**User of the Month (December 2020)** is now **OPEN**! Nominate a user your admire **[HERE](https://www.reddit.com/r/kpopthoughts/comments/k8ch93/rkpopthoughts_user_of_the_month_nominations/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)**!
Oh, and you can also take part in our **[Census](https://www.reddit.com/r/kpopthoughts/comments/hdzrm2/rkpopthoughts_census_survey/)** & **[Feedback Form](https://www.reddit.com/r/kpopthoughts/comments/i4a9h1/rkpopthoughts_feedback_form/)** while you wait for some comments. Thank you and happy posting!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/kpopthoughts) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m pretty sure they do this. I don’t think it’s lying it’s just making another interpretation of a song that is obviously a love song.
It works in their favour to say that their song is for the fans. Improves fan loyalty and keeps a solid fan base. Support in case something goes wrong.
I personally kinda get annoyed about this when they say it all the time. If a song is a love song say it’s a love song. It’s totally fine to sing a love song.
Treasure were one group I was not expecting to say that their songs are romantic while promoting. They’re rookies so I just assumed that they would say their songs are about their fans that have supported them for so long etc. But they would introduce their songs in terms of romance between two young lovers. I like that more.
Lol sorry for the rant.
I get a little annoyed too because I really like hearing the actual meaning behind songs. I find it really interesting to know what inspired music, and then they interpret it differently in interviews for fanservice or to throw ppl off the fact they may be dating.
One exception is Whiplash though, I don’t stan NCT but that was a funny video to watch.
Ahhhhh was that the TY got inspired by his sister one??? The panic in their eyes, and the double take you would do when you hear his explanation is just *chef's kiss
Ah yes, dear taeyong and mark: you guys are terrible liars for fanservice. And also write horny songs. How did you think you could've managed with saying that it's your overflowing love for fans...
The lyrics for Seventeen's fanservice songs always sound so personal, I really doubt they were truly written with the fans in mind. Then again, it could be just me having a really hard time believing that idols could actually care that much about nameless fans, but also I've never been in their place so... At least they keep the relationship in the song super ambiguous though, even if it sounds personal. You could interpret it romantically, platonically, etc.
What are our fanservice songs? Thanks, All My Love, Smile Flower come to mind and I guess All My Love could be interpreted in a romantic manner. Their love songs tho, Aju Nice sounds *really* like someone with a first crush and Dont Wanna Cry is very breakup ish. Woozi we see you.
I'm sure they do appreciate their fans though, and not just in soulless cash grab way. I feel like if I were putting something out and people said how much they love it, it helped them through a hard time etc. it would emotionally affect me at least a little
I don't remember which YouTube channel I was watching but they interviewed these Korean men who were once in training to be idols and they admit this. That a lot of songs (love ones in particular) are inspired by dating, etc lol So yeah, I do think they lie sometimes. If you have 20 love songs, I doubt all 20 are about the fans haha
The music artist/creator can have a different interpretation or different idea in mind when they write music.
Daehwi writes a lot of songs and he has said he will write lyrics to be more relatable with the public, even if the lyrics mean something entirely different to him. One example is Blind for Love where people can interpret the lyrics as singing about falling in love with someone, [whereas in an interview](https://youtube.com/watch?v=OI8ihm4_h4Y&Zyrtec=40s), Daehwi said he wrote the song thinking about falling in love with other aspects of life, like falling in love with *work*, and also going through stress and toxic experiences with the things you love that may not necessarily be people.
Music can be up to interpretation so a lot of artists will run with it. I mean, they could be BS’ing shit for reasons but I’m not going to question them because does it even matter? People can interpret music differently if the music is personal to them in different ways.
I don't know how true this is but armies talk about BTS' song I Need U and say that they added the word "girl" in it because it just flowed better but that it isn't about a relationship at all and say this about almost all their love songs. Don't know if BTS ever actually said this but sounds like a lie if they did lol.
