ARMY Magazine - Monthly Issues ARMY Magazine ISSUE NO.2 - DEC 2018 | Page 50

It speaks of the hopeless feeling of being in pain
to point that you’re willing to do anything to
escape it, no matter the consequences — this is
also used in “Blood, Sweat and Tears” from BTS’s
2016 Wings album although these repetitive
verses give off a much more self-destructive idea.
“To be out of place, it hurts so much.
If you don’t experience it, it cannot be known.
My ideal and what is reality,
They’re so far, far away.”
“UhGood” seems like a musical version of
Namjoon’s speech at the United Nations with
the theme of being torn between how you see
yourself and the ideal that you want to be.
He’s confessing to being someone who lives
as someone he isn’t — his ideal self. He’s also
emphasizing on discovering himself and
embracing who he truly is without sugarcoating
anything and putting forth the idea in plain,
straightforward words.
“It all passes
Someday
For sure
Certainly.”
The second to last track on the playlist, featuring
a collaboration with NELL, is “Everythinggoes”.
In short, the song speaks of the only consistent
thing about life: its continuation. No matter what
happens, life continues on — it never stops.
The fast-moving music of the track also adds
to the fast pace of life’s non-stop flow despite
everything that goes on. Good or bad times
both pass, leaving behind lessons and memories
making a person a little stronger, a little wiser
and a little learned.
“When it rains I
Get a little feeling that I do have a friend
Keeps knocking on my windows
Asks me if I’m doing well
And I answer, I’m still a hostage of life
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I don’t live because I can’t die
But I’m chained to something.”
Rain has different connotations for everyone —
for some, it’s a comforting relief, for other’s it is
a melancholic catalyst — and for Namjoon, it’s
something in between. He personifies rain as a
friend who doesn’t judge, wishing it would rain
forever which is where the title of the track
comes in: “Forever Rain”. In the animated MV,
the figure being followed is shown to be faceless
depicting the voice of everyone who’s found
themselves in a similar situation.
“I don’t live because I can’t die” — the line is a
stark contrast to SUGA’s line from So Far Away,
“I’m living because I can’t die.” — both portraying
the struggle to find the meaning of their lives and
that they’ll continue to live despite not always
knowing why.
Anything can be a reason to live, no matter
how small — the moon’s light, a cold city, people
or the endless rain — you just have to find it.
MONO is a beautifully executed concept filled
with one’s thoughts, struggles and overall a
reflection of them. Released on October 23rd,
2018, the playlist has broken a number of records,
including ones set by BTS as a group, ranking
No.1 on iTunes in 90 countries despite being
available for free on multiple platforms, debuting
on the Billboard 200 at No.26 within three days
of release with 21,000 equivalent album units.
MONO truly is a singular musical work by Kim
Namjoon a.k.a of RM of BTS.