starts telling us the story of his childhood.
“Time travel the year of 2006
Crazy for dance
I tightened my mom’s belt
Despite my dad’s opposition, every time I attacked
Without paying any concern
She floated the small boat of dreams”
The song is so euphoric, and it even has a choir onstage when he performs it live, chanting out the “hey mama!” hook and clapping, worshipping what a brilliant influence Hoseok’s mother is and representing her as his idol. However, it still manages to feel bittersweet, due to how heavy with emotion the lyrics and Hoseok’s voice are; he divulges the fact that his mother went through some struggles to bring him up and respect his dream.
“But I didn’t know my mom’s support
Was not a open shortcut road
But a road of dreams while gripping debt
Always
The problem of money eventually my mother
Go away
Had to work away from home”
The Wings solos were a turning point in my love for BTS, as with each solo track I realised that I developed a love not just for their catchy choruses and dances, but a love for the individual members as every single one of them had a story that I was invested in. In Hoseok’s case, I fell in love with how wholesome and warm his love for his mother was, to the extent that he dedicated this solo to her.
Let Me Know - Onomey
So, I decided to go with the most "depressing" love song for this week's Valentine's Day theme which is pretty funny. I honestly don’t know why I decided to but I love this song so therefore I’m being stubborn and sticking with it. I guess you can say I’m taking the approach of what happens when a relationship ends which sounds super sad. If I had to describe this song in two words, I would say use the words hauntingly beautiful, to describe the song because of the painful emotion and beautiful vocals involved.
“When you listen to the melody, you will fall into a trance with it,” Suga commented on the song in an unboxing video. The statement is spot on in my opinion. The song starts with a piano with a warped effect on it than a really strong, warm, thick and strong sounding kick drum that beats almost like a heart-pounding. When V's voice is brought into the song, he is using his deeper sounding tone which makes the listener focus solely on him as the instrumentation used up to that point is muted compared to him which creates a sense of impending doom.
When Suga comes in with his verse, I believe that he is reacting to another person responding to the question V asked ‘now tell me that it’s over, let me know’. Suga describing the break up is so beautiful, he has such a brilliant way with words. I think many people have experienced this when a break up happens where you can sense what is about to happen or if you’re the person doing the breaking up, you too are emotional and scared because it’s a love that is about to be broken which no one ever wants.
‘Suddenly, rain wells up in my eyes
You well up, I see you even when I breathe
Love blooms like cherry blossoms but burns and becomes ashes
Hey, girl, I know the conclusion you made by yourself
Your hand, your body, your heat that was hotter than the equator
I’m still here, on repeat on top of the disappeared tune
I’m turning by myself on top of this music that has ended’
My favourite section of the song is the bridge and the ending chorus. I like how RM delivers his vocals, it reminds me almost like Khalid's bridge into the final chorus in 1-800-273-8255. Both Khalid and RM deliver the vocals to the point where they cannot even speak anymore because the emotion has drained them so much. To deliver this without sounding out of key is more difficult than it looks and when it is delivered to perfecting as RM does, it is always amazing to listen to.
Of course, we all get to enjoy that beautiful high-pitched vocal run by Jimin which gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. I mean, how does he even manage to reach that high in the vocal register with such ease and perfection. It concludes the song very well as it’s like the final outpour of emotion and desperation in order to save the relationship from falling.
I apologise for the negative approach to love and Valentine’s Day but it’s just such a great song with so much meaning behind it.
Express Yourself - Children’s Mental Health Week
The 1st to 7th February was Children’s Mental Health week and the theme this year was Express Yourself. The playlist team thought about the BTS songs that encourage ARMYs to speak themselves, express themselves and give a dose of positivity.
Add it to your Spotify here, this is one playlist you can’t miss! Express Yourself
Magic Shop chosen by ARMY
Michayla - The poll this week was steamrolled by Magic Shop which is obviously a firm favourite amongst ARMYs. This song is the ultimate BTS x ARMY song and I’m sure that there isn’t a fan out there who can get through it without singing, ‘I’ll show you’ in reply to their ‘So show me’. I genuinely believe that you can’t help but feel positive while listening to Magic Shop, it makes me feel connected to BTS and the fandom.
Cheryl - This week Magic Shop won the poll and as we are looking at Mental Health this song is very appropriate. The first thing that I love about the lyrics are how they state they will not blatantly ask us to find strength. Instead they will share their story with us, in the hope that we will open a door in our hearts where we will find the Magic Shop and BTS will be there to help take away our pain and sadness. Thank you BTS for understanding and being by our sides.
Onomey - When I think of Magic Shop, I think of how great of an anthem for BTS and Army it became. It makes me smile thinking of all the moments where they sang this song whether that was on tv shows or live in concert. Mental health is so, so important to everyone's well-being and I feel as though sometimes we may forget this, which is why it’s so vital to keep on top of it. Lyrically this song shows how important it is to have that support of others behind you to back you when you’re going through ups and downs throughout life. For people who may not have anyone to talk to, this song can be their comfort during the times they are struggling by exchanging your fears for happiness and knowing that BTS will be there as much as they can. This song lets you know that it is ok to have days where you dislike yourself, just know that the ‘Magic Shop’ is there to support you.
‘On days I hate being myself, days I want to disappeared forever
Let’s make a door in your heart
Open the door and this place will await
It’s okay to believe, the Magic Shop will comfort you’
The main section of this song is the chorus and hook which gives me the strength to keep going in a positive way knowing that BTS has wanted to continue with their journey through mental health alongside army in order to repay back the favour.
Charlie - I am very unsurprised that Magic Shop won the poll. Especially right now, when we are all missing BTS and the in-person ARMY community so dearly, I imagine that we almost all want nothing more than to open a door in our heads and see BTS there, and be reassured by them. But that door is always there. BTS are always here, waiting for the day we can properly meet again, and that is why Jungkook produced this song, so let’s hold onto that thought, for our own wellbeing. As BTS iconically chant in this song, “so show me!”, it is important to show BTS - and yourself - that you know that you can make it through the day with the knowledge that BTS are cheering you on.
Louder Than Bombs - Michaya
I usually have a tough time choosing which song to write about and if you are a regular here, you will know that I always want to write about ‘ON’ because I am addicted to that song. This week, I wanted to write about a song with a message that I feel is important for me as a parent of three children. There are many songs that I resonate with on different levels, sometimes because the message is something I can take on board myself and sometimes because it is a message that I teach my children. I think ‘Louder Than Bombs’ falls into both of those situations so I decided that was the song for me this week.
