BTSRadioUK weekly playlist 2021 part 2
Holiday Harmonies with BTS
The obvious choice for a theme this week was of course, the festive period and however you celebrate it (or not) this playlist is for you.
Have you got any ideas for playlist themes for 2022? Get in touch with us and let us know. BTS Radio UK are on all social media including Instagram and Facebook.
Q. Since becoming ARMY, how have you brought BTS into the festive period?
Michayla - Until I became ARMY I didn't know about the Xmas day shows on Inkigayo etc so that was enlightening, to say the least. That became a focus of my Xmas day and the SBS 2018 performance is still one of my favourites. I also have Tae baubles on my tree, made for me by the wonderful people that I've met over the time that I've been ARMY. Of course, there's the obvious element of gift giving. My children have an extensive list of ideas for me now, which definitely makes life easier.
Charlie - As soon as December starts, I play A Typical Trainee’s Christmas. I often can’t play it while my family puts up our tree as my brother complains, but I play it while I decorate my own little tree for my room if I’ve got it up. I always rewatch BTS’s Christmas 2015 After School Club appearance, as it’s one of the first BTS videos I watched when I was still trying to learn their names. They sing Last Christmas and do the Run choreography and it makes me feel so Christmassy, and nostalgic as this was the BTS I fell for that Christmas 6 years ago.
Onomey - Since becoming ARMY, I feel as though my family are fed up with me going on and on about BTS so I probably will tone it down for Christmas. Nope, I can’t do it. Sorry family, I will at least be sneaking BTS holiday songs onto the Christmas playlist. Everyone deserves to be blessed with BTS in the holidays, don’t they? It’s the least that I deserve seeing as I would never be able to put BTS Christmas baubles on the tree as my mum likes to have the tree perfect in her vision. Sorry guys, you can’t be on my tree this year. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the team says about this question and whether or not people have BTS themed Christmas. That would be super cool!
Cheryl - The answer for me would be; tinsel around my BTS calendar and Christmas lights among my merchandise to make it sparkle. I also find myself listening to BTS songs and watching the Christmas remix of Dynamite and the shows where they have performed Christmas songs and used festive sets.
Magic Shop - Michayla
With the festive period upon us and a whole host of amazing BTS songs on our holidays themed playlist, I chose to write about a song that is special to ARMY.
Magic Shop is extra special because Jungkook had a hand in producing it and it was the overall theme for 5th Muster in 2019. It’s a song that gives hope and comfort in equal measure and I think that at a time when the world is once again uncertain in this pandemic, it’s message is just as important now as ever before.
‘On days I hate being myself, day I want to disappear 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 song encourages us to look inside our hearts and that’s where we will find the love that BTS has for us. It also says to look inwards and find your happiness within. I think that many ARMY can say that BTS brings out the best in them and gives them a sense of self belief and happiness.
‘Would you believe me if I said that I was scared of everything too?
All the sincerity, the remaining times
All your answers are in this place you found
In your milky way, inside your heart’
Every time I have been lucky enough to see ‘Magic Shop’ performed live, I could feel the love both from and to the seven members. There is definitely something special and amazing about a song that you have a part in.
‘So show me (I’ll show you)
So show me (I’ll show you)
So show me (I’ll show you)
Show you, show you’
Whether the ‘So show me (I’ll show you)’ is sung by fellow ARMY on our way out of the stade de France as we did in Paris or shared with BTS while they were on stage, this song holds so much emotion and meaning.
Whatever your situation is during this festive period, remember that we all have a ‘Magic Shop’ inside our hearts and we are never truly alone.
HOME - Onomey
The holidays are amongst us and I’m super excited about it. Eating copious amounts of food, singing a lot and being able to spend well-needed quality time with my family that was unable to take place last year.
I chose to write about ‘Home’ because it’s a very fun R&B track with great melodies and rap which is a genre that my family and I are big fans of. With the lyrics being about the boys expressing how BTS’ fans are home to them, Christmas time is a time when you get to spend it with your loved ones and feel safe and warm in each other's company.
What is interesting about this track is that, if you were to look at just the English lyrics on their own with lines such as ‘big house, big cars, big rings’ and ‘me shine with flashin’ lights’. You would think that it was a song bragging about all of the expensive things they have. Studying the lyrics deeper, I found that the song was not only about ARMY but about how regardless of how popular they get they still find themselves feeling empty which is why being at ‘HOME’ or having one to think about or rely on, is a way for them to try and feel whole as they try to hide their pain through this upbeat and catchy melody.
This song captures my heart the moment Jimin starts singing because of the tone of his vocals. I can’t explain how it sounds other than to say it is amazing. It’s the way he is able to somehow narrate the lyrics just through his tone of voice, so even if he was just humming it, you’d be able to gather that there is some happiness occurring because of the triplets with the line ‘in this excitement that’s driving me crazy’ being used but also a negative because he strains and drags the line when he sings ‘I wasn’t even able to great you’.
The chorus makes me think about my family, especially during the holidays, because of the line ‘with you I’mma feel rich’. We all look for our family as they provide us with the feeling of love, warmth and life. If you don’t speak to your family, your home doesn’t have to be the place where you are related to people, it can be through your partner, friends or anyone and that’s what is beautiful about a “HOME”.
Stay Gold - Charlie
The colour of gold makes me think of the shining baubles and lights I see as I look out my window or walk/drive home at night. It feels like even a simple walk home can have brightness and sparkles in it. Stay Gold is a lovely encouraging song that reminds me of that feeling.
“Oh, woah, oh
In a world where you feel cold
You gotta stay gold, oh, baby (Yeah)”
As we reach the end of the year, Stay Gold is a very special and important song. This time of year should be about congratulating oneself for getting through the year, and promising yourself that you’ll continue to encourage yourself and stay your shining self next year. Stay Gold is all about that for me. Back when it was released in Summer 2020, I used the song as a source of strength, and it’s still exactly as relevant now when we’re in Winter 2021.
Stay Gold is a song with a message about not losing your spark. It sounds magical, with its stunning vocals that ring out in hope, and its soft piano that starts the song feels very beautiful. It’s such a pleasing song to the ear, and a perfect way to leave the end of the year on a good note. Every second is beautiful. While it’s a gorgeous and powerful song vocally, it’d be incomplete without the raps, which add such heart to the song. It’s a perfect balance and it is strong yet soft.
“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 (yeah)
Give me your hand”
Permission To Dance - Cheryl
I remember waking up at around 5am on the day of the song’s release and so I didn’t wake anyone up, I watched the video with subtitles but without sound. So firstly, I wasn’t sure if this was an English song or not, as there were so many lyrics to read. There was also so much to watch going on in the video – it was mesmerising.
Listening and watching the video on repeat since, I am still amazed by their talent – it's another all English song, their third following Dynamite and Butter and it was written by Ed Sheeran and others.
The video is also entertaining; the different ages and races being included in the video just feels so inclusive. They have included so many ideas within the video including using key workers and school children etc and they also used sign language. The video is like a little time capsule of the history of the pandemic, where perhaps due to the virus we had forgotten how to enjoy ourselves and now with the help of BTS they are showing us how to move on. The use of the purple balloon is iconic.
The lyrics of the song that seem to tug at my heart every time I hear them are;
Well, let me show ya
That we can keep the fire alive, mmm
'Cause it's not over
Till it's over, say it one more time, say
To me this section of the song just speaks volumes, there is the thought of keeping things going and the fire alive, but then V’s words ‘Cause it’s not over till it’s over’ just hits bigger with his soft voice and reminds us that the pandemic has not gone away and is still causing us all some troubles, even today.
I enjoy the references to looking at oneself and realising that no matter how old you are, you are still at the starting point of something and that we all have a future to look forward to and even if that future isn’t quite as great as we hoped, we will be ok because we too know how to land.
This is a very positive song with a lot of don’t care lyrics and just let yourself enjoy the moment and dance away your worries without thinking about what others think or say, very freeing, upbeat and catchy.
Within the song there are also reminders that if we are not happy, we can change our own direction or find joy another way (by dancing perhaps).
Let's break our plans and live just like we're golden
And roll in like we're dancing fools
The song itself delivers meaningful lyrics set to another upbeat, summary tune and vibe from BTS, who seem to know just what we need and never disappoint.
The Alphabet with BTS - G, H, I & J
The playlist team has been having a lot of fun working their way through the alphabet of BTS songs. This week ARMY chose a question for the team to answer, come over onto social media and tell us what your answer would be. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @BTSRadioUK
CLICK HERE for this week’s Spotify playlist.
Q. A song to sing in the shower?
Michayla - I sing in the shower all the time and usually it doesn’t sound great with my garbled words during the Korean parts. I can honestly say that BTS’s English is remarkably better than my Korean. However, we have been gifted with some amazing English songs and so I would say that my song to sing in the shower is ‘Permission To Dance’ because not only can I sing it all the way through but I can do the hand choreo too.
Charlie - Jimin himself said in the Love Yourself: Tear comeback countdown that Fake Love was a song to sing in the shower. And I wholeheartedly agree. When you sing in the shower, it has to be an emotional song that you can belt out, because when you’re in the shower you can be a superstar that sings to your heart’s content. The chorus to Fake Love is particularly perfect for this, and it’s therapeutic to just yell out “Why you sad? I don’t know, nan molla” in the comfort of your bathroom.
Cheryl - My shower song, hmmm this was rather tricky as it depends if I’m taking a long relaxing shower or a quick one. Also the strength of the water affects my mood. This morning the water was powerful and I found myself playing Idol in my head. The song and the shower matched perfectly and gave me the energy to face my busy day.
Onomey - There are many songs I love to sing in the shower as obviously, that’s where my true Beyonce or should I say BTS standard of vocals comes out. If I had to think about my go-to songs, it would be ‘Persona’ which my neighbours no doubt have heard me belt out a number of times. I also “sing” Jimin’s ‘Serendipity’ a lot and genuinely feel sorry for my neighbours having to hear a second of me singing it. I also apologise to Jimin for ruining his beautiful song but I can’t help but sing it. The riffs in the song are so addictive that it’s hard not to sing along, especially the ‘naui cheonsa naui sesang. Nan ne samsaek goyangi, neol mannareo ơn. Love me now, touch me now’ riff.
It’s Definitely You - Michayla
This week’s playlist isn’t a huge one but it would appear that the letter H has quite a few offerings when it comes to BTS songs. I decided to write about ‘It’s definitely you’ which is a song sung by Taehyung and Jin, opting for an ‘I’ song instead.
This song was released in December 2016 and was written for the K-drama ‘Hwarang, The Poet Warrior’ which starred Taehyung. It was performed by Tae and Jin as one of the unit stages at the BTS Prom Party in 2018 (see the video below),
‘It’s Definitely You’ is a song about someone’s desire for someone else. It’s quite a pleading, desperate, heartfelt song. The lyrics talk about the type of love that you would do anything for, no matter what.
In my cracked heart
Your cold sighs
Like a slowly withering flower
Fall onto my heart
This damn love, because of you
I can’t move even if I’m hurt
Even if I die, it’s definitely you
Without you, tears fill up my heart
It’s just back hell
To me, that’s who you are’
It is a catchy song and I always find myself singing the ‘na na na na na na’ along with them in the chorus. The vocals are, as expected, absolutely stunning and I certainly feel that their prom party performance adds to the whole feeling of the song, once you’ve seen it.
Just One Day - Onomey
This song touches my soul with sweetness and warmth because of the gospel swelling keyboard. It just sounds so good along with the chilled, slow jam vibe that this song has. I like the difference in timbre between the verses and chorus as the sweet vocals are still present but it’s the timbre and difficulty level of the drums that fill in more of the space that was left in the verse. Making the choruses a lot thicker, making you want to groove more to the beat.
This is a song that you don’t need to know the lyrics to, because between the combination of the vocals, the calming rap verses and the instrumentation, it is obvious that this track is a warm and adorable teen love track. The rap line talk in a relaxed and slow but rhythmical flow in order to really make it clear to the listener how much they are in love as they recollect the special moments that had happened, and how they hope ‘Just One Day’ they will be reunited so they can be together.
The MV for this song is so smooth and creative, especially for a love song. Listening to it, you would never expect there to be any choreography involved but I am so glad that there is. Chair choreography in songs seems to be a rarity because of how challenging it can be but in this song the boys do it with success and ease. They remind me of Usher in ‘You Make Me Wanna’ with how smooth and charming they are in the transitions and control in their popping and locking. Oh, my word, the footwork and hand coordination. Trust me that stuff is hard. Doing that in my cheerleading hip hop dance team took months of hard work to get everyone in sync. Jungkook sounds so amazingly good with his God-like ad-libs during the verses and his choruses.
I miss lovesick puppy dog, romantic old skool BTS. This song makes me so warm and bubbly inside because of how pure it is. It is almost like they are daydreaming about how wonderful this person is and how their hearts are beating so fast and full of love as a result. This sweet lullaby of a song is iconic and will continue to be that, no matter how many songs the boys release.
I Like It Pt. 2 - Charlie
I Like It Pt. 2 is one of those BTS songs that I always run back to no matter what mood I’m in. It’s really fun and bouncy, and has that old-school BTS vibe that I find so familiar and welcoming.
“Where are you? Let’s meet again
Let’s say a meeting place for example
Let’s go eat together again, I’ll invite you
But it doesn’t have any particular meaning
Your friends click the “like” button
But before that I can see that you look good…”
The track is about an awkward romance between teenagers. It’s peppered with references to navigating romance while also growing up with social media, such as changing online relationship statuses and liking each other’s pictures. It’s endearing in the type of love that it authentically represents. It doesn’t sugarcoat it or talk about only the good things; it also mentions what happens when relationships break down and get hit with petty fights. But it still sounds soft and calm in spite of this. Like it’s saying “that’s life; that’s what such a relationship is like”. Even the raps are rather mellow, which is very interesting to listen to.
“When I saw that you changed your profile states to “single”
Let’s just meet soon again
The awkwardness surrounds us
You were different before, in order to cover up
For your (former) coolness, I casually talk to make the conversation bloom
I remember the past again
Our relationship becomes “EX”
Between us OH NO! Becomes “X”
When did a wall form between us?”
I can’t write about this song without mentioning its dance. I remember learning it during the Summer that the dance video was released for Festa, and being so addicted to it. It’s simple, but so fun to do. It truly fits the innocent, subtle vibes of the song.
I Need U - Cheryl
This week as part of the alphabet series I have chosen to write about I Need You and what a rich history the song has. Did you know this song won BTS their very first music award in Korea - their very first win!
The song is rather heartbreaking, it’s about a toxic relationship and the internal struggles of dealing with so many emotions and feelings. But it also explores the way one person wants the relationship to end but doesn’t have the capacity to end it and hopes the other person will call it quits first. Verse 1 sets the scene of the relationship and just how cruel the other person appears to be:
My life’s ruined all because of you
I’m so done with it, I don’t want you anymore
I just can’t do it, I don’t give a shit
So please, your excuse won’t even work
You can’t do this to me
Everything you said, it’s just to cover your fault
Just cover up the truth and rip me off
You spear me, make me go nuts, I hate it all
Take it all back with you, I hate you so bad
Then the inner turmoils of the pre-chorus hating someone but still loving them, wanting them out of your life whilst asking for forgiveness.
But you’re my everything (You’re my)
Everything (You’re my)
Everything (You’re my)
Please get out of my life, huh
I’m sorry (I hate you)
I love you (I hate you)
Forgive me (Shit)
The second verse explores the circular feeling of emotions and the helpless feelings that no one can help and your own mind, heart and body aren’t even listening to you. The lack of control comes across and the spinning is evident within the lyrics. The verse ends with the sky being blue which then leads into the pre-chorus which follows the theme that tears stand out more when the sun is shining and the sky is blue. Which I personally find very poignant as I do find myself feeling the happiest when the sky is blue and the sun is shining - it really lifts my mood.
The chorus questions the relationship: why does the girl love but leaves them alone, needing them even when they know the relationship is actually painful and hurting them.
The bridge explores how they want the other person to end it and how it would be such a gift to never have to return to the relationship. I find the honesty in this song's lyrics just so powerful and the fact it is seven young men singing about this pain is just so refreshing and I am sure young men around the world would find comfort in knowing their pain too is understood.
Such is the power of BTS!
Bringing The Sunshine Into Winter
The weather in the UK has certainly taken a turn and it’s been quite grey and dreary. On top of that, it’s been wet and cold so our playlist team has created on bring the sunshine into our lives.
Find the Spotify playlist here: BRINGING SUNSHINE INTO WINTER
Do you have a summer tune that brings the sunshine into your life?
Trivia: Just Dance - Michayla.
If I need to smile, dance and bring the sunshine into my life when the sky is grey and it’s freezing cold, I almost always think about Hobi. Not only is the weather dull but with the pandemic still gripping the world, it’s tough not to feel low at times so it’s always great to draw on memories of happier times. For all of these reasons, I chose ‘Just Dance’ because for me, it fits all the above criteria.
‘Just Dance’ is not only my favourite of the three trivias but I would go so far as to say that it is my favourite Hobi solo. I do struggle sometimes because I absolutely love ‘Ego’ but having seen ‘Just dance’ performed live four times always pushes it to the top.
There are a number of videos on YouTube of fancams for this performance so if you haven’t seen it, please check it out. Jung Hoseok’s stage persona should be witnessed by everyone because he is a born performer and there was a saying after the O2 concerts among ARMY that everyone left the venue as a Hobi stan. I can honestly say that after day 1 at the O2, Hobi was catapulted into my life and I fell in love with him instantly.
There is so much to love about this song lyrically. Hobi compares the feelings of love to the art of dance and with a verse like this, who wouldn’t love it?
‘In my muddy life
You were like a single stem flower
Even this suffocating studio
If we’re together, turns into paradise
My dreams that once had no answer
Now become something we can relate to
Because our rhythm is matching
Because we have our dance, it’s a fate-like beat
Let’s get it on POP
Washing over me with those waves
Our heartbeats are in sync
You’re getting to know my heart too
I wanna keep this going
I like you like i like to dance
So you’re my love, yeah my love
That’s what I like’
Everyone knows how much Hobi loves to dance and that is evident whenever he performs. He is always on hand to help the other members with choreography and when he gives us that beaming big smile, it can’t fail to make your day brighter.
‘Just Dance’ makes me smile, brings back the best memories and never fails to get me moving. This is my ideal sunshine song and it definitely challenges the dreariness of this autumnal / winter period.
Boy In Luv - Onomey.
Let’s take it back to 2014 where messy-haired, eyeliner wearing bad boys BTS released the iconic track ‘Boy In Luv’. The MV and song lyrics are focused on school and having a schoolboy crush. We get rapper Jungkook, deep, razor-like vocals from V and 10/10 dance choreography throughout. What’s not to love about this song? It is such a classic that it inspired the boys to write the massive hit ‘Boy With Luv’ years later.
I love how the song has the different phases of emotion the boys go through like trying to act confident but then being confused and nervous when thinking about their feelings for this girl. From lyrics like ‘I’m getting nervous, I’m getting nervous’ to the cockiness of ‘if you lose a guy like me, you’ll regret it’. You really get to experience the teenage puppy love feels.
J-Hope’s verse stands out to me because of the pure energy, attitude and suaveness in the way he acts in the MV during his section as well the way he dictates the lyrics. I especially love his flow in this song as it’s during the pauses in the song where he delivers them. I don’t know if it’s just me but his voice acts like a drum fill in the pauses. If you don’t understand what I mean, imagine playing a drum fill to the syllables he hits. He seems to smoothly land on the ‘Uh’ effect that brings the instrumentation back in. On top of all that, he rhymed half of the alphabet with Hakuna Matata which is genius work and I love The Lion King which gives him massive bonus points.
Omg, the bridge section in this song is SO beautiful. Throughout the song, it is in your face and aggressive with drums and a heavily distorted guitar but then out of nowhere, the timbre reduces dramatically to match Jungkook’s angelic, sweet vocals followed by the rest of the vocal line with equally as beautiful tones as they try to leave their heart on their sleeves one on one with the girl. The bridge finishes on what can only be described as a un-human-like, god tier, vocal run that goes super high in pitch not only for a man but for a woman as well but that doesn’t stop Jungkook and Jimin from singing it with elegance, emotion and ease. Oh, and it was done in falsetto and in harmony., you know, just to add the difficulty level for fun.
‘I want to be your oppa
Why don’t you know my heart for you?
Even if you ignore me
Even if you act cold
I can’t push you out of my mind
I want to be your oppa
I will be your man, just watch
So that my heart can touch yours
I will run to you right now’
Home - Cheryl.
I find Home to be quite a rich song, the whole song seems to have so many layers, the instruments, the melodies and the vocals all seem to be entwined to give a full, rich sound with depth and meaning.
RM opens the song with the words “Man I’m exhausted, Oh, guess what? I just wanna go home”. Then throughout the song they describe what “Home” means to them.
Home definitely includes Army – in the very first verse Home is described as the whole world, which can only imply that as BTS are a global phenomenon wherever they are, if they are surrounded by Army then they feel as if they are home.
Crazy for myself (Yeah)
Like everything would work out when I opened that door (Right)
Like I was about to show something (Uh huh)
I left home
(Hoping all this imagination doesn't end as illusions)
With this verse I wonder if there is a sense of hope, excitement and tension, the hope that if the door to the future is opened then everything would be ok and they would be successful, the excitement of this situation and the anticipation of showing what they could do is building here. Then the tension of wondering if it could all end as an illusion and that nothing is real and it’s all imagined.
Oh yeah I did it, me shine with flashin' lights
Got lotta friends, my quiet personal space
Yeah, I remember when I thought I could do everything
I saw the ocean, yeah, before I opened this door
Oh yeah
In this verse there are references to the successful side of things with the flashing lights and RM shining – which could be references to being in the spotlight and on stage, having lots of friends. But what I find interesting is the mention of a personal quiet space, this causes me to think about the visits to art galleries RM visits whilst out touring as these places are always quiet and a personal space. He also mentions that he thought he could do everything and that he saw the ocean before opening the door. There have been mentions of water in quite a few of BTS’ songs and it is usually mentioned in a calm, thoughtful image, but here I wonder I feel as if there is a menacing tone about thinking he could everything and the ocean could be so vast – perhaps there is a feeling of anxiety about this verse? These sad feelings continues with the pre-chorus:
Whatever I fill becomes emptier
The more we’re together, I feel lonelier
Half-close eyes, sleepless light
The place where you are
Could this be how they feel after a concert, remembering the euphoric feelings of all being together and then feeling emptier and lonely afterwards – I know that’s how I feel and I am sure I am not alone.
In the chorus they use Spanish “Mi Casa” to say “My home” and this works two levels, it links to the fanbase being worldwide and links language as many countries speak Spanish, but it also has a deep meaning of my home – where home is a warm place surrounded by love and people you hold dear.
Your love your love your love, I miss that
Your love your love your love, I want that
Your touch your touch your touch, I need that
La la la la la la la la I love it
My feet look strange in the entrance with lights off
I still feel strange as I close my eyes inside my blanket
I feel like I'm floating, both eyes spinning
In this fabulous space, I feel completely shabby
5th Verse
Totally shabby
The world thinks we own the whole world
Even if we have what I wanted in my dreams
Big house, big cars, big ring
The unfamiliar feeling of missing something
For someone who has accomplished everything
But I go out the door since I know I have something to return to
These verses appear entwined, Suga agrees with J-Hope regarding feeling shabby and they both seem to be agreeing that life isn’t as great as we are lead to believe. J-Hope talks about feeling strange and floating which feels surreal and Suga talks about how the whole world thinks they own the world, but even as he accomplishes everything he wishes – there is the unfamiliar feeling of missing something. But he walks out the door perhaps into unknown territory because he has something to return to.
Towards the end of the song the final verses build to positivity and talking about memories, and how special returning home is to them. Home is somewhere they feel comfortable even if there is complete silence between people and how remembering people who knew them before they were famous makes them smile. Home is where they like to return to.
Daydream - Charlie.
It’s probably ironic to pick Daydream as a sunshine song, as I remember the day it came out - it was a very snowy day and right after the music video came out, I walked out into the snow to a lecture. But, it was a sunny day nonetheless, and even back then Hobi’s music brought the sunshine to a cold day.
“Wishing on a sky, wishing on a scar
If there's the sun, I'd want to dream
Wishing on a sky, wishing on a scar
If there's the moonlight, I wouldn't want to wake up”
Hobi’s music is perfect for this playlist, as he is our sunshine. I’m reminded of how soft I am for him, everytime I see and hear him. His ending ment at Permission to Dance On Stage in LA Day 4 was so adorable; he has a knack for seemingly melting away worried thoughts.
And his adorable voice has a different charm in Daydream; he uses a sort of whisper-singing style which makes you feel as though you’re really dreaming. It’s a dreamy song, enhanced by the imagery in the lyrics and music video which is like a crazy and surreal dream. If you dream hard enough, maybe it’ll be Summer again and it’ll be bright and we’ll be closer to seeing BTS again.
“Y'all must've been caught like fish
In a net called ‘desire’ with thirst in life
Common psychological escape
Even I can't swim out of it
Not, a reality refusal
Discontent, misfitting, ain't none of that
Love ma' rule
For once, I want a different picture in my life
That I want to draw, a canvas dream (Sleep)”
It fits the theme of the song; Hobi sings about the weird and conflicting feelings of being both J-Hope, the performer, and Jung Hoseok, the person. He dreams and fantasies about the freedom of doing and being whatever and whoever he wants to be, knowing that his dream can’t last forever. I wonder if he still feels the same way as he did when he wrote these lyrics, and if he still has the same daydreams or if he is living his dreams now.
The BTS Alphabet - D, E, F.
Our playlist team continued their look at the BTS alphabet this week and have created a playlist of the songs that start with a D, E or F.
Dimple, EGO and Fake Love? What would your 3 songs be?
Find the Spotify playlist here: THE ALPHABET WITH BTS - D E F
Q. Which is your favourite solo from the vocal line?
Michayla - I would like to thank ARMY for voting in this week’s poll and choosing the more difficult question to answer lol! The reason it is so difficult is because I have multiple answers for different reasons. I simply cannot pick just one, it is impossible. ‘Winter Bear’ is absolutely one of my favourite Tae solo songs. The MV being partly filmed in London, I adore the Bangtan Bomb and it was his first full English song, so it is special. ‘Euphoria’ has to be mentioned because that is my go-to song when life is tough and it has saved me on many occasions. I will never forget seeing Jungkook perform it at the O2 for the first time and then less than a year later, flying around Wembley and the Stade De France. Both songs hold special places in my heart and there are so many others close behind it. I could talk about vocal line solos all day!
Charlie - It is without question that my favourite vocal line song is Jimin's Wings solo, Lie. I adore all the solos, but when I listen to Lie I feel like I'm astral-projecting. The use of classical instruments is delectable to listen to and I remember listening to this for the first time and being completely spellbound by Jimin's vocals. It feels so dramatic and it gives me goosebumps every single time. Whenever I've shown my friends BTS songs to convince them of BTS's versatility, Lie is always one of the first songs I show. They're stunned and impressed every time.
Onomey - Ooooo what a difficult and cruel question to ask. There are plenty of solo favourites that come to mind like Euphoria, Ego Stigma and many more. For me, I'm a massive fan of any Jin solo song, so the song I will choose would be Epiphany because of the beautiful development in Jin's vocals. Don’t get me wrong, ‘Awake’ is one of my favourites but it doesn’t pull me in for the whole song whereas with ‘Epiphany’ you can hear and feel that Jin has absolutely mastered the art of emotion. Every whisper, held breath, gasp and strongly sung note all add to this song leaving you experiencing every lyric Jin sings about. Listen to both ‘Awake’ and ‘Epiphany’ and tell me I’m wrong. The range in his vocals is beautiful. I love how he goes deep breathy almost, V like vocals, to ‘I’m the one I should love’ with ease and precision is just special. He is the master of power ballads!
Dionysus - Michayla.
With so many amazing songs in the playlist this week, the choice was tough and I still couldn’t find a reason to add ‘ON’ into it. I decided to write about ‘Dionysus’ because that is one song in the playlist that has had an impact on me.
When the giant inflatable panthers lifted to reveal BTS during the Speak Yourself tour and the song starts with it’s strong rock sound, I was immediately exhilarated. What an introduction, what a start to a concert, especially for those in the crowd who were at a show for the first time. Dionysus definitely rivalled Idol for an opening song and that’s not the only link between the two songs.
In Idol, Namjoon says: ‘You can call me artist (artist), You can call me idol (idol)’
In Dionysus, Yoongi says: ‘What does it matter if I’m an idol or an artist, cheers’
Dionysus was such a focal point during the MOTS: Persona and 7 comebacks. The Persona version 4 concept photos were depicting each member with grapes and the MOTS: 7 version 3 photos were the members sitting at a table laden with a feast. Dionysus was the God of wine, ecstasy and fruitfulness. He was known to have a dual personality which fits into BTS talking about their public and personal personas.
During the Persona comeback, BTS performed Dionysus many times and there are so many amazing performances to choose from if you search on YouTube. We were also treated to many performances at MAMA and MMA in 2019. The outfits were always on point as you would expect and I think that the image of Namjoon with his thyrsus has become synonymous with the song.
Dionysus is a song that is worthy of most playlists, particularly if the theme of that playlist is to motivate. The song has drive and so much power. It’s the type of song that you listen to if you need to get things moving in your life or maybe to vent some negativity. My only wish is that there was an MV for it because that would have been the icing on the cake at the feast.
Everythingoes - Onomey.
I have to admit that I have not listened to the ‘Mono’ album as much as I should have as it is a beautifully put together album with some massive collaborations that all bring out a different side to RM and a lot of his previous work.
I appreciate his vocals in this song massively. People tend to sleep, big time, on RM and his vocal capabilities especially when it comes to ballad type songs. Although there’s not a lot going on in the change of lyrics or section variations within the song. It is a hard-hitting, powerful song for me. The production is spot on the way it builds and builds but continues to recycle on a loop almost like you are walking on an endless journey with the repetitive lyrics and the song is even at walking tempo. Shoutout to the drummer in regard to that as they play with consistency but your mind doesn’t process them as the main instrument because it is not central to the song. I guess the reason why this song hits so hard is that everyone loves to tell people it’ll pass, you’ll be alright. While that may be true for some people, sometimes that just isn’t the case especially for people who can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel because of the consistent pain and punishment inflicted on that individual. This repetitive drone section allows that message to be drilled into you, almost like a calmingly sung mantra for when you are going through tough moments.
I love the hard-hitting way he is dictating his rap in the first verse as it equals how the lyrics are filled with impactful emotional truths. Every time I listen to the line where he says ‘everything needs to go through pain. Embrace the world and suck in a breath. That pricking air that fills up your lungs says everything. Yeah, back when I wished to drink it in innumerable times’. It truly has me tearing up because I feel pity for the fact that he has had to feel like that but also because I know I’ve been through those tough times where I just thought, what’s the point? I’m glad that I was too able to battle the demons in order to see that ‘the fruit grows ripe’.
Nell ending the song to just summarise the whole entire track into like 6 words is a standout moment that helps the song settle but settle on those important last two words ‘everything passes’.
Outro: EGO - Charlie.
To me, BTS are a happy place and a group of men that make me happy and reassured. Ego is a perfect representation of that. It follows We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal and is the MOTS7 album's outro - it wipes my tears and gets me to keep dancing and vibing.
"Yeah, I don't care, it's all
Choices by my fate, so we're here
Look ahead, the way is shinin'
Keep goin' now
(Ready, set, and begin)"
Ego is a Hoseok solo that always lifts my spirits. As someone who always second-guesses everything, Ego is such a great "snap out of it" song that reminds me to just trust my own path, and that everything will fall into path. It sounds chilled, but the song itself is incredibly upbeat, and it's impossible to worry or doubt when this song comes on. It has the same vibe as songs like Fire, which are about just not taking your worries too seriously, and letting yourself just enjoy the ride and trust that you, and your wise ego, know what you're doing.
"Only one hope, only one soul
Only one smile, only one you
Definite answer to the truth of the world
Only one and unchanging me, right"
Ego is also so very quintessentially BTS in how it mixes a fun instrumental with more old-school hip hop beats, as it samples their "2 Cool 4 Skool" intro from back in 2013. It's a glorious merging of their old sound with a new, fresh feel, which Hoseok delivers with such vibrance and positivity.
"I go back every day
To me of yesterday
To the life of giving up
I let myself go away
But in this world, you know
There are truths unchanged
Time rushes ever forward
There's no ifs, buts, or maybes"
Do You Think It Makes Sense? - Cheryl.
This week in our A-Z of BTS I have chosen to focus on "Do You Think It Makes Sense?". I chose the song because it was a song I wasn't familiar with, which I always love - just when you think you know all their songs - along comes one which I hadn't heard before. Therefore I didn't realise it was a pure vocal line song, which ties in nicely with the question that was posed to the Playlist group of BTSRadioUK - which is our favourite vocal line song.
