There is no doubt that Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS, are one of my favorite Kpop groups to emerge from the industry in recent years. The talent of the seven-member boy group has been recognized both at home in South Korea, with awards such as the MelOn and Golden Disk “New Artist of the Year” awards, and abroad, with their third EP, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Part 1, appearing on Fuse's english-dominated “Best Albums of 2015 (So Far)” alongside musical heavyweights Kendrick Lamar, Ciara, Drake, and Calvin Harris.
My own theory around the BTS Trilogy is rather simple, but symbolically dense: this is a complicated metaphor for growing up.
When BTS released The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt 1, leader and rapper Kim Namjoon described it as an album about adolescence, which is the most joyful part of life, but also wrought with “anxiety and insecurity.” Since the members of BTS range in age from approximately 18-23, they are in the stage between youth and adulthood where things get awkward and confusing. To me, the BTS Trilogy is about the death of helpless childhood innocence and the inevitable transition to adulthood.
In a lot of ways, the BTS Trilogy of videos reminds me of the 1986 film, Stand By Me, wherein a group of 4 childhood friends set out to discover the body of a dead boy from their town with the hopes of becoming local heroes. However, in the process, the boys confide in each other and shed their childhood and innocence. By the end of the film, the boys are separated and are no longer friends, but still hold onto their memories of that time.
All three videos are rich with symbolism, and although the lyrics of the music play an important part, they aren't absolutely essential to understanding the story. There is quite a lot of shifting timelines and perspectives between characters, which means that this story belongs to all the characters in their own ways. Unpacking this story is easier if we follow the same non-linear timeline.
“I Need U” represents a helpless descent as the chorus repeats “fall, fall.” The characters are seemingly not in control of their own behaviors and feelings, reacting to what happens around them in youthful innocence and ignorance. In this MV, we see the characters reacting to their environments and situations. The focus shifts from scenes of the group together, acting jovial and friendly, to scenes of each member alone, where they turn to despair and sadness in its many forms. When together, the seven characters are carefree and wild. For example, Hoseok, who is seen taking handfuls of medication, dumps the entire bottle into the fire when joined by his friends, preferring to feel emotions with his friends, rather than the numbness of loneliness.
But each character is ultimately a product of the world around them, unable to control their decisions, as they are “children.” The climax of the MV occurs when Taeyhun, driven to anger, witnesses his father hitting his mother and stabs him to death. Each character also “dies” when alone: Hoseok collapses onto a busy road after overdosing on the same prescription medication, Jungkook is hit by a car after being beaten by thugs, Yoongi and Namjoon are presumed to self-immolate and Jimin drowns. Jin doesn’t necessarily and explicitly die, but he does appear in an empty room, isolated and restless and obviously in pain.
The Prologue continues this sense of losing control as it opens with Taehyun, bloodied and visibly shaken after stabbing his father. But it soon shifts to a bright open space where he is calm and clean. He holds a photo of his father and crumples it in his hands. This is more symbolic than literal: in “killing” his father, Taehyun has severed ties with an important figure in his life, no longer needing his presence. Here we also see Jin recording everything from an outsider’s perspective, showing us viewers only the beauty of youth, maybe even making us long for it. When looking back on youth, it is often remembered as the most beautiful moment in life, but with it comes fear, anxiety, loneliness and all manner of mixed emotions
Namjoon is also seen writing “you need to survive” in Korean onto a foggy window before joining his friends fireside. While this may seem literal, it feels more like a pep talk, encouraging his friends (and the viewer) that survival is most important and that living in childish ignorance will result in the brain-dead, lifeless state that we see Namjoon in, working at the gas station. We can tie this back to “I Need U” where it’s revealed that Namjoon’s lollipop is actually a cigarette and by dropping it onto the money thrown at him from a car, he is giving up his childish state, knowing that it is time to move forward instead of being stagnant.
In the second half of the video, the group is together at the beach, and Taehyun climbs up scaffolding while the others look on and beg him to come down. Jin is again, recording this through his video camera and does not pressure Taehyun to climb down. After “killing” his father, Taehyun has to take a leap from being a child to becoming an adult, leaving the responsibility of his life in his own hands, rather than anyone from the outside. Taehyun offers his friends a smile and then confidently jumps off the scaffolding while the music in the background swells and repeats “butterfly”. Now Taehyun is literally flying instead of falling, emerging from his cocoon and is free to make his own decisions.
In the third MV, “Run”, there is a marked difference in the actions of the characters.