‘Louder Than Bombs’ is the 10th track on MOTS: 7 and I feel it has absolutely everything that an OT7 song should have, as well as being co-written by Troye Sivan. The vocals are outstanding and the raps are hypnotic, all to a beat that starts slow and sucks you in on a sultry journey. The overall sound of the song is actually quite sexy and it reminds me of House of Cards, the voices of the rap line adding to this as they all sound so tantalising.
The message behind the lyrics is one of emotion as it tells the story of fear and sadness but having the hope of brighter days. In usual BTS style, the song encourages us to keep fighting and to keep searching for a way through the maze of life.
‘Brighter than light
Don’t you give up on your lie
Here I stay, pray
Just for better days
Everyday is a maze
Wonder i this is my place’
Namjoon spoke about ‘Louder Than Bombs’, saying that as people experience struggles in life, fear grows and he recognised that many ARMY’s are thankful to BTS for providing hope and comfort during tough times. Namjoon also admitted that he felt down when he wrote his verses and that in order to move forwards you have to embrace the bad days. I think this is such an important message, particularly for the younger generation, that things are going to be difficult sometimes but that is okay and there will be brighter days ahead. I tell my children that the darkness will pass, the light will shine through and we will get through it together, which is more or less the message that BTS tells us often.
‘Where’s my way?
The ground keeps quaking
I collapse on my own, mute
Louder than bombs, yeah
I want to tell you, that darkness
Exists everywhere, don’t be afraid of it
Whatever night may swallow me, I
Won’t give up
The fight for you, we’ll shine’
Stay Gold - Charlie
In Jin’s room that he curated for the BE concept photos, he told us not to forget that each and every one of us is a precious gem. That’s the attitude that Stay Gold reminds me of.
While Stay Gold starts off feeling somewhat melancholy, with Jungkook’s heart-melting vocals, it actually develops into an upbeat and uplifting song about always staying as amazing as you are, to persevere through life. The message of the song is that, even when the world isn’t always kind to you, you must always remember your own beauty and good qualities and let them shine through like the golden person that you are.
“Oh, woah, oh
In a world where you feel cold
You gotta stay gold, oh, baby (Yeah)”
After the slow-tempo introduction, the verses are still rather calm, with a simple guitar instrumental letting me hear the members’ voices perfectly. This is important to me as on rough days when I need to be reminded that BTS are rooting for me, their clear voices are exactly what I need.
The chorus to the song is when the song bursts into something more exciting; it’s hard to explain, but the repetition of “stay gooooold” feels like the members are congratulating me after a long week, or doing long, drawn out cheers to encourage me. It sounds victorious, as if the members are proud of you even though you aren’t sure if you deserve it yet.
“(Stay gold) As long as I have you
(Stay gold) Don’t need anything else
(Stay gold, gold) Want to hold you
(Stay gold) Love is forever
(Stay gold) Radiating light
(Stay gold) More than any star”
After the second verse, the song builds and builds until a gorgeous, liberating crescendo where we hear epic high notes and adlibs by the vocal line, which is where it feels totally encouraging. Towards the end, the song starts to slow down again, with a simpler instrumental again and just BTS’s voices softly singing “stay gold” again, as if they are dropping you back to your normal life but reminding you to keep the song’s message in mind so that you remember to know your worth even as you go about your daily life.
For Children’s Mental Health Week 2021, it is integral that children know that they still have the capacity to stay gold even when the world around them doesn’t make sense. I hope they are therefore able to remember the message of this song in spite of everything.
Best Of Me - Cheryl
This week's playlist is linked to mental health and taking care of ourselves. So I have decided to write about Best of Me, not just because I love this song, but also because the lyrics are very apt for this week's playlist. Firstly, I have to say that just listening to this song improves my mood and lifts my spirits. Then there are the live performances which again make me smile.
Although the lyrics are about BTS giving us their best – whether that be performance, lyrics, perhaps even the best parts of their personalities, I feel the lyrics still resonate with mental health.
Best of Me is from their Love Yourself: Her album, and reading the lyrics this song is about how the feelings of those around them make them feel confident, loved and that they can walk above the clouds (similar to their saying that Army gives them wings to fly).
My favourite verse is:
I used to rain
I used to snow
I stop all the misfortune
And I bring the heavens
I feel that with these lyrics they are expressing how they used to feel – perhaps rain and snow is feeling sad or blue and then something changed from within, perhaps they have learned to accept themselves and have stopped these sad or blue feelings and can now feel happiness with the heavens….
Some more lyrics are:
I don’t believe that I’m like this
The words I’ve said to myself a million times
When researching the lyrics for Best of Me, one theory I came across about the words Suga has said to himself a million times, is that to love himself and with these lines, he cannot believe he is actually saying them to someone else – it is common knowledge that in order to truly love someone else, we must learn to love ourselves first. John Lennon expanded upon this by saying “We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others” and I believe this is the message that BTS are incorporating into their Love Yourself albums and songs.
I also feel that with the Best of Me lyrics, there is a reflection of how they feel about themselves which is then mirrored in how they see and have feelings for those around them.
With these lyrics:
There's no me without you
You’re the best of me
The best of me
and
No one knows but I know me
You are my best master
I believe they are referencing different parts of themselves as well as Army. They are saying they are their own masters and there are many sides to their personalities and that they know how to look after themselves. Perhaps by acknowledging the not so pleasant parts of ourselves, we can learn to love ourselves more and accept our own flaws.
Epiphany - Onomey
All of Jin's solo songs tend to be massive power ballads with a very deep meaning behind them. He truly is a powerhouse singer with a beautiful emotion filled falsetto. Going from ‘Awake’ where he sings about being hesitant to dream big because he’s afraid of failing and doesn’t think that he excels in anything compared to others but will still try to work through these insecurities. ‘It’s not that I believe it, but that I want to try holding out because this is all that I can do’. A lot of people go through this phase which can last many years where you don’t ever feel like you’re good enough to succeed.
To have ‘Epiphany’ as a follow up to ‘Awake’ is an amazing conclusion song. An epiphany according to Collins Dictionary is the moment of some insight or understanding. If I were to put this definition onto the song 'Epiphany' it would be Jin coming to the sudden realisation that his self-worth is important after a long time of battling the storm in his mind telling him that he is not worth it.
The lyrics to the bridge are what sticks to me, excluding the chorus, as it is saying that he can clearly see that he has faults and isn’t perfect but he doesn’t care because it is his faults and insecurities that make him who he is today, a more confident and self-loving version of his former self.