DYTIMS? is about a love that has gone sour, but not through the eyes of BTS - it is the other person who has changed their mind and does not return the affection that BTS feel and hence leaves them feeling confused and hurt.
The lyrics explore that feeling of not believing what you have been told and how the love may have died for the other person, but love still lingers in the hearts of BTS and just how painful and mind boggling that can prove to be. With the repeat of the lyrics:
I rewind my girl baby come back to my world
I rewind my girl come back (come back, come back)
Explain it, explain it, explain it girl
My baby explain it, explain it
I hate you so much but even now I’m thinking of you
BTS are trying to turn back time to when the love was felt by both persons in the relationship and then there is the frustration of being angry with the other person for causing the split and still having them on your mind, even when you really don't want to. Such real emotion is explored in this song and everyone who has had relationship problems can understand where they are coming from.
Do you think that makes sense?
Our love changing that easily?
Without anyone knowing, as if everything’s fine
I met you but just by seeing your face, I am crying
The burning questions and the tears - just so sad, the self doubt and fakeness shown in this verse - how can one person act as if everything is ok, when the other person is left so broken. My favourite lyrics:
Your look makes my breath explode
Your finger that held me, that white finger
I thought it would last forever
But you changed as time passed
Your words and face turned so cold
Our relationship kept going around in place
I didn’t say anything but I knew
That there was no more room for me in your heart
The depth of feeling explored here is just so refreshing and knowing that the love has gone from the other person - how upsetting would that be! Even knowing all these negative feelings the relationship just keeps going round in place, as if no one really wants it to end, as if being in a broken relationship is better than being alone, which of course it isn't but I know that love, relationships and life are never that simple.
Listening to the song, the first thing I noticed was that there was no intro - it was just straight into the song and the smooth, sultry sounds of the vocal line, caressing the lyrics and the additional backing vocals definitely add depth and meaning to the song. Then there is the deep husky vocals, not sure who they belong to but they certainly add a contrast to the vocal line. What I also found interesting, is that when you read the lyrics on their own, there is some anger there, but it is sung using such sweet melodies that it softens the lyrics and somehow makes me feel even more sad.
A, B, C with BTS
The playlist team has gone alphabetical this week and come up with a playlist that is the A, B, C of BTS.
Anpanman, Butter and Coffee? Which would be your favourite A, B, C lineup?
Find the Spotify playlist here: ABC WITH BTS
Could You Turn Off Your Cell Phone - Michayla.
Unfortunately, ‘ON’ doesn’t fit into the theme this week and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t justify it. Therefore, my decision on which song to write about was a tough one because there are so many fantastic BTS songs that begin with A, B and C. In the end, I went with a song from an album that I feel is underrated when people look at BTS albums and many who are new to the fandom, may not have heard it yet.
‘Could you turn your cell phone off’ is the ninth track on the 2014 album ‘Dark and Wild’ and is such an upbeat tune. Seven years on and the message has taken on a different meaning, post pandemic.
The song is about people giving technology and the virtual world their undivided attention instead of the people who are around them. It’s that analogy where a group of friends are in a restaurant and there’s that person who is so engrossed on their phone that they miss what is happening right there. When social media replaces reality:
‘Are you eating with your eyes like girls do?
Stop taking pictures, I’m losing my appetite
You’re busy updating again, on Facebook or Twitter
Life is 3D, twitter at me at my face
You Twtter and tap tap as you cough cough
Food is spitting out of your mouth as you’re on your phone
Do I need to hit you for you to sna out of it?
When you’re out of battery, do you think you’ll be charged?’
I think most of us have probably been in this situation or perhaps we’ve been that person ourselves?
The reason that I think that things have changed as we come out of the pandemic, is that we have had to rely on the virtual world of communication to stay in touch with family and friends. Many of us have had to use social media, video calls, messaging apps etc, more than ever before and those things have had to replace the coffee mornings with friends and birthday meals with those we love. For the past two years, it is the virtual world and technology that has enabled us to stay up to date and keep in touch with those we care about. What a strange turnaround it has been!
I think we all may now appreciate social gatherings a whole lot more because as fantastic as technology is and as amazing as it has been to have had the virtual world at our fingertips, nothing can replace a hug from those we love.
Black Swan - Charlie.
Listening to Black Swan feels different than listening to most other tracks. It feels like more than a song; it is art, and an outpouring of emotions that most artists wouldn’t want to admit.
“Ayy, the heart no longer races
When the music starts to play
Tryna' pull up
Seems like time has stopped
Oh that would be my first death
I been always afraid of”
Black Swan’s description as “emo hip-hop” just screams brilliance. It’s something you could bop to at a party whilst also having an existential crisis, and I love that. It’s a song about a feeling that I always used to feel, but one that I never knew others could relate to. The fear of not realising your passion, or of losing your love for something you care about, and not knowing what to do with your energy or time.
For BTS to release a song, right before what was going to be a tour-packed, busy and high-profile year for them, about their fear of losing their love of music, it just feels so surreal and raw. They always talk about their passion for music, and to immortalise one of their biggest fears in the form of a piece of art, not just saying it in an ephemeral way, shows how genuine they are. And how willing they are to reveal their darkest thoughts to us. Therefore, this song shows BTS’s true selves, especially as we get to the end of the song:
“Slowly, I open my eyes
I'm in my workroom, it's my studio
The darkness go darkly in a throe
But I'll never get dragged away again
Inside, I saw myself, myself”
While BTS are willing to tell us about their anxieties of the future, by the end of the song they reveal how they always find their way back to their love of music. They know that their love for music is real and that they won’t grow out of it, and that is the heart and soul of BTS.
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, the tone of their voices is different in Japanese. I also find it interesting that they release their songs in different languages and it just adds confirmation of how talented BTS are, I guess now we can even add full English songs to their list of achievements.
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, it can be elusive like snow. I am sure we have all wished for a snow day so we could have a break from school or work 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
Whilst sitting and thinking of the lyrics, the image of a snow globe comes to mind, there is such a delicacy and fragility to this song – as if there is a fear of breaking or shattering into a million pieces. The description of crystal snow flying high and then the mention of white fog and darkness – all help imaging love in a snow globe. The floating snow when the snow globe is moved and the white fog where the insides of the globe cannot be seen because there is so much movement in the globe, before the snow settles and then the dull darkness of the globe when it is not in motion. I also imagine the intense feeling of love where you are cocooned in the globe sheltered from the outside world, where the feelings are just so intense, you want to protect them from everything and everyone.
The melody and lyrics combined make for a snowy scene of love and adventure, as who knows where this newly 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.
Movember Positivity
This week our playlist team wanted to highlight Movember - Movember is a global campaign which quite simply asks you to pay attention to, talk about, raise funds for and most importantly raise awareness for men’s cancers and other men’s health issues. As ARMY we love and support 7 guys who have never been afraid to discuss their health. So why not ask the male in your life… how are you?
Find the Spotify playlist here: MOVEMBER
Q. If you need instant happiness, which song would you play?
Michayla - The obvious answer is ‘ON’ because quite simply, that is my answer for everything. However, there are also other songs that I hold close to my heart that I reach for when I need that spark of happiness and fast! The most recent of these songs is ‘Permission To Dance’. The lyrics, the music and the choreo makes me feel so happy and smile instantly. There is also ‘Idol’ because I will never forget the moment BTS appeared on stage in front of me for the first time and then singing in the car on the way home with my daughter. I can’t fail to feel anything other than happy when I hear Idol. The last song I will talk about in answer to the question is ‘So What’. This song injected life and emotion into me at a time when I was completely numb and it is another moment that I won’t ever forget. When I hear ‘So What’ I am usually up and jumping around my lounge. It does make me feel emotional but with the biggest smile on my face.
Charlie - For the past 6 years, any time I’ve needed a pick-me-up, I’ve listened to Boyz With Fun. It’s a silly, fun little bop where the members have a dialogue with each other within the lyrics (which is one of my absolute favourite things that I hear in songs), and that’s what makes it one of my favourite BTS songs ever. It helps me not take life so seriously, and remember to have fun with whatever I’m doing. When I’m down, I need to dance around and distract myself and not dwell or ruminate, and Boyz With Fun is such an easy song to do that to.
Cheryl - What BTS song is my go to happy song, this is such a tricky question - after giving it much thought I think I would have to choose the dance practice of One Day, where V gets the giggles and Jin has a Mario doll. I remember my daughter telling me to watch it, as she found it funny and adorable. Even just writing about it is making me smile. The song is super cute and the dance moves are slick.
Onomey - If I needed an influx of happiness and energy, I think I would choose IDOL because not only is it energetic, fast-paced and loud. It has a great meaning behind the lyrics. As soon as I hear that big sounding horn playing the main hook to the song, it has me up on my feet in record time. There’s just something playful and yet motivational about the song that makes you want to take on the world with ease and fun. This isn’t even factoring in the brilliant chorus of ‘YOU CAN’T STOP ME LOVING MYSELF. I dare everyone to come up with a better song than this one because I refuse to believe that this song can’t fill everyone with positivity, motivational self-love lyrics and joy. I'd call that a triple threat and what a fantastic one it is!
My Universe - Coldplay x BTS (Suga Remix) - Michayla
I thought that considering the fact that ‘My Universe’ is still so relevant and riding high in the charts in most countries, it would be a great week to write about it. I also thought that the collaboration of two male groups from different parts of the world fits in nicely with it being the month of male health awareness.
‘My Universe’ is a triumph on many levels. It symbolises unity and achieving things that you might have thought were impossible. Yet, here we have a group of guys from the United Kingdom, hanging out with a group of guys from South Korea. The differences, language barrier, and distance would probably have made this collaboration unlikely in previous times but they made it work.
The lyrics are essentially about a love situation that proves to be a bit of a challenge, yet it could be applied to other difficult situations in life. At a time when many of us have friends all over the world and meet people via video calls, being apart from those we care about has become part of life. This was never more true than during the lockdown situation that many countries enforced during the pandemic, when we couldn’t even spend time with those we saw every day normally.
‘What brightens me up
Are the stars embroidered with your love
In my universe, you
Make another world for me
Because you are my stars and my universe
These hardships are just temporary
Always shine bright as you always do
We will follow you through this long night’
This song is inclusive, it doesn’t matter how you relate to it because if you have someone who is your universe, then that’s what matters. Love is love.
The remix by Suga gives us a great version of the original and Chris Martin hailed our Yoongi as being “a BRILLIANT producer on top of everything else.” The remix is a lot lighter in places and you can really hear the vocals which seem to take centre stage. The overall sound is quite simplistic compared to the original, which I personally liked very much. There were even parts of it that gave me a retro vibe and I couldn’t help but move along to it. As ARMY we know that Yoongi is our Min Genius and this version of ‘My Universe’ is further proof of that.
The positivity comes from the relationship between Coldplay and BTS. The fact that they made this collaboration work, I think that goes to show that you can achieve anything if you want it enough. Sometimes, taking chances on something is a positive and this song is proof of that. Two male groups that defied the odds and created a great song. I hope that this Movember in particular, they are all happy and healthy and taking good care of themselves.
Begin - Onomey
With it being Movember, two songs came to mind and they were ‘Begin’ and ‘I’m Fine’. In the end I decided to go with ‘Begin’.
The first two questions that pop into my mind when I think about this track is omg how adorable is he? Writing this song about his fellow members of BTS and omg, how on Earth does he sing AND dance so perfectly without either of the two decreasing in any quality? He is unbelievable!
‘Begin’ is actually one of my favourite songs by Jungkook which may surprise many people. Usually ‘Euphoria’ is the first mentioned song by him. It’s the lyrics in this song that really captures my heart because he is able to talk about the vulnerabilities he had as a teen and how through the support of his fellow members, he gained a better understanding of his emotions. ‘Love you, my brother, I’ve got brothers. I discovered emotions, I became me. So I’m me, now I’m me.’
Being able to really talk about your inner and most difficult thoughts can be tough at times, especially for men because of the expectations society has on everyone and how it is seen as a bad thing. I hope that, like Jungkook, people are able to find their own people to rely on like a family. That to me is what family is all about, being able to lean on each other and feel empathy towards that person in order for them to feel warm and capable of healing in time.
I love how Jungkook expresses the emotion within the song with a lot of intakes of breath like for example when he sings ‘brother let’s cry, cry, cry and get it over with. I don’t know much about sadness but I’m gonna cry anyway because, because’. Certain words like cry and because have a breathy sort of tone that makes you feel along with him. Especially with the falsetto backing vocals to add that extra kick to your emotional feels.
It’s not exactly the most motivational or positive song but I do take many positives from it which is why I chose to write about it. It motivates me to rely on others more than I do in order to push myself and do what others think I’m capable of if that makes any sense at all. Like Jungkook says ‘you make me begin’, to me translates to you make me feel better about myself and help me understand myself and that makes me want to go and be someone that you can be proud of.
I hope everyone has a great Movember and if you can, check up on those you love who may be needing a bit of support, positivity and warmth from you.
IDOL - Cheryl
This week with Movember being the focus around the world, we thought we would look at some Movember positivity. With that in mind we have all chosen that implies happiness, strength and power. My choice this week is Idol.
When I think of Idol, the first image that comes to mind is Jimin belting out the lyrics "Can't stop me loving myself", I find these lyrics to be so strong and emotive and the fact that it is a man singing them, just blows my mind.
We all know many men have difficulty talking about their feelings or feeling sad, as they have to be seen as being all solid and strong, now don't think I am back in the dark ages - I do know that things have progressed and men are opening up a lot more, but I feel that our favourite seven men can help them even more.
RM and J-Hope's opening verse:
‘You can call me artist (artist)
You can call me idol (idol)
No matter what you call me
I don't care
I'm proud of it (proud it)
I'm free (free)
No more irony (irony)
Cuz I was always just me’
These lyrics from RM are explaining that he has overcome his insecurities about how others perceive him - Rapper or Idol - he doesn't care what anyone else thinks, he's proud and free because it was always just him being him. I am sure this is just so relatable to us all, trying to find our way in this big wide world, but at some point we get to some acceptance that we are who we are and that what other people think is not as important as it once was.
Throughout the song there are references about being who they are and not changing to fit into someone else’s perception of them, such power and confidence. BTS are happy being themselves and they are also content with others being them as long as BTS are not being asked to be someone they don’t want to be.
My favourite lyrics are:
‘There are hundreds of me’s inside of me
I’m facing a new me again today
It’s all me anyway’
‘I'm so fine wherever I go
Even if it takes a while sometimes
It's okay, I'm in love with my-my myself
It's okay, I’m happy in this moment’
What I hope people take from this song and lyrics are the thoughts that it is OK to just be yourself and that people should relax, as it can all take time to reach your personal goals and learn to love yourself. If seven men can do it, so can we!
Inner Child - Charlie
For a month that focuses on the health struggles faced by men, and brings people together to discuss physical and mental health issues and positivity as a whole, I thought it was prudent to discuss this beautiful solo.
"At that time, we had it tough
While looking up at those stars in the sky, too far out of reach
You at that time, didn't believe in galaxies
But I saw it, a silver galaxy"
We're all dealing with hardships, and personally the hardships I faced last year were made easier by Taehyung's song Inner Child. As someone who often worries about the future, but then looks back at myself to say "it all turned out okay, now I have new worries so those old ones weren't worth dwelling on", Inner Child really speaks to me as a positive song. The song is Taehyung talking to his past self, and telling him that it all worked out okay in the end. He sympathises with his past self and how worried he was, but assures him that they both made it to a bright future. When I listen to it, I know that my future self is also telling me to cheer up and push through hard times, so I feel energised. It's therefore the perfect song for Movember positivity. Plus, the bridge of the song is positively euphoric with how cathartic it is to yell “You’re my boy” - I see how much Taehyung values and admires his younger self, and that’s such a touching thing for someone to admit.
“I'll give you my world
The lights illuminating your eyes
They're the me of now
You’re my boy, my boy
My boy, my boy, my boy”
Through songs like Inner Child (and Blue and Grey, and Sweet Night and the gorgeous romantic snippets we've gotten of prospective KTH1 songs), Taehyung lets us in on little glimpses of his mindset. Sometimes he can be enigmatic; he only tells us what he's comfortable sharing, and I really admire him for being so open when he experiences burnout, stress, sadness and other difficult situations.
When the people in my life, including my male friends and family members, feel down, I want more than anything for them to tell me, so the level of openness Taehyung displays in his music is very important and I value how he deals with emotions by channeling them into his music.
"Now I wish we would smile more
It will be okay, because today's me is doing fine
Yesterday's you, now it's all clear
I want to hug the many thorns in the budding rose"
Turning The Clocks Back
In the UK, we have recently reverted back to GMT from BST so the clocks went back. That gave our playlist team their theme for this week and it was you #BTSARMY who chose a question for them to answer. What would your answer be?
Find this week’s Spotify playlist here: TURNING THE CLOCKS BACK
Q. Which pre-Wings era song has your favourite choreo?
Michayla - This was probably the easier question of the two, to answer, so thank you ARMY for that. There are probably three songs that jump out at me immediately and a fourth which is possibly cheating a little. The first three are ‘Danger’, ‘War Of Hormone’ and ‘Dope’. I love the dance moves for these songs and find myself poorly imitating certain sections. Dope does have the slight edge on the others because I remember losing my sanity when I saw BTS perform it live for the first time at the O2. The fourth song is ‘No More Dream’ and the reason that the answer is cheating is because when I think of the choreo, I can’t help but think about that dance break! So, technically, the dance break isn’t part of the original choreo but I have to include it. If you haven’t seen it, I would highly recommend a YouTube search.
Charlie - Well, if it's pre-Wings I guess I can't pick Blood, Sweat and Tears. In all seriousness, the choreography I pick is Dope. There's something so iconic about the choreography, and how its dance-focused music video got many people to see just how cool BTS were in their performances. The "running" moves and the way they fold their hands together at the end of the first chorus, just seem so cool and interesting - and positively addictive to watch. It looks quite difficult, but it's actually quite easy to learn the moves to (the first chorus, anyway) as it was the first BTS dance I learnt. So it's the best of both worlds.
Cheryl - What a fabulous question chosen from the poll and I had so much internal conflict in choosing my favourite choreo. I rather enjoyed looking at some dance practices just for research and to firm up my choice, which is Danger. The shoulder roles and platinum blonde Namjoon just confirmed my choice. The way the 7 of them move as a triangle and keep the shape perfectly, just amazes and fascinates me. I believe the bare arms make the arm movement and elbow angles appear even more razor sharp.Then there is the height of their jumps - it is just such an energetic, pumping performance.
Onomey - BTS has always had a high quality in standard when it comes to choreography from the very beginning of their careers. There is however a massive difference between the choreography pre Wings era and post Wings era. The choreography before Wings seemed to be more street and hip-hop-inspired with more strong, stiff and impactful motions. Hip-hop is my safety blanket and is my go-to when I start to dance to a song so my go to choreography pre Wings is ‘Danger because of those elements I have just mentioned. On top of that, the difficulty in movement is so high, it blows my mind that the boys were able to deliver the choreography so early in their careers. I mean that footwork is immense, like wow, it is so difficult but is delivered so smoothly, on time, in clean formation and with swagger. It was extremely hard to pick a song, but this for sure comes to mind straight away with maybe ‘Run’ and ’N.O’ close by.
Dope - Michayla
This week we are turning the clocks back and I couldn’t decide which song to write about, given the theme. I was tempted to choose a song that I have seen performed live because I would love to go back to one of the concerts but in the end I chose ‘Dope’ because that is special to me for different reasons.
By choosing ‘Dope’, I am going back to the song that hoisted me into the fandom and really introduced me to BTS. My daughter played me the MV and it was Jungkook in the police uniform that initially got my attention. I subsequently fell in love with the song and one small move in the choreography by Taehyung, secured him as my bias and I was firmly thrust down the rabbit hole. ‘Dope’ is an epic journey, with every member shining and catching your attention and I remember trying to learn names while I learnt Jin’s part of the choreo, looking dashing in his doctor’s coat. It was a challenge!
After the MV captivated me, I watched the behind the scenes of the MV shooting and it was so funny. How could I resist these seven amazingly talented, funny guys?
The albums that Dope is on are also fantastic, with ‘The Most Beautiful Moment In Life: Young Forever’ being one of the albums that I always recommend to new ARMY. What a wonderful collection of songs it is, there is something for everyone, no matter what your taste in music is.
When you delve into the lyrics and meaning of the song, you find that it is about working hard and not having the success handed to you. It’s addressing the generational differences in Korea and urging the younger generation not to give up and to ignore the stereotypes placed on them because they can succeed.
‘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 not lonely
Our dawn is prettier than the day
So can I get a little bit of hope yeah
Wake your sleeping youth, go’
I often go back to the older BTS songs because they are not only imperative to the success of the group that we all know and love today, but it also reminds me of the moment I fell in love with them.
Zero O’Clock - Charlie
As the days get shorter and the sky gets so dark as I wrap up the last hour of the workday, it's easy to get wrapped up in how annoying the clocks going back is. And to feel a bit gloomy about the dark late afternoons. Zero O'Clock fits that morose tone, but also is a great song to let you know that the days will get lighter again soon.
"Come home and lie in bed
Thinking if it was my fault?
Dizzy night, looking at the clock
Soon it will be midnight"
Zero O'Clock has one of the most beautiful messages I've heard in a song. It's about how, no matter how bad or dark your day was, pretty soon the hour and minute hands on the clock will overlap, or the clock will read 00:00, to signify a brand new day. Seokjin, Jimin, Jungkook and Taehyung's solemn but hopeful voices bring so many dimensions to this song. It's about being hurt, and feeling tired, but it's also a reassurance that things will definitely get better.
"Let's breathe, like the first time
(Ooh-ooh) And you're gonna be happy
(Ooh-ooh) And you're gonna be happy
Turn this all around
When everything is new, zero o' clock"
This song also came out at quite a fitting time. It came out shortly before the pandemic, which was a time when I'd often lie in bed looking at my clock and hoping that tomorrow would be a day closer to life going back to normal. I'm sure that most people did, as BTS's songs truly speak to the universal human experience. Now, things are getting better, and this song feels easier to listen to because I can believe its lyrics.
"Put my hands together to pray
Hoping that tomorrow I'll laugh more, for me
It'll be better, for me
When this song ends
May a new song begin
Hoping that I'll be a little happier, yeah"
Daydream - Onomey
As the nights go darker earlier, the weather gets worse, and the time spent indoors increases. It is the clocks going back that is like an official sign that the winter weather is well and truly here. When the clocks go back, I tend not to notice but it is weird how my body still notices. In the first few days, it went back, I found myself feeling a bit more groggy and tired more than usual which is why ‘Daydream’ came into my mind as the perfect song choice. We all tend to daydream, some more than others, but the thing that I love about this song is that J-Hope makes it into a reality.
J-Hope is able to use this song to subtly brag about the flashy lifestyle he has earned without sounding obnoxious or arrogant because he doesn’t just highlight the good that comes with fame and riches but highlights the negatives through allusions and subtle messages. The lines from the first verse makes me think that he “daydreams” in order to live out certain things that he can’t do as a result of fame but also uses it to make a dream become reality by picturing what he wants his life to look like.
‘My character’s like half and half, who knows?
A public figure’s striving life, who knows?
Abstaining from large cravings, who knows?
Always out of breath for daydreaming, who knows?
Wanna cry in peace, I know
Wanna party like crazy, I know
Yeah, I know, I know, I know, ‘cause me’
I can’t wait until J-Hope releases another mixtape because his debut mixtape ‘Hope World’ was amazing. I’m not usually into rap, maybe the odd few songs but rarely a full-length mixtape/album. ‘Hope World’ is one of the few that I can listen to throughout because of the overall high energy, electronic sound it brings. ‘Daydream’ is the lead title and therefore has an MV which is bright, colourful and fun which is similar to how I would describe the track other than the words funky, warm and energetic. The MV shows different sides to his life cleverly, by constantly switching from casual wear to formal wear from scene to scene to show that he can party if he wants to, and wear what he wants whilst doing so but also has sides to him, like when he is in the green tracksuit, where he can just vibe out.
This was my first real look into J-Hope and his vocals as I think I must have overlooked them in songs prior to this or not given them the full attention they deserve but in this song, he is vocally on point throughout the song and doesn’t just have one tone and melody but is able to have multiple as well as ad-libs and harmonies which is massive in terms of the fact that he mostly raps in BTS. My favourite part of this song is the pre-chorus because I love that because it’s a song about daydreaming, he was clever enough to have relaxing whispered singing going on. He references Harry Potter which is awesome. I am a massive fan of Harry Potter. I will ignore the Alice In Wonderland reference because I am absolutely terrified of it but I’ll forgive him.
‘Beyond that boundary line over there
Let’s feel it
Like the hole, Alice fell into
Like the road that leads to Hogwarts
It’ll be a world of mirages
And it’ll be all mine
It’ll be exactly how I imagined
But it won’t last forever (shit)’
Answer: Love Myself - Cheryl
This week we are focusing on the change of season, turning the clocks back and looking at BTS’s back catalogue. With this in mind, I chose Answer: Love Myself as I have been listening to the song in the car and just love the track.
Within the lyrics there are references to opening eyes in the darkness, where even a heartbeat is unfamiliar and with fear in your eyes asking lots of questions. For me personally I have just returned to full time employment and find I am often awake at night with questions rummaging around in my mind, full of self-doubt and reflection and with the clocks turning back, I am even more unsure of what time it is and find myself wondering if I even time to go back to sleep before the alarm goes off.
Suga’s verse explores the notion of loving someone else being far easier than loving ourselves, as the standards we set are more strict and that it can be harder to forgive ourselves than others. He then expresses that we should forgive ourselves and trust ourselves, just like we trust the seasons Spring always follows Winter.
These lyrics are my favourite of the song:
The me of yesterday, the me of today, the me of tomorrow
(I’m learning how to love myself)
With no exceptions, it’s all me
As I feel that with the last line “With no exceptions, it’s all me”, the lyrics are a precursor to Shadow, where we have to learn to love all parts of ourselves, even our dark and mean thoughts. The first line is also very poetic and thought provoking.
RMs verse questions everything about loving ourselves and that this may not be the answer, but the empowering message of not needing anyone’s permission to do so, turns pain and sadness into something more hopeful, which will make him or us more beautiful.
J-Hope’s verse follows on from RM beautifully, acknowledging he is on the path of loving himself and that’s what he needs the most and how it has changed his attitude and given him the happiness he needed. Then he will show us what he’s got, he’s no longer afraid because he accepts himself for who he is and loves himself.
There are mentions within the song about hiding our true selves behind a mask and that even our mistakes make up our own constellation, such beautiful heartfelt lyrics which paint such a powerful image and it’s true that even our mistakes can colour our future and it is up to us what we do with these mistakes, some will just keep repeating them over and over, whilst others will learn from them and others still will forgive and grow.
I particularly love the references that they have been shown that they have reasons that they should love themselves and that they will answer with their breath, this does make me wonder with RM’s verse he mentions that he doesn’t want to die any more – obviously I’m not sure quite what that means – perhaps it means fade from the music industry, but the thought of answering with their breath, could obviously mean keep living, but it could also mean keep being BTS and follow that path.
They also mention that inside there is still an awkwardness and I am sure we can all relate to this feeling, even the most confident of us will have moments of doubt, fear or anxiousness in certain situations. No one can be 100% confident and secure 100% of the time. These feelings must surely fluctuate even after many years of existing.
Frights & Fireworks 2021
This week it was the perfect timing for a playlist that covers both Halloween and Fireworks night 2021. Do you have a particular song that you would play at a Halloween or firework party?
Find the Spotify playlist here: FRIGHTS & FIREWORKS 2021
Q. Which song would be great as a firework display?
Michayla - Honestly? I would suspect that my answer is probably the most predictable. I would love to see ‘ON’ in pyrotechnics. Imagine the rockets being released at the drum beats and the explosions when Jungkook hits his high note! This song was created for everything and I manage to find a reason for it to belong everywhere. So, aside from ‘ON’ I can imagine that ‘Tear’ would be a great thunderous display and also ‘Euphoria’ and the haunting sound of ‘House Of Cards’. There are so many of BTS’s songs that would suit the colourful pyrotechnics of a display. Think about how great the rock version of DNA or Fake Love would be too!
Charlie - A firework display calls for an epic and powerful song, somewhat slow so there aren't too many quick bangs and you can watch the sparks rain down from the sky. And of course, tear-jerking - there's nothing like tears flowing down your face as you watch a beautiful display. Therefore, Young Forever is the song that I pick. It has concert memories for me, so it'd go beautifully with the fire show at the end of the concert. It'd emotionally destroy me, but that just makes it such an amazing pick.
Cheryl - To answer this week's question ”Which song would be great as a Fireworks display?” I chose We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal. My reasoning was because the first time I heard the song I could imagine it being the last song at a concert and fireworks exploding as a celebration of the joy, warmth and love between BTS and Army! Then my mind started wondering: there could be exploding number 7s, Purple Hearts, Catherine Wheels (for anyone that doesn’t know a Catherine Wheel firework is a spinning circle of sparkles) that would symbolise the unity of BTS and their fans. I am sure there could be army bombs as fireworks too. Just writing this I can imagine how pretty a cold November night could be.
Danger - Michayla
This week I wanted to choose a song that covered both elements of our theme. I studied our song choices and decided that 'Danger' was that song. It's also appropriate to have chosen a song from Dark and Wild, given that's what the weather has been like here in the UK recently.
There is a lot to love about this song and I think that it is a forgotten gem for some. It is definitely one that newer ARMY should listen to and the MV is also great. For those people reading this that aren't aware of its existence, there is a Japanese version and the MV for that version is absolutely brilliant. I would definitely recommend watching both MVs which are available on YouTube.
‘Danger’ is a song about relationship confusion. When you are getting different vibes from your partner and you do not understand what is going on. It’s the point in the relationship where you question whether the other party actually feels the same way about you anymore or even whether they want to remain in the relationship at all.
‘It’s always like this, you are you, me is me
Your formula
Cell Phone is just accessory
Am I really your boyfriend? I’m sick
Why do you put off your feelings like homework?
Are we doing business? Or do you hate me?
Be more affectionate
Today I put a spell on you again
We’re like parallel lines, looking at the same spot but so different
You’re the only one i have
But why so I feel like you’re not there
You ask me “Are you mad?” when I’m down
Have you ever done anything to make me down?
You’re cute and I’m just pathetic
Hope a miracle happens so that you love me more than I love you’
The rock sound to the song would make it great at a firework display. The overall sound is dramatic and I think would also be great at a halloween party, too.
Louder than Bombs - Charlie
This is the time of year for black skies at 7pm, creepy skeleton displays in front gardens, and hearing random firework bangs on your way home from class or work. Louder Than Bombs is the perfect song for this season. It’s a beautiful, haunting, epic track that showcases the scale of what BTS can do.
“Now it has grown to be so clear
The unfamiliar shadow amidst those cheers
Perhaps I wouldn't be able to believe the words:
"Let's see and hear only good things" no more
Your silent sadness, it shakes me
In my quiet sea, waves would sometimes rise”
The song starts with an eerie side of Jungkook’s normally sweet voice, that we don’t often hear in this way. This then melts into Taehyung’s smooth and rich vocals; Jimin’s higher pitch contrasts this to give us something that’s just as eerie but in a different way, and then Jin’s voice feels cold but also somewhat comforting. Maybe that’s more what his voice does to me in general, but it fits the stunning vibe of the song to a T.
The chorus of this song is one of the most gorgeous pieces of music I have ever had the blessing to hear. And now, with its connotations to me of being from an album that couldn't have its 2020 tour, and how it's about desperately wanting to move past hard times, its emotions scream out to me.
And for such a beautiful ballad, the rap line works so well on it. Their voices are dark, foreboding, morose, and hold so much pain and hope. I personally love Namjoon's lines:
"Don’t you give up your life
Here I stay, pray
Just for better days
Everyday a maze
Wonder if this is my place"
This song is also fitting as we await the ever-approaching day when BTS see ARMY Bombs being held by ARMYs, and fireworks go off in front of ARMYs again.
We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal - Cheryl
Choosing We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal this week I decided to research the Bulletproof songs and I found out that it first started life as “We Are B.P.B” before October 2010. It was produced and released by RM (and two others not from BTS).
Pt. 1 appears to be about other performers and outsiders judging them and their reply being that they are bulletproof. We’re BTS psychic? They sang about history in the making and being the future sons of Hip-Hop. Jimin sings about showing their superiority on the stage and I definitely feel that BTS’s performance live is on a whole other level.
Pt. 2 seems to be a comparison between peers and how hard BTS have worked and sacrificed to achieve what they are achieving. Jung Kook’s lyrics show this:
I pulled all-nighters at practice rooms
Instead of school, dancing and singing
While you guys partied
I gave up sleep for my dreams
The pre-chorus is about sharpening their sword, which sounds like a threat to those who judge them. Jimin sings that others can throw stones at them, if they have achieved as much as BTS have.