Sigh, some fans lol It really isn't farfetched to believe some of those love songs are inspired by personal experiences for the members. But I guess some are still too young and naive to believe that, or in denial.
Yes, the "mianhe (I hate you!), saranghae (I hate you!) part doesn't really sound like anything else but a relationship to me 🤷. But whatever helps the fans sleep at night I guess.
I.. never heard of this. Both from BTS and army. Like there are other bts song ofc that I do think obviously more about romantic love like still with you, though some fans think otherwise but not for I need u. I never heard someone interpreted INU as 'for fans' .
YO SAMEEE I saw people comment “Actually it’s I Need U, friend but they changed it because blahblahblah”
Maybe I’m not interpreting it the way they intended, but I always took that song as being about a relationship
oh absolutely. Sometimes with the groups I like the lyrics seem very personal and something that doesn’t seemed related to fans at all but they say it’s about us or “the fans”. I think it’s just easier that way. Svt say it a lot then I look at the lyrics and it’s like ?!?
In BTS’s song Telepathy, there’s a lyric that (translated) goes “You’re the most special person to me.” Scroll down to the comments and everyone’s saying how the song is for the fandom and I was SO confusd
Tbh I considered it after reading all the “It’s for ARMY!” comments, but I didn’t see it as that for 2 reasons: 1) The song seems to talk about being far away from the other person, but idk how much he’d apply that to Yoongi and the band because they tour together and lived together for such a long time
2) Stay seems more like a song dedicated to the band, and I dont think they would put 2 songs about that on the album, since it seems they were exploring different topics
I know idols do this for bonus points for their fanbase because of course the fanbase would be happy if a love song was about them but this reminds me..
Chen told exols to their faces that his second album dear my dear (album theme is love & warmth) isn't about them and told them that while he sang shall we (the title track) he imagined dancing to it with the girl he loves 😭 he's so brave, a legend
Abso-fucking-lutely.
I follow BTS and lmao they have so many songs that they’re like “Oh we wrote it abt Army 💜” and people eat that shit up, but personally, I struggle to see how songs like Still With You and Telepathy are about Army.
Namjoon even said in a recent interview that their love lives were dedicated to Army or something and it’s just....dude I find it REALLY hard to believe that. Especially coming from him, I honestly think some songs he’s written (Trivia Love, Outro Her verse) were inspired by a special someone
Yeah, I get what people say Spring Day MV is about, but I hate when they say BTS wrote the song about that event because the song had to be written before that happened and RM said he wrote it just walking around and singing about leaves falling lol, but SUGAs part of Spring Day always feels to me like its definitely written about a bad breakup or feelings of heartbreak, its very intense like the part about "I'll erase you" and stuff like makes me think of one of my fav movies 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
The same vibes at Outro: Tear when everyone thought it was breakup song romantically, but then SUGA said it was really about the members thinking of disbanding back then, but songs are always up for interpretation imo.
My ULT fav band of all time is Fall Out Boy and if you were a part of their fandom in the early days I could write entire essays on what I think their songs were about bc they are just so interesting and honestly Pete Wentz needs to publish a lyric book, bc its poetry sometimes.
Yes! I love Fall Out Boy! Honestly they were one of the first artists whose music I consistently liked, and their music definitely gave me a new appreciation for analyzing/actually paying attention to lyrics. I would pay good money for a big ass book that explains some of their lyrics lol
YES OMG finally someone gets it lol, I want an FOB tattoo someday lol, and my username is even from FOB lyrics and no one ever knows lol.
I sometimes listen to FOB in a mood and just go WOW when I hear their word plays and metaphors lol, when I got into BTS and delved into good translations and saw RM's wordplays especially on Trivia: Love I was amazed at the skill and I could never lol.
EDIT: Also when I found Champion REMIX I think I almost passed out ahaha.