‘I may be a bit blunt, I may lack some things
I may not have that shy glow around me
But this is me
My arms, my legs, my heart, my soul’
To me, this song has been really important for me as it actually took this song for me to kind of realise that I should stop putting myself down and stewing in my self-hatred and really focus on loving myself a bit more. By no means have I reached that point at all and I literally cry every time I listen to this song because of how much of a connection I have with it. I’ve always had a lot of mental health problems but have always tended to push them aside and act like it didn’t matter when growing up. It took one counselling session once for me to realise that I actually had issues with dealing with how I was feeling. If anyone can relate to this in any way I would say take the sooner the better approach to mental health as you can never know when it will hit you and it is always great to have ways to dealing with it, as well as people to confide in.
Still to this day if I find myself not trusting my own self worth or am just feeling a bit stuck and confined due to the lockdown, I love to belt out this song out as loud as I can. It allows me to release all the negativity and begin to absorb the positives in my life. I know I’m completely murdering the beautifully sang song by Jin especially the vocal runs after the bridge, wow they give me goosebumps every time I hear the 'ahhh ohh ohhh' part. Our Jin truly is a ballad expert, isn’t he?
Cooking With BTS
With many people still in lockdown in the UK and countries all over the world, the playlist team have had a lot of fun thinking about those songs that would make a great accompaniment in the kitchen.
Do you have a favourite song to listen to while exercising your baking skills? Don’t be shy, let us know on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Cook up a storm by adding this weeks playlist to your spotify here: Cooking with BTS
Anpanman chosen by ARMY
Michayla - The poll choices this week were all worthy contenders and it was Anpanman that ran away with the votes. This is very much a fun song and I think that having fun in the kitchen is part of the attraction for most people who enjoy cooking. While in lockdown, many have attempted baking and cooking things that they haven’t made before so if you haven’t ever listened to Anpanman while cooking, why not give it a try? I did put it to the test while making a lemon baked cheesecake with my daughter and can vouch for ‘Anpanman’ being a worthy addition to this playlist.
Cheryl - With Anpanman winning the poll this week, I originally thought how could Baepsae not win, however I then found out that Anpanman translates to bread man and is a Japanese cartoon character who saves starving children by feeding them bread which is just so applicable to our kitchen and cooking dinner playlist. Also, I love the cuteness of this song and the performances BTS have given us, although it could lead to more dancing than cooking, so dinner could be either burnt or delayed.
Onomey - I’m happy that ARMY was wise and chose the song that has references to food to win this week's poll as it’s only natural. In my opinion, listening to upbeat songs is better than listening to slow songs when it comes to being in the kitchen. I think it's nearly impossible not to start grooving to ‘Anpanman’ once you hear V with his deep voice singing loudly ‘Waiting for you, Anpanman’. It’s such a fun song to jam to and to let go of all your thoughts so you can have fun at that moment in time. The whole concept of the song makes me smile because the lyrics are so warm as BTS are singing about how they may not be a superhero with superpowers but they will do all they can to be as close to a superhero as they can in order to be that hero and crutch that we may need which is beautiful. Along with these super sweet lyrics are upbeat and fun choreography and a strong synth leading instrumental. It is a fun-loving song which makes it perfect to dance along to, especially when baking. It helps that the choreography for this song isn’t too difficult so I enjoy jumping around in the kitchen attempting to do the energetic ‘Anpanman’ dance.
Charlie - Anpanman is a perfect cooking song. If you want a distraction from the day, to just take an hour to yourself to make some food to give you energy, this song is so much fun. Just as it is about a superhero who lets people feed off of his strength, cooking is a superhero-like act of giving people something that’ll sustain them and keep them strong, so Anpanman can be a song for family members that make the effort to cook for each other. It is one of their most fun and playful songs, making it a perfect accompaniment to household chores like doing the cooking or washing up.
Fire - Michayla
We had a lot of fun choosing the songs for the cooking themed playlist this week with many being chosen because of the title. After all, if you ‘Burn It’ you may be ‘Embarrassed’ and will want to ‘Make It Right’. Needless to say, we have had a lot of enjoyment with this one.
When it came down to choosing a song to write about, it will surprise people to know that I usually have ‘ON’ blasting from my phone so I was tempted but decided to spare you all. I also have ‘Dynamite’ playing because I can sing along and bust the odd move while waiting for the oven to reach its temperature. In the end I chose a song that you can sing to, dance to, picture the MV in your head but unless you are flambéing food, you don’t really want too much ‘Fire’.
This song is one of BTS’ most iconic in my opinion and I will never forget that moment I saw it performed live because the choreography is so legendary. ‘Fire’ is upbeat and a song that you can’t help but move to but of course it’s probably best to make sure you don’t move too much if you have a sharp knife in your hand.
‘Fire’ is about accepting that not everything in life goes to plan and that is okay. There are times when you have to throw your hands up and choose a different path to enable you to move forwards. I really do love and respect this message and it is one I try to in still in my children especially at the moment with online learning, my daughter is choosing her A-levels and my son is choosing his GCSE options. I think it’s important that they know that they are not tied to a particular path and should one path not work out, it is okay and we will move on. I love BTS for having this attitude expressed through many of their songs.
‘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’
And I cannot write about this song without mentioning the word, the one that will stay with every ARMY forever ‘Bultaoreune’. Listening to ‘Fire’ is the safest form of fire to have in your kitchen while cooking or baking so turn it up and have fun!
Fly to My Room - Charlie
“Fly to My Room” is one of the songs that BTS treated us to on the BE album, so I’d like to show my appreciation for it by writing about it for our kitchen playlist. It is about the frustrating monotony of staying in one’s room practically all year, due to lockdown orders, which has led to the suffering of many people’s mental health as people feel unmotivated to look after themselves. Therefore, I see this as an uplifting song about taking care of yourself and trying to do things to make every day feel “brand new”. One way to do that, in my view, is by taking some time out to cook something nice for yourself.
“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
I'm still in bed
A bloated stomach
It's killin' me slowly, nah”
As cooking and other household activities can seem so boring these days, this song is a nice chilled tune to make it seem more fun - Jimin’s voice is so pleasing to the ear in this song in particular, as it has evolved so beautifully over the years. Just like the smoothness of his and Taehyung’s voices, this song makes daily activities like cooking and working go by smoothly and make them seem more fun, somehow.
“Let's go, let me fly to my
Lower your gaze and zoom anywhere
Come on now, let me fly to my
Get me outta my blues
And now I'm feelin' brand new”
Taehyung and Jimin said that when recording this song, they found it difficult to adapt to each other’s vocals due to Taehyung’s voice being so much lower and Jimin’s voice being higher, but to be honest I think that the end product is perfect and Fly to My Room is one of the most gorgeously put-together BTS songs.