Due to their hard work, determination and a little bit of luck they are bulletproof.
We Are Bulletproof: the Eternal addresses the 7 years BTS have been together since debut (seven winters and seven springs). They sing about how stones can be thrown because they have no fear and that together they are bulletproof. This song appears to be a reflection upon how far they have come. How they used to have fear of being judged and laughed at and how now that they have Army and success they are bulletproof. In JungKook’s outro he sings that they are no longer just 7 - they also have you (us Army).
My favourite lyrics are the bridge:
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I will never stop again
For we are together here
Tell me your story
Tell me why you don’t stop this
Tell me why you still walkin’
Walk-in’ with us
(Yeah we got to heaven)
With these lyrics BTS are expressing their curiosity, they want to know about us and it feels like disbelief that we are all walking the path with them and they really wonder why? But with all the support and love they feel like they have reached heaven. Here I don’t think heaven is being thought of as the place you go when you die, but it’s more about the unattainable place, that higher plane.
The first thing I noticed about We Are Bulletproof: the Eternal is that it doesn’t sound as raw and aggressive as We Are Bulletproof Pt.1 or Pt.2. The first two bulletproofs were created in the earlier days when perhaps they felt they had a lot to prove and were judged. Whereas this version appears to be an acceptance of how far they have grown and that they are no longer afraid. The song sounds more mature and reflective upon their past journey.
Run - Onomey
‘Run’ is an absolute bop that always has me dancing and jumping about the room because of the energy in the chorus despite the lyrics being about the stresses of youth and love.
The song is a synthesised heavy song with a lot of wobbled noises which are introduced as soon as the song begins. To me, the instrument used in the intro was an electric guitar but I may be wrong. I absolutely adore RM’s vocal tone in this song. There are plenty of songs where he displays his vocal rapping but with this song, there seems to be a roughness within his voice but also smoothness in the way he delivers it. It’s like you can hear the swagger and confidence within his voice which is amazing when you look at the lyrics. He’s a flower that is a beautiful thing but can only ‘bloom for you’ which is why he delivers it with a hint of roughness because he is dying of thirst for that person. This is an example of how talented the boys are. They are able to absorb and translate the lyrics through the way they pronounce certain words and how much emotion they portray.
I watched a live performance and I squealed like a little girl. No one can tell me they don’t do the same when Jungkook starts singing ‘dasi run, run, run’ because it’s an involuntary squeal, it just happens. There’s just something very powerful about their performance, especially the chorus. Speaking of the chorus, the reason why I chose the song in regard to Halloween is that I’m terrified of anything scary. It gives me flashbacks of when I went to Spooky World which is a less scary version of Farmageddon. If you’re thinking what on Earth are those two things. They are basically Halloween scare houses. Farmageddon especially, as soon as you leave your car, you have scary characters running after you, so I thought it would only be right to choose ‘Run’. I’d never go to anything like that again but I feel like that’s what I do throughout Halloween, a lot of running because I like to avoid that kind of stuff like the plague. When I think of Halloween, I think of clowns and they're a no go for me, thanks to my older siblings making me watch the movie 'IT' when I was 6.
Most people absolutely LOVE Halloween but I for one am not one of those people. I did, as a kid because chocolates and sweets are great, plus we would have awesome Halloween parties every year. Halloween minus the chocolates and sweets are awful for me because I’m a big scaredy-cat. Bonfire Night on the other hand is a safer scary free version of Halloween. ‘Run’ I think would make a perfect firework display song because it goes through a wave of emotions and energy that builds up perfectly for the energetic release of the chorus. Another song that would be awesome to see at a firework display would be ‘Dionysus’ . I can only imagine how crazy that display would be because of how fast the beat is in the song and the overall chaos in the song. It would no doubt be super awesome! I’m getting excited thinking about it. Can someone organise that please? BTS firework display, pretty please?
October 2021
Autumn is well and truly here in the UK. The leaves are turning and there is a definite chill in the air. As well as the change in weather, October is the month of many awareness days/weeks, including ADHD, Breast Cancer awareness, National walk to school, and International school library month; plus so many others.
So many of BTS’s songs bring awareness to social and personal causes, which is why so many songs are special to ARMY. Which songs do you relate to?
Check out the Spotify playlist here: OCTOBER 2021
Autumn Leaves - Michayla
This time of year just cries out for a song like Autumn Leaves as we wave goodbye to the warmer weather and the previous academic year. As we approach the end of 2021, there is probably much to reflect on and while driving to work in the wind and the rain, this is exactly the type of song that I listen to.
We were first gifted ‘Autumn Leaves’ (also translated to Dead Leaves) in 2015 on the mini album ‘The Most Beautiful Moment In Life Pt. 2’. I personally feel that this is an underrated track that doesn’t get the love it deserves because it is such a beautiful song.
The lyrics describe a failing relationship, one that you know won’t be rectified and you can see it slipping away before your eyes.
‘Those fallen leaves look so insecure
Seem like they’re looking at us
If I touch your hand, even if it’s all at once
It seems like it’ll all become crumbs
I only looked
With the autumn win
Your words and expressions that
Become cold at some point
I can see our relationship is fading
An empty relationship like the autumn sky
An ambiguous difference compared to before
Toay of all days, the much quieter night
One leaf left clinging to a branch
It’s shattering, I see the end
Dead leaves becoming dried
The silence inside your aloof heart
Please don’t leave me
Please don’t leave me, crumbling dead leaves.’
As if that verse isn’t heartbreaking enough, the chorus just shatters what is left. You can feel the pain behind the words, the pleading for things to go back to the way they were when you were happy:
‘I want the you that meets my eyes
I want the you that wants me again
Please don’t leave me
Please don’t fall
Never never fall
Don’t go far away’
It is Hobi’s vocals at 3m 17s that really hit me hard. For anyone that may have read the blog before, you will probably know two things about me: 1. I am obsessed with ‘ON’ and 2. I am also greatly affected by Hobi’s voice. The tone of his voice, whether he be rapping or singing, just strikes me down every single time and some of my favourite parts of songs are Hobi’s verses. ‘Autumn Leaves’ is no different and I can add the song to the ever growing list of songs that make me melt, thanks to Jung Hoseok.
This is a great song for any month but let’s face it, ‘Autumn Leaves’ is perfect for autumn.
House Of Cards - Onomey
As the evenings turn darker quicker and the weather becomes colder, my taste in music seems to change to complement the weather which is weird when you think about it but there’s nothing better than listening to songs that make you connect and become one with the weather that is outside. An example of this was a few evenings ago when I was walking the dog and found myself listening to ‘Blood On Me’ by Sampha on repeat as I absorbed and took in the fallen leaves crunching underneath my feet each time I took a step.
Similarly, ‘House Of Cards’ where the piano is central to building the atmosphere of the song which allows plenty of air and space for the beautiful vocals to really thrive. I like the jazz-influenced breaks in ‘House Of Cards’ because they make me think of dark and gloomy days listening to the rain.
The way the song begins with a softly played the piano sprinkled with shimmering cymbals and violins creating the scene in which we can decide where our emotions lie as Jungkook enters with the kick and tom drum filling the low end of the frequency register and Jungkook singing in falsetto to fill the higher register to make his voice stand out but to also make us feel a certain way. With a song filled with 4 vocally strong singers and they are all singing in falsetto the majority of the time, it’s only right that the song makes us tap into our sadder emotions. It’s the power of what falsetto does to humans. We’re hardwired to have a strong response because of the way our brains react to sound, especially during the autumn and winter times.
The song doesn’t necessarily make me think about the seasons just because of the falsetto but because of the way the song is arranged. Using a jazz influence in the song could have led the song to a more upbeat groovy R&B sound because of the content of the lyrics. They also give us all well-needed breaks in between certain sections in order to really take in and absorb the goosebump-inducing vocals that have just previously been sung. It’s what I love so much about jazz instrumentals. The less usually is the better because the notes being used tend to need time to breathe. Without creating the feeling of darkness, I don’t think the song would have the same effect that vocals in the higher register with head voice has. It peaks your attention whilst igniting your emotions allowing you to really listen to the angelic vocals throughout the song. I remember learning a fun fact when studying music that we tend to speak in falsetto when we are crying which is when and why people started to use it in music as it connects the listener to the artists' outpour of emotions which is something that certainly occurs in this song. The rawness in which they all sing, especially Jimin has me thinking, ‘wow who hurt you?’ when listening to the song.
If you have never listened to ‘House of Cards’ around this time of year, then what are you waiting for? Check out our playlist and have a big deep dive into the amazing songs that make you become one with nature whether that is from the comfort of your own home or going outside and listening to the vocal line release the brilliant emotions in ‘House Of Cards’ whilst breathing in that fresh air and feeling the cold air hitting your face. It will really give you a different perspective on the song and how it makes you feel in regards to weather.
Reflection - Charlie
In terms of Autumnal music, there is no better song than Reflection. I had to write about something from the Wings album, as it is my Autumnal album that always makes me feel so cosy and warm, but I haven’t written about Reflection in a while (I’m running out of Wings tracks at this point!) and it is so perfect for this theme.
The song starts with some background noise that Namjoon recorded at Ttukseom, a place in Seoul where he visits to clear his head. The ambient noise of the people chatting, which then becomes applause which fades into the start of the actual song, is something that I often close my eyes to listen to. I feel like I’m right there with Namjoon, sitting by the side of a lake on a cold but sunny afternoon. It makes me think of chilly walks with Namjoon, and I feel so warm and Autumnal.
“To be honest, quite often
I really hate myself
When I really hate myself, I go to Dduksum
I just stand there with the familiar darkness
With the people that are smiling
And beer, which makes me smile
Coming to me softly
Fear, which holds my hand”
The song’s lyrics are quite dark, which is something I didn’t expect when I first heard it as I was just learning about Namjoon, the person, as opposed to BTS, the idols, and was shocked and impressed to hear him be so open about his sad, slow moments. Because sometimes life can be disappointing and sad, and it was nice to know that even someone I was starting to look up to and find so interesting, often had quite sad thoughts.
This song is therefore very much like a cold hand resting on your shoulder. It comforts you while reminding you that the person touching you also feels cold and miserable too, at times. This time of year can feel quite lonely, and this song feels like you’re walking through that feeling with Namjoon. I’m too tone deaf to explain the use of instruments in this song, but they feel like slowing down, like taking a slow breath out.
Hold Me Tight - Cheryl
This week we are feeling autumnal and what a change the weather has given us here in the UK. The beginning of the week started out overly warm and mild (in my opinion) and now it is very chilly and very grey which highlights the colours of the leaves. So with this in mind I chose to write about “Hold Me Tight”. This song is from The Most Beautiful Moment In Life Pt.1 and the picture on the album is a hot air balloon coloured in yellow, orange, green and blue and the colours also represent autumn.
Hold Me Tight talks about a fading love, and the writer’s desire to rekindle the same feelings as before and this fading love feeling also felt like summer fading into autumn and how we wish for a few more summer days. Perhaps a pining of something that has left us behind.
Listening to the song, the opening tickle on the ivories reminded me of falling leaves or raindrops, it sounded just so delicate but kind of sad. Then the lyrics of trash bags blowing in the wind, making a lonely sound – makes me think of falling leaves dancing to the ground but there is a feeling of melancholy surrounding them as they are dead or dying and it is their final goodbye.
The talk of wanting one more hug, or smelling their perfume or wishing not to have argued so much, is very full of remorse and regret. The repetition of “Can you trust me?” makes me feel as though the members are the ones who have caused this relationship to come to an end and yet they are asking for a chance to hug, smell and feel once more.
My favourite lyrics are:
Your cold face tells me everything said in words
Our breakup pulls toward me like high tide
I know it’ll soon be our last but I can’t let you go
Don’t say, don’t go, just hug me quietly, girl
The imagery in these 4 lines are just so strong. How is it possible to pack so many emotions into this bridge? The desperation of not wanting the relationship to end feels really real and the high tide of emotions that you know are coming because breaking up is so damn hard and painful.
Also with RM’s lyrics he describes beautifully how brittle and fragile a relationship can be, by comparing it to dropping a mobile phone – we have all dropped one I’m sure and felt relief that it didn’t break, or experienced the despair and frustration when the screen shatters and you know it just might be beyond repair.
The post chorus
You’re still shining
You still smell like a flower
Now trust me, hold me again
So I can feel you, hold me
These lyrics could be an homage to autumn, where the season still shines and you can still smell flowers, the trust is knowing that the seasons in the UK change and that autumn changes to winter, which then changes to spring etc. We feel the change, the cooler days and longer nights and then hold me makes me think of wrapping up in hats, scarves and gloves and going for walks and feeling snuggled and warm against the colder elements.
Fanbase Collab 2021
What a treat we have for you BTS Army. This week we bring you a playlist that is a wonderful collaboration between the fan bases, who have all contributed song choices.
We would like to thank them all for being a part of this, follow them and us, on Twitter:
Bangtan UK - @BANGTANUK
BTS UK ARMY Unite - @BTSUKUNITE
Funds For BTS UK - @FundsForBTS_UK
BTS UK Charts - @BTSxUKCHARTS
BTS Radio UK - @BTSRadioUK
Find the Spotify playlist right here: FANBASES 2021
ON - Michayla
I looked at the amazing list of songs on this week’s special playlist and for me, I jumped at the opportunity to write about the song that has consumed my soul from the day it was released on 21st February 2020. I was also ecstatic when it made the BTS Radio UK shortlist.
From the second this song starts, it is upbeat and has the feel of something that would be the best motivational tune. With the brass and percussion instruments providing the sound of a marching band and the drums visually present in the Kinetic Manifesto MV, it gives you the feeling of togetherness and drive.
How about this for a line: ‘(Hey, na-na-na) Gotta go insane to stay sane’ - How very true that is sometimes. There are moments in your life when you need extremes to get yourself on the right path and there are times when you have to lose your mind in order to pick yourself up again.
The lyrics to ‘ON’ are so powerful that I could talk about them all day. There is so much that I can relate to and that is so relevant to people’s lives. That’s partly why I fell so hard for BTS, even at my age, someone who has three children, runs a household and works full time, I can relate to their lyrics and I think this shows their own maturity.
‘ON’ is about standing firm and yelling ‘Come on then! Give me what you’ve got’ and understand that you can get through whatever it is that life is throwing your way.
‘(Eh-oh) Bring it, bring the pain, oh yeah
(Eh-oh) Bring it, bring the pain, oh yeah
Rain be pourin’ sky keep fallin’
Everyday, oh na-na-na
(Eh-oh) Bring it, bring the pain, oh yeah’
There is one line in particular though, that resonates with me and has been a mantra at some of the darkest most challenging times. The line is so special to me that I have it tattooed on my arm so I never forget:
‘Can’t hold me down cuz you know I’m a fighter’
This line is so very appropriate for this playlist because it is a collaboration of the UK fanbases who fight hard to get BTS recognised in the UK. No matter what chart position we achieve, no matter how big that wall to climb is, the fanbases pick themselves up and keep going… You can’t hold us down because we are fighters!
Young Forever - Charlie
I was quite brave for considering this song, considering that I cannot listen to it without bursting out crying and thinking of Wembley.
This was, of course, the song that UK ARMYs surprised BTS with by singing it to them on their second Wembley show in 2019. It's no surprise that this song was included on the fanbase collab playlist (as suggested by ourselves at BTS Radio UK, as well as BTS UK UNITE), as it's a very special song to UK ARMYs and I remember holding up my ARMY banner with shaking hands while singing along to it.
"The curtain falls and I’m out of breath
I get mixed feelings as I breathe out
Did I make any mistakes today?
How did the audience seem?
I’m happy with who I’ve become
That I can make someone scream with joy
Still excited from the performance"
The song is about BTS's anxieties when performing; they worry about disappointing fans, but they still hope that they can remain forever young, forever agile and able to give spectacular performances. It always feels weird to see BTS be so self-critical, when we only see perfection in them - that's also why this song is such a profound choice for the playlist. We've seen how hard BTS have worked and struggled to finally get recognised as they deserve for their music and performances. Young Forever exemplifies that struggle in such a bittersweet way. To have an entire UK stadium of people from different nationalities, races, ages etc., in London together, singing along to a Korean song, felt like the most incredible full circle moment. I felt so proud to be a part of a stadium that BTS only dreamt of visiting, in my country that wants BTS to feel our love despite being so far from them for so long, singing their old music back to them.
"Trying to comfort myself
I tell myself the world can’t be perfect
I start to let myself go
The thundering applause, I can’t own it forever
I tell myself, so shameless
Raise your voice higher
Even if the attention isn’t forever, I’ll keep singing"
Airplane Pt. 2 - Cheryl
To be honest I am not totally sure why I chose to write about Airplane Pt. 2 – could it be the Online concert on 24th October that has got me in the mood for a party, or the 4 LA concerts that are due to take place, which makes me hopeful of a London concert date – my fingers are crossed that the date(s) are not too far in the distance now. Whatever it is, this song just makes me feel like dancing and has a real uplifting festival, party vibe.
This week our Playlist is rather different, we have collaborated with other Fanbases to come up with the songs and Airplane Pt 2 was among the songs chosen by @BANGTANUK which claims to be the first UK fanbase for BTS and began its journey back in 2013, why not check them out on Twitter and Instagram.
My favourite live performance of Airplane Pt 2 is: 2018 MAMA in Hong Kong on 14th December, if you haven’t seen it I suggest you go and watch it – its really stunning. BTS dressed in white, V with red hair and white cape and the iconic JK catwalk strut.
The song addresses how much BTS spend in the air when they are on tour and how they sometimes don’t know how to stop, rest and relax. Suga mentions that their passports are almost worn out. With the pre-chorus lyrics they address how it is the same try, same scar, same work and that wherever they are they still work in their hotel rooms. These words just paint a rather bleak picture of the relentless hard work that BTS seem to endure and that perhaps they are not always aware of which country they are visiting. I definitely felt for them with the Love Yourself Tour as they seemed to be travelling a great deal, with concerts not very well spread out. Whereas the Speak Yourself stadium tour seemed better organised and they actually had time to enjoy the places they were performing and see some sights, (the photos of V at Tower Bridge are planted in my memory).
My favourite lyrics are where they say, wherever they are visiting it is like a party and that they will be singing this song all around the world, such is the ambition and success of BTS.
Another viewing pleasure is the Japanese version of Airplane Pt 2 – honestly, this song just has so many delightful performances to enjoy!
Outro: Wings - Onomey
'Wings’ was released on October 10th 2016 alongside tracks such as “Begin”, “Lie”, “Stigma” and “Reflection”. The song starts with a very loud celestial sounding horn that calls you to attention with Jungkook’s angelic falsetto followed by RM who vocals the song as if he is talking through a megaphone directing us as he says ‘put your hands up to the sky. Yeah, if you feelin’ the vibe. Uh, if you’re ready to fly. Yo J, let’s do it’.
I’m glad that this song is included in this week's playlist and it is well deserved because to me it is a song that calls people together and motivates them to be brave, trust yourself and spread those “wings” in order to grow and take yourself onto that new path. Funds For BTS UK chose this song to add to the playlist for a similar sort of reason but from a chart perspective which I love. I’ve never thought about the song from the perspective of UK Armys helping BTS songs fly up the chart but it is a very true statement. We really do put in a lot of work in order to help the song fly up the song Funds For BTS UK are a very important part of that. As a collective, we grow bigger and bigger every day which is always heartwarming.
I haven’t even brushed up against the brilliant vocal display going on throughout the song. There’s no need for the beautiful use of falsetto and harmonies throughout this song but I suppose it makes total sense seeing as the song is about having wings, it’s only right that we have to endure the heavenly vocals. My favourite section in the song has to be a toss-up between RM and Suga mainly because of the deep club beat that kicks in and the way they ride the beat so differently. An added bonus to that is that both verses are not what you’d expect them to be lyric-wise because of the beat. You’d expect it to be about them bragging about being able to “fly” but instead they rap more about being the bigger person and working towards their success in the right way, not the way others want them to do it.
I think it is such a fans favourite because it has such a fun party vibe to it which allows you to let go and gives you a massive boost of happy endorphins. This can be seen every time the boys perform this song live. It gets everyone in the stadium/arena dancing and having fun even with strangers. It helps that the chorus is super simple as it makes it very memorable to the point where it becomes an earworm just from one listen. As soon as I see the title, I automatically start singing ‘spread, spread, spread my wings. La la la la la la, la la la la la la la’.
Yoongi 2021
Our last but by no means least playlist is here and it is of course, all about our genius Min Yoongi. Have you enjoyed our individual playlists? If you have an idea for a theme why not let the team know via BTS Radio UK on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
Have a listen to our sweet playlist here: YOONGI
Yoongi by the Playlist Team
Michayla - There is so much to say about this man that I’m not sure I can fit it all in one paragraph. If I look at BTS journey from debut, I’m instantly drawn to Yoongi because he has been the driving force through so much of it and he’s had his dreams realised one by one. From standing up to the hate in the early days, simply because ‘rappers couldn’t be idols’ to the tears on stage at MAMA 2016 to performing at stadiums all around the world. Yoongi was sorely missed when he had surgery on his shoulder and the latter part of 2020 just wasn’t the same without him. We’ve seen the angst in Agust D, D1 to a happier Agust D when D2 was released. His growth and happiness is there for everyone to see and his ingenuity is there in so many of BTS’s songs. I adore the man and have so much respect for him.
Charlie - I admire Yoongi for his passion. He lives and breathes music, and chose a career that he is in love with. He reads about Psychology for fun and is a brilliant cook, pianist, producer, guitarist, and too many other things to name in full. When I first saw him I saw a cute, yet rebellious and quirky rapper, and today I see him as a thoughtful, highly intelligent person who I respect dearly. He’s written some of my most beloved BTS songs, and he has an aura of safety and security. While being quite introverted and polite, he has so much going on in his fascinating mind, and he is firm in his beliefs. I think everyone can learn something from him.
Cheryl - Over the years of learning and exploring BTS lyrics, I have found that in many cases Suga’s lyrics seem to delve deeper and have more meaning around the subject of the song. I have also noticed that if BTS are singing about a thought provoking matter, Suga’s lyrics often lift the mood of the song and offer an alternative positive thought. For this reason I always look forward to exploring what Suga’s lyrics are and of course he is super talented producing, writing, singing, rapping and dancing.
Onomey - To put into words how talented Yoongi is, it is a very difficult job. He was destined to be in the music industry for sure but what amazes me about Yoongi is that he has the quiet and reserved personality that usually leads to a songwriter of his talents not getting the glory he deserves as countless of his songs to get hits. I like how he’s not too fussed about the fame he receives and could actually do without it because it’s his genuine love for music that comes first. His ability to churn out so many songs that are very well written and produced with high quality is unbelievable. He writes on Ed Sheeran levels. Even though he is a lot more reserved, he has a vital role in how successful BTS has been and I’m not just talking about his songwriting abilities. His presence on stage is big as well. When he has been away from the group for personal reasons, the group, as well as fans, can feel the missing talents and aura he brings to the group.
Seesaw - Michayla
Here we are, the finale of our individual playlists and we are certainly going out with a bang! As you will know if you have been following this each week, I gave myself a personal theme of writing about a song from Love Yourself: Answer, which is highly appropriate this month because I first saw BTS live at the O2, three years ago. When it comes to our genius Min Suga, I simply had to write about Seesaw, his epic solo from Answer.
Seesaw is one of the three Trivias from the repackaged album and is certainly not what I would have expected after listening to ‘First Love’, Yoongi’s solo from the Wings album. In comparison, ‘Seesaw’ has a much softer melody and even though ‘First Love’ starts quite gently, it certainly escalates and the lyrics are delivered with a lot of power and angst. ‘Seesaw’ on the other hand is gentle throughout and Yoongi delivers vocally all round.
It is of no surprise that Seesaw is about life's ups and downs and the feeling of being trapped, unable to ‘get off’.
‘It was good in the beginning
Going up and down itself
We become tired before we knew it
Meaningless emotional exhaustion
Repeated seasaw, seasaw game
Now, i’m so sick of this
Repeated seesaw, seesaw game
We’re both sick and tired of each other’
I think that most of us can relate to a situation where things are great one minute then take a turn for the worst, only for us to believe that it will work out when things get better again and so the cycle continues. This is especially true of relationships and sometimes the hardest decision to make is the one to put an end to the monotonous cycle. There are times when love isn’t enough and the only way to break the cycle and get off the seesaw is to end the relationship.
‘If we didn’t have feelings for each other
If we didn’t think of each other
Would we have dragged it out like this?
Now if we don’t have any feelings left
It’s dangerous, dangerous on this seesaw
Stop thinking about me’
When I first saw this performance live at the O2, Yoongi had a sofa on the stage and I’ll never forget the part where we were meant to sing the Korean lyrics back to him. By the time that I saw it during the Speak Yourself tour, the sofa had been upgraded to a door and a travelator but I’m not sure that I was any better at singing the lyrics back to him, (sorry Yoongi).
‘Seesaw’ is another masterpiece at the hands of Min Yoongi. It shows how talented he is. Is there anything that our genius Min Suga can’t do?
Dear My Friend - Charlie
I chose to write about Dear My Friend because of how personal it seems, and how much more I feel I understand Yoongi and his life after listening to it and reading the lyrics.
As he chose it as the final song on D-2, his second mixtape, I see it as a song that he wanted us to pay attention to, and view it as our last impression of the mixtape. It features Kim Jong Wan and is about a childhood friend Yoongi had that went to jail.
“Dear my friend, how have you been?
I'm doing great, you know, yeah
Dear my friend, I'll be honest
I still freaking hate you
Even now I remember the past days we were together”
The song reads and sounds like a letter being read aloud to his friend. Yoongi laments about the fact that he and this friend were very close and went through a lot together, and now all of a sudden they are on drastically different paths. When Yoongi sees his own fame, he doesn’t just see the glamour; he reflects upon how it would have mattered to the past version of himself, and how people in his life would feel.
The song is also complex in that there is some guilt displayed; in the chorus, Kim Jong Wan sings about Yoongi’s inner worries, in that he wonders if things would have been different if he had stopped his friend from making mistakes in his past.
“To this day I still
Miss and miss you
To this day I'm still
Encircled by the memories of us together
Had I caught you that day
No, had I stopped you that day
To this day would we
Still be friends? How would it be?”
This song feels personal and raw on a different level even to some of BTS’s other deep tracks. We’re hearing about an inmate who was in Yoongi’s life, and who he confesses to missing, and he trusts us with this sad knowledge. I love songs that have Yoongi’s slow rapping coupled with a vocal-heavy chorus; it gives a beautiful, solemn and sincere effect.
Shadow - Cheryl
This week we are giving Suga our full attention and I was really torn between writing about Seesaw or Shadow. Seesaw will always be a firm favourite because I saw him perform it live at Wembley but, remembering just how excited I was watching Shadow on YouTube, I just had to revisit this song!
I remember being so blown away by everything about this song - it was just so powerful. We were given Suga using English, rapping and wow the singing – this really felt to me like Suga at his best (to date).
With the first view it felt like a sensory overload – there was just so much going on. I felt like there were many hints to things of the past.
Shadow – at first I thought shadow was the shadow cast outside by light – as he sings “Shadow at my feet, look down, it’s gotten even bigger. I run but the shadow follows me” but, having heard the song a few more times – Suga seems to be singing about the internal Shadow – the darker side of one’s personality – in Suga’s case his shadow seems to cast doubt – “My shadow grows in that blasting stark light. Please don’t let me shine, don’t let me down, don’t let me fly”.
I also feel that he is actually singing to his shadow with the words “I’m you, you’re me, you got it? You’re me, I’m you – now you got it. We’re one body, sometimes we’ll clash – you can never break me off. This you must know” and that he and his shadow will be together whether he succeeds or fails and that there is no escape from the darker side of one’s psyche.
As mentioned earlier, there are a few points in the video that relate to things that we have seen before and as we know everything in the video will have been planned and executed with a considerable amount of thought. For example: Suga lying on the glass floor – Jimin had a similar scene in Blood Sweat and Tears.
At one point in the video Suga is standing next to a door with Exit above it and he sings in his lyrics he could just leave – but like in the video he runs in the opposite direction as if being drawn to something more important than the exit. Also, the hands holding up their mobiles with the red background remind me of the concept photos for Love Yourself: Answer
The visual of the shadows of men trying to reach Suga whilst he is rapping and they are moving in slow motion – is just so haunting.
The part of the video where Suga is on top of the building singing and then a figure is watching from below and both are circled – I believe the figure watching is Suga watching himself – perhaps this is his shadow watching him succeed?
Then there are the red visuals of what appears to be thick red blood on the walls and around the doors in the corridor, which looks like a scene out of a horror film. I wish I could understand the visuals more.
In summary, I believe the song explores the feelings around wanting to be successful, which comes with the fear of failing, but then Suga realises he could walk away and that gives him peace and acceptance.
Intriguing as always – thank you Suga!
People - Onomey
Just like I’ve mentioned before. Suga has a way of observing things and putting them down onto paper in such an unusual but relatable way. We are reminded of the simplistic path he took when it came to music
‘Umm mm mm. Why so serious?’ Ahhh what a brilliant song! The whole vibe of this track has me in love from start to finish. It’s my favourite track on the ‘D-2’ mixtape for sure With the theme being about the change within people as well as himself. I like how creative the song is in the way it is produced because it is very chill and almost casual in its approach. To me, this is to show how easy it is to float through life and change massively without realising you are and that goes for other people too.
It is a wise thing to remember sometimes that as Yoongi says ‘for me, obviously, we are animals of regret. People change, just as I’ve changed. There is nothing permanent in the world. Everything is just a happening passing through’. When things go wrong, as humans we tend to overthink and regret any possible mistakes. I interpret this as Yoongi saying that he has learnt from experience that he has grown a lot in a short amount of time which has led to him changing massively but he tries not to look at others differently when they are changing because people are constantly changing as it’s part of life. Every day is completely different so if someone you thought you knew has changed for the better or worse. Don’t take it so seriously because you are doing the same as well.
Just think of Yoongi singing in your ear ‘So what? What if you get hurt?’
With the beautiful backing vocals of ADORA, another extremely all-rounded talented musician to support Yoongi's beautiful vocals fills this song up with warmth. I can fully understand why Yoongi classifies this song as one of his favourite songs on the mixtape because it is so simple but rawly filled with emotions.
Hobi 2021
This week, the playlist team has gifted us with a Hobi playlist in their individual members focused blog pieces.
Why not come and tell us on Twitter, what our sunshine means to you?
Take a look at the Spotify playlist here: HOBI
Hobi by the Playlist team
Michayla - I could wax lyrical about Mr Jung Hoseok all day, every day. This man is absolutely amazing and I just love him so much. Aside from his sunny, beautiful personality, he has a depth of tone to his voice that hits me right in the chest every time that I hear it. I struggle to explain what his voice does to me but in songs like ‘Heartbeat’, ‘Lights’ and ‘Tear’ it bowls me over every single time. I feel that we have seen a different side to Hobi in the last couple of years. We’ve seen him grow and mature to the point where he comes across as a leader too and I do not doubt for a second that Namjoon is grateful for his input. His confidence both on and off stage has become more prominent over the years and yet no matter what difficulties in life are thrown at BTS and the world, Hobi continues to give us that gleaming smile and suddenly everything feels so much better.
Charlie - Hoseok is an idol and person that I am always grateful for admiring. His chirpy optimism makes me feel like any mistakes I make are just small setbacks and I can keep going. His smile has the power to light up the darkest days. He is also an outstanding performer, with a stage presence that, while it can be appreciated onscreen, will not be fully understood unless you're in a stadium feeling his energy. He is full of energy and professionalism, and I admire and respect him more than I can justify with my words.
Cheryl - I find it impossible to think of J-Hope without thinking of rays of sunshine. He has been our constant sun in the dark of the pandemic. His smile, his personality and charismatic style just shine through and brighten a very dark day. Then there are his skills - he has plenty of them; his dancing is mesmerising and fluid, he can rap and sing with style and ease. He carries style to a whole new level and blonde Hobi has to be my favourite. Looking forward to the 24th October 2021 and cannot wait to see what he and BTS have in store for Army!
Onomey - This week, it’s our Hope, J-Hope. He is the brightness to many peoples lives and for good reason. He is always able to make people at ease with his bright smile and goofy ways. I don’t think he can last longer than 5 minutes without pulling off some sort of dance move, whether it is serious or funny. What I love about J-Hope is not only that he is super bright and positive but also he is not scared to show or inform everyone that he sometimes feels vulnerable. I also love his extreme passion for dance as this is when we see a very serious J-Hope because he takes the craft that made him the amazing dancer he is today, very seriously and so he should because you can see from every choreographed track that he nails it, regardless of the genre. He really is a breath of fresh air and sunshine. Love you Hobi!