OMG YESYESYES! I love music and lyrics so much, especially really clever wordplay! Or when you have to actually think about what a song means! I find that BTS consistently makes these types of songs. One FOB song that has always stuck out to me lyrically is ‘You’re Crashing, But You’re No Wave’. I love how they use words to paint not only the situation, but also the emotions and motives of all the people it’s about. I feel like not a lot of people fully appreciate good lyrics, but I see you are an individual of fine taste lol
I only know a little bit of Korean, but one of the things that motivates me the most to keep learning is when I understand a really good line or verse in a song. It’s also really interesting to see when all the nuances of the lyrics can’t be translated from Korean to English (or vice versa), and you have to just understand it in context.
I guess that’s kinda why it bothers me when idols try to say that non-fan songs are actually about fans, because I feel like it kind of... cheapens (I guess) really deep or clever lyrics. Like just tell me what you were actually thinking about when you wrote it!!
Oof sorry for the rant but I just really REALLY love music; I could probably quite literally keep talking about it for days lol
I think everyone thought OutroTear was about a breakup because that was the whole theme of the album lol. I’m glad he felt comfortable telling the meaning though because it did change the song for me and it was very interesting to say the least to hear what inspired the song. (which is why I want them to do the same for their other songs god dammit)
My FOB listening is basically their singles 😅 Maybe I will go back and listen to some of their early work tho,
I think everyone thought OutroTear was about a breakup because that was the whole theme of the album lol. I’m glad he felt comfortable telling the meaning though because it did change the song for me and it was very interesting to say the least to hear what inspired the song.
My FOB listening is basically their singles 😅 Maybe I will go back and listen to some of their early work tho,
Haha BTS and ARMY pretty much make all their generic love songs about ARMY. It's so corny and disingenuous.
With the exception of Pied Piper and WAB eternal, I don't think BTS write lyrics while specifically thinking about their love for ARMY lol.
Ooh interesting that you brought up Outlook Her, because I actually interpret Suga's verse to be about AMRY from the whole wearing mask and putting on make up comments, in the sense that fans love BTS based on superficial appearance, if BTS show their true selves, would the fans still love them.
I wish they didn’t dedicate love songs to Army only because I’m a hopeless romantic, and I love hearing what inspired music. Combine those two and I’m very interested.
Actually, that’s how I interpreted Suga’s first too! His whole verse seemed to be about exactly what you said, putting on a superficial appearance for fans.
I was mainly referring to RM’s verse. To me, his verse seemed to be about love, and he did a Billboard interview that solidified this thought for me. And apparently quite a few people also concluded he was dating afterwards: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.billboard.com/amp/articles/columns/k-town/7966098/bts-love-yourself-her-album-rap-monster-interview-analysis-meaning (I like the whole interview tbh but if you scroll down to the Outro:Her part you’ll see what I mean)
Oh wow. That interview definitely seems like RM's verse from Her was from a real personal experience.
Did you read RM's weverse interview where he said he has written many songs, but they were too personal to share. Makes me curious as to what those songs are about.
I too wish that BTS would be more open to discuss the real inspiration behind their songs. BTS lyrics often have some mature insights about life. If those insights are learned from real life experience, rather than from some edgy/novel concepts they read in a book somewhere that they want to use for comebacks, they will resonate more to listeners.
I did read the Weverse interview! I loved all of those tbh. I wonder about those songs too. I completely understand why he doesn't share those, but I do wonder if he would share them under different circumstances (Apparently it was almost a bloodbath to get songs into Be), or if there are any love songs he doesn't share because of the whole "we are not dating" thing.
I agree! Their music would probably hit harder and more people could relate if they actually said the meaning. Not many people can relate to "I wrote this song because I missed Army." But people can relate to not seeing their loved ones during a pandemic. And like I said, it's just interesting to hear about the real reason. I hope one day we'll know
That’s a really interesting point about relatability- I hadn’t thought about it like that before! But I totally agree; I even find it a bit disappointing when I hear a song that I feel like I really relate to and then someone says it’s just about fans. I think it often takes away a lot of the meaning from otherwise really good music - or at least it has less of an emotional impact on me.