And when Yoongi and Hoseok’s raps start… that is when you turn up the heat in the kitchen, because, goodness. Their raps fit so well into what is already a beautiful song, and they bring it home with their unique styles. I particularly like when Hoseok raps about the distorted sounds of the TV and you hear the distorted voice of a news reporter talk about the virus. It brings some eeriness into a pretty song, which I appreciate the sound of.
Not Today - Cheryl
This week’s playlist is songs to accompany us whilst cooking in the kitchen and I don’t know about you but sometimes I just want to shout – “No, Not Today” so I chose to add Not Today to our playlist.
The reason why I chose Not Today, is because sometimes I want to stamp my feet, go on strike and not make dinner for my family, especially because currently life seems rather repetitive and a relentless feeling of being in the kitchen a lot. I thought the song fit perfectly with my mood, as I felt BTS were agreeing with me and could help express my reluctance for being in the kitchen.
However, a funny thing happened when I spent time focusing on the song, my mood changed completely, and I became very uplifted and positive. So, is the power of music and BTS! I have decided to make this my go to song, when I feel I need a pick me up.
Whilst listening to this song, I also have BTS doing the dance moves in my imagination and I absolutely love the video that accompanies the song. So, I have come to realise that I would find it impossible to remain frustrated and resentful being in the kitchen, when this song fills the room.
My favourite lyrics are:
‘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!’
And
‘I believe in you by my side
Together we won’t die
I believe in you by my side
Together we won’t die
I believe in the word together
I believe in BTS
Aim your gun! Ready! Fire!’
I feel that the first verse, where we are encouraged to move at our own pace, but do move, could be applied to anything that is challenging or new, which is very apt for the situation right now. So, I guess we could all move at our own pace and attempt something new, whether that be exercise, learning a new language, or skill and even cooking a new recipe for dinner in the kitchen.
The positivity is just overflowing in these two verses and I know I will be happy singing and dancing in the kitchen preparing dinner. This song would transport me out of the mundane and into an exciting imagining of dance and BTS. Escapism at its best!
EGO - Onomey
I went with Ego for my song choice when cooking in the kitchen because it’s a great, fun song to dance around to whilst cooking, baking or washing the dishes. I love that this song samples their hip-hop heavy track ‘Intro: 2 Cool 4 Skool’ from 2013 then transitions into ‘Ego’ which is more of a funk pop sounding song. I think most J-Hope songs get you in the mood for dancing because he is so invested in dancing and being happy that he wants to spread the love and feeling that he gets from dancing himself.
I am so in love and impressed with J-Hope's flow every time I listen to this song. He showcases his different abilities in vocals and rap so well throughout the song. This is very noticeable to me especially during the second verse where he, himself becomes the instrument that the whole song depends on as the other instruments follow but at a lower timbre before being brought back in with ‘oh my God (God, God, God) as the timbre is brought back up to the original rate it was at as he continues the rest of the verse by going back into the same rap flow that was used in the 1st verse.
The energy I gain from the chorus of this song is amazing. Everything works so well together, from the keyboard to the trumpet hook and the four on the floor kick drum with the strong snare. It relaxes me and makes cooking all that more fun as I find myself forgetting completely about the chore that is cooking sometimes. It goes away and time passes quickly whilst dancing to ‘Ego shouting ‘gillo, gillo, gillo. Wherever my way. Ojik Ego, Ego, Ego. Just trust myself’
Overall, it is great to have this song backing you when cooking as it feeds my ego into trusting my abilities in the kitchen, especially recently when I have been trying to improve on my baking skills. I feel like I can take on the world with that song behind me. I became an expert in the kitchen with a little helping hand from J-Hope in trusting my ego and running with it.
Ego gives me the feeling of warmth due to the soul influence on the song which is why my favourite section of the song is the final chorus and outro because it reminds me of being in the church choir and the warm, fun sense of community I got from that as you find yourself wanting to clap and sing along in that section
‘Way I trust, way I go (that way, way, way)
Became my fate, became my core (whatever my way)
Hard it was, and sad it was (only ego, ego, ego)
Still reassured and made me know myself (just trust myself)
Map of the Soul, map of the all (map of the soul)
That’s my ego, that’s my ego
Map of the soul, map of the all
That’s my ego, that’s my ego (map of the soul)’
YouTube 2021
There are times when the Playlist team like to shake things up a bit and this was one of those times. This week each member of the team picked a few of their favourite BTS videos from YouTube. A great playlist has been created with Dynamite and Life Goes On in there too, it’s a real mix of old and new, and this is the result: Playlist Team 2021
Lights - chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I did find this week’s poll quite a tricky one because all four of the videos are fantastic. I did however, have to choose ‘Lights’ because it is my second favourite Japanese song (just behind Crystal Snow) and an MV that is quite often played in my house. I love the MV for so many reasons, I love the way the rap line walk through the cinema, they look like such a formidable trio and I love the part where Taehyung walks up to a dreamy Jungkook outside. There is so much to this MV that I could go on for ages, without even commenting on the beautiful song itself. The outfits that BTS are wearing are great in this video too and I always find myself wishing I had Hobi’s jumper!
Onomey - Lights won the battle of this week’s poll by coming in with 34.2%. The choices for the poll were all very different but equally as good in their own way. For example Blood, Sweat and Tears (Japanese version), that is very dance-orientated which came in second place. Compared to Lights which is more of a family orientated song it's very warm and orientated around the light that each member gives each other as well as ARMY. When I think about the music video the two things that come into mind are how amazing BTS look in pastel colours and how cute they all are in the cinema together. The music video is so warm and reminds me of family and how much of a family BTS are with ARMY and between each other. It’s such an anthemic song that really showcases every member's voice so well and that includes the rap line. I thought it was just going to be a ballad but they still made space for the rap line to show off their skills too which only improved the song. I adore Suga and his verse when all the music practically drops out and he himself becomes the music through the melody he is rap-singing. I like how the music video also drops in colours to darkness with stars backing him whilst the other members are laying on the floor asleep. It’s a song that makes me smile and reminisce on things in a positive way about all the people that are in my life.
Charlie - The day the Lights music video dropped, there was a sense of calm amongst ARMY, like everyone had just been comforted at the same time. I remember, also, that theories started to run about the next album intro being Shadow due to Yoongi’s parts in this music video - it was a good day. The members seemed really happy in the video, and it was so relaxing to see them chilling at a cinema together, hugging and singing to each other. The greens and muted colours of the video make it such easy viewing - it is a song for making one feel safe.
Cheryl - The video for Lights won the poll this week and I feel that this week's winner could not be more applicable and appropriate. Lights reminds me of easier, carefree times and how with the love of friendship and being there for each other, we will get through anything, even this awful pandemic. Through this darkness BTS will be our light and we can also be the light for each other too, even though it may feel rather helpless right now we can get through this together!