They no longer appear to be passive, but rather acting based on the world around them. They are literally more “alive” than they were in “I Need U,” running throughout most of the video, acting out without regrets. Jin, our observer, builds a house of cards which is destroyed as Yoongi breaks a mirror after playfighting with Jungkook becomes violent. The camera then pans towards Jungook sitting on the ground where we can see the rest of the group around him, but when the camera pans out it’s obvious he is alone. Now we know that the party is over. The way Jungkook sees himself, as a fragile house of cards is now over. He glances back to the mirror for a split second, as though he is seeing the reality of himself for the first time. And as Namjoon wrote earlier, he must also “survive.”
There is also heavy use of the symbolism of water and fire throughout the MVs. We see Taehyun falling backwards into water at the start of “Run” and struggling to swim throughout, but at the end he emerges from the water unharmed. Jimin also drowns in a bathtub, and is also seen being pushed into a bathtub and playfully being forced under. On the other hand, we also have Yoongi (and Namjoon) “die” by fire in “I Need U.”
Although these are opposite elements, it's interesting to note that fire can represent not only death, but also represents enlightenment and resurrection. Water, likewise, can symbolically refer to the cycle of life and rebirth, as well as higher or philosophical reasoning.Taehyun and Jin die and reawake in water, Yoongi and Namjoon, who are first seen as passive, are engulfed by fire and symbolically reborn. Hoseok casts aside his medication and embraces his emotions instead of running from them. Jungkook, who was helplessly beaten by thugs is able to see himself clearly and Jin is no longer on the outside looking in. In this way, each character reaches the end of their journey and emerges into adulthood.
Despite the chorus of “I Need U” ringing out for a girl, there is no instance of the members of BTS fighting over the affections of a woman, or lamenting about a lost crush. Nor are they parading their ego and confidence to draw the attention to themselves. This trilogy is purely about friendship, growth, and ultimately, the loss of innocence. Of course, this is only one theory of many, and there are symbols and metaphors that I have not accounted for. This chronicle stretches across two albums, photobooks, several music videos, and even a concert. As such, this theory is by no means exhaustive, nor even complete. Writing an entire analysis of every scene and symbol in this trilogy would ruin its appeal and story. One thing is absolutely certain, however: this is a mature and grown-up attempt at using music as storytelling.
Pinning down one explanation would take away the mystery and ultimately, the fun of unravelling this tale. By utilizing visual storytelling, strong metaphors and music cues, BTS has taken every available tool at their disposal to weave a complicated and lengthy concept without having to rely on the tired Kpop cliches of dancing in a box, or flashing their bodies. But isn’t that what we look for when we embrace a “concept”? Depth, relevance and relation to our own lives. BTS has checked off every box and made sure to not hold our hands throughout it. Here is an entire world, like our own but minutely different, and open to any and all interpretations. If this isn’t proof of a group growing up, I’m not sure what is.
'L' lives in Ontario, Canada. She is a pop culture and media junkie and has helped organize kpop parties and events across Ontario. Her biases are BTS, Block B, M.I.B and Infinite.
In a lot of ways, the BTS Trilogy of videos reminds me of the 1986 film, Stand By Me, wherein a group of 4 childhood friends set out to discover the body of a dead boy from their town with the hopes of becoming local heroes. However, in the process, the boys confide in each other and shed their childhood and innocence. By the end of the film, the boys are separated and are no longer friends, but still hold onto their memories of that time.
All three videos are rich with symbolism, and although the lyrics of the music play an important part, they aren't absolutely essential to understanding the story. There is quite a lot of shifting timelines and perspectives between characters, which means that this story belongs to all the characters in their own ways. Unpacking this story is easier if we follow the same non-linear timeline.
“I Need U” represents a helpless descent as the chorus repeats “fall, fall.” The characters are seemingly not in control of their own behaviors and feelings, reacting to what happens around them in youthful innocence and ignorance. In this MV, we see the characters reacting to their environments and situations. The focus shifts from scenes of the group together, acting jovial and friendly, to scenes of each member alone, where they turn to despair and sadness in its many forms. When together, the seven characters are carefree and wild. For example, Hoseok, who is seen taking handfuls of medication, dumps the entire bottle into the fire when joined by his friends, preferring to feel emotions with his friends, rather than the numbness of loneliness.
But each character is ultimately a product of the world around them, unable to control their decisions, as they are “children.” The climax of the MV occurs when Taeyhun, driven to anger, witnesses his father hitting his mother and stabs him to death. Each character also “dies” when alone: Hoseok collapses onto a busy road after overdosing on the same prescription medication, Jungkook is hit by a car after being beaten by thugs, Yoongi and Namjoon are presumed to self-immolate and Jimin drowns. Jin doesn’t necessarily and explicitly die, but he does appear in an empty room, isolated and restless and obviously in pain.
