Finding happiness in a time of great strife and suffering can be next to impossible, but the upbeat track with light, catchy lyrics and a music video full of joyous Bangtan members has helped ease the pain of many around the world. It’s not a panacea, but it doesn’t have to be. The onus is not on BTS to bear the weight of the world’s suffering, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to help, in the ways they know best.
Read MoreWith this mindset, they created MOTS: Persona both as an album about fans and an album about acknowledging the persona and all the good that came with it. With “Interlude: Shadow” and “Black Swan,” BTS continues this introspective theme by looking within and expressing some of the darker emotions there. So far, the MOTS series has told BTS’s own stories, rather than the more generalized stories of previous releases. Though previous releases of course contained some elements of themselves, their decision to look within and structure a series around developing the self is granting us a more intimate look at their personal narratives.
Read MoreIn “Interlude: Shadow,” Yoongi doesn’t try to hide his shadow but rather embraces it and acknowledges that it’s a part of him. This was one of the main points of Jung’s individuation process—you can’t be rid of your shadow or other unconscious elements, but you can work to integrate them into your whole self and become more harmonious within.
Read MoreLyrically, “Spring Day” is wonderfully poetic, and the tone of its lyrics matches the tone of the song so well. Both are delicately sentimental and melancholy, but at the same time instill in the listener a sense of hope and peace.
With its beautiful lyrics and multifaceted sound, it’s no wonder “Spring Day” has been so successful.
Read MoreBTS fanfiction has grown exponentially since 2013. With over 100,000 fics live on just one fanfic website (AO3), there’s a lot to look at. Here, I take a look at how the number of BTS fics has changed over time, since 2013.
Read MoreThe BTS Universe is special because it extends its storytelling beyond just a music video, or even a series of videos, enabling fans to actively engage and solidifying the fans’ attachment to the series, the characters, and the members of BTS themselves.
Read MoreThe idea for this new series in which I examine some of BTS’s songs came to me while thinking about literary analysis and how oftentimes students of English/literature are asked to perform “a close read.” A close reading of a text is an analysis in which the writer reads and analyzes only what is available in the given text. No outside influences are taken into account; it’s just a close analysis of what we’re given on the page.
Read MoreRM’s new intro track “Persona” for BTS’s upcoming album Map of the Soul: Persona looks a lot like a throwback to the group’s earlier School trilogy, but this time with a bit of a Jungian twist.
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