Euphoria (DJ Swivel Forever Mix) - Michayla
As tempting as it was to write about ‘ON Kinetic Manifesto Version’ this week, I thought I would give everyone a break from my ‘ON’ ramblings. I did have a tough choice though and was undecided until I sat down with my laptop to start writing, opting for this amazing version of Euphoria, which some ARMYs may not have seen.
This super cute video was released in June 2019 as a part of Festa and the song version itself was also released onto Soundcloud. I am a big Euphoria enthusiast anyway, so it didn’t take much for me to fall in love with this version and the video, which is titled ‘JK Memories by BTS’. I think the fact that the footage has come from the BTS members themselves makes this one of the most personal things I’ve seen. We’ve seen the members with their phones and cameras in the lives they do, in their documentaries and many other occasions so to see their personal clips of Jungkook is so special.
I find the song to be an emotional sing anyway, I was at the O2 when JK performed it in a chair and I was at Wembley when he performed it in the air. The song has helped me through more difficult times than I can keep track of and Jungkook will never know what it means to me. So, to watch this video and see JK through the eyes of the six guys that have essentially helped raise him, is beyond amazing and I’m not afraid to say that I shed a tear or two.
This version of the song is so beautiful too. It is so gentle and basic but in the most amazing sense, which adds even more emotion to the actual video. We all love the maknae of BTS, his smile lights up an entire room and his voice is beyond stunning. Jungkook is so incredibly talented, with his big eyes and kind heart, this video gives us an insight as to how BTS sees him, which makes me love him even more.
Rainism - Cheryl
This week we are visiting BTS videos on YouTube and I have chosen to explore their Rainism performance. For those that do not know BTS performed a cover of Rainsim in 2016 at the MBC Music Festival. It was a cover of RAIN’s song which was released back in 2008.
What I particularly like about this performance is the confidence and sophistication that surrounds the stage, JungKook appears to be in his element and exudes charisma, power and control over the performance and the audience. Every movement is on point and there are the subtleties of the performance, like his fingers – it’s a visual masterpiece.
Then there is the cane, he commands the cane in this performance. He makes it all look so effortless. What can I say about the part where BTS are pushing or pulling JungKook into back breaking positions – it is pure artistry. It’s only when filmed at a different angle that we see Tae is gently helping support Jung Kook, such teamwork.
Watching the video you can tell BTS are acting the part of being bad – Jimin, Jin and Namjoon have a look of “don’t mess with us”, Tae bites his lip whilst J-Hope is almost snarling in parts and gives us that look! Such bad boys, which matches the lyrics beautifully.
I find the end of the performance breath taking, I know their synchronisation is something we are all well aware of, but just the way the six of the them run their hands across their neck to kill the performance and it just ends, for some reason it just blows my mind.
I do find myself counting them each time I watch the video (which is a lot) and keep expecting to see Suga, so I decided to find out where he is and apparently he had tripped and injured his ear (quora.com) and was advised to not perform.
OK, I was trying to keep my thoughts pure, but it’s just too damned hard. This performance is just so sensual, obviously there are the dance moves, the cane, but it’s more than that. For me, as I’ve already mentioned, it’s the confidence, the power, the clothes, the looks they give us, but it’s also their togetherness and for me, it’s also their hair and I know that may sound a bit strange, but their hair just moves so seductively, it’s like an extension of themselves and then it just falls back into place.
https://youtu.be/7rfIZ66DiqE
Snow Flower - Charlie
Snow Flower by Taehyung ft. Peakboy was released on Christmas Eve, so naturally I had to sneak away from the family to listen to it. I stood in another room, cradling my phone as I focused on listening to Taehyung’s tender vocals.
“Hey snow It’s coming today
What should I do in preparation
At least I’m prepared to welcome you, ok…”
Snow Flower was a Christmas gift to us, as Taehyung felt sorry for not releasing his mixtape last year. In typical winter bear fashion, Taehyung gifted us with a soft song that feels like a warm hug on a cold day. Like an embrace next to a crackling fireplace when it’s snowing outside. The song is deliciously romantic, in an old-fashioned sort of way, enhanced by the spoken parts of “I love you” and “You make me want to be a better man”. I was so shocked to learn that Taehyung spoke those lyrics - the way he manipulates his voice to sound more mature is very interesting.
The calming and straightforward instrumental allows for Taehyung’s honey vocals to shine through with no distractions. The song manages to retain its elegance and quaintness despite the Peakboy rap that happens towards the end - it only adds to the prettiness of the song and makes it modern but not in a way that takes away from Taehyung’s “old soul” vibe.
“Hold me with your numb, freezing hands
I’ll keep protecting you
I’ll feel the white snow fall with you for the rest of my life…”
I hope that by next Christmas, I am able to go to Christmas parties and play this song. To slow-dance next to an open fire while this song plays softly in the background, would be a dream.
https://youtu.be/2nY0spA5UL4
Airplane pt 2 - Onomey
So the song I wrote but this week is Airplane pt 2. The performance of Airplane part two in particular that I will be mentioning throughout this blog piece is the performance that they did for the MAMA 2018 performance in Hong Kong.
If you can't remember this performance in particular or have not seen it, I suggest you check it out (at the end of this piece) but I will try to refresh your memory. This performance is when the boys are all wearing white suits and have an intro where each member has a small dance solo. I’m in love with the intro for this performance because they go all out to incorporate the Latin vibe into it.
The intro performance begins with Red-haired V wearing his glasses who walks through a double door entrance as the camera follows behind him with jazz music playing which comes to a half with the bang of a snare drum. This is when we are first introduced to Jimin with the support of backup dancers as they dance to a drumbeat with finger clicking and horns. An altered version of the song is played from then on which horns, bass, and other instruments whilst J-Hope and Suga take over in a brilliance dance duel where they mirrored each other's movements whilst still moving in a circular shape. We are then reintroduced to V who does a small dance solo before throwing a rose in a direction where we see Jin appear who model walks forward in such a cool manner which he’s so good at. Then finally we are introduced to RM who is getting his suit measured, takes his jacket and walks, followed by the other 5 members, towards the 6 chairs that are waiting for them, then take a seat and wait for the opening act behind the curtains that are in the middle of them all which is obviously the brilliant Jungkook. He grooves his way down the long walkway dancing, spinning and even throwing in a few body rolls in before beginning the song.