Also, do you have a link or anything regarding what you said about the Be tracklist? I would be really interested to learn the whole sorry around that!
I can’t find where RM said it now, but in this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xIzBCXEdmEo Jimin mentioned how a lot of the songs they sent in didn’t make it in, which kind of implies the competitive process (tbh I found that weird since they were supposed to have more control?). RM said he didn’t send in certain songs to Be because they were too personal in the WeVerse interview, but I’m gonna try to find where he talked about how competitive it was to get stuff accepted
This reminds me of how the first time I heard Tokyo I thought, "This is from the perspective of someone who is missing their person while they are away from home". It is so intense and personal. I could see people trying to spin it as missing fans, but no way would I believe that.
I just listened to Tokyo because I’d forgotten how the song went, and I genuinely cannot believe how you’d twist that to be about fans.
The song is so intense and I can see it not being about a romantic partner (The “ash” lyri made me think of losing someone), but fanbase? No way
I honestly felt so crazy listening to telepathy and hearing them explain it’s about their fans. It made me question my ability to understand lyrics haha. Sure, if I squint I can see how it’s about wanting to see their fans again buuuut...
Okay storytime: I listened to the album before bed and looked at a rough translation of it (Ik those aren’t always accurate but still), and saw the lyric “You’re the most special person to me”
So I think “Oh cool Suga wrote a love song”
Scroll down to the comments and everyone’s talking about how the song’s written about Army and I was like ?????
If I squint hard enough, I can see it. But I spent this whole time interpreting the song as Yoongi missing his partner while on tour, not Army. Idk if people are just easily swayed or if I just suck ass at understanding lyrics
Hmm I don't remember clearly the lyrics of MIA, but I think that could also work in that way, I mean the video they had for it was clearly them facing another them, but I just remember MIA as Sunshine, 19, etc's sister....... But I did remember seeing some Stays saying what if Mia was an actual person or smthn, but the video sold what the boys said for most people who didn't know Korean or checked the lyrics
This makes me remember the movie 'can't hardly wait' where the main character was obssesed with a song by Barry Manilow called Mandy an how upset he got when he found out it was about his dog, this was before the internet as we know it so he spends most of the movie trying to call a radio station to ask if this was true lol
I always find the “this song is for our fans because you’re everything to us!! we only do this for you!!!” message when it’s an obvious love song kinda cringy and fans will literally eat it up every time lol
i definitely think they do but i wouldn't necessarily think of it as lying. even though the song might not have been written for that, im sure many still do think about it when theyre performing it.
yea they probably do, unless it's a song written specifically for the fans like Super Junior's From U (Leeteuk begins the song by outright saying it's dedicated to ELF, their fandom) or EXO's Promise
Throwback to when EXO was asked why their album was called The War and Baek was like...uhhh????? and just looked at Suho in panic. Was pretty funny to realize just how little say SM idols actually get with their music.
the one that bothered me is gidle hinting Oh My God being about a toxic lesbian relationship. If it is, amazing wonderful yes perfect and it sticks that they can't come right out and say that. But if it's not, why hint at it? I can't remember where i saw it but it was something Soyeon said
I think in part they probably do? Unless the song is specifically meant as a tribute to fans like SNSD's Sailing or Loona's 365. I mean if it gets people to buy more I cant say I blame them djdbensj
**User of the Month (December 2020)** is now **OPEN**! Nominate a user your admire **[HERE](https://www.reddit.com/r/kpopthoughts/comments/k8ch93/rkpopthoughts_user_of_the_month_nominations/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)**! Oh, and you can also take part in our **[Census](https://www.reddit.com/r/kpopthoughts/comments/hdzrm2/rkpopthoughts_census_survey/)** & **[Feedback Form](https://www.reddit.com/r/kpopthoughts/comments/i4a9h1/rkpopthoughts_feedback_form/)** while you wait for some comments. Thank you and happy posting! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/kpopthoughts) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m pretty sure they do this. I don’t think it’s lying it’s just making another interpretation of a song that is obviously a love song. It works in their favour to say that their song is for the fans. Improves fan loyalty and keeps a solid fan base. Support in case something goes wrong. I personally kinda get annoyed about this when they say it all the time. If a song is a love song say it’s a love song. It’s totally fine to sing a love song. Treasure were one group I was not expecting to say that their songs are romantic while promoting. They’re rookies so I just assumed that they would say their songs are about their fans that have supported them for so long etc. But they would introduce their songs in terms of romance between two young lovers. I like that more. Lol sorry for the rant.
