Bangtan Sonyeondan (방탄소년단), famously known by the acronym BTS (Beyond The Scene) are known for their extravagant success in the musical industry. From bagging five Grammy nominations over the last three years to recently adding a BRIT Gold Certification (for Boy With Luv) to their roster, they’ve been maintaining their relevance even through their nearly four-year-long hiatus from group activities.
The reasoning for this long hiatus was the mandatory military service policy which “requires all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 28 to serve in the armed forces for about 18 to 21 months.” BTS had previously received an extension that let the oldest member Jin (Kim Seokjin) wait two years longer before needing to fulfill this requirement. However, when the extension period had expired, the government was still contemplating its decision to let BTS have an exemption (offered to those who offer significant service to the South Korean government).
BTS is known to provide nearly $4.65 billion in revenue for South Korea (placing them on the same level as Samsung and Hyundai). However, in the period of the government trying to make its decision, BTS took the reins and decided that they would do the military service with honor. Hence, leading to the long suspension of group activities among the members- staying true to their “We Are Seven” notion. The members are all currently working on solo projects and taking turns on their releases while each of them parallelly announce their enlistment after bringing a project to a close.
To those who only know BTS as the guys who ‘Light it up like Dynamite’, here’s a list of BTS songs that are so deep you’ll be able to touch the ocean floor!
Black Swan (Map of the Soul: 7)
The song is inspired by a quote by American dancer, Martha Graham
“A dancer dies twice — once when they stop dancing, and this first death is more painful.”
Martha Graham
The song talks about the fear of losing passion for the art they perform.
“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’ve been always afraid of.”
– BTS (Lyric from Black Swan)
The fear of not getting excited by music (their choice of art, along with dance) and foreseeing their ‘first death’, fearing that it may not be their future, but in fact their present.
“But what if that moment’s right now?”
Towards the end of the song we see them come to terms with the fact that their art is all they have, it is what defines them. And the best thing about hitting rock bottom- the only way to go, is up.
“Sinking slowly like in a trance, nah, nah, nah
Struggle but it’s all ocean floor, nah, nah
Every moment becomes eternity, yeah, yeah, yeah
Film it now, film it now
Do you hear me? Yeah”
(Film it now, meaning film the practice choreography to try again and again)
Spine Breaker (Skool Luv Affair)
This vibey and chaotic banger may seem fun at first listen, but it’s among the infamous list of K-Pop music that has an upbeat feel, but the lyrics make you think hard.
‘Spine Breaker’ refers to the elitist children who feel the need to be relevant through materialistic purchases, but force their parents to pay for such things. The song questions the necessity of needlessly expensive things not in just a child’s life- but life itself. They even point out how these kinds of embellishments divide the student population into the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’.
“The class system of the 21st century is divided into two
Those who have and those who haven’t
Those who wear the shoes and those who don’t
Those who have the clothes and those who don’t
And those who try hard to get those things
What’s going on? Are you falling behind on the trend
You whined and complained to get it, did I strike a nerve?
In your padded jacket, your greed fills it up
Even after seeing your parents’ curved spines, you’re so coldhearted
You complain that all your friends have it and that they should buy it for you
(Ayo baby) Stop being so immature
You won’t freeze just because you don’t have that jacket
Fill your head with good sense before it’s too late.”
– BTS (Lyric from Spine Breaker)
Although the lyrics are quite literal and not poetic in nature, the concept of the song is quite different, and the fact that the members were ranging from the ages of only 17 to 22 at the time of this album’s (their second album too by the way!) release makes it a notable mention!
Rain (Dark & Wild)
Okay okay, if there’s a BTS album I could gatekeep (but I won’t ‘cause art needs to be shared), it would be Dark & Wild. Ahhh, the vibes- immaculate. This R&B beauty is about self-reflection- quite literally!
The song begins with RM(Kim Namjoon) and he talks about losing inspiration due to having a mundane routine in life. Sometimes, all you need is a spontaneous walk in a busy city on a rainy day. Nature seems to have a healing influence on everyone!
“The thick color 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.”
– RM’s Verse (Lyric from Rain)
Then, we have SUGA(Min Yoongi) talk about how he felt like he was maybe like a rain shower to a loved one, just something that was momentarily enjoyed and left a dirty mark on their life.
“As if the rain wants its existence to be known
Am I someone who engraved, like the rain,
my existence to you?
If not, am I just someone
who came and went like a rain shower?”
– SUGA’s Verse
Finally, we have J-Hope(Jung Hoseok) speak about rain in a similar manner to SUGA, saying the rain inflicted a great deal of pain on him (seems related ohohoho ;)), but he can still appreciate the beauty of it and is ready to go head-first into it, nonetheless.
“As I look at the raindrops
The tears that were flowing down my heart
[…]
The rain that falls like a melody makes everything seem andante
I get ready and leave,
opening the umbrella that was as wrinkled as my face
As I walk, the moment I heard the rain
I wondered who this rain was falling for
against the lonely gray cement
A sound that hits
Come slow down”
– J-Hope’s Verse
134340 (Love Yourself: Tear)
134340 is the asteroid number of the former planet, Pluto. The song is from the second piece of their ‘Love Yourself’ Trilogy. This album explores the pain that comes with parting ways with a former lover. This particular song is from Pluto’s point of view who feels left out because he was once considered a planet, but despite of still fulfilling his job of revolving around the sun- he was just kicked out.
“If only I could, I wanted to ask you
Why did you do that back then? Why did you kick me out?
Without a name to myself, I still revolve around you
Our goodbye is colorless, that unchanging color”
– BTS (Lyric from 134340)
The lyrics portray the loneliness in a desperate sense. The way Pluto longs for the Sun moves the listener to sympathize with him, it’s simply beautiful!
“Someday, you’ll also understand my words
My seasons were always you
My cold heart is 248 degrees below zero
It stopped the day you erased me.”
Answer: Love Myself (Love Yourself: Answer)
This song is from the final piece of the ‘Love Yourself’ Trilogy. This album focuses more on the fact that self-love is the most important form of emotional expression.
“Loving myself might be harder
Than loving someone else, let’s admit it
The standards you made are more strict for yourself
The thick tree rings in your life
It’s part of you, it’s you
Now let’s forgive ourselves
Our lives are long, trust yourself when in a maze
When winter passes, spring always comes”
– BTS (Lyric from Answer: Love Myself)
The thick tree rings are a part of you, your scars make you who you are and you must be proud of them! Friends, lovers, family- everyone comes and goes, but you stay with yourself forever. So, it is more than okay to forgive yourself for the minor mishaps. The sun always shines bright after the roughest storms.
~(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
BTS’ lyricism has astounded me on multiple occasions. It’s not just the way they present the things they talk about in their music, but also the essence itself! The way they speak of art, passion, love. But also social issues like classism, feminism, or peer pressure. Artists with great music may be a dime a dozen, but the artists with good music- those are the ones to cherish forever.
There are plenty of songs by BTS that could’ve made this list, but fifteen hundred words may be too many words already. :p
So, here’s a playlist of some of my favourite songs by the group!