WEEK 9 | Beautiful Disaster
February 26 - March 1, 2024
Desperation.
Have you ever found yourself standing at the edge of a metaphorical precipice in your life—looking out into the unknown, scared of taking a leap, but also knowing you can’t continue standing still?
This is where we find Bangtan Sonyeondan in late spring, 2015. Their last album, DARK & WILD had performed respectably on the charts, but not as well as they’d hoped. They’d won awards, but still hadn’t hit that all-important benchmark in the career of a K-Pop Idol: a song winning first place on any of the broadcast music shows in South Korea. They desperately wanted that recognition, and they wanted their new album to launch them to the next level.
Promo Still for “I NEED U”
The CEO of BigHit, Bang PD had always told BTS to “write themselves” into their music. Since debuting, their message had always been one for the youth of the day, and they did not want this to change, but it was impossible to ignore the fact that they themselves were growing up. The members were all between the ages of 22 and 17, hovering in that unique space between adolescence and adulthood. They knew their music needed to grow up with them.
The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1, a nine-track mini album, was released on April 29, 2015 and the theme once again centered around the concept of youth. This time however, the focus was on the sometimes manic nature of that time when you’re not quite a child, but also not quite an adult. The edge of blooming youth—beauty and friendship on one side, instability and loneliness on the other.
Over the next two weeks we’ll watch BTS step boldly into the next phase of their career as they tackle even more taboo topics in their music than they’d ever covered before. We’ll officially see the beginning of the Bangtan Universe (the BU) storyline which will link most of their music, videos and promotional material together moving forward. And yet, all this while still reminding us that they never stop working hard for what they want, and that they’re… kind of ‘dope’.
Playlists & Lyrics
BTS HYYH PT. 1 ALBUM SPOTIFY PLAYLIST (also embedded at bottom of post)
ARMY PROJECT 529 WEEK 9 VIDEO PLAYLIST (all YouTube links)
DAY ONE:
The Korean phrase, Hwa Yong Yeon Hwa (HYYH) translates to “the most beautiful moment in life” and it describes the period in BTS’ discography that includes all of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life” albums. The HYYH era explores many themes relating to the challenges of facing adulthood and begins with The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1.
The opening track, “Intro: Blooming Youth” is a solo from SUGA (shown above). He uses an analogy of playing basketball to rap about feeling stuck and unsure about the future. What is he doing with his life? Is he happy? Immediately, we get the sense of being on the edge of that precipice—he wants to go forward, but is inexplicably scared of what will happen when he does.
“Others have run ahead of me, but why am I still here?”
But, scared or not, BTS was moving forward. They were busier and also more determined than ever to show ARMY (and the world) a different and more evolved side of themselves. The concept for HYYH followed the idea of “blooming youth” exactly. For once, there was no hip-hop edge to their fashion. Colors were everywhere; there was almost no black to be found at all, and the fabrics were softer. Gone was the heavy eyeliner from the past two years; now their makeup was more natural. During promotions they cause chaos (as usual) but also look vulnerable and a little anxious, almost anticipatory—staring out at their audience, as though looking down over that proverbial ledge into the unknown.
BTS INTRODUCES THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOMENT IN LIFE PT. 1 (0:51; shown above)
HYYH PT. 1 JACKET SHOOTING SKETCH (3:47; shown below)
BANGTAN BOMB: JUNG KOOK BY THE SEA! (1:47; JK and seagulls go WAY back)
BANGTAN BOMB: JIMIN IS TOO HARD ON HIMSELF (0:37; as per usual)
BTS (IN NAVER STAR CAST) “LUCKY DRAW EP 1” - CHARADES (9:48; absolute chaos and hilarity)
RUN BTS! EP. 1 (3:41; an introduction to the show and BTS on the new “V” app. V, of course, thinks they named it after him.)
RUN BTS! EP. 2 (8:33; as shown; and so begins the long-running saga of JK winning almost everything)
BONUS: AFTER SCHOOL CLUB EP. 158 with BTS (54:11; shown below)
Fun Fact
When BTS decided to branch out into more storytelling in their music and promotional material, ARMY was introduced to the fictional storyline that would continue as a running theme for years to come.
Now known officially as the Bangtan Universe, originally it was just referred to as Hwa Yong Yeon Hwa (“The Most Beautiful Moment in Life”), after the trilogy of albums released under the same name. It began with The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1.