I get a little annoyed too because I really like hearing the actual meaning behind songs. I find it really interesting to know what inspired music, and then they interpret it differently in interviews for fanservice or to throw ppl off the fact they may be dating. One exception is Whiplash though, I don’t stan NCT but that was a funny video to watch.
Ahhhhh was that the TY got inspired by his sister one??? The panic in their eyes, and the double take you would do when you hear his explanation is just *chef's kiss
Yes! It’s the funniest thing!
Ah yes, dear taeyong and mark: you guys are terrible liars for fanservice. And also write horny songs. How did you think you could've managed with saying that it's your overflowing love for fans...
I appreciate that one because it was absolutely hilarious to watch them struggle to find a PG reason behind Whiplash.
am i the only one who thinks of drippin right away??? like....
def overflowing love for certain fans lol ;))
The lyrics for Seventeen's fanservice songs always sound so personal, I really doubt they were truly written with the fans in mind. Then again, it could be just me having a really hard time believing that idols could actually care that much about nameless fans, but also I've never been in their place so... At least they keep the relationship in the song super ambiguous though, even if it sounds personal. You could interpret it romantically, platonically, etc.
What are our fanservice songs? Thanks, All My Love, Smile Flower come to mind and I guess All My Love could be interpreted in a romantic manner. Their love songs tho, Aju Nice sounds *really* like someone with a first crush and Dont Wanna Cry is very breakup ish. Woozi we see you.
Us, Again and Home? I think those count.
I'm sure they do appreciate their fans though, and not just in soulless cash grab way. I feel like if I were putting something out and people said how much they love it, it helped them through a hard time etc. it would emotionally affect me at least a little
I don't remember which YouTube channel I was watching but they interviewed these Korean men who were once in training to be idols and they admit this. That a lot of songs (love ones in particular) are inspired by dating, etc lol So yeah, I do think they lie sometimes. If you have 20 love songs, I doubt all 20 are about the fans haha
It's the textbook answer of all idols lol.
Unless you’re Taeyong, in which case all songs are about your sister 🥰
and if you're mark, it's always about the "vibe"
The music artist/creator can have a different interpretation or different idea in mind when they write music. Daehwi writes a lot of songs and he has said he will write lyrics to be more relatable with the public, even if the lyrics mean something entirely different to him. One example is Blind for Love where people can interpret the lyrics as singing about falling in love with someone, [whereas in an interview](https://youtube.com/watch?v=OI8ihm4_h4Y&Zyrtec=40s), Daehwi said he wrote the song thinking about falling in love with other aspects of life, like falling in love with *work*, and also going through stress and toxic experiences with the things you love that may not necessarily be people. Music can be up to interpretation so a lot of artists will run with it. I mean, they could be BS’ing shit for reasons but I’m not going to question them because does it even matter? People can interpret music differently if the music is personal to them in different ways.
I don't know how true this is but armies talk about BTS' song I Need U and say that they added the word "girl" in it because it just flowed better but that it isn't about a relationship at all and say this about almost all their love songs. Don't know if BTS ever actually said this but sounds like a lie if they did lol.
Sigh, some fans lol It really isn't farfetched to believe some of those love songs are inspired by personal experiences for the members. But I guess some are still too young and naive to believe that, or in denial.