Tear - Michayla
I was pleased that I placed a restriction on myself this week with my personal theme of choosing songs from Love Yourself: Answer because there were too many songs I wanted to write about. I could cry, I love Hobi that much and he is so amazing that I could literally write about any song and gush about him… except the vocal line sings of course. So, with the limitation of Love Yourself: Answer, I chose to write about Tear because this is right up near the top of my ultimate BTS songs and no one can deny the fact that Tear Hobi is so hot!
Tear first appeared on Love Yourself: Tear as the outro, then later on it was released without the ‘outro’ title on Love Yourself: Answer. This song is about the dark side of love and was given a huge emotional point of view when Yoongi revealed that it was inspired by talks of disbanding. If you watch the scene from Break The Silence, it really does hit hard, especially when you read Hobi’s verse in Tear:
‘We walked towards the same place
But this place becomes our last
Although we used to talk about forever
Now we break each other without mercy
Although we thought that we dreamed the same dream
That dream has finally become a dream
My heart is torn, please burn it instead
So that pain and regret, none of that would be left’
Even though Tear was inspired by something that no ARMYs want to think about, this song is absolutely a masterpiece and the rap line set the stage on fire each time they perform it. If we all thought the outfits for the Love Yourself arena tour were bad enough, we were then faced with the outfits from the Speak Yourself tour and were introduced to Dior Hobi. That outfit was lethal and when teamed with Hobi’s feisty stage presence, I can quite safely say that I was lucky to survive it.
I have mentioned so many times that Hobi’s tone really hits me hard and this is definitely true in Tear. The way in which he delivers his verses is with so much angst and passion that even when I don’t understand what he is rapping, I feel it. ‘Tear’ Hobi is in a league of his own and this song will forever be on every single playlist I have.
Dionysus - Charlie
The key thing I remember from my first listen of MOTS: Persona was the impact the first few seconds of Dionysus had on me. It didn't sound like a typical BTS song - it shocked me in how new and unique and interesting it sounded. BTS songs are always interesting, but this felt different. I assumed that what was playing was a Spotify advert (I didn't have Premium back then), and when I checked and found out it was Dionysus, the song I'd "claimed" the second I saw the tracklist, I was in awe.
"Drink it up
Shot glasses (sippin’) Link arms (tippin’)
One shot
Thyrsus (grippin’) Grape (eatin’)
Drink it up
Vibes (Keep it) D style (rip it)
One shot
Here (Kill it) let’s steal it
The illest"
Hobi having a hand in the writing of Dionysus is proof that everything he does is just FIRE. Dionysus is an incredible hybrid of rock and hip hop that compares the idea of the Greek god Dionysus, of wine and grape harvest, to the idea of getting drunk on one's art. It functions both as a hype party track and an intriguing study of an artist's view of, and addiction to, their own art. In that way, it is apt that Hobi is a co-writer, as he is a fun-loving dancer that also has a great respect and discipline for his art.
"When the night comes
Mumble mumble mumble
When the night comes
Tumble tumble tumble
The bass, bass, bass filling the studio
Bass drum goes like dum dum dum (Yeah)"
Dionysus is hands-down one of my favourite BTS songs. I adore how BTS can reference mythology and provide introspective looks on their art, while also delivering a killer song that gives me goosebumps every time with its aggressive, attention-commanding rock style. As alluded to earlier, it also sounds so fresh for BTS. It doesn't sound like something I've ever heard from them, proof that they - and Hobi, who is somehow ever-evolving despite already starting out as one of the greatest dancers of his generation - are forever transforming their sound without losing their original brilliance.
EGO - Cheryl
This week it is the turn of J-Hope to be given our attention and so I chose Ego to write about. Ego is the outro track on Map of the Soul:7 and is the perfect song to end the album as Ego explores the consciousness of the mind which relates to identity. In this song J-Hope compares himself as he is now to Jeong Ho-Seok of the past and how life is so different for him to how it could have been.
The beginning of Ego starts with a sample from BTS’ debut INTRO:2 Cool for Skool
We're now going to progress to some steps
Which are a bit more difficult
Ready, set, and begin
Bighit exclusive, exclusive
J-Hope’s first verse reveals how he continually revisits his past memories and the thoughts of giving up and how partially forgotten memories are returning. These experiences are what Jung describes as “Ego”.
In the pre-chorus he claims that the choices he made, together with fate has brought him to where he is now and that the future is shining and he tells himself to keep going.
The chorus is about finding his own way and trusting himself and the decisions he makes and has made in the past.
The second verse compares Jeong Ho-Seok’s existence to J-Hope’s and he thinks the first one had no hope and would only experience regret and sadness until the day he would die. In the beginning he had a lot of self doubt about his dancing and his dreams and it took 7 years for the anguish and oppression to be resolved and that his heart received the answers from his trusted source (himself):
‘Only one hope, only one soul’
‘Only one smile, only one you’
Definite answer to the truth of the world
Only one and unchanging me, right
I believe hope, soul and smile totally relate and describe J-Hope. I am not totally sure about the last line as I imagine J-Hope to continually change and grow as a person and mix up his dancing style - so maybe the “right” is the question to this statement?
My favourite part of this song together with the dancing vibe is the outro:
Way I trust, way I go
Became my fate, became my core
Hard it was, and sad it was
Still reassured and made me know myself
The way J-Hope trusts and moves forward became his fate and his core. He said although it was both hard and sad he feels reassured because it made him know who he now is. Again this relates back to Jung’s Ego which is about being aware of your own thoughts and feelings.
Airplane Pt. 2 - Onomey
This track is a follow up to J-Hope’s ‘Airplane’ on his mixtape ‘Hope World’. What I like about this track from a J-Hope point of view is that in the creation of ‘Airplane pt 2’, he could’ve made the lyrics J-Hope heavy but instead he uses to track to let others in the group shine which lets RM and Suga give their perspective on what the theme of "airplanes" mean to them both.
I’ve always wondered what his thinking was in having the same verse in ‘Airplane pt 2’ as he does in the second verse of ‘Airplane’. It may have been to give an obvious reference back to part 1 or whether he just loved that verse and felt like it needed to be in part 2. Either way, it still slaps hard. The difference between the way he delivers the verse is that in the first track, his pronunciation is a bit softer as the beat is very light. Whereas in part 2, the track is more energetic due to the bpm increasing from part 1 with 120bpm to 140bpm with part 2. It leads to a more aggressive tone and making more of an emphasis on certain words compared to part 1.
The tone of the lyrics and theme of the track backs the need to increase the tempo of the song because it is a sort of party song as the group brag about how much they travel and party all around the world. “We’re goin’ from Mexico City, London to Paris. Wherever we go, party”. Whereas ‘Airplane’ is a track about childhood dreams and being happy with the fact that he is successful whilst gently letting his haters know that they can’t get to him when he’s on his "airplane".
Ok, let’s talk about the choreography to this track as we would be doing J-Hope and the gang a disservice by not mentioning their smooth moves. I love that it has a constant rotation going on to keep you interested in the performance and what’s going on. It’s not just the seven of them in a line dancing along. There are constant changes to the number of people on stage. I love J-Hope's main dance section when it's his verse as he shows off his popping and locking capabilities and that's my favourite style of dance. With the sexy, Spanish sound, this track is one of my favourites by J-Hope. It's a track that has your body moving the first second which I have zero complaints about.
Taehyung 2021
As the birthday order continues, our playlist team has focused on Taehyung this week. Do you have a favourite Taehyung solo?
Have a listen of the playlist here: TAEHYUNG
Taehyung by the Playlist team
Michayla - The wonderful Kim Taehyung has had me spellbound on so many occasions that it feels like a way of life now. There is so much that I love about him that this piece would definitely be more than a paragraph, I could talk all day about why he is my bias! For starters, I love how he coined the term ‘I purple you’ and the reason for it. Purple was always one of my favourite colours and when I joined the fandom and found the meaning behind what it means to BTS ARMY it filled my heart and cemented my love for BTS and Taehyung even more. I love how he can be so expressive and animated one second and yet so dry in humour the next second. His love for the other members is obvious and his sense of style makes him the unique, amazing man that he is. I adore the fact that he is quite private in his personal life and I have so much respect for that. He is a precious, talented, gorgeous man and I love him!
Charlie - Taehyung is my bias (mine, and very many others in the BTS Radio UK team!), so trying to put my love for him into words is quite the task. I love him for how he speaks his mind and stands up for himself and his friends. I love how he views the world in a way which appreciates his beauty, and teaches me that there is beauty in the world. I love how he is unapologetically himself, and he knows who he is. He caught my eye at first because he was the hot guy in the War of Hormone music video, but now I see him as quite the role model, and an artist that I grow prouder of every day.
Cheryl - This week V is our main focus and for me V is like a mythical creature. He is so multi-talented I find it hard to put my thoughts into writing. His vocals are like melting chocolate being drizzled over strawberries and his visuals are stunning and I find him curious. He is very expressive and will try anything including dancing in very high heels. Is there anything he can’t do?
Onomey - V aka Taehyung was the person that stood out the most to me when I was first introduced to the group because of his unusual sounding vocals. It seems that most people fall in love with him out of anyone in the group for his head-turning looks and copious amount of confidence that makes him stand out in any performance. He is a very all-rounded person which is why it didn’t shock me when he started acting because he really improves on everything he puts his mind to which one could only hope to have that drive. I could forever hear V sing on repeat. I’m so glad that he is in BTS because he has a voice that the world should hear. I remember that show where they went to LA*, I’ve completely forgotten what it was called, and he sang Oh Happy Day for Iris. She herself who has met so many talented soulful people was taken aback by how sweet-sounding his voice is and that speaks volumes to me.
*American Hustle Life
Mic Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) - Michayla
Here we are again with my song choice being one from Love Yourself: Answer. Mic Drop was released on Love Yourself: Her but when Answer was released we were treated to the Steve Aoki Remix full length edition, which is my favourite version because it includes the dance break at the end.
Mic Drop is the song that oozes confidence and has outfits so iconic that Mic Drop could be an era all on its own. It is a song aimed at the haters and is 4 minutes of bragging and rightly so. BTS faced so much judgement in the early years and this is their answer to those who were so convinced that the group wouldn’t succeed:
‘Mic mic bungee
Bright lights, going forward
You thought I was gonna fail but I’m fine, sorry’
This week the blog is about Taehyung and some of you may be wondering why I have chosen Mic Drop in Taehyung week. I do have the answer to that!
If we look at the live performances of Mic Drop, I can’t help but be wowed by the visual of Taehyung in the Mic Drop gear and more often than not wearing a headband. The performance at 2017 MAMA in Hong Kong was absolute fire and one that lives in my mind rent free. Another favourite performance is the one at 4th Muster where Mic Drop is a part of a deadly trio and follows Come Back Home and No More Dream. The outfits are one thing but then BTS added the dance break and let's be honest, there aren’t many who survive that. The times that I have seen it live in person, I have self combusted from the moment the backing dancers join BTS on stage and I know it’s about to happen. I love it when Tae joins hands with Hobi and they swap sides as part of the choreography just before Jimin leaps forward.
I also love Tae’s lines in the song as he sings: ‘Did you see my bag? Did you see my bag? It’s hella trophies and it’s hella thick.’
And then Jungkook comes in to finish their part: ‘What you think ‘bout that? What you think ‘bout that? I bet it got my haters hella sick.’
I think that those two parts by Taehyung and Jungkook tell us exactly what the song is about without too much guesswork!
Mic Drop might not be solely about Taehyung, it is after all a OT7 masterpiece in which all of the members shine individually and collectively but for me, he certainly stands out. I also think it shows how genius BTS are because Mic Drop is one song where I could write about each member’s impact and still gush about the song!
Stigma - Cheryl
This week’s member is Kim Taehyung and I wanted to go back in time to visit V’s first official solo song. The reason behind this thought was the fact that I believe V’s recent solo songs still relate to this song, so it is like the story of Stigma is continuing and evolving.
Stigma is a very emotional song which is about being hurt and hurting others and wanting to protect other people but failing to do so. It appears to follow on from V’s story in the HYYH era where V returns home to find his father hurting his sister, V then kills his father with a bottle through rage and this begins an inner turmoil which is sung about in Stigma.
I've been hiding it
I tell you something
Just to leave it buried
Now I can't endure it anymore
Why couldn't I say it then
I have been hurting anyway
Really, I won't be able to endure it
Here I believe he is explaining that he has been hiding something, possibly that he has been abused too and that he wanted his sister to keep everything buried, but now he cannot endure it and he feels bad for not being able to say anything before.
In the pre-chorus he says he feels very sorry for his sister because he couldn’t protect her. Which leads into the chorus, where the wound gets deeper and how his heart hurts every day because he felt his delicate, fragile sister was punished in his place.
Stop crying, tell me something
Try saying to me, who had no courage
Why did you do that to me then
I'm sorry
Forget it, what right do I have
To tell you to do this, or that
In this verse he wants the crying to end, he feels he wasn’t brave and then he berates himself as he feels he has no right to tell his sister what to do.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, my brother
Even if I try to hide it
Or conceal it, it can't be erased
"Are you calling me a sinner?"
What more do I have to say
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry my sister
Even if I try to hide it
Or conceal it, it can't be erased
So, cry, please, dry my eyes, ooh
In the bridge he feels he is a sinner for what he has done and that even if he tries to hide it, it cannot be removed from his thoughts, or life and that he is really sorry for what he has done.
That light, that light, please illuminate my sins (Oh)
Where I can't turn back
The red blood is flowing down
Deeper, I feel like dying every day
Please let me be punished
Please forgive me for my sins
Please
Illuminating his sins and the red blood flowing sound almost biblical, together with the forgiveness of his sins. The final “please” at the end of the song has a desperate feel to it and the wanting of the situation and pain to be different. I am sure we have all done things that we wish we hadn’t and how we wish we could turn back time and change the outcome and this to me is what the final please represents.
So, how do I explain that I think that the song is evolving, with V’s solo songs; Singularity references the past and what he was supposed to do back then, which could be about being unable to protect his sister, because he was so small compared to his father. He also wants to sacrifice himself to the lake which could relate to the feeling like dying every day in Stigma.
With Inner Child he is looking back at when he was younger and how hard life was and how it must have hurt and been so difficult which could be a reference to Stigma but with Inner Child he is explaining that today’s V is doing much better and how much things have changed from the past.
War Of Hormone - Charlie
When deciding on a song to write about for the Taehyung playlist, I debated between some of my beloved songs that remind me of him, like Stigma, Boy in Luv, and Jump. However, War of Hormone was the song that made him my bias, so I chose to talk about this banger.
“What I'm really wishing for is
Just you, just you
(Everybody say)
If that's you, I'm ok
Oh I can't handle this
You look perfect in every direction
From head to toe, perfect, perfect”
War of Hormone reflects the boyish vibes of the school concepts era of BTS, and is basically a song about them (and their hormones) going crazy over girls. I remember when I was first exploring BTS’s discography, and “the boy with the leather jacket and the lollipop” caught my eye - specifically when he did the “hello, hello” line - which got stuck in my head after my first listen.
That boy was Taehyung, and I just adored the tone of his voice and his confidence and how he carried himself instantly. The deepness of his voice was something so unique and addictive to listen to, and this whole song is so easy to enjoy. Whenever it comes on shuffle or it plays during a concert I’m watching, I get so excited, even after all these years, and I sing along proudly. Its lyrics have been considered controversial, but honestly I have such a soft spot for this track.
I wish BTS would perform this again; the instrumental is really gritty and the vocals are sassy and full of wit and confidence. In the lines, I hear a younger Bangtan who was still growing and learning, but I also hear a group of boys determined to create fun music made to entertain and make us happy.
“You are not mine but I know you are perfect
In front of you, I don't even know where to look
I want to get closer to you but you are just too beautiful”
Singularity - Onomey
I think I can speak for most of Army when I say that this track blew people's minds when it was released. I can say with certainty that this song is a very popular one amongst our Spotify team, isn’t that right Michayla?
This smooth R&B, neo-soul track sung by V, was written by RM and Charlie J. Perry. Even though this song had a pure 90s/2000s vibe, lyrically it was a lot darker compared to other negative R&B songs about love. A big difference to the R&B love songs I grew up listening to was that ‘Singularity’ was written and produced to disguise the haunting lyrics through a catchy melody and sound with smooth sensual dancing in parts. The use of winter to describe how he has lost himself trying to keep the relationship going is really beautiful. It was released as a comeback trailer for the Love Yourself: Tear album and it certainly was an amazing song to promote such a great album. Even though this track is a full length song, I’m always wanting more every time I hear it. When I first heard it I was like is that it? I need more!
The production value in this song is amazing. The song begins with a creamy, warm, wobbling piano that is playing the chords alongside an acoustic drum kit and deep sub sounding kick drum. It allows Taes deep throaty voice to smoothly fit in within the song
I kept fangirling a lot when watching the video to this song and trying to really listen to the song and tone. It was a really tough one to get through because of the perfection throughout. The range in his vocals, from deep to falsetto, his sensual fire dance moves that surprise surprise got him to put in the official main dance line and the track as a whole.
RM really does a great job at being able to write tracks that suit his member's voices and this song for sure highlights this. It is definitely one of my favourite Tae tracks, if not my favourite for sure. It just has everything in it whilst being very subtle and calm because it didn’t need overproduction as his voice is enough to lead a track. It is almost like another instrument because of the natural soulfulness within it.
Jin 2021
The next BTS member to be the focus for our Playlist Team is our very own Worldwide Handsome Kim Seokjin.
What makes Jin special for you? Let us know on social media.
Find the playlist link here: SEOKJIN
Jin by the playlist team
Michayla - What is there not to love about our WWH? He manages to find the right balance between being funny and goofing around to being the eldest Hyung and leading the way. He speaks out when he needs to and always strikes me as the member who silently cares greatly about the other members. I love his ‘Eat Jin’ lives and his iconic laugh and I love how much he loves RJ!
Charlie - I adore Jin for so many reasons. He refuses to take himself or life too seriously, despite being the oldest hyung in such a hugely successful group. He teaches me that life is to be enjoyed, and you shouldn’t worry too much about what others think. The first time I cried at BTS was because of his story of his mother not having anything to say when other parents bragged about their kids. One of my favourite parts of In The Soop Series 1 was his words about waking up and just doing what he wanted (like hitting that punching bag every morning), without overthinking about what to do or why. Some of my favourite and most valued BTS memories and quotes are from him, and it is my life’s goal to view life and carry myself in the same ways he does.
Cheryl - I find Jin a very interesting member of BTS, I know he references himself as ‘Worldwide Handsome Jin’ but this leaves me wondering how much he truly believes how special he is. It appears to me that he is just giving us the tip of the iceberg of his capabilities and everything that he does seems to be developing and growing. He is so engaging and entertaining from his dad jokes to Eat Jin.
Onomey - If I had to pick a bias in BTS then Jin would have to be up there because of his personality and the way he got into the group. What we’ve learnt over the years from Jin is that he knows that he may have a lot more limitations than the others in the group. Despite this, he has never let it stop him and because of that, he has pushed through those limitations and has grown as an individual to heights that I’m sure he didn’t think were possible. What I love about Jin is that despite him being the oldest in the group, he still has a super young heart and is a massive goofball just like the rest of them. He still is a father figure to them all which is seen in cute moments when he cooks for the group and his amazing dad jokes that always have the group laughing no matter how hard they try not to laugh.
Epiphany - Michayla
My theme within a theme is the Love Yourself: Answer album so I went with the obvious choice from that this week and chose ‘Epiphany.’ Since becoming ARMY, I have had many epiphanies, thanks to finding BTS. They have brought me so much, more than they will ever know so this song is highly appropriate.
‘Epiphany’ is Jin’s solo from the LY: Answer album and even though I loved it, it was catapulted into a completely different universe when I saw him perform it live at the O2 in 2018. Jin’s performance was probably my favourite performance of the concert, from the stage set-up to the absolutely phenomenal vocals of the man himself. I know that Jin spoke about wanting a song with choreography after Epiphany, which he got with Moon but witnessing him perform Epiphany will stay with me forever and I am convinced that ARMY bombs were specifically created for it.
The song is about self love as you would probably expect from the Love Yourself series. I think that the chorus sums up the whole song:
‘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 the one I should love’
That first night at the O2, I was absolutely blown away by Jin and ‘Epiphany’. ‘Kim Seokjin’ was chanted loudly and thundered through the arena, deservedly so. The second night it was exactly the same and I couldn’t wait to see Jin take those steps and hit that high note that takes the song to a whole new level. I still feel the emotion now when I listen to Epiphany. I get goosebumps when I think about the rain changing direction and the fantastic vocals. I also hold this song and Jin responsible for losing my voice because I sang it so loudly and cheered so much. Jin delivers the emotion of the lyrics with so much strength and feeling that there’s a part of me that is gutted that I will never see him perform it again.
Epiphany might not have choreography but one of the reasons that I love Jin is that he has always been honest about how he works harder than the others with choreography because he isn’t a dancer but he clearly puts in a lot of work. I find myself watching Jin during performances and I hope that he watches them back and is as proud of himself as I am of him. I also think he is a wonderful example for the younger generation because of the fact that he acknowledges his shortcomings and makes no secret of working extra hard. I don’t know if Jin sees how amazing he is but I would hope that he does.
Just One Day - Charlie
Just One Day is an addictive music video and song. The song itself is breezy and easy to listen to. It’s slow and soft without sounding sad, and it’s not one of those songs that makes me think of concerts and get emotional. It seems that no matter what, I’m never not in the mood for Just One Day.
“Just one day, if I can be with you
Just one day, if I can hold your hands
Just one day, if I can be with you
Just one day (just one day)
If only we can be together”
The music video is stunning in its simplicity. The members do cute little dance moves on and around chairs, and we get cute close-ups of their faces. For someone with such adorable and pretty features as Jin, the camera loves him in this video.
One part of this really pretty music video that stands out, is when the members all stand on the chairs in a triangle, and slowly lower themselves to reveal Jin holding a rose. I remember I giggled when I first saw this part of the video; it was so cheesy and adorable and so unlike the edgier BTS videos I was used to seeing, but I was so endeared (And in the dance practice, he’s holding a plushie, which is even lovelier to me).
In addition to Jin’s handsomeness and generally welcoming aura, his vocals in this song are beautiful - as they are in every song. It’s not a power ballad that flaunts his vocals in an obvious way, but his voice is so undeniably pretty and appealing in this song that I had to pick this as my song review for the week.
“(Do it do it do it)
I hope I can be with you for just one day
(Do it do it do it)
Having a party party with only you
(Do it do it do it)
I hope I can be with you for just one day
(Do it do it do it)
A party party with only you”
Just One Day is a song all about wishing you could still see someone and be with them, even if it was just for one more day. In being privileged enough to hear Jin’s voice in music, and see his kind face in the many videos BTS releases, I can relate to this feeling of wishing you could experience something more, even if it was just for one more day if necessary.
Moon - Cheryl
This week our attention is turned to Worldwide Handsome – Jin, so I have chosen Moon as the song to give love and attention to.
Moon is Jin’s solo song and it has a rather bouncy upbeat chorus, and the ending notes on the lyrics just match his higher pitch vocals and it all sounds so perfect for his tonal range. The accompanying instruments seem to caress Jin’s vocals in a delicate fashion.
The lyrics of the song are rather deep and cover areas of mental health, where he sings of his sea being all black and having painful wounds and how even if he’s sad or hurt, the comfort of the other shines on him.
Singing about the Moon, he references the other as the Earth and how the two are entwined and the moon orbits the earth and how they are there for each other through good and bad. What I find interesting, is that when I look at the moon, I see it shining down on the earth – whereas in the song he says the earth shines on him.
Even the bright day
And in the dark night
You who stay by my side
Even when I'm sad
Even when I'm hurt
You simply shine on me
My favourite lyrics are:
Rather than saying any words
Rather than thanking you
I'll stay by your side
In the pitch-black night
Way more brightly
I'll stay by your side
The reason I like these words is because he is using actions to prove his feelings, how even in the darkest of times he will be there right by the other’s side and shine even brighter just for them, which I find both powerful and romantic. In the pre-chorus he asks for permission to look at the other person and contain them with his eyes, which is a therapeutic reference and I love the use of the words.
Suddenly I wonder
Do you really know yourself? (Oh)
Do you know how beautiful your existence is? (Oh)
I'll orbit around you
I'll stay by your side
I'll be your light
All for you
With the chorus I feel it reflects back to the Love Yourself era, where he is questioning how well the other person knows themselves and if they realise how beautiful they really are and I feel this is a question we probably all can relate to – life is full of exploration and realisation, we are always growing and changing, that’s what makes life so fascinating.
Like the song, we may be a moon or an earth, but we can also be stars, who shine bright in someone else’s life for a short time, before moving on and becoming a star somewhere else for someone else.
Spring Day - Onomey
I chose to write about Spring Day as to me, Jin's voice really suits this song so well. He is the first person I think about when I hear this song because of his vocal performance and his amazing acting in a beautiful movie like MV.
Jin doesn’t tend to have too many lines in a song but when he does, you can hear it as his voice really stands out. In this track, Jin sings in the pre and post choruses which I absolutely love. Jin has a great way of making you feel every little thing he sings through the pronunciation of his words. He emphasises certain phases by pronouncing it sharply but also whispers certain parts that always give me goosebumps. I love the differences lyrically between the pre and post choruses as one is full of coldness as they aren’t willing to let go whereas the post hours lyrics shows a bit more progression emotionally but they still need to hang on to the moments they’ve had until spring turns into summer and they feel like they can fully bloom and let go. I’ll leave the two choruses so you can see the difference for yourselves.
Pre chorus
‘I try to exhale you in pain
Like smoke, like white smoke
I say that I’ll erase you
But I can’t really let you go yet’
Post chorus
‘Pass the end of winter’s cold
Until the spring day comes again
Until the flowers bloom again
Please stay, please stay there a little longer’
‘Spring Day’ is a beautifully written mid-tempo pop/rock ballad that to me is about wanting to stay in that youthful phase of happiness but then realising that just like seasons, it is inevitable that you will change whether that is as a person or emotionally, as you grow change will happen whether that is negative or positive. In ‘Spring Day’ it's clear that the group are trying to make the point that brighter days will be around the corner. As in the MV, it starts off in the cold winter snow then it progressively brighter leading to the big spring reveal in the final post-chorus as they all stare at the leafless tree in the spring weather.
Jimin 2021
Next in line in the BTS birthday list is our lovely sweet Jimin. This week our playlist team focused on Mr Park, with a Spotify playlist and a wonderful write up.
Find the Spotify playlist here - JIMIN
Jimin by the playlist team
Michayla - I was first introduced to Jimin as my daughter’s bias and my love for him has grown so much. In the early days of becoming ARMY I watched so much content and laughed a lot at the sweet natured man that has so much love for the fandom. Jimin has so many talents, going from MAMA 2014 performance to the beauty of Black Swan, his performance of Lie on the Wings tour to Serendipity on the Love Yourself tour. When he turned his hand to song writing, we were gifted with Promise and that is such a beautiful, healing song for many. The love and affection that Jimin has for his fellow members and ARMY are what makes him so special to me. He has such a big heart and shows so much kindness. He is such a sensitive, beautiful soul and is guaranteed to make me cry when he cries on stage.
Charlie - Jimin is love personified. He devotes his time to looking out for others and coming up with ways to make ARMYs smile and feel consoled, but he also has a lot of well-deserved love for himself and he makes sure to look after himself too. In that way, he is a brilliant role model. Not only that, but he is overflowing with talent. The way he adds his own smooth, sensual twists to powerful choreography fascinates me endlessly, and of course his voice is one of the wonders of the world.
Cheryl - This week our playlist is focusing on Jimin and having been an Army since 2017 I have enjoyed the last 4 years watching him mature and grow. His vocals for the recent BBCR1 Live Lounge sounded really strong and confident and his rasps in Idol live on the Jimmy Fallon show have stayed lodged in my memory. As for Jimin’s dancing, my favourite performances are the Boy Meets Evil blindfolded dance and the fan dance. I look forward to whatever treat Jimin has in store for us next.
Onomey - Jimin, Jimin, Jimin. Just saying his name makes me smile as he has one of those faces that is as adorable as a puppy and a very light sounding talking and singing voice to match it. He is like a real-life teddy bear that can dance like he’s floating on air and sings like an angel. It always baffles me how amazing Jimin is at both singing and dancing but it baffles me even more how at one point he thought he wasn’t a great singer. His voice is unlike anyone else I have ever heard. Even when people try to do covers of BTS songs, no one has come near to the bright tone that he has which is what makes him so special in my eyes. He is just an all-around performer that shines so brightly but is yet so humble. I know if I were anywhere near as good as he is, I’d never shut up or stop dancing.
Serendipity - Michayla
In keeping with my theme within a theme, I have gone for Serendipity this week because I can speak from experience, the impact that the live performances had. As much as I very much enjoyed and loved ‘Filter’ during the ON:E concert, it is Serendipity that has a place in my heart.
When Love Yourself: Answer was released, we were treated to the full version of Jimin’s love yourself solo, ‘Serendipity’. When you look at the definition of serendipity, it is how many of us feel about our discovery of BTS, ‘an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident’. How many of us stumbled upon BTS by accident or by chance?
In this case, the song is about two lovers who meet by chance, fated to cross paths and I find the lyrics to be so beautiful, almost a fairy tale in itself:
‘All this is no coincidence
Just, just by my feeling
The whole world is different from yesterday
Just, just with your joy
When you called me
I became your flower
As if we were waiting
We bloom until we ache
Maybe it’s the providence of the universe
It just had to be that
You know, I know
You are me, I am you’
I remember the first time I saw Jimin perform this live at the O2. There were bubbles everywhere and ARMY screamed so loudly when he reached up and burst a bubble with his fingers. My daughter was unable to contain herself so I filmed it for her and I was truly in awe, completely spellbound. When it came to the stadium tour, the set had changed and Jimin emerged from the stage in a giant bubble which was wonderful. Even during Wembley day one when the bubble didn’t burst as it should have, Jimin showed what an amazing professional he was and continued as if nothing had happened. Over the performances that I’ve witnessed, there was a change in costume and a change to the stage setting but it was the same well executed, beautiful performance, both vocally and the choreography. The smile and ‘thank you’ he gave us when we sang with him and chanted his name is something I will never forget, we made him happy and it was so well deserved.
Let Me Know - Charlie
When I think of the BTS songs that most drew me to Jimin, or reflect his talent in a very satisfying way, Let Me Know is very high on the list. It is a morose and emotion-heavy song about a relationship ending. In the lyrics, they discuss being left alone in a relationship, not ready to move on from it yet, but just needing their ex-partner to tell them that it’s all over.
“I just wanna know, know, know
My lingering feelings are trying to withstand the end
So please tell me something
Girl, let me know, let me know”
The feeling of not wanting to allow something to end, but knowing that the end is inevitable, is painful and gut-wrenching. It is an emotion that requires being sensitively expressed, as it’s very ambivalent. It’s always heart-breaking when a song has lyrics like “I know that I’m just avoiding the situation, but I’m too sad to care”.
“If there are hellos, then there's bound to be goodbyes?
Never ever
I don't care about that, I don't want to stick to that
I"ll turn away, hypnotizing myself”
Despite this song being from the beloved Dark & Wild album, BTS’ first full album which is heavily influenced by hip-hop and delivers hype, upbeat raps, Let Me Know stands out on this album as a soft and sensitive ballad. Even that early into their career, when BTS were keen to show a cool schoolboy image, they were confident enough to share their sensitive sides, which I appreciate.
The heart-breaking message of the song is delivered with the sensitivity it deserves by all the members. And just like when Jimin dances, he lays his heart out into the song and artfully expresses the emotions of the piece like a skilled actor.
The part of the song that most reflects this, is Jimin’s high note towards the end of the song. The second that this song starts, this part is the one that I most anticipate. The song builds and builds with emotion until finally, Jimin belts out a stunning high note, like an outpouring of desperate emotion that is expressed without holding himself back.
Filter - Cheryl
This week it is Jimin’s turn to have our full undivided attention and with that in mind I decided to give Filter the attention it so rightly deserves. As I am sure you know Filter is a solo song by Jimin from Map of the Soul:7 and the backing music which sounds Latin suits his voice beautifully. It sounds like only one guitar is being used which makes the music so delicate and kind of flowery – it’s intimate too with references to dreams and secrets.
I find it fascinating how reading the lyrics of Filter, they can be interpreted in different ways. When I first wrote about Filter back in 2020 I felt that he was using filters to change himself to become what the other person wanted, which I felt was unhealthy.
However, today as I am reading the lyrics – I see them entirely differently. I feel that he is teasing and tantalising the other person with his filters. Forever changing and never staying the same to keep the relationship fun, interesting and full of surprises.
Oh, I cover your eyes with my hands
Oh, get closer to the secret
I’ll take you to a whole new world
Yeah, open your eyes now, go
These lyrics seem particularly seductive to me getting closer to the secret, sounds very intimate and the covering of eyes with his hands just sent me back to their performances of Blood Sweat and Tears where there are lots of shots of eyes being covered by hands which is both intimate and seductive.