That performance is iconic for many reasons but my two favourite moments within this performance was definitely the Sope dance intro which I love even more every time I watch it, especially that Jazz split to end it, it was so amazing! Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten that Jungkook walks to the mic. It’s what I love so much about BTS and why I annoy everyone who I meet by going on about them. They feel every bit of the song they perform which always helps with any performance as there is a difference between just learning the choreography to a song and actually gelling those two things together as it is obvious for someone who is watching if the artist isn’t fully into the song they are performing. Jungkook is fully feeling himself and the music during this part which draws you into the performance as a whole as you find yourself asking wow what’s next to come if this is only the intro?
It is Jin and Jungkook who stand out to me in this song in general just because of the falsetto ‘ah-ah’ bits they do as well as the choruses because they really stand out in their vocals.
The live drums that are brought in and out of the performance during the rap sections really add something completely different to when they performed the song at other shows as well as from the original and Japanese version.
Working From Home
Many countries once again find themselves in a lockdown situation and many ARMY’s find that they are having to work and study from home. While we learn to live with the current situation, we thought that it would be a great idea to create a playlist to listen to while working.
Did you vote in the poll last week? Follow us on Twitter to have your chance to vote in the next one @BTSRadioUK
Dynamite (Daytime version) chosen by ARMY
Michayla - So, the winner this week was 6 versions of Dynamite. I think that probably shows how loved the song is and the impact it has had on us. The Daytime set includes the more upbeat versions (EDM, Poolside and Tropical) as well as the original, Acoustic and Instrumental versions. While working or learning from home, I think listening to this incredible mix of versions is a fantastic choice. There are the upbeat versions to get you motivated when you feel that afternoon slump and there are the more calming versions when you need some peace and concentration. Who’d have thought that we needed so many versions of one amazing song?
Cheryl - Dynamite Day Time version won this week’s poll and although I personally voted for the Night Time version which has a more soothing sound, I do like the funky sound of the Day Time version. I am fascinated about the many different versions of this song which were released and I know BTS have released different versions of their songs in the past, but I do believe Dynamite has the most versions, having 11 versions including the Holiday one.
Charlie - If you’re on a 9-5 like me, the nighttime is quite relaxing but the daytime is what you have to struggle through. The Dynamite: Daytime Version songs help carry me through it. There’s the EDM version for helping me blitz through some tasks, and then the acoustic version to calm me down so I can relax for a while. Dynamite is happiness encapsulated into a 3 minute long bop, so it’s perfect for a time like this when we all need a boost to get through some days.
Onomey - On this week's poll, Dynamite (daytime version) won. The daytime version contains the original Dynamite, the instrumental, acoustic remix, EDM remix, tropical remix and poolside remix. The original version as we know is amazing as it swept across the globe collecting so many records and awards along the way. The way the boys fully incorporated the disco feel to not only the choreography but also the costumes they wear to perform the song is what I like the most about the song, well that and the bridge into the final chorus, as they fully commit to bringing that warm feeling that disco brings by going all out on each aspect. Due to this being a playlist about working/studying from home and the acoustic version didn’t win, I thought I’d mention it still. The acoustic version is not necessarily what you’d call it as it’s a full band version. I like this version the most because it’s what I would think it would sound like if it was released back in the 70s when disco and when R&B/soul groups were very popular. It is very stripped back which I think is what gives it that feel. I like how the boys were able to create so many versions of this song whilst still making them sound very individual in their own right. I’d say my second favourite in this EP is the tropical version as it’s very peaceful and puts a smile on my face every time I listen to it. The use of the pentatonic allows for a new melody to be used that is different from the original as well as instrumentation such as steel drums, marimbas, flutes and shakers which are common instruments used in the tropical house genre. This version allows me to take my mind to wander away and think about tropical beaches and vacations whilst I'm working which is something I think we all miss.
Blanket Kick (Embarrassed) - Cheryl
This week's playlist is about being indoors either working from home, home schooling or binge watching TV (is this just me?) and songs that can accompany these activities. I chose to write about Blanket Kick as I am sitting on my sofa, wrapped in a cosy blanket and I felt this was very appropriate for Blanket Kick, as my poor blanket does get kicked out of frustration sometimes!
So, the BTS song Blanket Kick is about being frustrated and taking this frustration out on the blanket. BTS are frustrated because they cannot act the way they wish around someone they like. The opening verse explains that they feel childish and awkward, acting unlike themselves and because they cannot be the important star in the universe, they have become cold and distant towards the person they actually like.
I’m not a pre-schooler but why is everything so childish?
Look at my eyes, my jokes aren’t serious
Saying this is so hard, I like you
I was too shy to become your sun so I became a cold moon
…
It’s even more than that, but my poor blanket
I just wish you were here
The end of the verse just expresses how many of us will be feeling, I am sure there is someone we are all missing and cannot wait to spend time with, once the restrictions are lifted.
With the second verse there is a feeling of missed opportunities, plans that didn’t go as planned. I feel rather caught up in the lyrics and remember that feeling of frustration and regret when you like someone and are either too shy to act, or when you pluck up the courage something happens to thwart the plan.
Time goes tick tock and when I’m in front of your house
I try to set the mood
This time, I’ll really pretend I’m crazy
And give you a deep kiss so I grab your shoulders
But then the phone rings
Your dad asks when you’re coming back home
My favourite lyrics are:
Should I go or not? Then I went
Should I do it or not? Then I did it
Making jokes and playing around, getting physical and acting cute
But my arrow keeps missing your target
Where is it? Is that where your heart is? Why did I do that the other day?
It’s a sleepless night again today, the blanket on my bed is my sandbag
Kick kick kick
These lyrics just take me back to my school days, where people do act in unusual ways to try and gain the affections of another and the idea of the arrow missing the target is both cute and heartbreaking. Then throughout the song the blanket receives the acts of frustration, in this instance kick kick kick.
Spine Breaker - Charlie
Working or studying from home is quite lonely as you’re not surrounded by classmates or colleagues. The best way to fill the silence is with the voices of BTS, as they make us feel more content - especially with fun, less serious songs like Spine Breaker.
Spine Breaker is one of BTS’s songs with a social message: it is about materialism, and the ways in which some young people will make their parents bend over backwards for them (breaking their spines) in order to buy them the trendiest fashion and other items. Expensive items are status symbols, making children throw away all regard for their parents as all they care about is looking rich by having these items.
“Even after seeing your parents’ curved spines, you’re so coldhearted
You complain that all your friends have it and that they should buy it for you
(Ayo baby) stop being so immature
You won’t freeze just because you don’t have that jacket
Fill your head with good sense before it’s too late”
Spine Breaker is weirdly good encouragement for working or studying from home, because it reminds me that the reason I’m working so hard is so that I do not become a “spine breaker”, as I am working in order to afford what I want rather than letting my parents do all the work.