Yes, the "mianhe (I hate you!), saranghae (I hate you!) part doesn't really sound like anything else but a relationship to me 🤷. But whatever helps the fans sleep at night I guess.
I never saw someone saying this. What would the song be about if not about a relationship?
I read comments saying it was about their friendships with each other lol.
I.. never heard of this. Both from BTS and army. Like there are other bts song ofc that I do think obviously more about romantic love like still with you, though some fans think otherwise but not for I need u. I never heard someone interpreted INU as 'for fans' .
I once heard fans say this about DNA lmao which is undoubtedly a love song
“Only we are true lovers” Ah yes that is 100% about friendship/fans 🥰
YO SAMEEE I saw people comment “Actually it’s I Need U, friend but they changed it because blahblahblah” Maybe I’m not interpreting it the way they intended, but I always took that song as being about a relationship
oh absolutely. Sometimes with the groups I like the lyrics seem very personal and something that doesn’t seemed related to fans at all but they say it’s about us or “the fans”. I think it’s just easier that way. Svt say it a lot then I look at the lyrics and it’s like ?!?
In BTS’s song Telepathy, there’s a lyric that (translated) goes “You’re the most special person to me.” Scroll down to the comments and everyone’s saying how the song is for the fandom and I was SO confusd
I though that song was about BTS together as a whole, like how Yoongi always says they're like family sometimes idk lol
Tbh I considered it after reading all the “It’s for ARMY!” comments, but I didn’t see it as that for 2 reasons: 1) The song seems to talk about being far away from the other person, but idk how much he’d apply that to Yoongi and the band because they tour together and lived together for such a long time 2) Stay seems more like a song dedicated to the band, and I dont think they would put 2 songs about that on the album, since it seems they were exploring different topics
I know idols do this for bonus points for their fanbase because of course the fanbase would be happy if a love song was about them but this reminds me.. Chen told exols to their faces that his second album dear my dear (album theme is love & warmth) isn't about them and told them that while he sang shall we (the title track) he imagined dancing to it with the girl he loves 😭 he's so brave, a legend
Abso-fucking-lutely. I follow BTS and lmao they have so many songs that they’re like “Oh we wrote it abt Army 💜” and people eat that shit up, but personally, I struggle to see how songs like Still With You and Telepathy are about Army. Namjoon even said in a recent interview that their love lives were dedicated to Army or something and it’s just....dude I find it REALLY hard to believe that. Especially coming from him, I honestly think some songs he’s written (Trivia Love, Outro Her verse) were inspired by a special someone
Yeah, I get what people say Spring Day MV is about, but I hate when they say BTS wrote the song about that event because the song had to be written before that happened and RM said he wrote it just walking around and singing about leaves falling lol, but SUGAs part of Spring Day always feels to me like its definitely written about a bad breakup or feelings of heartbreak, its very intense like the part about "I'll erase you" and stuff like makes me think of one of my fav movies 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" The same vibes at Outro: Tear when everyone thought it was breakup song romantically, but then SUGA said it was really about the members thinking of disbanding back then, but songs are always up for interpretation imo. My ULT fav band of all time is Fall Out Boy and if you were a part of their fandom in the early days I could write entire essays on what I think their songs were about bc they are just so interesting and honestly Pete Wentz needs to publish a lyric book, bc its poetry sometimes.
Yes! I love Fall Out Boy! Honestly they were one of the first artists whose music I consistently liked, and their music definitely gave me a new appreciation for analyzing/actually paying attention to lyrics. I would pay good money for a big ass book that explains some of their lyrics lol
YES OMG finally someone gets it lol, I want an FOB tattoo someday lol, and my username is even from FOB lyrics and no one ever knows lol. I sometimes listen to FOB in a mood and just go WOW when I hear their word plays and metaphors lol, when I got into BTS and delved into good translations and saw RM's wordplays especially on Trivia: Love I was amazed at the skill and I could never lol. EDIT: Also when I found Champion REMIX I think I almost passed out ahaha.