Look at me who has suddenly turned into a child
The more you look, the cuter I am, like crazy
Overcoming different tastes and standards
You'll be wanting only me
Yeah, because you are the one who made me
With these lyrics I feel like he is expressing how versatile he is and he is teasing the other person saying that he is almost like a special drug that they will crave and therefore will not want another person, because they have created and moulded him just for them, which I find rather seductive as it feels so intimate and special – just the two of them against the world within their own world. These words are reflected again in the chorus:
I'm a brand new filter that you've never seen before
Entrust yourself to me
To see more thrilling things, pick your filter
Contain only me
Where he is being a male temptress promising things, never seen and that even more thrilling and exciting things are to come, but just from him and nobody else.
There are lots of references in the song to Disney’s Aladdin, where Jasmin sees her world in a different way, through the eyes of Aladdin and they explore this new world together and overcome obstacles and for me this is what Jimin is expressing in this song – the excitement, the thrills, never being boring and repetitive. I rather like Jimin’s world of temptation and promises.
Boy With Luv - Onomey
I chose to write about ‘Boy With Luv’ because Jimin is the first person that comes to mind when I think about this song. It suits his vocal tone so well and he shines so brightly throughout it. When I first heard this song, it was his voice that struck me. I have watched countless different live performances of this video as well as the MV and I am always drawn to Jimin because ‘Boy With Luv’ is the sequel to the 2014 hit ‘Boy In Luv’ that was a more teenage type of love compared to this song where the lyrics are more grown-up and focused on the little things that make you fall in love with that.
When I first heard about this song, I thought it was going to be focused on a guy being in love with a girl but things with BTS are never that straightforward. The song can be about that but it is clear throughout the song and MV that the song was about BTS and their love for ARMY. I’m glad that it wasn’t your typical pop boy meets girl track as I find them cringe. This song is anything but that which is why I love it so much. The message of being able to find joy from the little things in life is a great one to live as typically happiness doesn’t come in massive chunks but instead the small things that you may take for granted. I know during this pandemic, I for one massively underestimated the joy that can come from a simple hug from a loved one.
Jimin starts the song off with a luscious toned voice and smoothly flowing dance moves filled with swagger to combine with it as he sings ‘I’m curious about you, how’s your day? Oh, tell me’. I’m not gonna lie, I die for like 5 seconds and come back to life every time I hear/see him sing this. It is the calmness and almost innocent cockiness when he sings in this song that gets me every time.
If for some reason you haven't seen or heard this song. I ask only one question. Please listen to the song and you will understand what I am talking about. I didn't want to go on too much and spoil the whole thing. I feel the need to shout out to his chorus dance section with Halsey. They look like they're enjoying every second of it and sound beautiful. Ahhhh they're a bunch of cuties in this song, aren't they?
Namjoon 2021
After starting our individual member’s playlists last week with Jungkook, the playlist team decided to base the order on BTS’s birthdays. With that decided, it is Namjoon’s turn.
Find the Spotify playlist here - NAMJOON
Namjoon by the playlist team
Michayla - Our leader, Mr Kim Namjoon breaks the mold for me because he is someone I look up to. It is quite strange to have someone to look up to when you are 42 and that person is very much younger. I suppose that I admire him, also. He has overcome so much from the hate in the early days of BTS and got the group through some tough times. He’s always so articulate and thoughtful and I had so much respect for him when he stood up and delivered the United Nations speech. Namjoon has so many amazing qualities and that’s without touching on how damn talented the man is, musically!
Charlie - Namjoon is a great inspiration to me. He cares for his friends, he enjoys and is good at learning new things, he articulates himself well, and I’ve seen his confidence and love for himself grow so beautifully in the years I’ve admired him. For instance, seeing how he carries himself in songs like Baepsae and Trivia:Love shows me how proud he is of himself and how attractive he knows he is, and it feels so lovely seeing him like this. All his little dorky things he does, like trying to do finger hearts on a BST stage then getting shy, or when he makes jokes in interviews and smiles at himself, make me more endeared to him every day.
Onomey - It’s so difficult to narrow down what makes RM so special because there’s a collective of things that make him so. His willingness to consistently do so many things for others is amazing. I know the others in the group also do this but as a leader, RM is really able to put his team before himself but also still be so successful and warm as a person and musician. As someone who could only hope to be a fraction as good as RM at songwriting. The range in genres and topics he is able to write about, amazes me. A lot of people when writing songs don’t think of others first when writing a song but he seems to do that song after song which has led to so many people having hits because of him. He really is a fantastic leader and captures the hearts of many through his words and kind spirit. Here’s to you, our fantastic leader!
Trivia: Love - Michayla
It was my decision to write about Euphoria last week that led me to choose ‘Love’ this week. Anyone who read our Memories series will know that Love Yourself: Answer was my first comeback so I do have a special love for the Love Yourself era.
As ARMY, we know that Kim Namjoon is one special individual, from him teaching himself English to the amazing songs that he’s written. As if his talents for song writing aren’t amazing enough, we have the fact that his rapping and performances are also fantastic.
‘Love’ is one of three Trivias from Love Yourself: Answer. ‘Trivia: Seesaw’ is Yoongi’s solo, ‘Trivia: Just Dance’ belongs to Hobi and ‘Trivia: Love’ is Namjoon’s piece of the puzzle. This song is such fun! It is my second favourite Trivia, closely behind Just Dance, which I absolutely adore.
It is all about love and how naturally it comes. This is shown in part of the first verse:
‘I just feel it
Like the moon rises ater the sun rises
Like how fingernails grow
Like how trees that shed their bark once a year’
The beat is quite jazzy and adds to the feeling of fun and enjoyment and if you have seen this performed live, you will know that Namjoon has so much fun with it. I have seen him perform this four times and each time he has delivered it with a big smile on his face and then it was the Speak Yourself tour that gave us magic shapes and words drawn in the air with Namjoon’s finger.
What I find impressive is how he gets up on stage and performs this song without backing dancers and barely any choreography himself. He feeds off of ARMY’s cheers, screams and hearing his song sung back at him. His confidence and professionalism is unwavering, the way he executes this song makes you want to sing and dance along with him and you can’t help but have fun.
Even now when I listen to this song I always sing ‘Live and love, live and love’ and can still hear Namjoon asking us to sing it. It is the last verse that strikes a chord with me and is definitely how I feel about BTS. Thank you Namjoon for being you and I relay the outro of Trivia: Love, back to you:
‘You know…
We were always meant to be…
Destiny…
I hope you feel the same with me…
LOVE’
Moonchild - Charlie
Moonchild is the first song that I have wanted to be tattooed on me. It is a gorgeous song, my favourite from mono, Namjoon’s second mixtape (or “playlist”, as he calls it as he wishes for it to be listened to as is, in order, completely).
“Moonchild you shine
When moon rise, it's your time
C'mon y'all”
Namjoon said in his mono Vlive that he wrote Moonchild for all the “moonchildren” out there, for people who feel freer at nighttime because they are unshackled by work or other responsibilities or worries. Namjoon gets it. He understands how people often find solace in the nighttime, when we are free from judgement and are free to cry or just exist without having to do anything.
“In the moon hours, look at the night sky through the eyes of your soul
Gonna show it to you, your window, your time
You know, there's a lot of thorns on that streetlight too
Look closely at that blinking light for once”
With the lyrics, but also in the way it sounds, Moonchild seems like a warm embrace. It is encouraging but not forceful, and the music seems to envelope you and drown out any harsh sounds.
My favourite lyric is “We were born to be sad, sad, sad, sad // Suffer to be glad, glad, glad, glad”. It’s a reminder that, even when you feel sad, that’s okay. Because you have to experience sad days in order to be human and appreciate the happier days. As I’ve been struggling with accepting sad days, and not getting sad about getting sad, this lyric is so important to me. Namjoon knows how to produce profound and meaningful work. Moonchild isn’t just a shallow song that masquerades as knowing how people feel and what they want or need to hear. It states plainly that if you need time to just feel your deep emotions, that’s okay, and you’ll rise again soon.
“C'mon y'all, moonchild, moonchild
That's how it's supposed to be
Yeah all this pain and all these sorrows
That's our destiny, see?”
Paldogangsan - Onomey
RM takes the final verse in which he talks about where he comes from, his accent and becomes the sort of de-escalator between the fight going on between Suga and J-Hope about their regions. The topic can of course be related back to the UK because here too people are judged upon by their dialect unfortunately. RM rides the beat so well by changing from raping on best to changing in parts to quick triplets to show his quick tongue ability then slowing back down and riding the beat. The way he raps in this song reminds me a bit of persona because it’s a lot of hyping the audience up whilst displaying his range of flow and great lyrics.
It’s Namjoon's week which means we had to go through the difficulty of choosing a song to write about that makes us think about our extraordinary songwriter, producer, rapper and vocalist. The song starts with the introduction of loud strained horns followed by RM who casually says with so much swagger ‘yeah, once again. Big Hit represent! We are BTS, let’s go’. I love RM in this song because you can really hear the US influence in his flow and production. He fits it so well despite speaking Korean of course. If you were to listen unbiasedly to this song, you would think that someone from LA.
The hook in this song is absolute fire. It gets you hyped up, energetic and happy because of the simplicity, it can be drilled into your head after one listen. It’s the rap line hyping each other up and at the same time hyping up the unity of Korea by saying from all over the country, they are ‘real hot stuff’.
‘From Seoul to Gangwon
Kyeongsangdo
Chungcheong to Jeolla
What is he saying (what)
What is he saying (what)
From Seoul to Gangwon,
Kyeongsangdo
Chungcheong to Jeolla
Tell them that we have come (what)
We’re real hot stuff’
I think because of RM's tone, the song still keeps a big element of where it originated but with the lyrics it creates a whole new different meaning and feel by singing in satoori (regional slang). Even though I don’t really know if they are singing/rapping in slang but it’s a clever way to show that there are different ways to speak and not everyone is the same but that shouldn’t matter anyway because they are all part of the same country.
The song uses the classic song ‘Ooh Wee’ song by Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg and Mark Ronson as the instrumental backing track to sing and rap over the top. I loved this song growing up and it’s in one of my favourite movies ‘Honey’ which is a dance movie so I’ve spent hours and hours dancing along to that song growing up so when I first heard ‘Paldogangsan’ it blew my mind and took me right back to my childhood. I was honestly scared that they would destroy such a classic and that it may have been way too big of a song but thankfully I was wrong. It’s one of my favourite older songs from BTS and they’ve done the original track justice which is an added bonus!
Jungkook 2021
The timing was perfect for our golden maknae’s birthday this week so that was the theme that our playlist team chose.
What makes Jungkook special to you?
Find the playlist here - JUNGKOOK
Jungkook by the Playlist team
Michayla - I love Jungkook. That’s probably the most predictable thing to say at the start of a piece like this but it seemed appropriate and it is a fact. It is Jungkook’s fault that I am ARMY, I was pushed down the rabbit hole, never to climb out, from the moment I saw him in the Dope MV. Love Yourself: Answer was my first comeback and Euphoria hit me straight through the heart. That song has become one of my ‘go to’ songs and I wish I could tell Jungkook how much it means to me. Euphoria has helped me through so many dark times and is, without a doubt, one of my ultimate BTS songs. I can’t talk about our golden maknae without talking about the O2 performances. I was there on both nights and my heart broke for Jungkook but his vocal performance of Euphoria was flawless. Being a part of the two O2 nights is what made Wembley day 1 so very special to me. Just witnessing the moment that Jungkook was able to perform Euphoria for ARMY was so magical and I will never forget the smile on his face as he flew over our heads. I love him for everything he does, his amazing talents and everything that makes him Jeon Jungkook.
Charlie - It’s hard to sum up what I love about Jungkook in around 100 words, but here’s a preview. Jungkook has always been someone that I’ve admired. His keenness to do well in everything that he tries his hand at, is something that I can relate to, but a quality he has that I wish I could take, is how selfless and considerate he is; everything he does seems to be pure and full of love, and that becomes more apparent with everything he says and does for ARMY and his members. He gives his hyungs piggybacks, dedicates songs to us, has us tattooed on his knuckles, and always puts his all into his performances with the view that he has to make the people around him smile.
Cheryl - This week our playlist is focusing on Jungkook just in time for his birthday (1st September) where he will turn 24. Having been ARMY since 2017 I have enjoyed the last 4 years watching him mature and grow, becoming more comfortable in interviews and breaking numerous records when he appears on Twitter e.g. lip syncing to "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish. I enjoy his playful and mischievousness in the Run episodes, he is very entertaining (as they all are), it certainly does appear that he is great at every task he is given, whether sporty, cooking or artistic .I look forward to whatever musical treat he has in store for us next and I am sure it will be both brilliant and tantalising.
Many happy returns Jungkook.
Euphoria - Michayla
After I mentioned Euphoria above, while talking about our golden maknae, I simply had to make this song the focal point. I think that most of us have a song that we rely on to get us through tough times or that we reach out to when we need to clear our heads and Euphoria is that song for me.
The first time I heard Euphoria it struck me in the heart and brought so many emotions to the surface. At the time, I was embroiled in the throws of grief after the trauma of my Mother’s death and to be honest I was numb. My Daughter and two nieces introduced me to BTS and Love Yourself: Answer was my first comeback. I was also about to undergo major surgery in January 2019 which would change me physically so the whole ‘Love Yourself’ campaign was very relevant. I fell in love with BTS and head over heels for Euphoria.
When we were standing at the O2 on day 1 and we heard the news about Jungkook’s injury, I’m not going to lie, I felt panic and upset. I was desperate to see Euphoria performed live and suddenly ARMY were in a state of concern as we knew how much Jungkook would want to perform for us. Thankfully he was able to be on stage and sang from a chair, which was just amazing. It wasn’t the performance he wanted to show us but we were all so thankful that he was able to do what he did and he was phenomenal, even from a chair! That performance touched my heart so much and to be privileged to hear his voice made me feel so lucky. I was a wreck throughout the performance and on day 2, my daughter reached for my hand when Jungkook sang ‘Take my hands now’ which will stay in my memories forever.
Of course, everyone knows that Jungkook finally got his desire to perform Euphoria as he intended when they embarked on the Speak Yourself tour and… wow! Not only did we get the choreography but we got a beaming, flying Jungkook! I was at Wembley and the Stade De France to witness his infectious, heart warming smile as he flew over our heads in the pink outfit and after the O2, it meant the whole world to see him like that.
‘Euphoria’ is the song I can play on repeat when I need to calm myself or when I need to get through a particularly stressful situation. It’s the song I lose myself in when times are tough and it has saved me on so many occasions. I always refer to it as my ‘anti-anxiety’ song because of the tranquility I get from listening to it. Jungkook’s vocals are simply stunning on the track and I can take myself off to a place of peace and come out smiling. It’s ironic that the song is about finding your utopia because this song has been my euphoria on many occasions.
As well as the full version on Love yourself: Answer, we have the DJ Swivel mix which is just as beautiful and accompanied by an MV available on Youtube (linked below). This was released as part of the Festa celebrations in 2019 and is ‘Jungkook through BTS’s eyes’ so yet another emotional journey where this song is concerned.
If only Jungkook knew how much this song means to ARMY because I know that I am not the only one that feels such an incredible emotional attachment to it. Thank you, Jungkook, for this absolute masterpiece that I will continue to play forever.
https://youtu.be/oUqX55Oim68
Magic Shop - Charlie
One of the things that I love the most about BTS is the escapism they offer. They offer me a view of a world where everything is accepting, loving, and fun. One of the things that I love the most about Jungkook is how caring he is; he offers me an idealistic view of the world, where people are good and there is nothing to be anxious about.
Jungkook lives to make people smile, forget their problems and feel warm, and that’s what he successfully offers in Magic Shop, which he produced. It is a song that provides a beautiful fantasy:
“While drinking a glass of hot tea
And looking up at the Milky Way
You'll be alright, oh, this here is the Magic Shop”
The message of Magic Shop is a perfect one: No matter what things are going on in your life that make you upset, you can always just open a door in your mind, to where BTS are, and they will help soothe you. As BTS always say that they’re curious about what’s going on in the lives of ARMY, and they hope that their content and concerts can make us happy or reduce our suffering, even just by being a distraction, Magic Shop is a very fitting song for their effect. Especially this year, when we’ve experienced some of our darkest days and BTS have made every effort to bring the Magic Shop to us with online concerts, music videos, dance challenges and captivating performances.
It’s also not the kind of uplifting song where it tells you to just smile and cheer up (although that is sometimes what people need). It tells you that it’s okay to feel sad, because BTS feel pain too, and they’ll join you on your journey to become happier again.
“Would you believe me
If I said that I was scared of everything too?
All the sincerity, the remaining times
All your answers are in this place you found
In your Milky Way, inside your heart”
Jungkook created a masterpiece when he produced Magic Shop. It’s been a reassuring song for many ARMYs even 3 years after its release as a sweet Tear B-side, and their 5th Muster was even named after it, reflecting just how completely Jungkook understands and agrees with the ethos of BTS’s contents: to be a safe space for ARMYs.
My Time - Cheryl
My Time can be found on the BTS album Map Of The Soul:7 and was written by Jungkook and produced by Sleep Deez. Jungkook writes about his life experience being a member of the most successful group in the world. He wonders about time missed whilst training and what his life would have been like if he wasn't in BTS. He is telling us his story about how this all feels; travelling the world, whilst other people his age are just riding the subway and waking up in different countries and where with the time zone he could have left one country in daylight but then land after a long flight and still be in daylight. Most of us only have this experience once a year (pre-Covid) when going on holiday, but BTS could experience this more than once a week when on tour - perhaps this could be why they spaced their last tour out more with a few more days of downtime in between the countries they visited.
I ran to where the sun rises every night
Friends ridin, the subway, I'll be in airplane mode
Jungkook is also telling us that he has grown up in the spotlight and that it feels as if his life has been a movie. I wonder if he is expressing how unreal it all seems; the success, the adoration, the scrutiny. He also mentions that he has grown up faster than others, which makes me think he is comparing himself to his friends and I imagine that his life experiences are totally different from theirs and that perhaps he feels he has a lot of responsibilities and this has caused him to feel more mature.
Sometimes when I'm gasping for air
I wear my hat low and keep running
Yeah, I don't gotta know where I go
Even if it's opposite of sun
One time for the present
Two time for the past
Happy that we met each other
Now til' the very end
I like the idea of running and not minding where you're going to end up - sounds rather exciting. Although it sounds here like Jungkook isn't running for pleasure, it sounds like he puts on his bucket hat and runs (maybe this is a disguise) to release the pressure, but it does sound like he runs for positivity. Also the idea that he is happy that we met each other, this could relate to the other BTS members or Amy or both of course - but the fact that he is happy until the very end sounds like he has accepted where he is in life and is enjoying his journey. With the final repeat of the chorus the lyrics change from “I can’t” to “I will” which again holds the promise of a future full of anticipation and hope, rather than frustration and sadness.
It's hard to write about My Time without thinking about Jungkook's performances at their ON:E online concerts held in 2020. He showed us all that he has matured and looked very comfortable and confident dancing his two solos, which were stunning visually with his choice of outfits and the dance moves - his performance proved how much he has grown since Debut. However, discovering these performances again on YouTube I find there is a stronger emotional connection to the song. He sings and performs in a more passionate, even angrier way than the single sounds on the album, in my opinion. The dance moves and facial expressions are striking and intense, a completely different performance to Euphoria.
Memories With BTS Pt. 5
Here we are, the final piece of the puzzle that our playlist team has been putting together.
Have you enjoyed the journey? Which era is your favourite era?
BE - Playlist Team
Michayla - I already feel that BE is one of the underrated albums that is possibly overlooked. It came at a time when we needed BTS and if you look at the songs on the album, it very much appeared that BTS needed ARMY just as much. I would say that my favourite songs are Blue & Grey, Stay and Telepathy. I live in hope of hearing the English version of Blue & Grey one day, just as Taehyung originally wrote it and perhaps that will be a version on his future mixtape. Stay is beautiful. Written by Jungkook, Jin and Namjoon and originally intended for Jungkook’s mixtape but accosted for BE. Telepathy is wonderful and then you learn that it was written as a love letter of sorts, from Yoongi to ARMY and it becomes so special. Yoongi said he wrote it in 30 minutes but he rejected it for his mixtape and I am so thankful that the other members wanted it on BE.
Charlie - BE was the self-made album that we had all been waiting for. We were privileged enough to see the true behind-the-scenes of this album, even meetings between the members deciding on how many tracks to include and which cameras to shoot concept photos with. The product is a brilliant reflection of what BTS can do. We have the painfully heartbreaking ballad Blue & Grey, but we also have the funky track Dis-ease, which sounds like classic BTS hip hop. We also have Stay, an awesome concert anthem. They just wanted to tour, but they instead put their energy into this perfect album for us.I will forever be grateful to BTS for producing this album for us, at a time when making an album was not in their plans for the year.
Cheryl - This week we have come to the end of revisiting BTS's back catalogue of albums and find ourselves up to date with the release of the Butter CD. We have decided to give BE some attention and therefore I am going to explore what BE means to me.
BE for me is a very special album, as it was not pre-planned like the trilogy of albums we have been treated to in the past (e.g. Love Yourself and Map of the Soul). BE came about due to the Covid pandemic and does not have the plethora of writers and producers of previous albums. For this reason, I am particularly proud of BE - BTS embraced the challenge of writing and producing the album together with many other tasks that brought the album to life. I also feel that the album reflects theirs and our thoughts of the unusual situation the whole world experienced (and is still experiencing) and makes the album all the more personal and historic. My favourite songs on the album are; Fly to My Room and Stay, although I have to say I find it very difficult to pick a favourite as the whole album is such a special treat and very comforting to listen to.
Onomey - I think that BE definitely was the album we needed during Covid but it is also an album that is full of underrated songs. In my opinion, I think it is because of covid and everyone's inability to go to concerts and BTS’ inability to fully promote their album the way they usually would have. The album was released in 2020 which seems like a lifetime ago. A lot of the songs in the album are focused on serious topics but there were positives you should take from all of them, 100%. I think the song that I was drawn to straight away was ‘Life Goes On’ as it’s a song with a powerful chorus as it is VERY catchy. You can listen to it for 30 sections and have it stuck in your head for a week due to the creamy angelic vocals, especially in the chorus. Shout out to Suga and his verse that sounds like he's very sleepy with his gravelly voice! It truly is music to my ears. The fact that this album was inspired by being locked in this whole new pandemic world. You find yourself being able to fully relate to them more than any other album because we all were suffering at that time. Be sure to check out the great tracks on this week's playlist and give them the love they deserve!
Filter - Charlie
After Lie and Serendipity (and also on Soundcloud, Promise), I knew that Jimin’s next official solo track would be incredible and reflect his excellence. When I saw the MOTS:7 tracklist for the first time and noted that there was a song called Filter, I had a feeling that it would be a pretty song that I would enjoy listening to and want to dance to. I was correct on both counts.
Filter is a Latin-pop-inspired song that denotes how different people see Jimin in different (all desirable) ways, and how it is all purposeful because of how he chooses to present himself to the world.
“Mix the colors in the palette, pick your filter
Which me do you want?
The one to change your world, I'm your filter
Overlay me in your heart”
I am wholly obsessed with Filter. I love how Jimin portrays himself as entirely in control of people’s views of him, and how he boasts that he is able to rock many different styles according to what people want to see. He’s the king of duality - if people like to see him as cute, he’s able to be our little mochi. If people want to see him in a more mature way, he finds it easy to act sexy onstage. He won’t fit into just one mold, because he is versatile.
This song does have a darker edge to it, in that one could interpret it as being about how different people choose to represent Jimin in different ways according to their own desires, but my favourite verse displays otherwise:
“I can be your Genie
How ‘bout Aladdin?
I'll be anything
You can pick and choose me, yeah”
Jimin’s metaphor of being a Genie or Aladdin, which is also displayed in the earlier line, “I’ll take you to a whole new world”, shows that he is capable of being a genie who bends to the whim of others and grants their wishes, but can also be the one controlling the genie and having his own wishes granted. He can take on either roles, because of his versatility.
Telepathy - Cheryl
Exploring the lyrics of Telepathy once again, I realised for the first time that the song begins with the chorus. This made me curious, as I am unsure whether any other BTS songs start with the chorus, what made BTS produce the song this way – I find it intriguing.
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 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.
‘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. I find the reference to “floating on air” interesting as I imagine BTS as balloons floating, due to all the changes that have occurred so quickly following the pandemic, perhaps they were not feeling very grounded – this is a feeling I personally can relate to, as I lost my job and couldn’t meet up with family and friends due to the lockdown. Luckily, as I write this life seems to be returning to a new reality which almost mirrors pre-covid times.
The lyrics also include references to the blue sea and as we know 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. The blue sea they describe here makes me think of the recent photo shoot for the Butter CD, where BTS were having a lot of fun at the beach.
‘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; Can I be the person you lean on, like you were for me, as when RM has having a hard time previously he said that the fans had helped him heal.
‘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 with theirs. They are expressing that sometimes it is all happening too fast which can be scary, but life can also be slow and boring which again I feel references the changes brought about by the pandemic.
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.
Intro: Calling and Outro: The Journey - Michayla
I had a huge dilemma set upon me for this week’s piece and I had no one to blame but myself. When we first started this journey into BTS’s discography, I chose to focus on Intros and outros, which I have thoroughly enjoyed doing. However, we now have MOTS: 7 in a playlist and my automatic desire is to write about the song that has consumed my everyday life and stolen my soul but ‘ON’ isn’t an intro or an outro I also reminded myself that I have written about ‘ON’ so many times and I have myself a theme within a theme that I need to adhere to. After dealing with the temptation to write about Outro: EGO, another fabulous song, I finally settled on the Intro and Outro from MOTS: The Journey because I feel these need highlighting.
Map Of The Soul: The Journey is a Japanese album released five months after MOTS: 7. We were teased with ‘Stay Gold’ and ‘Your Eyes Tell’ both of which are set to appear on an OST for a drama/dramas. We also got an MV for ‘Stay Gold’ which had many ARMYs feeling quite emotional because the members looked so happy and the whole video is a delight. The album also brought us a Japanese version of ‘ON’ which I absolutely adore (no surprises there) as well as ‘Lights’ which is my second favourite Japanese song ever! This is a great album so if you haven’t listened to it, I would highly recommend it.
The reason that I have chosen to highlight both the intro and the outro is because they are like bookends and I didn’t feel it would be right to choose one over the other. ‘Calling’ is the intro and it is a beautiful sound that has a few snippets of the ‘Stay Gold’ lyrics in it. It is only 1 minute 24 seconds and yet it really does introduce you to the album well. It feels like an intro, which is a strange thing to say but hopefully you know what I mean. ‘Calling’ sounds like the introduction to something great and that is exactly what it is.
As a contrast, the outro sounds like the end chapter of a great book. It is 1 minute 16 seconds and that too, takes you on a final journey, which is appropriate given that it is entitled ‘The Journey’. After listening to the album from start to finish, the outro really does feel like a conclusion. Unlike the intro, this song has no actual lyrics and is a haunting, eclectic instrumental. I say that it doesn’t have any actual lyrics because there are distorted echoes of ‘Your Eyes Tell’ but nothing conclusive to discuss. The overall sound stirs so much emotion in me that it is difficult to describe.
I can imagine ‘Calling’ and ‘The Journey’ being in the background on a VCR or montage during awards season. Both the intro and outro to MOTS: The Journey are so distinctive and haunting. They provide such a depth of feeling in such a very short space of time, that I can only applaud BTS and everyone involved for producing such masterpieces once again.
Respect - Onomey
‘Respect’ is about the word respect, the definition of it and how valued the meaning is in today's society. I find it a very fascinating topic as the definition of respect changes depending on the person. For example, I believe that you should give people at least a base level of respect when you are meeting someone for the first time regardless of their age but others may think that respect is earned not given to everyone.
The chorus highlights that people tend to love saying that they respect others but when it comes down to it, they really don’t and are being super hypocrites so maybe it should be said less. ‘Everyone says it so easily though you don’t know what it is.
I love this track because the way it is written is in a form where they are just sat down having a genuine conversation about respect throughout the use of ad-libs responding to each other throughout the song with phrases like ‘is that so? What, Hyung? and oh I see’. It must have been so fun to record this song as with the number of ad-libs and freestyle moments, you are bound to get a lot of laughs when delivering weird lines that sound funny or when you say it in a cheesy way. I can imagine them both saying the most random things when writing this song. The song's silly debate about the word respect can be summarised in a few lines from the outro.
‘Aye, do ya know what respect is?’
‘I don’t know, hyungnim’
‘I don’t know either
‘Why is respect this hard?’
I’m sure that when people first heard about the collaboration between the duo, they were probably thinking wow, how hard are they going to pop off in this song because we know how intellectual the two are when it comes to lyrics. RM in a 2020 FESTA video refers to them as the Hare & the Tortoise although I don’t know why as Suga goes on to say that they both do a lot of work and do everything they are asked to do as they know they are ‘good at it too’. I love hearing the confidence they have in their abilities and with this track, they are able to extend those qualities by testing out new sounds and topics to see what vibe ended up being best for the track.
I’m a massive fan of old school hip-hop and this has that same vibe through the use of a warm sounding piano, the claps as the snare, the vinyl vocal scratch effect and the famous ‘put your hands in the air, just like you don’t care’ line that is in most rap songs, especially in the 90s.
Memories With BTS Pt. 4
What a playlist it is this week! The continuation of the Love Yourself era, into Map of the Soul, two very special eras that brought ARMYs some iconic songs. The playlist team continues their journey through this wonderful discography.
Which album is your favourite from the Love Yourself era? You can tell us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. BTS Radio UK is even on Weverse!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5e2yMC8M5ky3YdYHlchGrs?si=f50710a2fdaf4646
Love Yourself: Answer - The Playlist Team
Michayla - I have almost been dreading getting to the Love Yourself era because this is my era. My first comeback was ‘Answer’ and I remember waiting for the Idol MV like it was yesterday. Before I knew it, I was down that rabbit hole and at both nights at the O2 for the Love Yourself tour and I haven’t looked back. So, this album is special to me. I have the four ‘Answer’ hearts as a tattoo and it is definitely one of my favourite albums.
I have so many favourite songs from this album and so many memories of the first time I saw them performed live. ‘Euphoria’ is a song that I’m convinced is part of my DNA now. When I’ve had moments of anxiety or particularly difficult times, I have had this song on repeat and it has always got me through. ‘Singularity’, I will never forget seeing live at the O2, knocked clean off my feet by my bias. ‘Tear’ is literal fire! It is one of my favourite songs and I will never get over seeing the rap-line kill it, live! This album gave us the extended version of ‘Mic Drop’ which is a blessing thanks to that dance break! ‘Idol’ will forever be the moment I first laid eyes on those 7 amazing guys in person and the song my Daughter and I blasted out in the car on the way home from the O2. I could go on and on but this blog piece would be all about me and my feelings about this album so I will finish by saying that if you haven’t listened to this album before or for a while, I’d definitely recommend it.
Charlie - Love Yourself: Answer is a very special album. It is the perfect culmination of the previous albums, including unforgettable solos from every member and perfect concert anthems. I’m in love with albums that tell a story, and the journey from naive love that turns out to be fake, to real self-love, that is narrated throughout the album, is epic. This is the soundtrack to BTS’s rise to prominence and the Love Yourself and Speak Yourself tours, and features many songs that introduced new ARMYs to BTS. My personal favourite tracks are Trivia: Love and Tear (of course I wish Paradise was included, but I’d say that about any song that isn’t on this album, as this era was flawless). This is an album that will go down in history, especially for the memories BTS and ARMY made with it.
Cheryl - This week we decided to give the Love Yourself: Answer album our attention and explore what it means to us. The Answer album is the third album in the Love Yourself trilogy following on from Her and Tear. Her focused on love and how it can be all consuming. Tear focused on the darker side of love and the pain it can cause. Answer focuses on the healing side of love, especially if we love ourselves and mature like the lyrics of I'm Fine.
I found the Love Yourself: Answer message extremely powerful, especially as personally I always put everyone else in the family before myself and worried more about their feelings, than my own. The album felt like I was being given permission to change things up and think more about myself and yes perhaps even be a little bit selfish at times (not all the time). My favourite songs on the album are; Euphoria and Epiphany but seriously all the songs are just so deep and meaningful.
Onomey - Love Yourself: Answer is a compilation album and is the finale of the Love Yourself series that was released in August 2018. It has six original tracks as well as songs from the Love Yourself: Her and Love Yourself: Tear album and remixes. It doesn’t seem that long ago since its release. the new songs on the album were all absolute fire. I’d say the biggest well know of them was probably ‘Idol’ but my favourite of all of the six is Trivia: Seesaw because it really had me taken aback by hearing Suga doing a song where he sings throughout by himself. He sounded so amazing, it has me wondering who exactly it was when I first listened to it. What made me smile about this song as well is that he even did a full dance routine at the live concerts which I found adorable considering he tends to not want to dance so often even though he is an outstanding dancer in every genre he tries.
