“Music should be an essential part of every analysis” - Carl Jung
The world came to an unexpected halt (figuratively) in 2020 and first half of 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic gripped all societies across the globe. Uncertain and tragic times were encountered by individuals across all countries of the world. Although there was a lot of unspeakable pain felt by so many people, one constant in many lives kept up spirits, calmed anxious hearts, and connected people together: the universal transcendence of music.
Research has shown that music can lift moods, improve blood flow, and lower levels of stress-related hormones. What a lucky world we live in to have a diverse selection of different music genres which can evoke special memories and increase endorphin levels to amp up our positive emotions. One particular group of universally admired musicians continue to masterfully intertwine a myriad of genres into their music, from hip hop to R&B, pop to rock. This group – more specifically a septet – hails all the way from South Korea and you may have heard of them by the names of Bangtan Sonyeondan (방탄소년단), Bulletproof Boy Scouts, Bangtan Boys, Beyond the Scene, and probably most popular of all monikers… BTS!
And without further ado, I would love to share a fun fact about myself: I am one of millions around the world who is BTS ARMY, a global fandom that is beautifully diverse, compassionate, and driven to promote positive change in our societies through words and actions. The rise of BTS' success is not a random fluke but can instead be attributed to hard work, unwavering determination, and genuine love for the art of music. BTS made their debut in the music scene on June 13th, 2013 as a hip hop inspired idol group and is comprised of 7 talented members: 3 rappers (RM/Kim Namjoon, Suga/Min Yoongi, J-Hope/Jung Hoseok) and 4 vocalists (Jin/Kim Seokjin, Jimin/Park Jimin, V/Kim Taehyung, and Jungkook/Jeon Jungkook).
BTS introduced a trilogy of stand-alone English songs in 2020 and 2021 which truly personified positivity and healing in a nutshell during an extremely traumatic time for many. These songs were released in succession and include the vibrant ballad Dynamite (released August 20, 2020), the Grammy-nominated Butter (released May 21, 2021), and the uplifting Permission to Dance (released July 9, 2021). However, the popularity and admiration of BTS is obviously not solely based or anchored with these admired English songs. Instead, it's important to rewind and look back on the rich and comprehensive discography in their native Korean language starting from 2013 to provide a glimpse of the culmination of all their successes and achievements as of 2022. The beauty of music is that it transcends language and everyone is entitled to their own interpretation for how it impacts their own self and emotions. BTS uniquely embodies an empowering driving force through their music (whether in Korean, English, or even Japanese) to spread positivity and healing, acknowledge societal influences, and promote inclusion among different communities.
Poetry in Motion
Our lives are akin to chapters of a unique story where every end leads to a new beginning. An element that adds to BTS' success as passionate musicians is their role as lucid storytellers, where the story comes to life through their harmonious voices, meaningful words, and prevalent symbolism most commonly observed in their cinematic-quality music videos. Since debut, the extensive ballads in BTS' discography weave together the delicate threads of life to form the most truthful patchwork reflecting the trials and tribulations of turbulent growth from youth to adulthood.
As humans, many – if not all of us – find purpose in life when we live to love and love to live. BTS song lyrics can best be described as poetry in motion when it comes to love and heartbreak, the yin and yang within our hearts. In particular, the Love Yourself series of three albums exemplifies love in progressive form: 承 Her (falling in love), 轉 Tear (falling out of love/breaking up), and 結 Answer (epiphany about self love).
The lyricism in Outro: Her (2017) masterfully illustrates the use of metaphors and wordplay to exemplify the beginning stages of love.*
RM: Did you figure out that I'm a book after I met you? Or did you turn my page?