The BU storyline is vast and dense. It can be confusing, especially if you’re a Baby ARMY new to BTS. You might be thinking “I’ve never heard of this before!” And that’s okay. It’s also not necessary to throw yourself completely into the BU in order to enjoy BTS and be ARMY. And having said that, moving forward, we do not plan to recount the entire storyline for you. Instead, we’ll be referencing important parts and providing you with resources in case you want to do further deep-diving.
The main theme of the BU is friendship. The storyline follows seven boys (based on the members of BTS) in the journey of their friendship and their lives outside of that bond. As mentioned previously, M/Vs were the natural start, but eventually BigHit started producing other content based in the BU for fans to consume.
One of those is the webtoon Save Me which was released in 2019 and has 15 episodes. It weaves the story together, fleshing it out beyond the bits and pieces we see in M/Vs and short films. It is a good basis of knowledge to have and can make unraveling the meaning behind some of BTS’ best videos, like “I NEED U”, much easier.
If you’d like to learn more about Save Me or read it for yourself, check out these links:
DAY TWO:
BTS and BigHit wanted The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1 to make a big impression upon its release. In order to do that, they knew they needed a title track that would blow all of their previous efforts out of the water. And they had one. Enter “I NEED U”, the second song on the album.
From the moment the song begins, it’s beautiful—soft and melodic. But, also, incredibly sad. Sadness turns to desperation as the track builds to an explosive dance beat backed by hi-hats and synths. On the surface, it tells a story of a toxic relationship that BTS doesn’t want to end. The feeling that even though someone treats you badly, you know you’d feel worse without them. This ‘relationship’ can be seen as a metaphor for growing up. Change is necessary, but also terrifying. Everything feels like ‘life or death’ when you’re young and just emerging out of adolescence.
The M/V was a major departure from their previous releases. There was no dancing or choreography featured at all, in fact, the video relied entirely upon the members’ acting skills. And they more than rose to the challenge. The video follows the members, both alone and as a group, as they go through daily life. When the members are together, they are laughing, having fun and getting into mischief. When separated, we see their lives for what they really are—a mess. They suffer, and each goes through some kind of tragedy. The video perfectly represents the underlying feeling of frantic desperation in the song. In fact, the original version received a “19+” rating and wasn’t eligible to be aired on Korean television. BTS had to create a second version, with a few scenes cut out, in order to have it played by the networks. (See Day Three for the broadcast version.)
“I NEED U” was a HUGE success for BTS. It finally brought them the coveted music show wins they had been after for two years. (Five, in total.) With these wins, and the song’s debut at #5 on the Gaon Song Chart, the Korean music industry began to realize that Bangtan Sonyeondan was exceeding their expectations, and was clearly now a force to be reckoned with. This was further proven when “I NEED U” debuted in the U.S. at #4 on the Billboard World Digital Songs Chart. Despite the song’s opening lyric of “Fall (everything)/Fall (everything)/Fall (everything)”, it seemed like stepping off of that ledge was actually only taking them higher.
“I NEED U” M/V TEASER (0:58)
“I NEED U” M/V (5:33; original 19+ version, graphic violence depicted; shown above)
BANGTAN BOMB: V AND JUNG KOOK SING A TROT MEDLEY IN THE CAR (2:49; on the way to the INU M/V shoot)
“I NEED U” DANCE PRACTICE (3:34)
JIMIN AND V BEING SILLY IN THE PRACTICE ROOM (0:16; not in YouTube playlist)
BANGTAN BOMB: IN THE RECORDING STUDIO FOR “I NEED U” (0:59; once again, Jimin can’t help himself)
THE SHOW M/V TALK: BTS TALK ABOUT “I NEED U” (3:12; and are embarrassed by old pictures of themselves)
THE SHOW - BTS’ FIRST EVER MUSIC SHOW WIN! (05/05/15) (0:58; not in YouTube playlist)
BANGTAN BOMB: M!COUNTDOWN - AFTER THEIR FIRST BIG KOREAN MUSIC SHOW WIN (05/07/15) (4:49)
“MPD MISSION” CONGRATULATIONS NO 1 BTS! (1:27; V immediately eats all of the strawberries)
“MPD MISSION” BACKSTAGE AT M!COUNTDOWN - BANGTAN BRUSHES THEIR TEETH (05/14/15) (3:25; j-hope adorably plays along with V)
SHOW CHAMPION BACKSTAGE (YOKOHAMA, JAPAN) (7:56; ridiculous antics, many bad puns, V’s impression of a fashion designer, and more than two minutes of talking about their abs. Guest appearance by Jung Kook’s VERY impressive bicep.)
