BTS 방탄소년단 - N.O

Loving the song (and MV) N.O by the Bangtan boys.

I love~ their previous two title tracks No More Dream and We Are Bulletproof, and N.O certainly lived up to my expectations.

The lyrics for the songs are like mini social commentaries, complete with their touch of rebellion. It is not just singing about things that are happening in the society, but also conveying the want, and the desire to break out of societal norms. And this is further amplified with their heavy beats and raps that are not just fast, but, I don't know, angry/angsty? How they are expressing their frustrations with the way the society works. Most importantly, I find their song totally relatable, as a youth, and perhaps as a youth who is living in an Asian country, where some of the things really resonate with and reflect the society that I'm living in. WHICH is why I have this strong urge to write such a long post about N.O.

For those who haven't watched the MV yet, here goes: 

Let's start with the MV, shall we?~ 

We are first presented with the boys, sitting, with their backs up straight, in a cold, white room, where we get a rough idea that this is a (familiar) classroom setting. The scene is pretty much just black and white, and this monotonicity sets the mood for the MV.

The camera then pans to each of the member's face, and it turns out that each of them has the same, expressionless..well, expression. The boys are then given a red pill, which I presume is a studying pill, or something that programs them to study. The imagery of robots, or studying machines is also explicitly mentioned in the lyrics itself, and this idea is continued in the next few scenes, with them moving in sync, with precise timings. The idea of "Everyone lives the same life".

The introduction of red is striking to the eye, as it contrasts with the black and white theme, hinting a sense of harshness and perhaps enmity. 

There were a few scenes of them buldging and itching to move. But they were stopped many times. And flashing dance scenes with the red backdrop, somehow reminds me of blood. I know this might sound a bit too farstretched but I just want to point out what I have inferred and felt from watching the MV. You guys can have your opinion. :) It's like, the rebellion that is running in the blood.

We also notice the teacher who is holding some sort of a baton, instructing and commanding the students. In our society, we are often taught to believe in whatever that has been taught to us, and accept them fully. This is again, the idea of conformity and how everyone is being moulded and fine-tuned to fit the needs and demands of the society, and not defying orders.

And then we finally get to the part where the boys stand up to "rebel"/ say no, and the song breaks into the chorus and we are led to the main theme of the song, which is to do what you want, because "it's now or never".

Towards the end, we see a change in the sets, with the big hands in the background, where they continue the metaphor of us (okay I said it) being manipulated by the adults like puppets, with our lives in the hands of our parents where they make the decisions for us and tell us what THEY THINK is right. The choreography of them trying to fight the... force (?)  is an attempt at making intangible things into something that we can see, it is the struggling with the social norms, the fight within. We might appear to surrender just to please the world and the people around us, as seen by them kneeling with the hands behind their heads, by going to school, going for tuition, etc, but the passion inside us tells us otherwise.
 

It is relatable to the world as a whole, but what makes this song even better is how it fits South Korea. It acts as a whistle-blower to a certain extent, maybe not so much but at least it is making an effort to.
Initially, I was slightly put off by the line "in Seoul to the SKY", and I thought that it was just another example of a randomly inserted English line in Kpop songs, but I was wrong. SKY is an acronym for the top three, most prestigious universities in Korea, namely: Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. So lesson of the day, watch eng rom han MVs and do more googling before judging a K-pop song.

And now, to my favourite part of the song, when the beat of the song changes and slows down and the lyrics say, "Adults tell me that hardships are only momentary, to endure it a little more, to do it later."

This is also a running theme in the lyrics. It is not just about teens vs society, but vs what the adults tell us to do. It hints at the disappointment we have, not just in society but the adults. We hope and thought that they would understand us. They themselves experienced this when they were younger, too, no?

And this led me to another question: as much as we complain now, are we going to tell our kids the same thing? Is this just a dream that can only be expressed in songs? 

With this, I close my Youtube tab and go back to work. 

But somewhere deep in my heart, I long for change. 

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It has been a long time since I last posted something on this blog.
Busy with preparations for prelims and A level. (Ah, the irony.)

Will work on my blog more often when I am free.
And yes, I think I need to change the URL soon. Came up with it when I was in primary school. (That explains the infantility of it.)
Oh and I can't really answer my ask.fm on a regular basis for now because of the As so if there's something urgent, just message me on Line/Kakaotalk: zachela

There's so many things that I want to do after my As so ANTICIPATE.
Freaking excited for the life ahead! But I have to get pass A level first. :/
Good luck to me. And you!

Leaving you with a quote from my grandmother:

Work hard now, to show others that it was a right decision to stan your idol.