Spine Breaker was my favourite BTS track for ages, partly because of how Taehyung utilises his deep tones in the chorus, and partly because of how rapline absolutely nails this song. Their sass shines through; they’re so expressive and it’s a joy to listen to that makes the time fly by quicker. I also adore Jungkook’s voice in this; he’s so charismatic in the choruses and when he’s belting notes berating “those damn spine breakers!”.
“Wow, it feels good, putting on your dirty clothes
You’re something different, rockin, rollin, swaggin, swagger, wrong!
What is wrong with you? You’re crazy baby
That is what will suffocate your heart, dirty clothes”
Forever Rain - Michayla
It was a difficult choice this week because I have been listening to so many BTS songs while working from home. My job is quite high pressure and requires a great deal of concentration and when I am in the office there is complete silence most of the time. Working from home means I have many distractions but I have found that there are certain songs that are more of a help than a hindrance and ‘Forever Rain’ is one of those.
I am a huge fan of Mono, the album / mixtape that was released in October 2018 by Namjoon. Out of curiosity I looked up the definitions for ‘album’ and ‘mixtape’, learning that the difference is that primarily, an album tells a structured story and a mixtape is quite literally a random mix of songs. I personally feel that Mono tells a story, I also feel that Namjoon doesn’t do anything randomly so I prefer to see it as an album, a great one at that. However Mono is categorised, it is a no skips collection of songs and undoubtedly one of my favourites.
‘Forever Rain’, a title that is more than appropriate for the corner of the UK that I live in right now as we’ve had more rain than anything else, is a sad song. This song is about Namjoon’s struggle with depression and how he almost sees the rain as a mask to hide his feelings, perhaps hide the tears. The rain is depicted as a friend, the sound of it as it batters a window becoming its voice.
‘When it rains, I get a little feeling that I do have a friend,
Keeps knocking on my windows
Asks if I’m doing well
And I answer, I’m still a hostage of life
I don’t live because I can’t die
But I’m chained to something’
Namjoon’s voice is so deep and haunting in ‘Forever Rain’ and the MV is grey and beautifully drawn. Even though this is a melancholic song, I find comfort in it because it has a warmth to it which could come from Namjoon himself. While I’m working, I find myself singing to the chorus and humming along with the rest, it doesn’t distract or hinder my work but acts as a comfort blanket, I suppose.
Fly To My Room - Onomey
So as we are back in lockdown in the UK, it means that we are all having to study and work from home which in itself can be a bit of a struggle which is why I thought this song is perfect for our work from home playlist. The song's instrumentation is very staccato based which has you bobbing your head along to it without even meaning to. The staccato instrumentation allows space for Jimin and V to ride their vocals in and out of the space in an almost rap-like flow which to me seems like they delivered their lyrics like this as it lets them express their frustrations whilst making the vocals the centre part of the song.
I myself have to record my radio show from home due to the recording studio being closed, luckily for me, it hasn’t been too much of an inconvenience apart from the fact of dealing with noisy neighbours or household members as the microphone may pick them up. It is sometimes more difficult to find the motivation to do things when you’re in the comfort of your own home which can be a negative of working from home and having to adapt to it.
The line that really sticks with me in this song is ‘sometimes we get to know, broken is beautiful’ because there is so much truth within that, especially right now. Despite the hardships that come hand in hand within the pandemic some of us have been able to find beautiful moments within the difficult moments, whether that is being able to connect with your family through Zoom to Skype, looking out for your community that bit more or finding solace in online friends. I know how lucky I’ve been in finding great friends and a sense of community when I started to stream on Twitch. I was shocked when I found so many like-minded people who are all going through their own struggles but together we are able to find the strength within each other whenever we are feeling weak. The same thing goes for BTS Radio UK, I’m glad I have a family outside of my real family who are there for each other no matter what and there is so much beauty within that.
The beat switch that happens when Suga and J-Hope are brought in is a surprising one but it does suit so well with the strong high hats leading. I like the way you can see both Suga and J-Hope’s strong mindsets during their verses but they still have different perspectives at the same time. Suga raps about his dreams being too big to be contained by his bedroom but respects his bedroom to know that it is there for him any time, especially when he is feeling down and needs comfort. J-Hope on the other hand is positive from the start of his verse. He uses his imagination and the things in his room to bring himself some joy and positivity so that he can ‘fill it up with optimism’.
‘Let’s go, let me fly to my room
Lower your gaze and zoom anywhere
Come on now, let me fly to my room
Get me outta my blues
And now I’m feelin’ brand new’
The chorus, especially the final chorus with Vs falsetto, has such a feel-good gospel vibe to it alongside the funky keyboard line. Like I can imagine this song being done with a choir belting out the chorus or ARMY and BTS singing this together one day. To me, this chorus says to allow yourself to find comfort within your home and let yourself use and find the many ways in which you can travel the world whilst staying put in your room. There may be times where we struggle to think positively but there’s always a comfort to be found from your being in the safe space that is your bedroom. That beautiful and uplifting final chorus is amazing
The foursome did a great job with this song and creating a chilled out vibe we’ve not seen before from BTS. What I love about this song is that it's not super negative, it’s making you think about taking in all those negatives and try to find the positives that you can gain from the terrible year the world has had.
New Year, New Playlist
As we enter 2021, we started thinking about the songs that we will lean on to get us through the year. We hope that 2021 brings happiness after the struggles of 2020 but no matter what this year brings we can guarantee that we will have a playlist of BTS songs for every occasion.
If you have an idea for a playlist theme, come and tell us on Twitter @BTSRadioUK
Start your new year by adding this to your playlist here: New Year, New Playlist
So What chosen by ARMY
Cheryl - This week's poll winner being So What just says so much about the song that uplifts our spirits and gives us a positive vibe. I've always felt that So What is a positive mantra to life and it is even more appropriate now with the current situation. The lyrics tell us not to care and that most of our worries are imaginary (although this is probably not true currently). So with all that is happening let's be young, wild and free and only worry about things we can actually change.
Michayla - ‘So What’ is one of my favourite songs, it offers so much, even if you’ve never read the lyrics. It is the song that you can’t fail to move to when it is playing, the song that has you jumping around to the fantastic beat. It is also the song that you can sing along to and shout ‘So What’ at the top of your voice whilst jumping about. If there was only one song that can get you through this new year, then this song would be a fantastic choice. Whatever 2021 has in store for us, I think that ‘So What’ will definitely be the song that makes you feel invincible and able to smile even when things get tough.