BANGTAN BOMB: LAST DAY OF “I NEED U” PROMOTIONS ON INKIGAYO (06/04/15) (2:32; feat. j-hope and Jimin)
BTS (IN NAVER STAR CAST) “LUCKY DRAW EP 2” - VIDEO GAMES (9:00)
BANGTAN BOMB: J-HOPE’S AEGYO WITH CHURROS (1:51; and attempt to Lady & the Tramp with V)
ROOFTOP PICNIC WITH BTS (12:15; mini fan concert)
Fun Fact
Last week we talked about BTS beginning their Japanese discography with the release of Wake Up. Their Japanese albums featured translations of previously released Korean tracks as well as a few new songs that were written in Japanese.
A Japanese version of “I NEED U” was released in December of 2015. In an unusual move, BTS decided to make an M/V for it, completely different from the Korean version. More often that not, when a group releases singles, or albums in Japan, they only make an M/V for one or two of the original Japanese songs, not for the Korean translations.
The M/V for the Japanese version of “I NEED U” is significant because rather than a direct retelling of the story that is presented in the Korean one, it takes a much more artistic and abstract approach to convey the same emotions.
“I NEED U” OFFICIAL JAPANESE M/V
(Subtitles are unfortunately unavailable on BTS’ Japan Official YouTube channel.)
Bangtan Bubble: How did the “I NEED U” M/V make you feel the first time you saw it?
Answer in the comments below or on social media (be sure to tag @ARMYProject529 and mention #BangtanBubble)!
DAY THREE:
Even though it was released in the earlier part of 2015, “I NEED U” carried BTS all the way through awards season. By this time, they had performed at many events and received a number of awards, but it seemed as though the stakes were getting higher and higher. They were starting to get recognized in more categories for different achievements.
At the Melon Music Awards that winter, BTS took home an award for “Best Male Dance Performance” for “I NEED U”. As always, during their acceptance speech, they thanked ARMY, but they also thanked all of their managers and their long-time choreographer, Son Sung-deuk.
Also during the promotions for The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1, BTS was appearing on a lot of interview and variety shows. But over the years, they hadn’t always been treated with respect on some of these programs. So, they decided to create their own, and air it on the brand new “V LIVE” South Korean streaming service app that launched that year. RUN BTS! began on August 1, 2015. It featured the members of BTS doing fun activities or competing in games against each other for little prizes. It was an instant hit with ARMY, and has continued almost all the way until present day. The show is on hiatus now, but BTS has said that they plan to continue it in the future.
“I NEED U” OFFICIAL M/V BROADCAST VERSION (3:39; shown below)
MELON MUSIC AWARDS 2015 - INTRO + “I NEED U” (6:03; shown above)
MELON MUSIC AWARDS BEHIND THE SCENES (9:09; V threatens j-hope’s Dance Leader position, SUGA stars in a K-Drama in his mind, and they all become Iron Man! Bonus “Wiggle Wiggle” at the end. Please enjoy SUGA’s version.)
BTS WINS BANGTAN BOMB: JIN TEACHES JIMIN HOW TO LOOK EXPENSIVE (2:08; with JK teaching us how to apply lip balm.)
BTS WINS “BEST MALE DANCE PERFORMANCE” AT MMAs 2015 - FULL ACCEPTANCE SPEECH (2:27; not in YouTube playlist)
BTS (IN NAVER STAR CAST) “LUCKY DRAW EP 3” - HIDE AND SEEK (8:19; feat. Jung Kook’s silent gymnastics)
BONUS: YAMAN TV (EPISODE WITH BTS) (49:15; Jimin throws everyone under the bus; shown below)
Fun Fact
V Live (stylized as VLIVE) was a South Korean live video streaming service app that was launched by Naver Corporation in August of 2015. It allowed celebrities based in Korea to broadcast live to their fans, whether it was performances, different types of shows, or even just to chat.
Its main focus was on providing these celebrities a way to communicate with their international fanbases, so the app had no region restrictions and offered a variety of language options (including English).
At its height, VLIVE had over 1,450 channels related to different K-Pop artists, including BTS. The app made it easy for fans to interact with their chosen artists: they would receive a notification when any channel they followed went live or posted new content. There was also an online community on VLIVE for fan translators who were encouraged to create subtitles for content on the app in even more languages than what were officially offered. Because of the dedication of these fans, some of the content on VLIVE ended up with almost twenty different language translations!
BTS used VLIVE as a way to connect even more closely with ARMY than they had been able to on YouTube and on their Fan Café. They started doing live streams to celebrate major events or after concerts, or sometimes just to hang out with us and chat. And as mentioned previously, they housed their variety program RUN BTS! on the streaming service as well.
