I always plan to write about BTS when they drop an album, but time has passed so much and I’m really terrible at time management, but I missed writing and this is at the top of my list, so despite the doubts, I’ll be pushing through because I need to practice and this is BTS so, let’s start.
- Intro: Persona
As a girl who grew up on rock music, the first thing I noticed are the rock elements in this song. Of course, I am no music expert, nor do I study music, I’m just a music lover, but living with a dad that is in love with rock music of any kind, when they dropped the comeback trailer, I immediately thought, “Is this rock or is it just me?”, and that made me anticipate the upcoming tracks because this is BTS and this is Bighit, I don’t think coincidence exists in their vocabulary.
Like any other BTS rap song that drops, one of the challenges I encounter is chasing the lyrics through the subtitles with the beat. Another challenge is deciphering it because they always write meaningful, layered lyrics. In the process of deciphering it, there are Korean references I don’t understand because I am not Korean and in this case, psychology references I have not studied yet, so may we all take a moment to thank all the Armys out there that decipher them for us, and those that share their theories, I’d be dumber without y’all.
While I was thinking of what to write as my description for this song (which includes watching a handful of reaction videos and reading theories and comments, just so I can fill that empty part of my brain and stifle other questions inside it) I thought that this song is written like a speech. I found it fascinating that despite the previous album being inspiring and uplifting, there is still a question of “who am I?”. Which just shows that the process of getting to know ourselves never ends. Also, despite RM rapping fluidly effortlessly, showing off how good he is in his craft, the message behind it tells a whole different story. BTS really equates to honesty. One of the reasons why I thought it was like a musical form of a speech, is because it’s written in a distinct manner and it’s delivered confidently, also, it goes on and on, nothing feels repeated. The reason why I thought it’s a speech rather than a monologue is that usually in a musical, monologues still have choruses, this one doesn’t, and RM doesn’t make it sound as emotional as a monologue usually would.
- 작은 것들을 위한 시 (Boy with Luv) ft. Halsey
Whatever direction I thought their title song was going to be…it did not go there. And, I’d be lying if I said the music in this song is as complex or as hard-hitting as their other title songs have been, but I love that it was meant to be that way. I think BTS has reached a point where they do not have to prove their artistry, and they do not need to blow our minds to touch our hearts. This song is everything light and fluffy, from the music to the lyrics to the video to their outfits, as an Army I have never felt this much happiness from a song by them which also shows how much emotion they put when they create music. The song just exudes a light, happy vibe that we can only expect from BTS.
The lyrics need no explanation, Armys can identify the main points in a heartbeat. We’ve been on this journey with them for so long, even if you became an Army just yesterday, you’re already a part of it. I love how this is a gift to us that seems so mainstream to others except for us which shows how unique our relationship is with BTS; we’re mutually special to each other.
- Mikrokosmos (소우주)
The intro of the song already sounded like twinkling stars, and as I listened to this it became my favorite song before I’ve even heard the entire album. Mikrokosmos means that we have galaxies inside of us, that we are living stars ourselves and every night, the earth is like the cosmos because when the sky turns black, we come out shining.
And the song musically describes that; I don’t need to read the lyrics to feel that, from the music itself, it’s either lifting me up to the heavens or speeding me on an empty highway. It doesn’t take too long for this song to make me smile, the intro plays and my heart just settles and I forget that this is actually a fast paced song because all I feel is love and warmth and it just radiates to every nook in my body and it reminds me that yeah, I’ll be okay.
Somebody posted on Twitter that this song, lyrically, can be compared to RM’s Moonchild. Moonchild is a song that I identify with, and when I recalled the lyrics of the song (because I can only get the gist and appreciate the music when I play it on my phone), Mikrokosmos sounds like an answer, a reprise of some sort in a much lighter view.
- Make It Right
Out of BTS’ entire discography, this song is the first song that directly reminded me of western music because it reminded me too much of Lauv’s Paris In the Rain, and it made me nervous for a split second because they might be slipping away from their roots. (second half of the split second says, “gurl, this is BTS, don’t doubt them”) I don’t know why finding out that Ed Sheeran participated in this song validates the new sound…but it somehow does. There is something non-BTS about this song (for me), and somehow finding out that Ed Sheeran fits in the picture helps me understand it.
Lyric-wise, I trace this back to Love Maze and DNA. To me, Love Maze is an answer to DNA and Make It Right is an answer to Love Maze. There are some lyrics that connect them by similarity and maturity.
To me, almost every love song by BTS is dedicated to Armys and even if it isn’t, that’s the beauty in how they write their lyrics, it is adaptable and relatable for every relationship that we care about. The entire album (starting from the 2nd track to the 6th track according to our leader) is dedicated to Armys, and though we are the only ones who can translate the parts that show that it is dedicated to us, take away that factor, and we can still dedicate these songs to somebody else.
The simplicity of the sound in this song reminds me of the Korean title of Boy with Luv (A Poem for the Small Things), and the lyrics echo that. They talk about how their trophies and golden mics don’t matter to them as much as our presence does. Armys have always been there with BTS from the very beginning, we are their beginning, in the end, after all, they’ve achieved, they always come back to us, we are their…
- HOME
The paragraph above already explained what this song means but as I relisten to this and rewatch the lyric videos I notice how they reject their own physical million dollar homes and say that we are their home in a very party like manner. (If that makes sense)
This song is the party song in the album, it’s the song I can envision being played in the clubs with sweaty dancing people grooving to it. Everything about this song is dance-y, and the lyrics say that they’re leaving they’re homes to come home (ARMY); literally, the only time BTS really gets to be with us is when they’re performing live and we’re cheering for them, so it makes sense that all they’re fan songs are sentimental yet groovy; balo geugosi uri Casa.
- Jamais Vu
I love to sing and I love to write which leads to me just focusing mostly on the lyrics and the vocals in a song, which makes this track the ideal track in the entire album because the instruments are tucked in and the voices are fully out, weirdly, that is why I didn’t know what to write about in this track.
Out of all the songs in the album, this one managed to paint a picture more effectively. All the songs keep you moving, this one slows you down. The sudden change of pacing in this track requires some time to recover. In my case, it took ReacttotheK reacting to this (mehe) for me to appreciate it because they dive into the details that I can’t recognize. Out of all the songs though, I think this is the one that will be most entrancing to listen to in 4D.
- Dionysus
So the rock genre makes it’s return.
To me, this is the Go Go of the album because like Go Go, it took some time for me to understand the message of the song. I remember diving into BTS for the first time, falling in love with the messages, then in comes Go Go with lyrics like YOLO and “spend it like some party” and I just start wondering…what happened? That was my situation here.
(In case your reading this to understand the album, the song is about getting drunk…on art, it’s about how they will just focus on making art.) Like they’re previous creations, I always think the last track is a “pre-intro” to the concept of their next album. If the next one is about Shadow, this track could be a clue on how they will approach that concept. Or at least that’s my theory.
This album exudes love love love. It is one of the most healing pieces of music I have ever heard, and they dropped it at the best possible time: Finals. I usually take my time loving the songs before I decide which to download, but I was in so much need of motivation that I just straight up downloaded the entire thing then rushed to my dorm room to finish a project. The album almost made me dizzy because it was playing so loud at midnight, I had to play it at a respectable volume, but it kept playing, I even fell asleep to it.
I guess the moral of my story is always expect the unexpected with BTS. I thought Love Yourself Tear was already my album, and I thought Answer: Love Myself is already the answer…nope, they can step higher than that, or not, I don’t really know. Just that this album really healed me…again.
The universe began with our eyes closed.”
Daydream 