Intro: Persona - Michayla
This week I am continuing my personal theme of writing about Intros and Outros. The temptation to write about ‘Singularity’ was great, since it was a 3m 16s Intro on ‘Love Yourself: Tear’ and we got the full version on ‘Answer’. However, I did mention it in the section above and it would probably be a whole lot of fan-girling so I chose ‘Intro: Persona’ instead.
When the teaser was released in March 2019 I remember ARMYs having a boost of excitement, reading the words on the walls and guessing what it all meant. At that point I don’t think we had any real idea about what the ‘Map Of The Soul’ concept would look like, how many albums or what was coming so this trailer was very exciting.
As soon as Persona starts, you recognise the sampling of ‘Intro: Skool Luv Affair’ which is a great touch given the fact that ‘Boy With Luv’ on the same album is a reply to ‘Boy In Luv’ and has all those signs with album names on in the MV.
Persona is Namjoon’s solo and is a reflective song. I think this fits perfectly, given that MOTS follows the Love Yourself era. Namjoon shows a deeper reflection of himself, fitting with the Carl Jung philosophy of ‘Map Of The Soul’.
‘So I'm askin' once again yeah
Oh do you wanna go?
Where's your soul? where's your dream?
Do you think you're alive?’
After learning to love himself, Namjoon then looks deeper into his soul, into his persona behind the social mask. The most important aspect is deciding that whoever you are, to be at peace with that and accept yourself. You may never truly understand yourself but that’s okay and you should find peace in that.
As with everything that Namjoon is involved in, Persona is a thought provoking song. It is somewhat retro as far as BTS are concerned with the rock sound associated more so with their earlier music. There is so much packed into the 3 minutes and 16 seconds and the MV is a story all of its own. ‘Persona’ is a great song on a very complex album but I don’t think you could expect any less from our great leader, Kim Namjoon.
Paradise - Charlie
Paradise is a song that has helped me out on many worried days and nights. When my family has talked to me about what my “dream job” is, when I see people around me pursuing their passions, when I try to picture my life in 5 years.
When I get worried that I don’t have a solid idea of what I would want to do with my life, Paradise is a Godsend song that helps me out.
“Marathon marathon
Life's long so take it slow
42.195
The end is filled with a paradise of dreams”
Ever since Paradise was released, I have been assured that it’s okay to not have a dream. The song mocks how society seems to view life as a marathon, when in fact there is no marathon. You’re running for nothing, because all that matters is that you’re happy. In life, you only need to run for short bursts to achieve short-term goals like treating yourself or experiencing a happy day out, if you want.
“If having a future is the only dream existing
Then what is the dream you had last night in your bed?
It's alright if the name of the dream is different
Be it buying a laptop next month
Or just eating and sleeping”
Paradise is such a beautiful song in its sound as well as in its message. It sounds tropical, summery, airy, and the members’ vocals have a sweet and gentle quality to them. It makes me think of the relaxing sensation of sitting back, enjoying music, and waving away the notion that you have to have your entire life figured out and have big ambitions to be happy. The line “stop running for nothing, my friend” is one that I particularly adore, because of how it cries out, like the ones burning themselves out are the ones who need to alter their life’s outlook.
Yes, the members seem to refuse Paradise exists, but I think that it is one of their most important songs and I will forever sing its praises.
I’m Fine - Cheryl
I’m Fine is the 14th track on the Love Yourself: Answer album and the song relates back to an earlier song, Save Me which was released in 2016 and can be found on The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever album.
It’s difficult to talk about I’m Fine without the connection of Save Me, they are intrinsically linked – the opening music for both songs are extremely similar (if not identical). Save Me is a song about needing the love and help of someone else to be rescued so as not to fall, whereas I’m Fine is about the realisation that even without someone else they will be just fine.
Open your eyes under the cold blue sky
The pouring sunshine makes me dizzy
My breath is quickening, my heart is racing
I can feel it so easily that I’m alive
Comparing this verse to Jimin’s opening verse in Save Me, he talks about being trapped inside himself and feeling dead, whereas in I’m Fine he feels alive because he is experiencing the sunshine, racing heart and his fast breathing.
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
Hows you doin? Im fine
My sky is clear
All pain, say goodbye
Goodbye
With these lyrics he is referencing his verse in Save Me where he thanks the other person for being an us and with I’m Fine he’s acknowledging that even with an us he will be ok, he is saying goodbye to the pain as he knows he can look after himself.
My cold heart
Has forgotten how to call you
But I’m not lonely, I’m fine, I’m fine
The darkness of the night
Shakes awake my sleeping dreams
But I’m not afraid, I’m fine, I’m fine
Again there is a contrast between these lyrics and Jungkook’s lyrics in Save Me. Here the lyrics express that they no longer need the other person to feel fine, as they have forgotten how to call and that they're not afraid of darkness, unlike in Save Me where Jungkook was both lonely and scared of the darkness, feeling wrecked and finding it dangerous.
(Hey, hope world)
I’m just fine, all of my pain
I can overcome without you
I’m just fine, don’t worry
I can smile now
Because everyone knows your voice
As with the previous verses and lyrics, J-Hope’s verse is linked to Save Me and again conveys that they have grown and can now take care of themselves and no longer need to rely on someone else to save them. There is also a repetition of the reference to a voice, in Save Me he wants the voice to be raised so that he can laugh again, and here we can see he is happy because the voice is known by all.
I’m so fine, you so fine
All of the sadness and scars
Became 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
With Suga’s verse there appears to be an inner peace where the sorrow and pain previously felt are now an old memory and he is looking forward to a happy future and the fear will be put away and enjoy being fine as they have worked hard.
In the chorus they mention no longer wanting to be sad, letting go of your hand, which for me has a feeling of maturity and growth and wishing to embrace the future and being less afraid. In the final chorus the lyrics explain that even if they fall they will be just fine.
Although there isn’t an official MV for I’m Fine, there are plenty of performances to watch, I particularly enjoyed the performance on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, the way the camera angle catches how they are each supporting one another and the team work involved was fascinating and the choreography supports the lyrics too. If you’re interested in seeing Save Me and I’m Fine in one video then there is the Comeback video on M Countdown to watch.
Fake Love - Onomey
Fake Love was originally the lead single from the Love Yourself: Tear album released in 2018. It’s crazy to think that it has been three years since that song was released. When it was released, it took the world by storm through countless award show wins, breaking records and more.
It still makes me smile when I think about how mind-blown I was when this song was released. Everything from the teasers and promo made the build-up to the song, that extra bit special and exciting. It was certainly worth the wait, that’s for sure.
The song begins with an outstanding, breathy, whispered hook delivered with such expertise by V and Jungkook. Picture the delivery of the opening hook in ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’ and you’ll understand what I mean. I have a great appreciation for the use of the electric guitar in this song. The way the guitar sounds and is played in the chorus and verses are different but stand out just as well. The verses are played with an electric guitar with more reverb than anything else with notes from the chords being played individually which gives the spoken word type vocals more space in the song to thrive. When it gets to the chorus which is delivered as a screamed outpour of emotion which needs the accompaniment of a harsher toned guitar with the use of distortion. It gives me major flashback to my emo, metal and grunge phase in life which I was living for 100% as, despite this songs lyrics having a darker tone, there’s nothing that gets me more hyped up than a heavy guitar played with power chords especially with the highly emotional lyrics to coincide with it.
During the rap verses of the song, I think I love them all so much because of how different from each other they actually are in terms of their flows. For example, RMs verse is very sparse especially compared to Sugas verse which is a full out attack with not many breathing points. I’m not quite sure that I’ve heard those same flows repeated in another song of theirs. Maybe I have and have just forgotten but this is what stands out to me compared to other rap line verses.
What I adore most about the song is that when you look at the format, it isn’t exactly the most complicated one out there. It is the emotion, on which the song is built, that drives the song from start to finish. If it didn’t have that, I don’t think the song would have the same big impact that it did. It takes your breath away regardless of whether you know what the words mean or not.
Memories With BTS Pt. 3
And so it continues. This week we take a look at another set of albums from BTS’ extensive and wonderful discography.
Do you have a favourite album that you play repeatedly? Come and tell us on social media, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @BTSRadioUK
Wings - The Playlist Team
Michayla - This album not only brings us the gems of solos but it also brought us a tour. There is so much to say about this album that it’s impossible to cover it all here. My favourite songs on this album are Stigma, 2! 3! and Cypher part 4. Also, Reflection, First, Love, Awake and Lost! What an album this is! When I watched Wings The Final, I didn’t think I’d ever get to see ‘Wings’ performed live but I was ecstatic that BTS put it on the setlist for the Speak Yourself tour. I don’t think I would survive Stigma live though!
Charlie - Wings was the first BTS album I owned; I'd never purchased any kpop or BTS album before, but after hearing it, and becoming so attached to and in love with this album, I knew I had to own it. I only bought it on iTunes, not the physical copy, but still! I would listen to it in its entirety during free periods at school, from beginning to end, without skipping a single track. It takes you on a journey. It was the album that made me realise how precious each of the members are to me, as you hear their individual stories told in the stunning solos. Its dark nature is beautiful but it doesn't even make tracks like 21st Century Girls feel out of place - everything fits together, track by track, perfectly.
Cheryl - This week we decided to look at the Wings album and choose our favourite song to write about. Although my favourite song on the album is Blood Sweat and Tears I have written about this song before, so I thought I would write about Jungkook's solo song Begin this time around.
Begin explores Jungkook's feelings about the other members of BTS where he sings that if they are hurt, it hurts him more than if he himself was hurt and how he is finding himself and feels like his life is just beginning. Fifteen year old Jungkook found the world too big and he felt too small. It really is a personal, heartfelt song and I just wish I could’ve heard and seen it performed live.
Onomey - This week's playlist is filled with songs from 4 great albums that pull on my heartstrings for many different reasons. 'Love Yourself: Her' has a really special place in my heart because it was the first BTS album that I physically bought and 'YNWA' does too because as a Liverpool supporter and singing the 'YNWA' track by Gerry and the Pacemakers. It is a phrase I wholly believe in trying my best to make sure that people never do feel alone.
The ‘WINGS’ album is probably one of my favourite albums because of not only my first introduction of solo tracks on any group's album but the fact that those solo songs still held a storyline. This album seems to be darker than the previous albums because it goes into more deep and underlying insecurities, fears, trauma and temptation which is something I haven’t seen from any artist. If I have, it clearly hasn’t had an impact on me the way this album did. A few of my favourite tracks on this album are ‘Awake’ because I relate to the content of the lyrics in which you never feel good enough or if you do, you know your best at times can be nowhere near someone else’s best. The Jin solo track is about coming to terms with that and still trying so you can look back at yourself and know that you never gave up and you tried to improve yourself, despite the obstacles in your way. Another track is ‘First Love’ because I can relate to the love-hate relationship you develop with an instrument you’ve learnt to play from such a young age. Finally, the track that puts a smile on my face the most is ‘Begin’ by Jungkook as it is adorable how decided to write about the significant impact his fellow members have had on his life.
Go Go - Charlie
Despite this week's playlist being primarily about Wings, I feel like I've talked about the Wings tracks so much that I've run out of ones to write about! So, to avoid sounding like a broken record (the members did say in their unboxing video to get over Wings and Young Forever), I decided to write about Go Go - from the Love Yourself: Her album.
Go Go was released on my first day of university, when I was having to manage my money away from home for the first time while still spending some on socialising to make friends. And now, in my first job after university, it's as relevant as ever.
Go Go is the track from Love Yourself: Her with a social message, because all BTS albums have at least one social commentary track. It is all about how people spend their weeks being forced to work hard, only to blow all their money on having fun and trying to escape their troubles once they reach the weekend.
"Worked hard to get my pay, yeah
Gonna spend it all on my stomach
Pinching pennies to spend it all on wasting it
Leave me be, even if I overspend"
The message of Go Go is about how sad it is that people are forced to work all week, so feel like they need to pay for material possessions or nights out as escapism. However, in true BTS fashion, they don't just make a gloomy song about this - they make fun of the absurdity of it all. The members wear colourful dungarees and bounce around on stage, and even do the backpack kid dance for added meme-potential.
"Ooh, there's no tomorrow
There's already a mortgage on my future (Mortgage)
Ooh, spending my money even more
Friends, what's up?
Do you want some? (Want some?)"
There's even that one performance at an end-of-year show where their outfits all incorporated little red paper hearts that they revealed throughout the performance.
I also love how the members use their voices to make the song more fun. They sound youthful and sweet, injecting energy into a song so that its serious message is more palpable.
Introduction: Youth - Michayla
After writing about an outro last week, I thought I’d stick to the theme and write about an intro as these short songs really do provide us with some snippets of genius. This particular intro is from the album ‘Youth’ which is a Japanese album and brings us original songs ‘Good Day’, ‘For You’ and this intro.
‘Introduction: Youth’ is 2 minutes and 19 seconds and is a bit of a mash up because it has elements from ‘Run’ and ‘Fire’ mixed in. There is something about Namjoon’s voice in this song that makes me feel a depth of emotion that I wasn’t expecting.
‘Hm hm.. yeah, eoh
(everything) youth
(e-everything) has no age
(hirahira mau hanabira no shawā)
It just stays there
(Fire~) beautifully
(kimi shika aise nai dōse)
And it's everyone who's chasing their dreams
Like Rap Mon, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook
We're one of them who is chasing our stars
So you can call us young, and we'll never get old’
For me personally, I don’t feel 42, finding BTS has injected some youth into my life and I definitely agree that youth has no age. I think people get too caught up on the subject of age, especially when you have to spend your days being an adult and doing the mundane things that come with being grown up.
I think you can chase your dreams at any age and there’s certainly no expiry date on chasing your goals. BTS have consistently followed their dreams and hit their targets, both personally and as a group. As we go through life, our priorities and circumstances change and that may mean that we have to re-evaluate our goals but it certainly doesn’t mean that we should give up on them. BTS always work hard, had they given up at the earlier obstacles, we wouldn’t have the amazing group they are today.
Intro: Serendipity - Cheryl
Jimin’s Serendipity was the intro track to Love Yourself: Her, which was the first album released in 2017 as part of the Love Yourself trilogy. It is such a deep sensual love song, which matches his voice perfectly. On ‘Love Yourself: Her we only get 2 minutes 20 seconds of the song. The full length version was released later on ‘Love Yourself: Answer’.
Serendipity means ”the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way” according to the Oxford Dictionary. This song illustrates those words and paints this picture beautifully.
All this is no coincidence
Just, just, by my feeling
The whole world is different from yesterday
Just, just, with your joy
These lyrics show the beneficial way he is feeling joy because of the development of events that lead to this relationship and how the world he is experiencing now is different from the one yesterday.
He also sings about the blooming of a flower and I have noticed there are a lot of references to flowers in the BTS repertoire of songs - picking blue flowers (Truth Untold) flowers that cannot be bloomed (Fake Love), flowers bloom again (Spring Day) and I’m sure there are many more.
This song is about the feeling of loving someone and the worries that something will cause the feelings to end and how frightening these doubts can be.
As much as my heart flutters, I’m worried
The destiny is jealous of us
Just like you I’m so scared
It’s also about two people becoming one (a couple) as he sings: “You are me, I am you.” The song is also about how powerful the emotion of love can be, as the love from someone can have healing powers: “You’re my penicillin, saving me, saving me”.
“You are me, I am you” reminds me of the many sayings of BTS like our pride is ARMYs pride, our happiness is ARMYs happiness etc.
With the repetition of the lyrics “Just let me love you” it feels like Jimin is consumed with the love for the other person and all he wants to do is make them happy and love them. He also states they are his angel and his world which implies that they are everything to him in this world and beyond.
What could compliment the song even more - how about watching the many videos of Jimin dancing to it - he is such a fluid, creative, beautiful dancer - he makes it look effortless!
Lie - Onomey
I am hugely envious of anyone who was lucky enough to witness the performance of this song live because listening and watching live performances always takes my breath away. One could only imagine how much more impactful the song is when experiencing it in a live setting. I would love to see Jimin perform this song with a full orchestra backing him on stage. Wow, how amazing would that be?
So, if you have never heard of this song before, in order to lure you in, I would say it has a lot of BS&T vibes in the way that it is played out like a theatrical performance or an art piece come to life. Where they differ is the instrumentation used with BS&T being electronic-based and ‘Lie’ being orchestral based.
‘Lie’ is Jimin’s solo track on the ‘WINGS’ album that was released in 2016. The song surrounds the topic of two opposing forces, his true self and insecure self, fighting with each other which has resulted in a mask being created for the outer world to see so they don’t realise that he is really being swallowed up by it. There is a scene in the Burn The Stage documentary that will always make this song that extra bit special as during this scene, Jimin is crying because he thinks that he has failed to do his best at the song because his voice cracked a little bit. This shows that Jimin is able to connect with the lyrical content of the song a bit more because emotionally, he is feeling the same way to some extent. To me, it is a very powerful move to be able to be so vulnerable to sing a song that has some sort of truth.
It takes on a classic orchestral route with its composition by diverting from a typical 4/4 pop beat to a 6/8 beat which creates a choppy almost wave-like feel to the song which makes you feel the push and pull going on within the song more. This is in some way highlighting in the dance choreography as there are a lot of side steps and sways going as well and body locking that is in time with the 6/8 beat as well as the melody sung by Jimin. If this completely confuses you, I’d suggest watching a clip of a live performance of the song and pay attention to the chorus choreography whilst clapping to the beat 6/8 which is just 6 claps. What you will notice is that it is the first 4 beats that are usually in beat with the choreography whilst the other two beats are left as breather notes because the biggest impact is on the 4th beat with a strong snare beat to highlight this. If all of the things I’ve just said goes right over your head, at least you’re not wasting your time as you get to witness Jimin and his incredible dance moves.
Jimin's vocal performance of this song is so beautiful. The thing that I love about his vocals, is not how excellently he performs the song as we all know he has magnificent vocals, especially in the higher ranges. It is the timbre used throughout the song that keeps you wanting more, enticing you further and further into the song. It evolves the song from just another song to a story done in song form.
An example of the timbre changing is in the pre-chorus where he is kind of whispering whilst the instrumentation is also low as he is trying to escape as he sings ‘it continues even when I run away’ begging to be saved before breaking out in full voice whilst he freely announces that he is ‘caught in a lie’. I like the chorus because it kind of tricks people into thinking that this is a happy section as the vocals are sung higher and loud but in reality, it is him realising what is happening and begging for his inner self or someone else to realise also and to help him break free from the torture he is putting himself through. The biggest outcry of all is in the bridge which gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it, especially the last note he hits as you can hear him delivering it in a way where it seems like his vocals are dragging and straining which is what is going on with his character in the song. ‘I am still the same person I was before. I am here, the same person I was from before but an overgrown lie is trying to swallow me whole’.
Memories with BTS Pt. 2
Part two of our look through BTS' amazing discography is here. Our playlist team has compiled a playlist of four more albums, add it to your Spotify here:
Did you know that BTS Radio UK are on all social media platforms? Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and even Weverse.
The Most Beautiful Moment In Life: Young Forever
Michayla - What an album! This album is amazing and it is one that I personally feel that all ARMYs should listen to. This album gives us so much from new songs to remixes to full length versions. This album is of course a compilation of The Most Beautiful Moment In Life parts 1 and 2 plus some new songs. My favourite songs on this album are not possible to list because I love the whole album. ‘Dope’ comes out on top but that’s because that was the song that made me ARMY. After that? Goodness me! From ‘Intro: The Most Beautiful Moment In Life’ to ‘Autumn Leaves’ to ‘Whalien 52’ to ‘Save Me’ and then there’s ‘Fire’ and ‘Butterfly’ and ‘I Need U’ and... see… this album is phenomenal and some ARMYs would even say it’s their ultimate album, understandably. Whether it is your favorite album or not, there is no denying that this is one jam packed, diamond in the BTS discography.
Charlie - This album is very special to me, as it was the first physical BTS album I owned. I have memories of making my family listen to Hold Me Tight in the car on the way to school whenever I felt like pushing my luck, and it also has the classic tracks of Run and Fire, which my family actually like - so I am thankful for this album giving my family some sort of connection to BTS. It also shows that this album is excellent to introduce people to BTS. It has the same quality that older fans remember growing up with (it was the album that made many fans fall for BTS, and I Need U was its first win that helped support their journey to the top), while still being quite mature compared to their Skool trilogy.
Onomey - This album is very iconic because it has so many absolute bops in it that are mostly given as suggestions for people who are not familiar with the group. If you’re wondering what songs I’m about, I’m talking about ‘Run’, ‘Save Me', ‘Dope’, and ‘Fire’. They are all amazing, fast and uptempo songs that tend to capture people straight away because of the raw-edged synths and wobbles and top quality choreography throughout that may blow your mind as to how a group of people can dance so energetically and sing at the same time, as a group. Looking back at these songs I would suggest newcomers have a listen to ‘Dope’ just so you can listen to the rap line in the verses letting you know how much work they put into what they do, which is still shown in the songs they release to this day. If you’re a big fan of videography then check out ‘Save Me’ for sure so you can see how they managed to shoot that video in one take. Yes, I said one take! ‘House of Cards’ shows off the talented vocal line and the ranges and harmonies to the point where it will leave you shook after listening. It's definitely one of my favourites.
Outro: Love Is Not Over - Michayla
This was a tough week for choosing a song to write about as you may have guessed from my rambling above, where ‘Young Forever’ is concerned. I feel that sometimes, the Intro’s and Outro’s aren’t always given the love they deserve so this is my way of highlighting one of them.
For the purpose of this piece of writing, I’m going to talk about the 2 minutes and 23 seconds outro that completes ‘The Most Beautiful Moment In Life: Part 1’. The album was released on 29th April 2015 and forms the beginning of the HYYH era. This era is known as HYYH because it relates to ‘HwaYangYeonHwa’ which is commonly translated to ‘The Most Beautiful Moments In Life’ but a direct translation of 花樣年華 (which was a temporary tattoo on Jimin’s body at 2014 MAMA) actually translates ‘The years that shine and are beautiful like flowers’.
The whole HYYH concept is about Youth being the most beautiful time in someone’s life and many of the songs show the struggles of those years. Older ARMYs will know the struggles of growing up and as many of us are parents now, we get to relive the struggles but through our children. During this era, BTS go through the process and it is essential to remember that they were very young at the time themselves.
‘Love Is Not Over’ is a tragic romance story.The shortened version that is the outro on part 1 is the vocal line only but the extended version which was released on ‘Young Forever’ includes the rap line too.
It’s that sad moment in a relationship when you realise that there is a distance between you, when things aren’t the same any more and you think you may have grown apart.
‘Why are you getting farther away?
So far that I can’t reach you?
Tell me why, you’re so far away, why
Can’t you see me in your eyes anymore?’
It’s difficult when this happens, no matter what age you are, but in the throes of youth, when hormones and uncertainty are rife, it’s even more of a struggle. Feelings and life experiences are so raw during those years and even though it is all part of the growing process, it doesn’t make it any easier to handle or any less painful.
‘Without you, I don't think I can be
Love me, love me
Come back to my arms
Love is painful, something painful yeah
It seems that goodbyes are painful, something more painful’
The short outro version is a harrowing but beautiful song and a year later on 2nd May 2016 ARMYs were gifted with the extended version on ‘Young Forever’. This is a fantastic era, with fantastic albums and fantastic songs.
The Stars - Cheryl
As you may remember we are revisiting BTS early albums and their tracks to write about, so this week I have chosen The Stars to give my attention to and explore what the song is about. The Stars is a track from their first Japanese album “Wake Up” and the song was released on Christmas Eve in 2014, which must have been a real treat for Army.
The Stars is a song about not giving up on your dreams, no matter how hard the road is and how little by little, step by step, dreams can become a reality. It also explores how some dreams mean travelling a difficult path, but if you stay focused and have the support of others we can change ourselves to have a more positive mindset.
In Suga’s verse he raps about life having its ups and downs like a seesaw, which is interesting as in 2018 “Seesaw” became his solo track from Love Yourself: Answer.
My favourite lyrics from Suga’s verse are:
No matter how much I run, like a running machine
The scenery of this city won't change
No matter how serious I become, as I become serious
The gear/cog wheel rewinds and rushes
In J-Hope’s verse he raps about the urges to give up and life being more valuable, here I wonder if he felt like he was missing out on life by following his dreams but again he states to take little steps and to continue forward. My favourite lyrics are:
‘There are unpleasant things sometimes
BUT if we're together, it’s like a harmony surrounds us
Our warm hands together, hugging our
Chest and hopes, all the way to our hearts
Understanding each other THAT'S RIGHT We'll change to a super positive MIND
So don't worry (NO WAIT)
LIFE'S A GAME Time to enjoy (GO PLAY)
WE RIDE (GO WAY) WE RIGHT (OKAY)
Escaping my future (GO STRAIGHT)’
With RM’s verse he raps about finding happiness and doubts surrounding this and how they want money, fame and everything but still they feel the same inside. My favourite lyrics are:
‘That's the only thing money can't buy
The dreams are free size, aim to the vast skies
In your chest yes! The big milky way ON THE FLOW!’
With the vocal line completing the song with the chorus, they each reference being like the stars up in the sky and shine as if you too are going to disappear – although I find these lyrics rather sad, there is also a feeling of being brave and going for your dreams and be the best and brightest you can be.
Exploring BTS’s discography stars are mentioned in many of their songs; Wishing on a star, Mikrokosmos, Magic Shop, Boy With Luv etc. RM once said that if Army were ever feeling lonely, to look at the moon as a way to feel connected, and I feel this could be used with stars too.
I Like it Pt. 2 - Charlie
My first memory of this BTS classic was when the dance practice video of it was released as part of Festa celebrations. BTS’ Japanese discography never misses, and I Like it Pt 2 is no exception.
‘Where are you? Let’s meet again
Let’s say a meeting place for example
Let’s go eat together again, I’ll invite you
But it doesn’t have any particular meaning’
Starting with the nostalgic sounds of a tape whirring followed by a cute jingle, I Like It Pt. 2 “At that place” is about meeting up again with a past lover, whom it now feels awkward to be around. In that sense, it sounds cute and bouncy, like an awkward teenager who still has bubbling, flustered feelings for someone that they know they probably shouldn’t. This cheeky feeling is accentuated by the little pelvic thrusts in the chorus, which are attractive but also just adorable.
‘At that place, again with you
At that place, if we can meet
At that place, I’ll be waiting
I want you to come girl’
This song gives me Summery feelings. It is soft and airy, and just feels utterly fun. I especially love how creative the choreography is, specifically when the other members pretend to be doors which Namjoon walks through to use Jimin’s hand as a telephone.
‘Today too memories pass through the LAN cable
The memories draw me back, your hair from behind
I’m always looking at the blue screen, I start to hate it
Every time I feel like clicking the “like” button I try calling you
Hello?
I wish that you remember me, If you could maybe…’
Sound and choreography aside, the lyrics themselves are very sweet. I’m a sucker for a romantic Yoongi verse, and I very much enjoy that this song starts off with a long Yoongi verse where he laments about how a wall has formed between him and his ex, and his regrets for how they now pass by each other without speaking.
Hold Me Tight - Onomey
Have you ever listened to a song that never really captures your attention at first but then all of a sudden it becomes one of your favourites? This is how I fell in love with ‘Hold Me Tight’. When I first listened to the song by ear, I liked it but it wasn’t one of my top songs on the album. That was until I listened to a performance of the song on YouTube and completely fell in love with it.
The way they perform it, all together in one line, live, is just amazing. The subtle little harmonies in certain points, round up the song so well and give it an extra kick. It is also great to see pure emotion and effort put into them all when they perform because I believe that also helps out with the interaction with the fans who were and still are enjoying the beautiful performance.
I chose to write about ‘Hold Me Tight’ because it is a song that I can never skip when it comes on. Despite the negative topic surrounding the lyrics, the song is so relaxing and pure. The song begins with piano-playing arpeggiated notes in the higher register on repeat making it feel like you’re about to fall into a dream state or back in time.
The song is about a relationship slowly but surely coming to an end but the writer not being able to let go of the relationship and wanting it to go back to when the relationship was at its best and most comfortable. The boys sing about just wanting to be held tightly by that person so they don’t have to go through the struggle that will entail without them so they are trying to prolong the inevitable break-up. This is shown by ‘I can’t breathe without you. I’m nothing without you’ and ‘How can I breathe when I’m a corpse without you? It hurts, I always cry, cry, cry’.
By the time the chorus swings around, I’m singing my heart out (badly) because the long melodic simple melodic lines are hard to resist and give me goosebumps. The dark, moody and aggressive rapping by J-Hope captures you and takes hold of your positive feelings and pulls you back down into a more dark and angst-filled emotion. The song keeps you on your toes for this reason because it’s not just a smooth sailing love song throughout. It takes you through the tough up and down parts that I can only describe as trying to sail tough waves in the sea battling against each other then hitting periods of smooth water but in the end, the waves take over. Suga describes it way better than me by saying in the bridge ‘your cold face tells me everything said in words. Our breakup pulls toward me like a high tide. I know it’ll soon be our last but I can’t let you go. Don’t say, don’t go, just hug me quietly, girl’.
Looking back, I feel so stupid that I missed many years not giving this song the love it deserves because it is a true emotional masterpiece. It’s not over the top in any certain emotion but has enough to really pull in and make you listen to what they have to say. So if you’re feeling in the mood to be taken on a journey of emotions topped with sweet and creamy vocals, then definitely jump on onto our playlist and listen out for this song.
Memories with BTS Pt. 1
There has been so much excitement with the release of Memories 2020 so the Playlist Team have used that as a great opportunity to look back at the amazing albums in BTS’ discography, right from the beginning. Part 1 explores the first four albums:
Dark and Wild chosen by ARMY
Michayla - This week, the poll caused a lot of meltdowns among BTS ARMY and I understand the difficulty in choosing just one album from the 4 because I have at least 2 ultimate favourite songs from each album. But it was ‘Dark and Wild’ that reigned supreme and I’m not even mad. There is so much to love about this album and my favourite songs are ‘War Of Hormone’, ‘Rain’, ‘Let Me Know’ and ‘Cypher Pt. 3: Killer’. It was difficult to name just those 4 because this is a fabulous album full of angst and teen drama as you would probably expect from a group of such young guys as they were at the time. The Cypher's are a class of their own and I struggle to decide which one is my favourite. Part 3 usually comes out on top with Part 4 just behind it. There is something so edgy about ‘Killer’ though that I go back to again and again. I know that ‘War Of Hormone’ was controversial at the time but I really do love that song and the MV. When I was growing up (many moons ago), all young male groups sang songs with similar lyrics about girls so perhaps I see it from a different perspective; I would give anything to see BTS perform it now and it’s a shame that they won’t. ‘Dark and Wild’ is a super album, full of edgy tunes, deep emotions, angst, drama and haunting sounds. If you are new to the fandom and haven’t listened to it yet, I would highly recommend it.
Cheryl - With the album Dark and Wild winning this week's poll - the first 4 BTS albums, I chose to write about 2nd Grade. For me, the melody just grabbed me and the repetition of the lyrics "Still everyday, Bang it bang it, bang it bang it" just hooked me in. The song is about their feelings being in their 2nd year following their debut, gaining confidence whilst having a long way to go and the lessons they are being taught, but also how they wish the teachers would give them a break. The rap line is fast and powerful and the vocal line adds a softer sweeter contrast.
Charlie - I'm not surprised at all that Dark & Wild won the poll. This album produced in a garage is one of the most beloved BTS albums ever. Personally, I find it hard to pick a favourite track from it as they're all so amazing in different ways. We have War of Hormone, the song that made Taehyung my bias, we have the gorgeous ballads of Rain and Let Me know, but we also have songs that I can have a right bop to like the legendary (and some might say, the best Cypher) Cypher PT 3: Killer. This album is killer; it's incredible and so hard to believe that BTS were rookies when they produced this.
Onomey - This week's poll winner was the ‘Dark & Wild’ album. It is an album filled with absolute tunes which are now iconic in their great legacy. It is very difficult to choose a favourite song in this album because of the range of genres that are used throughout. Instead, I will talk about a few highlight songs for a few songs. I’d say that my favourite MV in this album is Danger because of the choreography in it. I’m a massive sucker for body popping and brilliant footwork which this MV is packed full of from the very first moment which hits you in the face and draws you in, so I would say that the ‘Danger’ MV is my favourite in this album. Songs I find that gets overlooked a lot are ‘Does That Make Sense?’ which is an outro track with the vocal line and ‘Blanket Kick’. ‘Blanket Kick’ is a cute electric guitar-based song talking about when you start doing silly things in order to make your crush happy. If you’re trying to picture how this song would sound, try to imagine BTS singing these lyrics to you.