In January of 2021, Naver announced that they would be transferring VLIVE over to Weverse Company Inc, which is the technology subsidiary of HYBE Corporation. The transfer began in March of the following year and completed at the end of 2022. The app was completely merged with Weverse and officially closed on December 31, 2022.
We now use Weverse to watch BTS go live, or to see most of their content. Most of the content is free, and ARMY membership is optional. Weverse also hosts all other artists under the HYBE umbrella, and even some outside of it as well. (Many artists from SM Entertainment, like EXO and SHINee, were added in late 2023.)
DAY FOUR:
Without a doubt, the music of Bangtan Sonyeondan was evolving with the release of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1. So too, were the members continuing to evolve in their involvement in making their music.
So far in their career, writing and producing responsibilities had fallen to the three members of the Rap Line (Rap Monster, SUGA, and j-hope). But they had been encouraging the other four members to expand their horizons musically from the very beginning, even before BTS debuted. And they had also always encouraged the Vocal Line to learn about the process of music-making and to take part in it when they wanted to.
Little by little, the members of the Vocal Line started dipping their toes into the songwriting pool. The song “Hold Me Tight” is co-written and co-produced by V, his very first featured on a BTS album. It has a beautiful and somewhat haunting melody; the lyrics echo the longing and almost desperate feeling evoked by much of the album. It’s couched in the form of a breakup song, like “I NEED U”, but seems more omnipresent than that: “Hold me tight, hug me / Can you trust me, can you trust me?” This could be spoken to friends, family, even to ourselves.
“HOLD ME TIGHT” LIVE PERFORMANCE (4:40; shown above)
BEHIND-THE-SCENES “SHOOTING FOR STAR1 MAGAZINE (VOL 48 - OCTOBER)” (1:41)
BTS (IN NAVER STAR CAST) “LUCKY DRAW EP 4” - TABLE TENNIS (9:04; j-hope practices his slap-stick skills)
RUN BTS! EPISODE 3 (12:22; BTS rides roller coasters! j-hope has an out-of-body experience and regrets all of his life choices. )
RUN BTS! EPISODE 4 (10:50; pool challenges, in which V demonstrates his outside the box strategy)
BTS Jung Kook in concept photo for The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1
Group concept photo for The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1
Fun Fact:
Though the HYYH era brought a new commitment to evolving messages and visual storytelling, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1 was still structured like all BTS albums that had come before it. It begins with an “intro”, has a “skit” in the middle, and ends with an “outro”. In other words, it is structured like a hip-hop album.
In a previous week we discussed what a “cypher” rap track is as it relates to hip-hop. But what about the components of a hip-hop album? What exactly is a “skit” and what is its importance? A “skit” itself is a short scene, typically performed by actors and can be pre-written, or done as a form of improvisation. In hip-hop and rap, a skit can contribute to the theme or overall mood of the album, or it can serve as a bit of levity—a break in between songs that may carry a heavy or serious tone.
The skits on BTS albums are more of the latter. They’re usually humorous conversations between the members. They feel very unscripted, like someone just happened to be recording them as they laugh and joke around. The skit on The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1 is “Skit: Expectation!” It features the members talking about their expectations from the album. They tease each other, but it is also a very real conversation. They weigh if there is merit in putting expectations on the album reaching #1. They don’t want to be disappointed again. But they are also hopeful and excited. And then Jung Kook breaks up the mood by asking suddenly if he needs to start filing tax deductions since he contributed to writing one of the songs and might be receiving copyright fees. The members all laugh and tease him as the skit ends.
Album skits rose in popularity throughout the 1990s. 3 Feet High and Rising (1989) by De La Soul is widely regarded as the album which popularized hip-hop skits. They have declined in use in more recent years as the advent of digital music has moved us from album-based listening to online streaming and curated playlists which can be shuffled randomly.
Here are a few albums which are considered to include some of the most notable usage of skits as a thematic device or comedic break:
De La Soul is Dead by De La Soul (1991)
The Chronic by Dr. Dre (1992)
Stankonia by Outkast (2000)
good kid, m.A.A.d city by Kendrick Lamar (2012)
DAY FIVE:
BTS “DOPE” photoshoot
Transitioning into adulthood isn’t all about the growing pains. There is fun and excitement as well. But it’s important to find the balance between that and hard work if you want to succeed in your dreams. And if there’s one thing BTS has always told us to do, it’s to follow our dreams.