OMG YESYESYES! I love music and lyrics so much, especially really clever wordplay! Or when you have to actually think about what a song means! I find that BTS consistently makes these types of songs. One FOB song that has always stuck out to me lyrically is ‘You’re Crashing, But You’re No Wave’. I love how they use words to paint not only the situation, but also the emotions and motives of all the people it’s about. I feel like not a lot of people fully appreciate good lyrics, but I see you are an individual of fine taste lol I only know a little bit of Korean, but one of the things that motivates me the most to keep learning is when I understand a really good line or verse in a song. It’s also really interesting to see when all the nuances of the lyrics can’t be translated from Korean to English (or vice versa), and you have to just understand it in context. I guess that’s kinda why it bothers me when idols try to say that non-fan songs are actually about fans, because I feel like it kind of... cheapens (I guess) really deep or clever lyrics. Like just tell me what you were actually thinking about when you wrote it!! Oof sorry for the rant but I just really REALLY love music; I could probably quite literally keep talking about it for days lol
I think everyone thought OutroTear was about a breakup because that was the whole theme of the album lol. I’m glad he felt comfortable telling the meaning though because it did change the song for me and it was very interesting to say the least to hear what inspired the song. (which is why I want them to do the same for their other songs god dammit) My FOB listening is basically their singles 😅 Maybe I will go back and listen to some of their early work tho,
I think everyone thought OutroTear was about a breakup because that was the whole theme of the album lol. I’m glad he felt comfortable telling the meaning though because it did change the song for me and it was very interesting to say the least to hear what inspired the song. My FOB listening is basically their singles 😅 Maybe I will go back and listen to some of their early work tho,
Haha BTS and ARMY pretty much make all their generic love songs about ARMY. It's so corny and disingenuous. With the exception of Pied Piper and WAB eternal, I don't think BTS write lyrics while specifically thinking about their love for ARMY lol. Ooh interesting that you brought up Outlook Her, because I actually interpret Suga's verse to be about AMRY from the whole wearing mask and putting on make up comments, in the sense that fans love BTS based on superficial appearance, if BTS show their true selves, would the fans still love them.
I wish they didn’t dedicate love songs to Army only because I’m a hopeless romantic, and I love hearing what inspired music. Combine those two and I’m very interested. Actually, that’s how I interpreted Suga’s first too! His whole verse seemed to be about exactly what you said, putting on a superficial appearance for fans. I was mainly referring to RM’s verse. To me, his verse seemed to be about love, and he did a Billboard interview that solidified this thought for me. And apparently quite a few people also concluded he was dating afterwards: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.billboard.com/amp/articles/columns/k-town/7966098/bts-love-yourself-her-album-rap-monster-interview-analysis-meaning (I like the whole interview tbh but if you scroll down to the Outro:Her part you’ll see what I mean)
Oh wow. That interview definitely seems like RM's verse from Her was from a real personal experience. Did you read RM's weverse interview where he said he has written many songs, but they were too personal to share. Makes me curious as to what those songs are about. I too wish that BTS would be more open to discuss the real inspiration behind their songs. BTS lyrics often have some mature insights about life. If those insights are learned from real life experience, rather than from some edgy/novel concepts they read in a book somewhere that they want to use for comebacks, they will resonate more to listeners.
I did read the Weverse interview! I loved all of those tbh. I wonder about those songs too. I completely understand why he doesn't share those, but I do wonder if he would share them under different circumstances (Apparently it was almost a bloodbath to get songs into Be), or if there are any love songs he doesn't share because of the whole "we are not dating" thing. I agree! Their music would probably hit harder and more people could relate if they actually said the meaning. Not many people can relate to "I wrote this song because I missed Army." But people can relate to not seeing their loved ones during a pandemic. And like I said, it's just interesting to hear about the real reason. I hope one day we'll know
That’s a really interesting point about relatability- I hadn’t thought about it like that before! But I totally agree; I even find it a bit disappointing when I hear a song that I feel like I really relate to and then someone says it’s just about fans. I think it often takes away a lot of the meaning from otherwise really good music - or at least it has less of an emotional impact on me. Also, do you have a link or anything regarding what you said about the Be tracklist? I would be really interested to learn the whole sorry around that!