Charlie - “So What” is a feel-good song at its core. While BTS have more poetic ballads about getting through life’s struggles, they also pepper in songs like “So What” which deal with things in a more lighthearted way, because sometimes you’re not in the mood to discuss your worries and you just want to say “So What?” and throw them away. Therefore, sometimes you’re in a mood where this song is exactly what you need. It feels like a party anthem; its very structure and instrumental demands that you jump up and down while you listen to it, reminding me of parties and concerts.
Onomey - I was glad to hear that ‘So What’ was this week's poll winner. It's a song that everyone needs during this pandemic as it motivates us to keep fighting during these tough times where some people are unemployed, aren’t able to see their loved ones etc. I feel it is the perfect song.
When I look at ‘So What’ there is one clear thing that I notice, it is all about not giving a care in the world about certain things which is what we need our mindsets to be for the foreseeable future because of the pandemic. To me, this song will help me bring in the new year and also help me with the rest of the year as my motivation from time to time when I feel myself caring too much about what others think. If you feel down in the slightest bit for any reason, then be sure to have this song blasting to automatically boost your energy and brush aside the negative ones
Silver Spoon (Baepsae) - Charlie
“Baepsae” has always stood out to me as a BTS song that is easy and enjoyable to listen to. It is high energy and has a raw sense of anger about it that makes it cathartic to listen to if you’re feeling frustrated about the world, so it is ideal for helping one get through 2021.
“Baepsae” a.k.a. “crow-tit” is based on the Korean proverb that if a crow-tit attempts to walk like a stork, it will break its legs. This proverb represents “try-hard” behaviour, whereby someone tries to be as good as someone else, but only ends up hurting themselves. BTS use this proverb to represent how fruitless it is for the younger generation to hurt themselves to live up to the expectations of the older generation and authority figures. It’s a song about rich versus poor, about old versus young, people who were born with silver spoons versus those who were not.
“They call me try-hard
Our generation has had it hard
Hurry, chase ’em
Thanks to those that came before us I'm spread too thin
They call me try-hard
Our generation has had it hard
Hurry, chase ’em
My teachers were born with it all”
Baepsae is one of my all-time favourite tracks because of this deep-rooted political message. However, even more delving into the meaning, the song itself just sounds cool. Jungkook yells out “you must be kidding me!”, Taehyung uses his deeper tones to complain about the older generation, and Yoongi sasses the unfair nature of society in a way that feels like a powerful middle-finger-up to the system.
“I have crow-tit legs,and you have stork's legs
They said, their legs are worth a million bucks
My legs are shorter, so how do you expect me to keep up?
They say "It shouldn't matter since we're coming from the same place"
Never Never Never”
Baepsae is a song that I listen to when I’m feeling low. It’s full of BTS joking and complaining and saying exactly what other people are thinking, and it’s a great outlet for frustrations in this way.
Make It Right - Cheryl
For our first playlist of 2021 we decided to visit songs that would be uplifting and positive and out of the many BTS songs that this can relate to I chose to write about Make It Right.
This song encompasses everything that BTS means to me. I love the lyrics, the melody and all the vocals. The repeats of 'I can make this better' just fill me with positivity and it feels like they are giving a huge hug of reassurance.
J-Hope's verse:
I became a hero in this world
The loud screams that seek me out
My hand, trophy and a gold microphone
All day, everywhere
But all of this is about reaching you
It's the answer to my journey
I'm singing to find you
Baby to you
With these lyrics J-Hope is acknowledging his success with the mention of trophies and his gold microphone but expresses that his journey is more about finding that special person and his singing is used to find them. Personally, I feel that he is talking about Army and that his singing brings him around the world, so he can be with us and that all he wants to do is reach out to us.
RM’s verse:
A little taller than I was before
With a voice a little more solid
All of this to go back to you
Now I'll spread wide a map called you
My rehab
Look at me, why can't you recognize me?
I don't want to hear other people's noises
Your fragrance still penetrates and breaks me down
Let's go back to that time
Here RM is explaining how he has changed, he is now taller and has a more confident voice but, also that he has changed so much that he cannot be recognised from his younger self and how he wants to go back to an earlier time. I actually find this verse quite poignant as I am sure we all feel like this now and then. It also relates rather well to the pandemic we are all experiencing – we are all growing and changing during it, but I know I would like to go back to how life was before it – it feels like life has been paused in many ways, except time, time is speeding ahead.
Chorus:
This eternal night with no end in sight
It's you who gifted me the morning
Now can I hold that hand?
Oh oh
I can make it right
All right
All right
Oh I can make it right
Again, this eternal night with no end in sight, definitely feels like the pandemic, but when BTS release some new material then it feels like they have gifted us a break from the darkness. It also feels like they are trying to make life better for us and by doing so I am sure they are also feeling better themselves. Which like the song there are undertones that by helping someone else they are helping themselves, like J-Hope sings by reaching out to us, it’s the answer to his journey.
Wishing On A Star - Michayla
This week I had another tough choice when it came to deciding which song to write about because I think that most of BTS’ discography will get me through 2021 as it has through the years since I became ARMY. 2020 was undoubtedly one of the toughest years that we have all faced together as a whole and many of us found comfort in each other and in BTS.
I chose ‘Wishing On A Star’ because of the title, initially because I think that many of us would have made wishes in 2020 that the pandemic would quite simply disappear and that a level of normality would return. I also think that many may have made wishes instead of resolutions at the start of the new year so already the title is fitting.
For those that don’t know, ‘Wishing On A Star’ is on BTS’ second Japanese album ‘Youth’ along with gems such as ‘Good Day’ and ‘For You’ as well as Japanese versions of firm favourites such as ‘Dope’, Save Me’ and ‘Run’ to name but a few.
The song is quite literally about wishes and dreaming big, about not giving up and keeping your dreams in sight, even when things move more slowly than you would like.One of the messages that BTS convey, that I have complete respect for is the one where they tell us to remain hopeful, to never give up; that failing is okay as long as you keep going. Even at the age of 41, this message is something I do my best to stay true to, life is tough and at the moment it feels like the world has stopped but we can still keep our goals and dreams intact.
‘Spit a million billion bars
Yeah I’m wishin’ on a star
Keep your dreaming hard
Just no matter where you are
I’m running with my heart
Keepin’ my feet in the Mars and
No matter how it far
I’ll be restartin’
Even if I have to endure it, I’ll continue
To move forward
Even if all these tears dry out
Right, just being myself, just the way I am
If I can sing, nothing will ever be hard’
‘Wishing on a star’ is also full of hope, it mentions Pandora’s box which is a symbol of remaining hopeful even through suffering, something which is most relevant right now. The story of Pandora’s box is also what inspired Hobi to create his stage name and become J-Hope. As our sunshine and our hope, if Jung Hoseok tells us that one day we'll be together again and that brighter days will come, then I will keep wishing on that star.
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