‘Only you, only you
Again, I’m acting weird in front of you
You’re so pretty, pretty, pretty
But why am I like this?
I sleep and kick my blankets around’
I could go on about every song but I am saying that it is an album full of gems so if you haven’t checked it out then do so as soon as possible.
Boy In Luv - Michayla
There are some songs that, for whatever reason, catapulted their way to my heart and ‘Boy In Luv’ is one of them. It could be because my daughter was obsessed with the song and MV when she first became ARMY so when I fell down the rabbit hole, it was the one song I heard repeatedly. According to my daughter, ‘Boy In Luv’ was the answer to everything and years later, I now feel the same way about ‘ON’ so have managed to get my own back. Whatever the reason for it, this song is still one of my favourites on one of my favourite albums so it seemed only right that it was the song that I chose to write about.
‘Boy In Luv’ is the ultimate teenage high school love song about someone trying to win over their love interest. The lyrics describe the confusion as they explore their feelings for this girl, questioning their actions and hers.
‘You make me so angry and mad for no reason
I'm serious but you make me into a loser who picks fights with you
Why do I care so much about you?
You're making a big boy act like a little kid
But, I'm going to flip the situation, from friends to lovers’
In the MV you see the seven members in school uniform in various areas of a school, from the classroom, corridor and even the bathroom. If you haven’t seen the making of the MV or behind the scenes, I would highly recommend it because Jin has to slam the girl against the lockers and he is so sweet about it. I would also recommend watching the MV because at just over 385k views, it is a crime that it is so far off of 500k.
Being young and finding your way in the world is tough. Exploring your feelings for someone and trying to work out how to appeal to your crush is also very difficult. BTS are quite bolshy saying ‘If you lose a guy like me, you’ll regret it.’ However the lyrics that follow that are quite desperate at times which shows how confusing that time in your life can be:
‘You checked my text message but you're not pressing send
The "1" disappears, making me so anxious
Maybe I'll buy a GPS navigation (Quickly quickly quickly)
I keep trying to appeal to you (trying trying trying)
Genuine feelings? (I got em) Endurance? (I got em)
The only thing I don't have is your beauty beauty beauty
How should I change for you? (hold up)
Playing mind games? Two-timing? I don't know how to do that
But if you're ever sick, don't call 911 but call me
Tell me to cry, I'll cry, tell me to smile, I'll smile, tell me to roll around, I'll roll around’
‘Boy In Luv’ is a song exactly as the title suggests, on an album that is full of wonderful songs. For oldies like me, I can look back at my teenage years and relate to the situations in the song and for the younger generation that are experiencing those times now, they should be able to connect to the lyrics. This song might be about a time that many of us older ARMYs have long since forgotten but we can still find a love for it all the same.
Danger - Charlie
With baby ARMYs joining thanks to Permission to Dance (and the other tracks that have made the fandom increase so much lately), Danger is definitely a track that should be introduced to them. It shows off BTS’s old hip-hop style while still being a song that even non-hip-hop-philes will definitely appreciate.
It also has emo vibes to it almost, in that it is an angsty song where the members complain about being in love with someone who seems to ignore them, and confuses them by being unclear in their feelings. It is a song about how confusing young love can be where you don’t know where you stand. The members also sound angry in it, especially Taehyung and Jimin’s post-chorus where they repeat “I’m so sick because of you!” and “You’re so mean to me!”.
“Missed calls, unlock you're wanted
I'm trying to find out your real mind
All you did was sending me 2 lines of text message
Is this the relationship I wanted? Dream?
Where did all the love stories go?
TV dramas don't make any sense
I grab my hairs hundreds of times
You look calm, you dump me”
Speaking of the emo vibes, I partly chose this song to write about after noticing Jungkook’s emo side-fringe in the Permission to Dance music video, and how similarly it looks to Jungkook’s hair in this MV. It makes me think of how I love how BTS can put many different styles together (for example upbeat, and grungy), and still both vibes feel very quintessentially BTS.
Therefore, while we’re enjoying BTS’ new music and reaching great heights with them, let’s also look back at their old title tracks, which show the diversity of their sound.
While it is a hip-hop sounding track, it still stands very well as a vocal track too. In fact, my favourite part of the song is the pre-chorus. Seeing Jin in his pretty pink hair, matches his soft vocals, and Jimin’s husky voice warms us up for the chorus.
“You don't have me, but I'm so full of you
I'm going crazy
So why do I keep doing this?
Why do you make me a fool?
I'm warning you now
Don't make me confused”
Attack On Bangtan - Cheryl
I listened to this song for the first time, after a very long time recently and it just captivated and felt like a reawakening. So, when we decided to look at the early BTS songs it was an easy decision to choose to write about Attack on Bangtan.
The passion and enthusiasm just flew into my ears and immediately my mood was lifted. This is just such an energetic, loud, fun song and if you get a chance to look at the videos on YouTube of BTS doing dance practices, I recommend you do so.
In the early songs, it really felt like they were showcasing their talents and in this song we get treated to a rapping and singing Jungkook, where did rapping Jungkook go? I also, loved the duets too; Jin and Jimin, and Jimin and Tae, we also get the rap line performing all together, which adds depth to the lines of the song.
The song is about the rise of Bangtan (BTS), which considering this was released back in September 2013, it was a very bold move, but I wonder if they could ever have expected the actual rise they are experiencing and I wonder just how high will they go as I feel they haven’t peaked yet? For info, RM, J-Hope and Suga are listed among the writers of the song.
The lyrics are full of confidence and I wonder how this song was received when the song was originally released. Looking at the lyrics it would appear that history has been proven in the present.
The chorus:
Who are we? The rising BTS
Who are we? We will swallow you without fear
Cuz we got fire fire fire
Get higher higher higher
If you don't know us, get to know us well
Who are we? Who? The rise of Bangtan
With the line “If you don’t know us, get to know us well” I wonder if they fully realise how many hours Army spend doing just this….!
Second verse:
When our music starts, people go crazy, go nuts
Our style is No More Dream, stepping on our seniors' backs on stage (I'm sorry man)
What? What more can I say? From our debut album til now, we climb up
Climbing to the top is a matter of time, the first block of the dominos has been pushed down
These lyrics apologise to their elders for achieving greater success and how they feel that from the point of debut they will keep reaching for the top and that the obstacles have started to fall (like dominoes). New Army may not appreciate just how far HYBE (BigHit) have come, from BTS’s debut when there were 3 larger record producing companies in South Korea that ruled the industry.
Enjoy visiting or revisiting BTS early songs, they really are full of hunger and passion and well worth a listen but be careful to not fall down the BTS rabbit hole – time will be lost, but it is a fun place to be!
Rain - Onomey
I chose to write about Rain because it shows how amazing the group's potential to expand into so many genres. This song could’ve been viewed as too much of a risk from a group that was still classed as rookies at that time.
For those who have just started dipping their toes into the deep pond that is BTS. ‘Rain’ was released on the group's first full-length album in 2014. What I like about BTS is that diversity in the range of genres has always been a thing from the time they debuted, even when they were supposed to be a fully hip hop group, they didn’t limit themselves in what music they decided to release.
Through studying music, I fell in love with Jazz, the unpredictability of the genre, and how you can never be wrong when playing Jazz music. It can range from being very chaotic with a billion notes at a time that may be in or out of key or sound relaxed and chilled which is the approach that BTS had taken. It sounds so out of place within the album which made me second guess whether I was still listening to the same album when I first heard it. For sure, the song is an unexpected blessing, as soon as that upright bass is introduced with the contrasting lines by Jungkook and V singing with RMs relaxed talk rapping before the drum kit kicks in and his full rap flow takes control.
The chorus does so well to enforce a distinct difference between the verses as it makes you relax a little bit more because of the lightness and ease in how they deliver the vocals.
‘The thick colour of a rainy day in Seoul
I still can’t fall asleep as I fade away
The rain stops and the reflection in the puddle
I see myself looking more miserable today’
You’re probably thinking, oh wow, there are some depressing lyrics but when listening to the song as a whole, it does take you on a journey but not one that has you super depressed because of the clever instrumentation filling in the empty spaces with improvised runs whether that was on the piano or bass. To me, this is what I love most about Jazz. The instrument can be used almost like another vocalist. When looking at the lyrics, the instrumentation acts as a representation of how their minds are feeling whilst they are talking about being lost in an endless cycle of routines. The piano is all over the place at certain parts and even out of key, which is like their minds being out of sync as a result of their repeated schedule.
This song as a newbie to BTS is a wonderful and eye-opening experience to how early on their range in talents are shown. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.
P, T, D by BTS
Permission To Dance is rocking the charts all over the world so our playlist team have put a playlist together with songs that begin with a P, T or a D.
Have you learnt the lyrics to Permission To Dance yet? Is it a work in progress?
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/44S9awE1atzSoA40zNrOxd?si=faf6e16d40b44dc0
Paradise chosen by ARMY
Michayla - The sad story this week was how Outro: Propose only received 1% of the votes (enter crying emoji). The winner, however, was given a bit of a battle with Intro: Persona coming in second. I wasn't expecting Paradise to win, I actually thought Persona would reign triumphant. I really like that Paradise won though. The Love Yourself: Tear album is a great album. This song is upbeat but smooth, with lyrics you can sing along to in parts. I think it's one of those rare songs that you can relax to or tap your toes to.
Charlie - Paradise is one of my most beloved BTS tracks. Aside from its cool, unique vibe, and how it relaxes me, the lyrics themselves are so reassuring and are exactly why I love BTS’ message. The song is all about how it’s okay if you don’t have a big dream or ambition in life; if you’re happy, then that’s paradise. At a time when we’ve been burnt out from the pandemic and forced to show ourselves as being productive, this song is so important. It links so perfectly to BTS’ overall message about the road to happiness and putting less pressure on yourself.
Cheryl - Paradise won the poll this week with Persona a close second. Paradise is about life being a marathon and not a sprint, so there is no need to run or rush if you don’t have a reason too. It’s about living in the moment and not adding too much pressure to ourselves and enjoying the scenery. Live our own dreams and not other people’s as they become a burden, which is relevant to us all no matter how old you are!
Onomey - Paradise is the song you want to listen to this summer for sure alongside the amazing summer releases that BTS has given to us this year. With the extremely hot weather, there’s nothing better than listening to a slow lo-fi R&B-sounding song. It’s the message of the song and the tempo of it that merge well as the tempo of the song makes you want to sit down and relax which then allows you to sit and really listen to what the lyrics are saying. It is ok to not hurry to achieve your dreams all the time as everyone needs an opportunity to sit and relax, especially if that means that you are experiencing happiness in that current time and space you’re in. This song for sure alongside 134340 is one of my most favourite and underrated songs on the Love Yourself: Tear album just because of the message. It is an underrated one that people don’t tend to take into consideration when trying to dream.
Don't Leave Me - Michayla
'Don't Leave Me' is a song on the tracklist of BTS' third Japanese album, Face Yourself, which was released in April 2018 and is a part of the Love Yourself era. The album was released through Def Jam which is owned by its parent company Universal Music Group who have been involved in most of BTS' Japanese songs and albums. As well as Japanese versions of some old favourites, the album included three new songs and 'Don't Leave Me' was one of them, along with 'Let Go', and my absolute favourite Japanese song 'Crystal Snow' (which sadly doesn't begin with a P, T or D).
The lyrics to this song are quite traumatic and are written like a letter pleading with someone to stay. My heart hurts as I read them, it's heartbreak in a song. For those who have experienced a break up, it's that moment when you're in limbo, when you think it's over but you cling on until that definitive point. When words exchanged aren't clear and you have that ugly feeling in the pit of your stomach that the person is going to end the relationship and walk away.
'Verse 1: V
There are several layers of meaning
To your words, What is what?
Verse 2: RM
Mysterious footprints
Find them and follow
Cornered are my shadows
Hidden behind the light, what?
Verse 3: J-hope
Can't meet you, the only one who knows my answer
Before it comes to an end
I wanna know everything
Pre-Chorus: Jungkook
The more time flows, the more it deepens
I’m between your past and future right now’
Considering the emotive feel of the lyrics, the music is quite haunting. When Taehyung’s voice comes in at the start, it is so low and beautiful that it really sets the tone or so you think. Namjoon follows, then Hobi sings with such conviction that I feel it changes the whole sound. The beat comes in after Jungkook and it's such a funky, jazzy sound. From the beat onwards it stays quite upbeat but definitely changes tempo, never quite returning to the solemn beginning but it certainly feels like a roller coaster ride. Each member's voice is so distinctive and lends itself perfectly to the music.
I suppose that 'Don't Leave Me' is about someone who is clutching at straws in order to save the relationship they don't want to end. In situations like these, it is usually a positive thing once viewed with hindsight but at the time you'll do anything in your power to keep the status quo. Once you are able to face yourself and love yourself, life usually makes more sense. If you haven't heard this tragic but powerful song, I'd highly recommend heading to BangtanTV on YouTube where you'll find the album.
Paldogangsan - Charlie
Paldogangsan should be listened to while you’re streaming Permission to Dance, because let’s not forget why it’s one of the most interesting songs in BTS’s discography.
In this song, the raps are all in Satoori (hence, the song’s other title of Satoori Rap), which means ‘regional dialect’. This is because the song involves the rap line explaining why their native region of Korea is so great, and why their slang, food and people are the best. This is such a unique topic for a track, and as a lover of language and words, this track has always stood out to me as a signal of how innovative BTS are as songwriters.
Paldogangsan is from the album O!RUL8,2?, and is one of their earlier tracks - suitably, it tells us about some of the many facets that BTS are all about: Clever wordplay, South Korean pride, and sass that radiates through every bar. In terms of the wordplay, I can’t even understand half the lyrics without research as they use Korean puns and reference obscure Korean slang. And that’s the beauty of it: it’s not just surface level. As with everything BTS does, you have to dig deeper to see what they intended.
What I most love about it is how it’s not just a song, but a conversation. The members argue with each other throughout the song, and say certain lines with regional accents, which is so cool to hear. It feels like a proper performance, a theatrical one even.
“What did you just say?
Oh my, your smack talk about Jeollado
Is making people clam up
But all they need is to eat Heuksando’s
Skatefish to clear their minds
So are you okay with that?”
Despite the arguing, the song ends with a great unifying message about how, even though people are from different parts of the country, they are all still Korean, and are the same inside.
“Okay, I’ll honestly become honest
Kyeongsangdo accents
Make guys want to use it
Jeollado words sound so friendly
Once I start to use it, I get all happy
Why keep fighting
In the end, it’s all the same Korean
Look up, we are all
Looking at the same sky”
So, Paldogangsan is a fun song, with awesome raps, interesting wordplay and slang, and has an amazing message. It is the full package, and I would recommend it to anyone.
Dream Glow - Cheryl
Dream Glow is a collaboration with Charli XCX, an English singer and songwriter. She started out posting songs on MySpace in 2008 where she was discovered by a promoter and she has gained success featuring on a number 1 single “I Love It” in 2013.
Dream Glow is sung by Jin, Jimin and Jung Kook and features on the BTS World game OST, which was released in 2019. Charli had originally written the song in 2016 and it was titled “Glow”; she met BTS in 2017 and gave them the song for consideration. After some time and a bit of adaptation to Korean “Dream Glow” was created.
As the title suggests the song is about having dreams and following them. Sometimes the dreams come true and sometimes they don’t (turn blue). Sometimes there are obstacles suggested by the phrase “Won’t lose to an opponent I haven’t brushed against”. But from within there is a desire, an undying light to succeed and never give up – so the dreams are followed.
The phrases “what used to be a blinding future, pausing it for a while”; “can’t see the stop sign, what you gonna say” and “nice boys with scratched knees they used to hide away” make me think of the gamers playing BTS World – pausing their futures to play the game, or pausing the game to return to their futures, perhaps being judged as they are unable to stop playing and the nice boys with scratched knees from playing outside and not playing BTS World indoors – I feel this implies that boys hid away because they really wanted to play BTS World but perhaps were unable to. I also feel that there is a divide between those that play BTS World (or similar) and those that play games outside, perhaps both being judged by the other or simply not being accepted.
The vocals of Jin, Jimin and Jung Kook are a slight contrast to Charli XCX’s vocal which sounds deeper in tone and her “Hey, Hey”, heard often sounding further away, which adds to the texture of the song.
The song itself seems to fit very well into the BTS World soundtrack, it's very catchy and fun to listen to, although I wonder if there is a darker undertone to the song regarding the loss of time and dreams if one spends too long playing games. Then there is the line, “You’ll glow” in the chorus which suggests playing the game is only a pause on your future course and that in time you will reach your potential and you will glow.
Daechwita - Onomey
I’m gonna say something that may throw you all when reading this piece. There are many reasons as to why you should check this song out but I needed to tell you all who this song reminds me of. So ok, hear me out, it reminds me of KSI because I watched his reaction to ‘Daechwita’ and I was surprised that he was in love and hyped up by the first 15 seconds. At one point he nearly fell out of his chair because he was that amazed by the rapping flow of Yoongi saying ‘the man is spitting bars’, the scenery, and the swagger Yoongi gave us in the MV. By the end of the video, he was attempting to join in with Yoongi in the chorus. He even added the song to his Spotify playlist mid-video too. Everyone should follow his lead and do the exact same thing. In fact just add our amazing playlist for you to listen to with this week's theme, sit back and enjoy the musical talents of the boys.
When I watch this MV, I always wonder how much this probably cost to make as it was filled with beautiful buildings and scenery. The location of where this MV was filmed at MBC Daejanggeum Park where multiple South Korean dramas have also used this location. I don’t blame them for picking that MV set as it is unbelievable
I adore the fact that this song orientates around everything that is traditional to Korea especially instrumentation because I love to listen to music that educates me as well as sounding good. I had never heard of Daechwita until this song but found myself fascinated with the instruments used in this genre because they sound completely different to what sound westerners can produce with instruments that are very similar to the instruments used in traditional Daechwita. Instruments that tend to be used are nabal (brass horn’), Nagak (seashell horn), taepyeongso (shawn), Jing (gong), Jabara (cymbals), and finally yonggo (a type of drum played with mallets). I never thought that combining all of those types of instruments and putting a trap beat in it would make it sound so good and hyped up. With Daechwita being about the changing guard's ceremony, which is very slow-moving, Yoongi transforms it into a very hyped-up and energetic song showing his extremely amazing talents.
This song reached a number of achievements such as being the first male soloist in history to have a song and album reach #1 on iTunes in 100 countries each, the fastest MV by a Korean soloist to reach 4m likes on YouTube in just 11 hours and 12 minutes and getting over 260M views on YouTube. I'm sure the achievements for this song will continue to grow at a rapid rate.
Playlist Team Streaming
The Playlist Team wanted to contribute to all the streaming playlists this week to help UK ARMY. This playlist gives you the 10 streams you need. Remember that you can find playlists for all platforms here:
https://btsuk.carrd.co/#playlists
Here is the Team's streaming playlist: Playlist Team Streaming
Butter chosen by ARMY
Michayla - It certainly wasn't a surprise that Butter won the poll this week. The world was taken by storm with its release and I've spent most days with the song playing multiple times on various platforms. I feel like I know the mv’s and performances off by heart and yet it is one of Namjoon’s lines towards the end that still catches me out! Butter is definitely one of the songs that I have permission to dance to and I will continue to do so, even the upper body grooving on my journey to and from work.
Charlie - By voting for this in the poll, ARMY proved that, no matter how amazing Permission to Dance is, it’s still important for us to keep streaming Butter too, and more importantly: keep enjoying dancing to it. If we’re to dance our way to the finish line of this pandemic, and finally experience the wait being over, we’ve got to also thank Butter for being the smooth, mature, retro vibe that has been keeping us and BTS happy and excitable, and not burnt out from all this waiting. Butter and Permission to Dance go so well together, because of how pretty and bouncy they both feel. They represent yet another style that BTS can conquer, and they (along with Dynamite and Life Goes On) represent the BTS that are getting us through this tough time.
Cheryl - I cannot say I’m surprised that Butter (my choice) won the poll this week as it really is a Summer dance anthem and whenever I hear it my feet start tapping. When I think of Butter it makes me smile and brings the sun out even on gloomy English summer days.
Onomey - So, I don't know if I'm the only one but when I dance to Butter I just tend to jump up and down, make goofy and silly dance moves as though I'm acting like a kid that has had too many fizzy drinks. It's such a great song to just relax, let go and whip out those crazy dance moves you've had hidden in your locker for a while. Never think you can't dance to this song as the boys have given us all multiple MVs filled with examples of how to dance to it. The verses to me are the sections of the song where you can act cool and blag that you can actually dance, the chorus is for you to release all the built-up energy and the dance break is for you to rock out to the electric keyboard mini solo that is funky as well. This song gives me and my family permission to dance and sing along together which is something special to me as it reminds me of dancing along to funk and soul tracks back in the day as a child.
Are you the type of person to get lost in your dance moves or are you someone who loves to showcase their weird and wonderful dance moves? As V said you 'don't need no Usher' to dance to the funky track that is 'Butter'. God bless Jungkook for that vocal run at the end of that line by the way. It gives me goosebumps every time I listen.
A Brand New Day - Michayla
2019 was a great year for BTS in my opinion but it seems like it was more than two years ago now thanks to the pandemic. 2019 brought us the stadium tour, MOTS: Persona and BTS World the mobile game to name just three.
The arrival of the NetMarble game, BTS World brought with it a whole OST album which is literally one of my favourite items that I own because it is so beautifully put together. There was so much thought put into the OST that it was kind of mind blowing that it was linked to a mobile game. There were three unit songs and one OT7 title track and ‘A Brand New Day’ is one of the unit songs released.
The song is a collaboration with the Swedish singer, Zara Larsson and includes Taehyung and Hobi, with Hobi listed as one of the writers. I like the tone of Zara’s voice which I feel really adds to the overall feel of the song, which is actually my favourite out of the three unit songs.
‘A Brand New Day’ might belong to an OST for a game but it has the deep meaning that comes with many of the songs in BTS’ discography. I can really relate to the lyrics, particularly one of Hobi’s verses:
‘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 the crossroads of persecution
Going my way, choices that are like mine (I heard)
Voice getting louder, the sound of breathing from happiness
I suddenly realised, I would make my dream come true, haha’
The message of self belief is quite evident here. The amazing advice that even when you are scared or doubtful you should keep your head high and power through to achieve your goals and dreams. Most of us have support from friends or family but the drive needs to come from within and you can succeed! If BTS hadn’t persevered, I doubt we have the group we all know and love today so perseverance is the key!
Not Today - Charlie
In-between streaming Permission to Dance and Dynamite, it’s worth also having a listen to Not Today, a song which is so fun to listen to as it brags about BTS’ achievements - from before they’d achieved half of what they’ve done now.
“Too hot, success is doublin’
Too hot tumbling in the charts
Too high we on trampoline
Too high someone stop us”
Not Today was the second music video released as part of the Wings: You Never Walk Alone repackage in early 2017 (before they’d even achieved their first BBMA), and it’s basically a prophecy that, even if BTS have to lose one day, it won’t be today - or anytime soon. As can be seen from the verse above, the song taunts listeners to try to stop their upward climb, but obviously no-one could.
The other music video released for the YNWA repackage was Spring Day, so I love Not Today for the same reason that I love a lot of BTS’ other upbeat tracks: after crying (with emotions that Spring Day consoles you for), or feeling low-energy, Not Today picks you up and noisily tells you to keep going, to not give up, not today at least. It fits the theme of Permission to Dance in this way; it says that BTS (and you) won’t fall yet, and that we don’t need anyone’s permission to keep having fun and dancing our way to success.
“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”
Not Today also reminds me of concerts. With its booming bass, and Namjoon’s first verse cockily stating that a day may come when they lose, but it’s not today, it is the perfect stadium banger. It feels victorious, encouraging, and it looks your fears in the face to say that they won’t defeat you.
And that’s why I can listen to Not Today on repeat, and why it fits so well in this streaming playlist.
DNA - Cheryl
With Permission to Dance being the focus of our playlist, we wanted to explore BTS songs that get our feet tapping and bodies moving. For me, I chose to write about DNA as I just love the beat and vibe of the song and it definitely makes me want to dance.
Straight away the opening whistle causes intrigue and accompanies the beat beautifully and then the song just builds and gains strength with the lyrics and the melody. It is such a punchy song.
DNA is a love song about young passionate love, where the possibility of the couple finding each other was predestined due to their DNA, which has a scientific reference, it is also claimed that their love will be eternal, there is also a mention of their meeting being a mathematical equation.
My favourite line is:
My hand reaching out to you is my chosen fate
My favourite verse is the third one:
I want it this love I want it real love
I only focus on you
You steer me a little harder
The DNA of the genesis wants you
This is inevitable, I love us
We are the only true lovers
Every time I see her, I freak out
Surprisingly, I keep gasping and it's weird, maybe
This is the emotion they call love
Because from the very beginning, my heart runs to you
These lyrics are very romantic and remind me of how my husband and I felt in the early days of our relationship, where we were totally consumed by each other and felt like we were the only ones who could understand and feel what we felt. The funny thing is that now that our children are growing up I can see them experiencing these same feelings with their new partners and I totally understand their thoughts and feelings.
The DNA dance practice was a YouTube video that really got my hooked on BTS and I have really enjoyed revisiting over the years. The synchronisation, the style and moves are just mesmerising choreography. The only issue for me, is that although I want to dance, thinking about their dance moves is rather intimidating, so I just bop to it in my own way, in the kitchen usually whilst making dinner. What’s important here is that I do dance, I don’t need permission!
Zero O’Clock - Onomey
We all love a good song that we can dance along to, don’t we? Thankfully with BTS, we are never in a shortage of danceable songs. This song to me differs from other vocal line songs as it is very dramatic in the way the vocals are delivered as they mostly sing using their head voices and falsetto. The combination of the lo-fi-sounding guitar and the trap hip-hop beats gives the song a bit of groove of the song whilst still keeping the song focused on the sense of purity and sincerity of the vocals throughout the song.
This song makes me want to dance not because of the energy of the song but the feel of it. I no longer compete in hip-hop dance competitions but it doesn’t mean I have fallen out of love with the genre of dance. There are two types of dances that come to mind that fit this song, one is a cheesy boring sidestep during the chorus which I think I’ll pass on. The other is a sort of free-styled type hip-hop dance that focuses on the use of following the way the song moves, especially relying on the vocal lines. I know you’re probably picturing some idiot dancing around their bedroom or something but it is actually therapeutic because the movements don’t rely on too much energy like a lot of BTS’s choreography. I’d describe it as a combination of locking, waving, and being very fluid within your movements adding a hint of expressive dance to it. I’m not doing a great job at describing it but all that matters is that I love dancing to this song.
I’m in love with the chorus because it’s like a mini mantra to help to make yourself feel better and is very upbeat and energetic.
‘(ooh-ooh) And you’re gonna be happy
(Ooh-ooh) And you’re gonna be happy
Like that snow that just settled down
Let’s breathe, like the first time’
Jungkook’s verse hits me hard the most because currently I relate to his verse where you feel sad for no reason and lost within life and your purpose within it. It is one of many sections throughout the song that makes you take a whole new perspective on life and how much you worry about the things going on.
‘You know those days
Those days where you’re sad for no reason
Those days where your body is heavy
And it looks like everyone else except you is busy and fierce
My feet won’t set off, though it seems like I’m already too late
I’m hateful of the whole world’
Next time you're listening to this song. Have a go at having a little dance to it. Dancing is all about having fun anyway so it's fine if you look silly doing so as I do too but it's what I love about dancing. There are no rules!
Colours with BTS
This week the playlist team have been inspired by the rainbow and have created a playlist full of songs that represent a colour or colours in some way.
Which BTS song do you associate with a colour or colours? Colours with BTS
Anpanman chosen by ARMY
Michayla - If you have seen the comeback performances of Anpanman then you will know why this song is associated with colours. The Mnet show performance is the one that immediately springs to mind as is linked below so if you haven’t seen it, check it out. The song itself is colourful, cheerful and upbeat so it really does cover all aspects. If you were lucky enough to witness any of the Speak Yourself tour you would have seen the fun BTS had on the giant inflatables on stage. Anpanman is a deserving winner of the poll because it is definitely colourful in more ways than one.
Cheryl - If you were to ask me what BTS song is the most colourful, Anpanman definitely springs to mind. The song itself is so happy and bouncy and the outfits they have worn whilst performing have definitely been bright and flamboyant, especially RM in his space suit. Then there is the inflatable they used during their live performances. With all this in mind I am not surprised Anpanman won this week’s poll.
Charlie - When I think of Anpanman, I think of the bright colours on BTS' outfits on comeback stages, of Yoongi's blue hair at that time, and of the brightly coloured bouncy castle that they sang this song on during the Speak Yourself tour. It is a bright and vibrant song, which is impossible to listen to with a frown or a grey outlook. It is one of their easiest songs to listen to, with the deep voices at the chorus, the addictive choreography and bounciness of the whole track, and of course the adorable bridge. The whole song is like happiness all packaged up.
Onomey - I have to start this off by referencing V and his deep ass voice singing 'waiting for you, Anpanman. Waiting for you, Anpanman'. I love it every time, there's just something about V when we are blessed with his deep tone of voice. The colours that come to mind when thinking of this song are bright, warm colours such as red, orange and yellow because of the bright energy that comes from the song. Those colours might have come to mind because when I tried to learn the dance routine, it has me sweating on another level, I was red hot.
This song is very energetic and screams a lot of explosive colours. In their comeback performance, the colours that are used are mostly orange and blue which are two colours that combine well. With the mention of superheroes in the hook ‘I’m a new superhero Anpanman’ it makes me think of colours that pop and that I’ve never ever wanted to skip this song when listening to it because as soon as it comes on, that main synth chord pattern just captures your soul and has you grooving along whether you want to or not. I’d be interested to know whether other people found that cooler colours remind them of ‘Anpanman’ more than warm colours do.
Intro: The Most Beautiful Moment In Life - Michayla
There are quite a few colours that I associate with this Yoongi masterpiece that is the first track on both ‘The Most Beautiful Moment In Life Pt. 1’ and ‘The Most Beautiful Moment In Life: Young Forever’. The HYYH era was colourful in itself with the whole BTS universe storyline and of course we have the multitude of colours on the hot air balloon on the cover of the ‘Young Forever’ album.
This intro is full of the red hot passion and angst that only Yoongi can deliver in his special, amazing way. Every word is punched home with so much vigour and determination, like rockets exploding with colour in the night sky. Yoongi really does get the fear across in this song, the fear that any young person would experience when the life ahead of them seems so big and scary.
‘The rim looks far away today
Sighs pile on the court
Is at peace only when he is throwing the ball
What I’m throwing at the rim
Are endless thoughts and life’s worries
I pretend to know the world but my body’s not ready for it
Shoot, the court is my playground
I follow my hand movement, the small ball bounces off my foot
My grades crawl on the ground, but I rather
Shout that everything will be alright with an empty voice
But the world scares me, just let it stop
Thoughts fill my mind, so I throw my future instead
I don’t fit the horoscope and standards of success
Thanks to that, my worries spread like cancer, god damn it’
The fact that Yoongi mentions basketball lends itself to the story of where the stage name ‘Suga’ came from. There are a few stories around and one of those is that Yoongi used to play ‘shooting guard’ so he took the first part of those and created ‘shoogua’.
My favourite verse is the final verse because I think it is perhaps something we could all relate to:
‘What am I doin’ with my life?
This moment won’t ever come back
And I ask myself again, are you happy now?
The answer is already there, I am happy’
This song starts with heavy breathing and ends with heavy breathing, it takes us on an angsty journey and we hear that Yoongi is happy by the end of it. I think what makes this song special is that it was released in 2015, so early on in BTS’s career which surely highlights the absolute genius that is Min Yoongi.
Heartbeat - Cheryl
Thinking about the month of Pride which has a colourful rainbow as it’s emblem, we are exploring BTS songs that have a sound of a colour, I chose to write about Heartbeat and the colour pink definitely comes to mind when I listen to this song. Maybe it’s the image of the pink planet but the vocals definitely stir a warm pink hue in my mind.
Opening the song with his sultry vocals we have V, singing the first line in English and I feel that this is the perfect beginning to this song as, it just grabs me and makes me pay attention.
For me, this song is a love song where BTS explore their feelings before having their Army and then how the connection between BTS and Army transcends universes and no matter in which universe we would’ve found each other as this is all our destiny.
If I was only by myself
If I didn't know you
Maybe I'd have given up
Lost at sea
When you hear my heartbeat, baby
You give me a new life, you give me a new birth
I feel your heart beat away
I been losing my mind, I been cravin' my shine
I know me before you was a ready-made me
But you designate me and you resumed me
I been calling your name in this universe
(Now I need no space)
I got youniverse, done
Coming across you is like a TV drama created by the universe (Yeah)
So many wanderings, being lost endlessly
It was you who led me through the labyrinth
You're my light and salvation
The rain is coming close to an end and I won't let go of your hand
I love how BTS express that without Army they would be lost at sea and how before Army they were just a ready made version of themselves. Then with the assistance from Army they could be who they chose to be i.e. BTS and Army helped lead them through the maze and became their light and how they don’t want to lose this connection.