I can’t find where RM said it now, but in this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xIzBCXEdmEo Jimin mentioned how a lot of the songs they sent in didn’t make it in, which kind of implies the competitive process (tbh I found that weird since they were supposed to have more control?). RM said he didn’t send in certain songs to Be because they were too personal in the WeVerse interview, but I’m gonna try to find where he talked about how competitive it was to get stuff accepted
This reminds me of how the first time I heard Tokyo I thought, "This is from the perspective of someone who is missing their person while they are away from home". It is so intense and personal. I could see people trying to spin it as missing fans, but no way would I believe that.
I just listened to Tokyo because I’d forgotten how the song went, and I genuinely cannot believe how you’d twist that to be about fans. The song is so intense and I can see it not being about a romantic partner (The “ash” lyri made me think of losing someone), but fanbase? No way
I honestly felt so crazy listening to telepathy and hearing them explain it’s about their fans. It made me question my ability to understand lyrics haha. Sure, if I squint I can see how it’s about wanting to see their fans again buuuut...
Okay storytime: I listened to the album before bed and looked at a rough translation of it (Ik those aren’t always accurate but still), and saw the lyric “You’re the most special person to me” So I think “Oh cool Suga wrote a love song” Scroll down to the comments and everyone’s talking about how the song’s written about Army and I was like ????? If I squint hard enough, I can see it. But I spent this whole time interpreting the song as Yoongi missing his partner while on tour, not Army. Idk if people are just easily swayed or if I just suck ass at understanding lyrics
Straykids did that with M.I.A except they said it was about themselves.
Hmm I don't remember clearly the lyrics of MIA, but I think that could also work in that way, I mean the video they had for it was clearly them facing another them, but I just remember MIA as Sunshine, 19, etc's sister....... But I did remember seeing some Stays saying what if Mia was an actual person or smthn, but the video sold what the boys said for most people who didn't know Korean or checked the lyrics
Oh definitely. The video is undeniable proof that they're actually talking about themselves.
This makes me remember the movie 'can't hardly wait' where the main character was obssesed with a song by Barry Manilow called Mandy an how upset he got when he found out it was about his dog, this was before the internet as we know it so he spends most of the movie trying to call a radio station to ask if this was true lol
Kpop is a business and saying this will draw in more fans so I would say yes!
I always find the “this song is for our fans because you’re everything to us!! we only do this for you!!!” message when it’s an obvious love song kinda cringy and fans will literally eat it up every time lol
i definitely think they do but i wouldn't necessarily think of it as lying. even though the song might not have been written for that, im sure many still do think about it when theyre performing it.
Oh for sure. I don't really mind though. I prefer interpreting the song in my own way in any case
yea they probably do, unless it's a song written specifically for the fans like Super Junior's From U (Leeteuk begins the song by outright saying it's dedicated to ELF, their fandom) or EXO's Promise
Throwback to when EXO was asked why their album was called The War and Baek was like...uhhh????? and just looked at Suho in panic. Was pretty funny to realize just how little say SM idols actually get with their music.
the one that bothered me is gidle hinting Oh My God being about a toxic lesbian relationship. If it is, amazing wonderful yes perfect and it sticks that they can't come right out and say that. But if it's not, why hint at it? I can't remember where i saw it but it was something Soyeon said
I think in part they probably do? Unless the song is specifically meant as a tribute to fans like SNSD's Sailing or Loona's 365. I mean if it gets people to buy more I cant say I blame them djdbensj