The Prologue continues this sense of losing control as it opens with Taehyun, bloodied and visibly shaken after stabbing his father. But it soon shifts to a bright open space where he is calm and clean. He holds a photo of his father and crumples it in his hands. This is more symbolic than literal: in “killing” his father, Taehyun has severed ties with an important figure in his life, no longer needing his presence. Here we also see Jin recording everything from an outsider’s perspective, showing us viewers only the beauty of youth, maybe even making us long for it. When looking back on youth, it is often remembered as the most beautiful moment in life, but with it comes fear, anxiety, loneliness and all manner of mixed emotions
Namjoon is also seen writing “you need to survive” in Korean onto a foggy window before joining his friends fireside. While this may seem literal, it feels more like a pep talk, encouraging his friends (and the viewer) that survival is most important and that living in childish ignorance will result in the brain-dead, lifeless state that we see Namjoon in, working at the gas station. We can tie this back to “I Need U” where it’s revealed that Namjoon’s lollipop is actually a cigarette and by dropping it onto the money thrown at him from a car, he is giving up his childish state, knowing that it is time to move forward instead of being stagnant.
In the second half of the video, the group is together at the beach, and Taehyun climbs up scaffolding while the others look on and beg him to come down. Jin is again, recording this through his video camera and does not pressure Taehyun to climb down. After “killing” his father, Taehyun has to take a leap from being a child to becoming an adult, leaving the responsibility of his life in his own hands, rather than anyone from the outside. Taehyun offers his friends a smile and then confidently jumps off the scaffolding while the music in the background swells and repeats “butterfly”. Now Taehyun is literally flying instead of falling, emerging from his cocoon and is free to make his own decisions.
They no longer appear to be passive, but rather acting based on the world around them. They are literally more “alive” than they were in “I Need U,” running throughout most of the video, acting out without regrets. Jin, our observer, builds a house of cards which is destroyed as Yoongi breaks a mirror after playfighting with Jungkook becomes violent. The camera then pans towards Jungook sitting on the ground where we can see the rest of the group around him, but when the camera pans out it’s obvious he is alone. Now we know that the party is over. The way Jungkook sees himself, as a fragile house of cards is now over. He glances back to the mirror for a split second, as though he is seeing the reality of himself for the first time. And as Namjoon wrote earlier, he must also “survive.”
There is also heavy use of the symbolism of water and fire throughout the MVs. We see Taehyun falling backwards into water at the start of “Run” and struggling to swim throughout, but at the end he emerges from the water unharmed. Jimin also drowns in a bathtub, and is also seen being pushed into a bathtub and playfully being forced under. On the other hand, we also have Yoongi (and Namjoon) “die” by fire in “I Need U.”
Although these are opposite elements, it's interesting to note that fire can represent not only death, but also represents enlightenment and resurrection. Water, likewise, can symbolically refer to the cycle of life and rebirth, as well as higher or philosophical reasoning.Taehyun and Jin die and reawake in water, Yoongi and Namjoon, who are first seen as passive, are engulfed by fire and symbolically reborn. Hoseok casts aside his medication and embraces his emotions instead of running from them. Jungkook, who was helplessly beaten by thugs is able to see himself clearly and Jin is no longer on the outside looking in. In this way, each character reaches the end of their journey and emerges into adulthood.
Despite the chorus of “I Need U” ringing out for a girl, there is no instance of the members of BTS fighting over the affections of a woman, or lamenting about a lost crush. Nor are they parading their ego and confidence to draw the attention to themselves. This trilogy is purely about friendship, growth, and ultimately, the loss of innocence. Of course, this is only one theory of many, and there are symbols and metaphors that I have not accounted for. This chronicle stretches across two albums, photobooks, several music videos, and even a concert. As such, this theory is by no means exhaustive, nor even complete. Writing an entire analysis of every scene and symbol in this trilogy would ruin its appeal and story. One thing is absolutely certain, however: this is a mature and grown-up attempt at using music as storytelling.
Pinning down one explanation would take away the mystery and ultimately, the fun of unravelling this tale. By utilizing visual storytelling, strong metaphors and music cues, BTS has taken every available tool at their disposal to weave a complicated and lengthy concept without having to rely on the tired Kpop cliches of dancing in a box, or flashing their bodies. But isn’t that what we look for when we embrace a “concept”? Depth, relevance and relation to our own lives. BTS has checked off every box and made sure to not hold our hands throughout it. Here is an entire world, like our own but minutely different, and open to any and all interpretations. If this isn’t proof of a group growing up, I’m not sure what is.
'L' lives in Ontario, Canada. She is a pop culture and media junkie and has helped organize kpop parties and events across Ontario. Her biases are BTS, Block B, M.I.B and Infinite.
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