The release of their second single from The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1 told us what BTS deemed necessary to achieve their success. “DOPE” is an anthem disguised as a dance track. They let their haters know that while they were all out partying and having a good time, BTS was in the recording studio, or practicing their choreographies. They were writing, performing—they were WORKING. And it was paying off.
As the M/V starts, Rap Monster leans into the camera and utters that iconic line…
“Welcome. Is this your first time with BTS?”
Given the recent success of “I NEED U” and their increased exposure on Naver’s VLIVE app… for a lot of people, it WAS their first time hearing BTS. And for those who already knew who they were, it perhaps served as a different kind of introduction. Instead of a “Nice to meet you”, for those who had been underestimating Bangtan Sonyeondan, it was more of a “Hi. You haven’t seen anything yet. Just wait.”
“Welcome. Is this your first time with BTS?” - Rap Monster
“DOPE” OFFICIAL M/V (4:16; as shown)
J-HOPE AND JIMIN REACT TO THE “DOPE” M/V (5:23; Jimin roasts SUGA endlessly)
“DOPE” M/V CONCEPT PHOTOS AND MAKING OF (5:01; even as a pretend office worker, all SUGA wants to know is when he can go home)
“DOPE” DANCE PRACTICE (4:02; as shown)
FLASH FORWARD: “DOPE” LIVE IN LAS VEGAS AT PTD (FAN CAM 04/16/22) (3:54)
LET’S DANCE PARTY TIME (WITH G.PARK) (2:03; feat. Grandpa SUGA and Jimin, up to his shenanigans again)
BTS (IN NAVER STAR CAST) “LUCKY DRAW EP 5” - CUP STACKING (8:20)
RUN BTS! EPISODE 5 (9:08; Jimin demonstrates excellent marshmallow catching abilities.)
BONUS: WEEKLY IDOL WITH BTS (1/3) (10:21; as shown)
Bangtan Bubble: What do you think about “hustle life” culture?
Answer in the comments below or on social media (be sure to tag @ARMYProject529 and mention #BangtanBubble)!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
What do you think of the HYYH era so far? It is an epic moment in BTS history and we can’t wait to get into it even more with the 529line!
When we come back next week, we’ll leave a little of the melancholy behind and get into a bit more fun. We’ll get more member written songs and see some really fun performances. Stay tuned for the second half of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1!
BTS The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1
Side Quest
In 2014, BTS started releasing “Summer Packages” to commemorate their debut anniversary. At first, it included a photobook and some other extras (like photocards).
The following year, it was released as an extended Vlog DVD (featuring photoshoots in various locations, the members playing games, and behind-the-scenes footage) along with a photobook. The summer packages followed this format until their last release in 2019.
In 2015, BTS took a trip to Kota Kinabalu, both to vacation and to do some photoshoots. This week’s Side Quest is the full extended Vlog from that year’s “Summer Package”. Enjoy!
TEASER FOR 2015 “SUMMER PACKAGE” (1:37; shown above)
BTS 2015 “SUMMER PACKAGE” (FULL) (1:04:15)
CREDITS:
YouTube/Web
HYBE LABELS, BANGTANTV, BTS JAPAN OFFICIAL, Bangtan Subs, 1theK (원더케이), Machi, Mnet TV, Dave N., BANGTANBOYSVN, Arirang TV, K-POP WORLD 60FPS, Bangtanie Subs, MBC every1, sarah sophie, yugy, Sarah, koreanlover1fan5, Lynn Eksonyeondan, Peppy Grace Subs, theultimatedodo, ARIRANG K-POP, the AU review, M2, Love 4 BTS, twitter.com (@bts_twt) dailymotion.com (Drama Heals), wikipedia.org, webtoons.com, thebtseffect.com
ARMY Project 529 Volunteers
Research Team: Angel (TikTok: Lilangel2828), Leslie Day (TikTok: Leslie Day), Merry (TikTok: merryj67), Sam T (TikTok: samt_26), Shelley (TikTok: shels167), Trudy (TikTok: theeducationmommy), Viv (TikTok: VivEliz); Video Team: Leslie Day (TikTok: Leslie Day); Website Team: Colette (TikTok: voicesinmyhead2)
Join us on TikTok every Sunday evening at 8pm ET for #the529live, a wrap up of each week's The 529 Connection. It’s hosted by AP529 Founder, Stefne, on her channel (@StefARMYProject529). If you can't watch live and want to watch later, Lives will be recorded and posted to our YouTube (@ARMY Project 529).