But I'm lookin' for love / I don't care if it's a fake me, if you hold me / You're my beginning and
my end
Suga: Make up to wake up today too / And dress up to mask on
J-Hope: But the moment I should shine the most, I take my mask off / Lost star, I'm laying down my burdens, enjoying the darkness
The powerful imagery evoked by the lyrics in Outro: Tear (2018) encapsulate the pain felt during a break up and ultimately falling out of love; the beginning of the end and the end of the beginning.*
RM: Goodbyes are, for me, a tear / Without even knowing, it blooms around the eyes / The words that I could not bring myself to say flow down / And lingering regret crawls over my face
Suga: There's no such thing as beautiful goodbyes, so just begin now / Ooh, take it easy, slowly carve out my heart / That's right, that's right, gently step on the shards that have shattered / So that regret, regret, such a thing will no longer be left
J-Hope: You're my beginning and my end, that is all / My meeting and my farewell / You were everything, step forward fear / It will be repeated, caused by you, tear tear
The pain of heartbreak can leave scars in the heart, but with times of pain there are also times of joy. Healing takes precious time and perhaps the most powerful feeling in life is encompassing yourself with true self-love and opening the heart to forgive, as harmonized in Answer: Love Myself (2018).*
Suga: 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
Jin, Jungkook: You've shown me I have reasons I should love myself / I'll answer with my breath, my path
V, Jungkook: The me of yesterday, the me of today, the me of tomorrow / With no exceptions, it's all me
Jimin: Why do you keep trying to hide under your mask? / Even all the scars from your mistakes make up your constellation
RM, J-Hope: It's just that loving myself / Doesn't require anyone else's permission
Permission to Dance
Fast forward to 2020 and beyond where BTS not only exponentially increased the amount of awards they won throughout the years since their debut in 2013 (WAY too many to list here) and became Grammy-nominated artists for the hit song “Butter”, but they continue to passionately fulfill their roles as philanthropists by participating in various campaigns such as the Grammy week MusiCares charity auction event and becoming sponsors for the UNICEF's global #ENDViolence campaign.
It is no wonder that trust and growing admiration has solidified between BTS and ARMY since they not only talk the talk but also walk the walk. The release of the three chart topping and uplifting English songs during the global pandemic may have garnered many new casual fans along the way, but for ARMY, the unrelenting challenges, hurdles, and barriers that were faced and surpassed by BTS to reach this level of success is never taken for granted.
Of particular mention is the permeating message of hope as well as inclusive choreography in the ballad “Permission to Dance”. In the teaser video, Suga reads a newspaper that proclaims “Purple Balloons Signal The End of Covid-19” and “2022 The Beginning of a New Era, Good Bye Covid-19”. Throughout the music video, purple balloons are in fact observed in almost every scene… one single purple balloon appears to make a symbolic cameo as it treks its way out of Jungkook's hands, into the sky above a group of young children and a postal worker, and finally following gleefully after two children running happily together. The prominent backdrop of the septet's gleeful chorus as they sing “I wanna dance, the music's got me going, ain't nothing that can stop how we move” says in bright yellow words THE WAIT IS OVER with three purple balloons floating in the painted sky.
During the last half of the music video, as adults and children start taking off their face masks and dance together to symbolize the end of the pandemic, BTS incorporates the signs for “enjoy”, “dance”, and “peace” into their joyful choreography while effortlessly displaying pure enjoyment and pleasure with their facial expressions as they dance the night away. The inclusion of international sign language has garnered a lot of praise among the deaf community and individuals with hearing loss and provides a sense of unity and encouragement for everyone interested to join the fun, such as participating in the YouTube Shorts dance challenge for “Permission to Dance” where all participants were encouraged to use the signs for “enjoy”, “dance”, and “peace” during a selected clip of the song but freestyle the dance to the beat of the heart.
Proof of Past, Present, and Future
True to the name, Bangtan quite literally means “resistant to bullets” and thus translates to “bulletproof”. BTS released the much anticipated anthology album titled “Proof” on June 10th, 2022 which includes member selected (as well as fan favorite) throwback songs since debut and new releases of the title tracks “Yet to Come”, “For Youth”, and “Run BTS”. As BTS celebrates 9 years together as a band, this anthology is fitting as a celebration of it's own to commemorate all their achievements so far. RM, the band's eloquent leader, seemingly alluded to the title of the anthology during the highly successful Permission to Dance On Stage concert in November 2021 (SoFi Stadium in LA) while giving his speech: “You guys are the proof of our existence, our value, our breath, our love, our peace.” While anyone can listen to all the songs which comprise the anthology from beginning to end, it is highly recommended to dive deeper into the lyrics to better understand their stories and to develop further appreciation of the artistry and evolution of musical styles that are weaved into their music from the past, into the present, and forward to the future. While Chapter 1 has successfully concluded, the anticipation for the start of Chapter 2 is at an all time high.
Happy 9th anniversary to Bangtan Sonyeondan 방탄소년단 (a.k.a. BTS).
The message is loud and clear: We always have permission to dance.
*Verified English translations of Korean lyrics
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