With the chorus they explain how they will match steps with Army so that they cannot become separated and that we have become each other’s destiny.
Another thing I love about this song are the duets; V and Jungkook, Jimin and Jungkook, Jin and Jungkook. I feel that the duets add depth to the lyrics and just sound so good.
Heartbeat gives me comfort and fuzzy feelings and it makes me feel like I am wearing a soft, pink fluffy hoodie. I enjoy listening with my headphones on as this allows me to focus on their vocals even more and makes the song feel even more intimate.
WHO - Charlie
When thinking of songs that represent colours, I thought of Who because of its placement on Lauv's How I'm Feeling album, as the album represents different colours and therefore different parts of Lauv's personality. It is fascinating how Jimin and Jungkook's voices, and the colours they add, are used to reflect the specific feeling of melancholic romance for Lauv's album. I therefore think they represent the purple and blue colours on the album art (hopeless romantic and existential).
"Who are you?
'Cause you're not the girl I fell in love with, baby
Who are you?
'Cause something has changed, you're not the same, I hate it"
"Who" is all about the melancholic feelings of a love that has become hopeless, of the frustrations of a love that has gone sour. It has ambivalent feelings, of wanting to stay with the person but also knowing it has to end - like contrasting colours mixing in a palette.
"Feeling hypnotized by the words that you said
Don't lie to me, just get in my head
When the morning comes, you're still in my bed
But it's so, so cold"
And if anyone can evoke such complex feelings in a song while perfectly capturing Lauv's original vision, it is BTS. Specifically, Jungkook's voice has such a tenderness to it, and Jimin carries emotions so beautifully, letting you know how heavy these feelings are.
This song portrays the worried, shaking, deep blue overthinking feelings of a love that has passed and even gotten darker. There is a warmth to it, as an attempt to discuss feelings of someone being cold towards you, and its emotions are never overstated. It is a beautiful track.
Butterfly - Onomey
With it being colour week, I was thinking about what my favourite colour actually is. I’m not sure if I have one because as soon as I mention a colour, I find myself naming several others. If I had to narrow it down to two, I’d say orange and or maroon. I know very boring colours but I look good in them so that’s always great. My indecisiveness on colours is probably what made me want to write about ‘Butterfly’ as depending on where you are in the song the colour you relate to it can change which I find very interesting.
I always smile when I come across butterflies because they look so beautiful, colourful and elegant. Growing up, I remember that there would always be a white butterfly in the garden. We would say it was my nan so they give me a bit of comfort and happiness when I see them.
‘Butterfly’ by BTS makes me think of more cold colours in comparison to ‘Anpanman’ because of the slow feel of the song and the emotion which makes the colour blue and dark purple spring to mind. This song is a ball of emotion that is consistently riding the waves of different shades of blue as the song develops. In RM’s verse I imagine the waves being very hectic, aggressive and high until the end line where he eases the aggression in his tone, then I imagine white skies and a strong yellow sun shining through as he says ‘my love that is forever, it’s all free for you baby’
The tones in the vocals in this song are very light in order to show the full emotion in the way that it is sung. It is like they sing as though it is meant for a lullaby, especially in the chorus, but the lullaby is disrupted by the rap line's aggressive emotional verses. I’m in love with Sugas verse, even though it’s quite dark it is still beautifully written.
‘You’re just like a butterfly
From afar, I steal glances; if we touch hands, will I lose you?
You shine in this pitch darkness that is the butterfly effect
Your light touches, I forget the reality at once’
The beautiful thing that is beautiful about a butterfly is that it can come in all kinds of different shapes, sizes and colours. The range in them is vast which is why I think this song is perfectly named because it takes you on a number of different emotional journeys which make you relate to so many different colours depending on who you ask or what mood you are in.
Love Yourself with BTS
June is the month of Pride and it serves as a reminder that we should all be loving and accepting each other as well as ourselves. The Love Yourself era spanned across three albums and the playlist team has chosen that as the theme this week.
Do you have ideas for a future theme? Get in touch with us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Meanwhile you can add the playlist to your Spotify here: Love Yourself with BTS
So What chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I really struggled to pick just one song in the poll because there were four fabulous options. I have a personal love for the Love Yourself era because I became ARMY in August 2018 and Answer was the first album I bought. As it so happens, I adore ‘So What’, it makes me feel alive and I will never forget how I felt the first time I saw BTS perform it live at the O2. I think everyone should adopt the ‘So What’ attitude. We should love ourselves, love others and say ‘Don’t stop and worry yourself, it’s good for nothing, let go.’ Everyone should be proud of who they are and not be made to feel otherwise.
Charlie - For me, Pride Month sometimes feels like a party. There’s Drag Fest, there are pride parades, and it is all a beautiful celebration of love. So What is a great song for celebrations like this. It is a song all about not caring what others think, and just enjoying the moment. I adore the unapologetic attitude of the song, and in particular the line, “90% of your worries are an imaginary swamp that you created”. Because worries about loving yourself, and not letting others live their truths, are man-made issues, and people should just feel free to live however they want. So What is one of BTS’s songs that I love for being a meaningful message masquerading as a laid-back party track.
Cheryl - This week's Loving Ourselves poll winner is So What and that just says so much about the song and how it 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 loving ourselves and Pride month. The lyrics tell us not to care what others say or think, so with that in mind let's all be young, wild and free and only worry about things we can actually change.
Onomey - I was hoping that ‘So What’ would win this week as it is such a carefree song which could make it the perfect song to have blasting during pride. Listening to this song always gives me the confidence to take on the world and not be bothered by what people think of me. The lyrics in this song talk about letting go of those worries you have in your head and anxieties that stop you being your true self. It highlights the negatives but also tries to give you the motivation and courage to let go of the things that weigh heavy on your mind. I’d say if you want to celebrate pride this year from home. Be sure to check out a BTS live concert performance of this song as it will for sure get you in the mood for it whilst filling you with unbelievable energy to have fun and hopefully give you empowerment not to worry about the negative things people may say. Just be you and as BTS say, love yourself as confidence builds from within yourself. Happy Pride everyone, stay safe and have a ball blasting this fabulous playlist!
Answer: Love Myself - Michayla
There surely isn't a better song to write about, given the theme, than the song that is the conclusion to the Love Yourself era. This song is the answer, it is BTS telling us that they understand what it takes in order to love themselves and sharing that with us.
'Answer: Love Myself' was the final song during the Love Yourself tour and for months after the O2 concerts, I couldn't listen to it without becoming emotional. Now, with thanks to Mikrokosmos taking its place, I can listen and sing along with the fond memories of the two dates in October 2018.
The lyrics to this song are so beautiful and I feel incredibly relevant for Pride and those who may be struggling with their identity or sexuality. Even people at my age (42) have difficulties with self esteem, self love and self confidence. It is something I try to instil in my children but haven't always followed my own advice. As Yoongi's verse goes:
'Loving myself might be harder than loving someone else
Let's admit it, the standards you made are more strict for yourself'
Loving Yourself has to come from within. You don't need validation from others to do that, as Namjoon says:
'Maybe there's no answer
Maybe this isn't the answer either
It's just that loving myself doesn't
Require anyone else's permission'
Growing up is scary, I think the younger generation today have a really tough time but I also genuinely believe that messages like the one in this song could really help. LGBTQ+ is celebrated in June but is important all year round and we should love and offer support to anyone who needs it. The path to loving ourselves includes loving each other too and Hobi's verse encapsulates it all:
'Yes, I have that beauty
Knowing that is going on the path
To loving myself,
It's what I need the most
I'm walking for myself
It's an action needed for me
My attitude towards myself
That's the happiness I need for me
I'll show you what I got
I'm not afraid because it's me
Love myself'
Epiphany - Cheryl
With this week’s playlist being all about loving and accepting ourselves and others too of course, I chose Jin’s solo song Epiphany to write about, as I felt his lyrics explained loving ourselves so eloquently. I could also sense his desperation of trying to understand the situation that he had found himself in and then the epiphany of understanding that to truly love someone else you have to first love yourself.
The song is from the Love Yourself era and was released in August 2018. The Love Yourself era includes the albums Love Yourself: Her, Love Yourself: Tear and Love Yourself: Answer. Her and Tear explore falling in love and then the problems and pitfalls that falling in love can cause, if we do not truly love ourselves first or are adapting too much to stay in the relationship and Answer provides some solutions for solving these issues and loving ourselves.
I became an Army in 2017 and Fake Love was my first comeback, so the Love Yourself era has a special meaning for me. Also, at this time I was in mourning due to the loss of both my parents and BTS were a very welcome distraction, but they were also more than that. At times I felt selfish for feeling so down, sad and wrapped up in my own feelings, but listening to the lyrics of Epiphany helped me heal and accept myself and what I was going through and basically allowed me to give myself a break and stopped me being so hard on myself and this gave me comfort. My favourite lyrics are found in the chorus:
I'm the one I should 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
Epiphany is such an emotionally charged song and Jin’s vocals suit the song so well with his raw passion and the high notes in his vocal range, he delivers a painfully real performance which match the lyrics perfectly:
So weird, I for sure loved you so much
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, I reveal it entirely
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?
With the first verse it describes how adapting oneself to fulfil the desires of someone else can be self-destructive, causing a storm to rage inside because one’s true self has to be hidden. The second verse questions why we are so afraid to meet our real selves and I feel that it could be because we are frightened of being judged or disliked for being ourselves and that these fears aren’t just external, we might not like what we find out about ourselves. With Pride month, I feel we can all learn something from the lyrics of Epiphany and be more loving and accepting of ourselves and others too and if we or someone else is struggling with life, then I hope we can reach out to one and other and lend an ear, just listen and be there for each other.
Trivia: Love - Charlie
Trivia: Love is Namjoon’s solo from the Love Yourself album. As it takes place in the “development” part of the four-part sequence that the Love Yourself series follows (beginning, development, turn/twist, conclusion), and is consecutive with Serendipity in the tour setlist, it is about the growing feelings that one experiences as they fall in love.
Too many words circle around me
But none of them feel how I feel
I just feel it
Like the moon rises after the sun rises
Like how fingernails grow’
The most impressive part of the song is how it describes when someone falls in love, they go from being a person (“사람” in Korean Hangul), to being love (“사랑”), with their edges eroded as the latter word uses a circular symbol in the space of the square in the former.
‘I'm just a human, human, human
You erode all my corners
And make me into love, love, love’
For me, this is what loving yourself is. Your hardened edges and way of viewing the world soften, as you are kinder to yourself and those around you, to embrace a softer way of viewing things. And that is how Pride Month feels, or at least how I hope it feels like to other people. It is a time when the world should be particularly softer and kinder, to respect others and appreciate the positive effects of love rather than shutting them off just because they might be a different form of love to what is normalised.
‘We're humans, humans, humans
In that myriad of straight lines’
When Namjoon performed Trivia: Love at the Speak Yourself tour, it stood out to me how, at the end of the song, the screens behind him said “I love you” in the language of whatever country that concert was in. And the word “love” in multiple languages appeared onscreen, too. These details culminated, together with the song’s lyrics themselves and Namjoon’s joyous delivery, to create a song with a clear message: No matter where you are from, who you are, or who you love, that love is beautiful because of its capacity to heal you and soften your experience of the world.
Love Maze - Onomey
In regard to the topic this week I automatically knew I wanted to write about ‘Love Maze’ but I suddenly realised that it was difficult to put into words how and why I feel drawn to this song. I think it's because it's probably the best way to describe how you feel when you come to terms with your sexuality. It's like you are constantly hitting dead ends in a maze trying to figure out why you don’t feel the same as everyone else around you. Whether that is barriers from yourself being in denial or from others, it is draining non the less as it is a complicated journey to go on.
I’m a massive sucker for a smooth R&B love song so I love closing my eyes, vibing, and singing along to this track because of how chill it is and how amazingly warm it feels. The vocals throughout are immense whilst still being calm and relaxed. There’s no full-blown outpour of emotion or energy and swagger in their voices. The song feels warm and full due to the number of riffs and harmonies used throughout the song. It is amazing how you can sound so amazing and impressive in your vocals but make it sound so effortless. The boys display this, so well in this song. The falsetto in the chorus is an added little to sprinkle on top of a perfectly produced song as it is pleading with the other person not to let go of their hand in this crazy maze.
The lyrics within Suga’s verse are what I connect to the most. Unfortunately, there still are a lot of hardships within the LGBTQ+ community throughout the world where they are looked down upon just for being who they are. I know for myself, watching the reaction of people around me react in a negative way, scared me into trying to act a certain way even though I know that it wasn’t making me happy at all. I thankfully at the time had great friends who noticed and were there for me and were able to give me a talking to and say ‘why are you letting others dictate your happiness?’. It made me rethink things and find that bit of light that guided me through those hardships as Suga talks about.
‘All around us is a maze, different paths
We’re walking in this abyss
There’s a thin light over there
I hope we’re going towards paradise
Know this, sometimes lies will try to tear us apart
Hardships will try to deceive us but just focus on me then
In darkness, just the two of us is enough
In all these lies
If we’re together, even an endless maze is paradise’
Hot, Hot, Hot
With the weather being scorching hot (until recently) and the Muster performances still fresh in the minds of ARMYs, our playlist team have formulated a list of songs that are the very definition of hot, one way or another.
Is there a song that raises your temperature? Don’t be shy, come and tell us. Meanwhile you can add some heat to your playlist right here: Hot, Hot, Hot
Fire - chosen by ARMY
Michayla - I think that ARMY took the poll quite literally this week with ‘Fire’ soaring into the lead leaving the other songs behind, winning with a smoking 51%. I chose ‘Boy Meets Evil’ because Hobi is definitely hot in that song. I think it’s appropriate that ‘Fire’ won, given the theme this week and I am almost positive that Jin felt hot when he was standing close to the burning car when filming the MV.
Charlie - Before Butter, Fire was BTS’ only proper Summer song. With sharp moves that incorporate blowing kisses and body rolls, and the way in which the song forces you to let go and throw yourself around to the music, Fire really works up a sweat - whether you’re dancing to it or watching it being performed. It is a perfect song for summer concerts and summer parties, a time to forget about your worries and enjoy this hopefully more relaxing and fun time of year.
Cheryl - The winner of this week’s hot poll was Fire, which is rather apt - hot by song title and hot by lyrics and attitude. As soon as Suga said “bultaoreune” with that look, I was hooked. The vibe and passion of this song sure screams 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, which I particularly find really hot!!!
Onomey - I’m not 100% mad at ‘Fire’ winning this week's poll but I am upset by the disrespect that ‘Danger’ got. I mean, come on, only 5.3% is upsetting but anyway. Let’s talk ‘Fire’. Seeing as the song is titled ‘Fire’ I suppose it was only right for it to win. What gets me “hot” about this song is a multitude of things. The choreography for this song is immense, quick, and difficult which leads to the song being delivered in an aggressive way. The boys become the ultimate alpha male when they perform this song. It’s weird how they can go from being big goofballs to tough guys. The chaos in the heavy EDM track makes you want to jump, dance, and go crazy alongside them which gets me hyped up and energetic. The final chorus choreography is what captures my heart, the body-popping, the sublime footwork, and exceptional synchronicity is out of this world. I really don’t want to go on and on about this song as we all know that the title of this song basically explains why it is such a “hot” song. It is an explosion of hard and aggressiveness for 4 to 5 minutes straight. It never fails to blow everyone away when they listen to it, it doesn’t matter whether or not that person even knows who BTS are.
Just Dance - Michayla
What a tough theme and therefore tough decision to be made this week! There are so many songs and performances that raise my temperature or that I would blast out on a hot day so it wasn’t an easy choice… particularly when there was one song that I really wanted to write about (insert winking emoji because I’m sure you know which song that is).
There is one song that stood out for me though and for a variety of reasons, not purely the fact that Mr Jung Hoseok is absolutely and definitely HOT! I feel most privileged to have seen Hobi perform ‘Just Dance’ four times and he has exceeded my expectations every single time. Hobi has a gift to make each and every performance a unique one and while writing this piece, I watched several videos of Hobi setting the stage alight with his emphatic dance routine and stunning smile and it made me so happy.
‘Just Dance’ is my favourite of the Trivia’s and it embedded itself in my heart from the very first time I heard it on ‘Love Yourself: Answer’ in 2018. At that time I hadn’t been to the O2 yet and I didn’t think I could love it anymore than I already did… how wrong I was. The song likens falling in love to dance and the lyrics are beautiful:
‘If you ask me about that moment
Bright sunshine was falling down
If you ask me about the feeling
Naturally, it was a one shot into my eyes
Music playing in those vibes
We each stretch
Getting rid of the nerves
If I hid my heart, I would’ve regretted it
Watching this sunset with you
Het, dance with me dance with me
Any kind of bounce is fine, dance with me
Where are you from, why are you dancing’
‘Just Dance’ is HOT, in so many ways and it is a song that I would blast out of my speakers on a sunny day. Hobi is our sunshine and what a natural, amazing performer he is. The only downside to listening to it and watching the videos at home, is that I am not able to be cooled down instantly by the huge water canons as experienced at Wembley.
Zero O'Clock - Cheryl
Zero O’Clock is a rather melancholy song about how when things don’t go right one day, there is the hope and the possibility of a better tomorrow, a fresh start once the minute and second hands rest at midnight. The verses definitely feel rather sad and down with the lyrics and tune sounding heartfelt and deep.
‘You know those days
Those days where you're sad for no reason
Those days where your body is heavy
And it looks like everyone else except you is busy and fierce
My feet won't set off, though it seems like I'm already too late
I'm hateful of the whole world’
I find these lyrics to feel so real and sincere, I am sure everyone has experienced these feelings at some point in their lives and it is such a human experience to compare ourselves with others and being left, filled with self doubt.
‘Yeah, here and there are click-clacking speed bumps
My heart grows crumpled and my words lessen
Why the hell? I ran so hard
Oh why to me’
These lyrics I feel are about working so hard, but failing to reach that goal due to obstacles whether real or imaginary.
The beat slips away little by little
I can’t put on an easy face
I keep forgetting familiar lyrics
There’s nothing going my way
Yes, it’s all in the past
Even talking to myself, it’s not easy
Is it my fault? Is it my wrong?
Only my echo comes back with no answer
With this verse I think that it has a similar emotion as the lyrics to Fake Love where you can put on a mask to conceal your real feelings as with these lyrics “For you, I could pretend like I was happy when I was sad” but with Zero O’Clock they want to wear an easy expression but are unable to. I also appreciate the pressure that is expressed here, with the reference to forgetting lyrics and where nothing is going right and how when they ask the questions the only reply they receive is their echo. Such a poignant verse.
Bridge, pre-Chorus and Chorus:
With these portions of the song, there is the hope of a brighter tomorrow and some positivity where they pat themselves on the back for getting through the day, even if that day hadn’t gone to plan and resulted in the rewards they would have liked. There is the hope that when this song ends, there will be another song to follow and hoping that tomorrow will be a happier day. The chorus repeats the line “And you’re gonna be happy” which reminds me of a mantra, as it is repeated throughout and it is sung as a statement rather than as a question.
What makes this song “hot” for me, is their vocal range and sincerity with which they sing this song. The vocal unit pulls together in such a strong, passionate and powerful way that I cannot help but be uplifted by the chorus and held by the verses, as the words seem to understand what I have been through at times and it feels like I am receiving a consoling hug from BTS.
No More Dream - Cheryl
“You can see the passion in our eyes”, “No, that’s the eyeliner” - While it’s true that BTS wore a lovely amount of eyeliner at debut, the fiery passion was still very evident from back then. Therefore, No More Dream is perfect for a “hot” theme in more ways than one.
BTS’ hot debut starts with the members yelling “Hey, what’s your dream?”. Their passion is clear from the very start - they shout out their purpose, to get kids to figure out what their dream, their real dream, is before society can squash their aspirations. They’re desperate to get through to people, to show them why the current education system needs changing, and that comes through instantly and throughout the song. It is a song about finding your passion, so the hot mood of the song is fitting.
They’re heated about issues like this that affect the youth, and this absolutely comes through in the lyrics; even if you don’t understand the lyrics, you can glean it from how the members’ voices sound.
“Throw a fastball towards self-study that wastes the pitcher's time
Disobey the hell of a society, grant a special pardon to your dream
Ask yourself, your dream's profile”
In the chorus, the members become more exasperated than desperate, as they are angry at the system. They call society liars, because people grow up claiming that their dream is to go to a good university, get a “normal” respectable job, and have a family, when that is not their real dream at all.
“It's a lie, you such a liar
See me see me ya, you're a hypocrite
Stop telling me to switch paths, hey, take care of own business
Please don’t force me”
Of course, No More Dream also has a hot reputation for being the song in which Jimin lifts up his shirt during the second chorus. It is also an extremely energetic song which every member puts their all into, and that has to get points for hotness. BTS will criticise society, protect the youth, and work incredibly hard from the word ‘go’, and they will look hot while doing it.
Dimple - Onomey
‘Dimple’ is an electronic pop song sung by the vocal line that is in the allegro range in tempo meaning that it creates a fast, quick, and bright feel to the song which is why it always makes me smile as soon as I hear it. The main reason why I chose to write about this song is that the vocal performance of all four singers raises my temperature. There is something about beautiful harmonies, falsettos, and vocal riffs that make me feel warm. I adore the fact that the song has a pattern where after each line, there is a harmonised vocal riff. It doesn’t need to be there but it creates a warm and bubbly feeling inside every time it happens.
A song that starts with V and Jimin singing ‘You hide but only appear when you smile, where did you come from? Don’t lie, I know you’re an angel. What are you?’ Is always a great song, especially when you know that it is directed towards ARMY. Can we just take a second to imagine if they actually said that to any of us in real life? I think I’d pass out in all honesty.
When I thought this song couldn’t get any better, the group performed this at the 5th Muster and most recently in the Golden Disk Awards. The fact that they created a choreographed dance for this song makes me love them so much. Listening to the song, you would not expect a dance routine to be created because of the tempo of the song.
I spent a lot of time writing this, watching the GDA performance and screaming at their dance moves. Seeing the four of them dancing together in a diamond shape taking turns on who dances centrally was really cool to see, especially when it came to Jin as we all know that he is not often at the front when it comes to dancing, but in this song, he shone very brightly which I was living for.
This performance has everything; top-tier vocals from Taes deep range to Jin's high octave vocal run, sexy body rolls, and charisma and charm throughout. If I had to pick a favourite section of the song, it would be for sure be the verse after the chorus where Jungkook belts out along one and the boys do their dance individually in a line as we are able to admire them all one by one, that made me sound like such a creep but let's go with it, and Jin pulls out this amazing vocal riff after being on the ground. Let’s just talk about that for one moment, how on earth does he manage to go that high in range after being on the ground? I’m not the best singer in the world but I’ve met a lot of great singers that struggle hitting that type of note even when they are standing up, never mind having to get him quick, giving not much time to adjust before having to deliver it. I knew he was talented but wow every time I hear that section of the song, it blows me away.
I don’t know what makes me squeal like a teenage girl when watching this performance or even just listening to the song but I am so glad it does as the combination of the things I wrote about above, always has my heart pumping like crazy.
Past Musters with BTS
The playlist team couldn’t wait to look at past Muster performances this week. We are all excited about 6th Muster and have been enjoying all the 8th Anniversary Festa celebrations.
Which performance from the Musters has been your favourite? Why not tell us on Twitter @BTSRadioUK
Spine Breaker (5th Muster) - chosen by ARMY.
Michayla - 5th Muster was such a great show and the Spine Breaker performance was amazing! It really showed how much fun the members had as they donned special jackets and funky glasses. The performance was filmed through a self cam with the members holding a camera on a selfie stick. Each of the group is hilarious as they play up to the camera and I just love Hobi’s pale blue oversized glasses. K-ARMY can be heard clearly singing along and cheering loudly which adds to the whole atmosphere. An iconic stage for a great song!
Cheryl - Spine Breaker won the Muster poll this week and what an exciting and energetic performance BTS delivered at the 5th Muster. This performance stands out due to their various choices of sunglasses, pearl jackets and the amount of fun that is oozing from them. Jin spinning around so much that his love heart sunglasses fly off, makes me chuckle.
What treats will we receive during Muster 2021?
Charlie - Spine Breaker is a treat and a delight, even more so to see it performed live. Their choreography was invented by Seokjin for a BTS Gayo episode, and it is so fun and silly and it is just BTS in their element playing off of each other and the audience spectacularly. I love how they get in front of the camera and shake their heads around; they clearly love their discography and it’s so exciting to see them enjoy it onstage, and enjoy showing off their self-made choreography in front of ARMY. It feels like watching our best friends having a dance party. It feels like home, as cheesy as that sounds for such a fun song.
Onomey - Wooo Spine breaker was my choice for this week's poll so I’m glad it won. Spine breaker was performed at the 5th Muster and is a simple but fun and catchy song. I absolutely love this performance because of how goofy and weird they are able to act. Went from doing full dance routines to just being strange and weird. We all love the classic paired skipping and bending of the back movement to highlight the spine breaking. What I love most is that RM at one point are in a world of their own, just vibing with and completely miss that part of the dance routine and then Jin puts his hand up like he’s going to hit RM. It makes me laugh every time I see it. It's the most I’ve ever seen Jin dance, which I loved every bit of. The rest of the boys were shocked and were laughing at first until he slipped and went flying. That didn’t stop him one bit though as he was back at it, dancing with all his might until the end of the song. I can say with 100% confidence that Spine breaker is Jin's song.
No More Dream (4th Muster) - Michayla.
I love the Musters and ‘Happy Ever After’ 4th Muster is undoubtedly one of my favourites for a whole host of reasons. I will never forget the first time I watched it, eagerly awaiting the arrival of my DVD and boy was I not disappointed.
The thing about this performance of No More Dream is that it is part of a deadly trio of songs. ‘Come Back Home’ is the first, followed by ‘No More Dream’ and concludes with ‘Mic Drop’ complete with dance breaks. If you haven’t had the absolute pleasure of watching these songs with the dance breaks then I cannot recommend them enough and would definitely suggest seeking them out. I would also suggest having a fan or a cold cloth nearby because the temperature tends to rise during these stages.
‘No More Dream’ is one of those songs that many forget because it was their first song, released on 12th June 2013 and the title track of 2 Cool 4 Skool. Even though I became ARMY in August 2018, this song has always been a firm favourite and I would love to see it performed live, even if I’m not sure I would survive that dance break.
The outfits for the performance at 4th Muster are great, sportswear, bomber jackets, bandanas and Hobi in a bucket hat. They start the song on the main stage then walk down to the extended stage where they absolutely kill it! I can’t talk about the dance break without mentioning Hobi whose body movements are a definite cause of distraction. Our sunshine is lethal when it comes to the No More Dream dance moves and when you know that Mic Drop follows this, you just know that you’re in trouble.
Unfortunately, there isn’t an official video of this performance available on Bangtantv and the 4th Muster options are a preview and a ‘Best Of Me’ rehearsal. However, if you can find a video on YouTube, it is certainly worth a search. Writing this has now made me want to watch my 4th Muster DVD again so I know what I will be doing while I’m waiting for day 1 of 6th Muster.
Idol (5th Muster) - Onomey.
When BTS performed ‘Idol’ in the 5th Muster Magic Shop and used the Korean instrumentation version by using instruments such as the brass gong and horn, I think people tend to forget how big this song was when it was released and how long it stayed popular through radio plays, performances and award wins. It took the world by storm and from watching the 5th Muster K-army were loving every minute of it. The song is empowering because of its lyrical throughout but mainly the chorus of ‘you can’t stop me loving myself’ that is backed up with the catchy ‘oh oh ooo oh, oh oh ooo ohh ooo ohhh’ and the famous gwara gwara dance move. To me, this version of the song is one of my favourites to witness them performing it in front of Army and in their country with a song filled with so many traditional Korean elements. It creates a warm and cozy feeling which is what is at the heart of Musters. The extra sprinkles that are added throughout, make it that bit more special compared to the original by adding something the audience and BTS have in common, breaking that barrier between an artist and fans.
I loved that they brought in the extended chorus where they are all in a line doing the choreography for that section. They start off jumping up and down repeating the 'oh oh oo oh' section to pump the audience then move into doing the choreography. It looked amazing to see them in the centre with traditional Korean dancers and instrumentalists on either side of them with their colourful outfits whilst BTS were in dark outifts. The contrast between the two was easy on the eye and satisfying to look at.
Although we missed out on the last Muster. I must say that I am excited for the upcoming one as I'm wondering about what songs they will perform and how this year's theme will turn out. I think we all deserve a Muster after the chaos that has been in the world recently. I wonder if there will be any surprises for us as an extra little treat, who knows?. I guess we will have to wait and see. I hope everyone enjoys it!
Dimple (5th Muster) - Cheryl.
This week we are exploring previous Muster performances in preparation for this year’s Muster – BTS’s 6th Muster. I chose to write about Dimple because it is one of my favourite songs and I particularly enjoyed their Muster performance and wanted to give it more attention.
The first thing I noticed was the screams from Army – it has been a rather long time since I have watched a BTS performance with an actual audience and the loudness of the screams were a bit of a surprise, together with all the happy emotional faces. This obviously made me think back to the concerts I have witnessed first hand, but it also made me wonder about BTS themselves and how strange it must be for them to perform without an actual audience to interact with. I know that BigHit have tried to bridge the gap by having army bombs placed on chairs etc., which does in itself cause an emotional reaction, but it cannot compare even slightly to a full stadium of fans enjoying watching and listening to BTS perform.
Dimple, the performance has many seductive hip thrusts and even their clothing, the black very tight jeans and healed smart boots and flowy shirts make for an eye-catching performance. Watching the video many times, we can see the members flirting with each other and also the audience – they are very conscious of their effect on their fans and they are playing with all their strengths.
The performance of Dimple at the 5th Muster in 2019 by the vocal line appears very intimate, the way they are interacting with each other – the performance starts with Jimin and V sitting on the stage with Jimin’s arm draped over V’s shoulder, then later on Jimin pats Jungkook on his bottom. Also, to add to the intimacy the Army seem particularly close to the stage and BTS are making lots of eye contact with them, teasing and tantalizing their audience.
Jin’s hair is purple for this performance, which is our colour and reminds me of Wembley as he chose to be purple for the UK concerts two years ago now.
Another thing I noticed about the performance was one of the dance moves, where the feet are moving but their top half stays perfectly still and I noticed a similar move in their Butter videos and found it mesmerising as they are so perfectly statuesque whilst their feet are dancing.
The lyrics of Dimple are about how seductive and dangerous they find dimples on girls to be and how it should be illegal for girls to have them. There is also a play on words where they sing “illegirl” referring to girls with dimples. They wonder if the dimples are made my angels or a deep kiss. The lyrics are also dangerous and seductive.
After watching this performance, I am left excited and enthralled with anticipation of what BTS will deliver in their 6th Muster this weekend. Obviously, being BTS they will have lots of surprises for us and will have worked extremely hard to deliver their performances. I cannot wait for the Muster and the treats we will get to witness over the 2 days. I believe this will be the first Muster where international fans will be able to join in the experience together due to Covid, HYBE and BigHit putting the concerts online.
Ma City (5th Muster) - Charlie.
Yes, I did write about this song for the last Muster playlist we did. Yes, I am writing about it again because Ma City, specifically the 5th Muster performance from 2019, is unmatched.
This song is performed right after the Satoori Rap and Attack on Bangtan medley, with IDOL and DDAENG before them. From the start of the performance, we can see the sweat on their faces and necks due to such a high energy setlist, and yet they do not need any time to build their energy back up. They are 100% committed from the very start, with no dips in their energy for the entire song.
“I don’t know what to say
Even if I die, I can’t tell
Even if you give me a hundred thousand dollars to live somewhere else
Ah, no thanks
Ilsan is where I want to be buried even after I die
It’s the city of the flower, city of Mon”
This performance gives you everything that a BTS performance can deliver. We have the boys chucking water all over the stage and the audience, we have the rapline and vocal line both completely in the zone, delivering their lines with passion and fire, and we of course also have my beloved favourite part: Taehyung growling “CITY!” with the aggression and power that this bop of a song deserves.
Hoseok’s verse also stands out to me. The verse is so quick and he delivers it with such charisma, altering his facial expressions and hand gestures as he smoothly and flawlessly raps. Anyone can see from this performance that BTS were born to perform. No matter how tired they must be or how much they need to concentrate on the flow of a rap or other verse, they deliver one hell of a show.
“Everyone saw, right? I put in passion
I’m Gwangju’s hoshigi, the country’s 8 provinces gear up
If you want to see me then gather at 7
Everyone dial it, 062 - 518”
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