WEEK 20 | Today, We Fight
May 13 - 17, 2024
Credibility.
This week feels a bit surreal in the blog. I’m writing about 2017, but some of the things that happened to BTS then seem to be happening to them again in the present day. Perhaps the messages we find on You Never Walk Alone are more important now than they ever have been before.
BTS performing “Not Today” at Music Core 2017-02-25
Last time we talked about “Spring Day” and how it captured a very important moment in time—its ties to tragic events forever cementing it in the hearts of South Koreans, and ARMYs everywhere. So too, I think, does “Not Today” signify a pivotal moment for the members of BTS themselves. In the face of opposition, instead of giving up, they decided to fight.
While the group was facing allegations which called their credibility as artists into question, they were also busy promoting their album, attending music events, and continuing their insanely long WINGS tour. They were traveling all over the world, and getting enormous amounts of exposure. Their best defense, it would seem, was a relentless offense.
Back home in South Korea, the world’s interest in BTS was also being noted. This week we’ll talk about legendary musician, Seo Taiji, arguably the “father” of K-Pop as we know it today, and how he unequivocally declared BTS his successors in the music industry—elevating them from rising stars to leaders of their generation.
Playlists & Lyrics
BTS: YNWA ALBUM SPOTIFY PLAYLIST (also embedded at bottom of post)
ARMY PROJECT 529 WEEK 20 VIDEO PLAYLIST (all YouTube links)
DAY ONE:
BTS has many anthemic songs: ones that make us happy and get us dancing, others that put us in our feels and have us singing at the top of our lungs. “Not Today” might be one that does both. It’s a fight song—a call to action, meant to inspire and motivate. I often wonder if, when they were recording it, BTS had any vague premonition how much the song would be their own personal motto as they sang it over and over again during 2017.
As soon as the song starts, the message is clear…
RM photoshoot with Singles Magazine set the tone for 2017
All the underdogs in the world
A day may come when we lose
But it is not today
Today we fight!
It’s simple: don’t give up. Bang PD is credited as one of the writers on this song, and apparently these lines came to him after being inspired by some of the speeches from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. While BTS’ forward momentum in popularity in 2017 might not be quite as dramatic as the battle for Helm’s Deep (Yes, I’m a nerd), we can recognize the thematic similarities—the underdogs fighting against all odds and facing opposition from many sides.
It was during this year that BTS and their company were accused of sajaegi (chart manipulation) and extortion. Claims were made that there was no way BTS could actually be earning the sales and chart numbers that were posting, so there must have been illegal deals made behind closed doors in order to inflate those numbers. The allegations surfaced during the trial of a representative of a company Big Hit had contracted to handle marketing strategies for them. The defendant himself was found guilty of improper marketing activities and of attempting to blackmail officials from Big Hit. Petitioners tried to claim this was evidence that the music company was also guilty, however it was ruled that the defendant acted alone, clearing Big Hit (and BTS) of these charges.
“NOT TODAY” OFFICIAL M/V (04:51, Put your hands up! - shown above)
“NOT TODAY” M/V SHOOT (07:01)
“THE BUZZ” INTERVIEW (03:31)
“NOT TODAY” LIVE STAGE MIX (04:08 - shown below)
SHOW CHAMPION INTERVIEW (03:50, They interview each other… ultimate Bangtan chaos.)
BANGTAN BOMB: V NEVER GIVES UP (01:47, Taehyung adorably determined to be a basketball champion.)
BEHIND THE LINE INTERVIEW ON “NOT TODAY” (03:50, Apparently, Bang PD is a Lord of the Rings fan. Who knew? - shown below)
JUNG KOOK MADE A BIRTHDAY VIDEO FOR SUGA… OMG. (01:17, It’s INSANE. Watch it on half speed. Trust us.)
BTS ON “SHOW BIZ RABBIT” IN JAPAN (04:19, not in YT playlist)
BONUS: CONFESSION SESSION WITH PEOPLE MAGAZINE (20:56, RM: What’s your most prized possession? SUGA: Money.)
Fun Fact
If there is one thing ARMY knows how to do, it’s send a message to anyone who tries to attack or discredit BTS.
Whether it’s through viral campaigns, charitable donations, or repeated contest voting, ARMY shows up for BTS in various ways to make our love louder than any hate they might receive. One of ARMY’s other favorite support tactics is charting (or recharting) BTS music in direct response to whatever the detractors are saying. Or, just according to ARMY’s mood.
In December 2023, after the final four members (RM, JImin, V, and Jung Kook) enlisted in the military, ARMY immediately got into our feels and started trending and moving “Spring Day” up on the charts.
A couple of months later, in February, when BTS was completely snubbed by the Grammys, ARMY immediately began trending and charting “MIC Drop”, to send the message: “BTS doesn’t need the Grammys, the Grammys need BTS”. Considering how low the award ceremony’s viewership was compared to the years when BTS attended and performed, it would seem that message is likely true.
Now, at the time of writing this blog, BTS is potentially going to have to deal with an issue that originally arose (and was denounced) in 2017. In the wake of the messy dispute between HYBE and Min Hee-jin, the CEO of Ador (a subsidiary music label under HYBE), “old business” has been coming up again. HYBE is the conglomerate under which BTS’ label, Big Hit Music resides. In 2017, as I mentioned above, a third party was tried and sentenced on charges of “sajaegi marketing” after reportedly trying to blackmail representatives at Big Hit Entertainment (what is now HYBE). He claimed his actions were at the behest of Big Hit, but there was no evidence supporting this claim and Big Hit was absolved of any liability.
These allegations are suspiciously resurfacing today, and a request to reopen the investigation has been received. At this point that is all that has happened, but ARMY immediately responded by digging into BTS’ discography. “Not Today” began trending and wound up at #1 on iTunes. The message of the song is obviously pertinent—we’re not giving up… not today—but the timing is perfect too, since this is one of the songs BTS was actively promoting around the time these allegations originated.
DAY TWO:
Sometimes, the best way to fight back is by refusing to acknowledge that a fight is taking place. Haters and naysayers feed off of attention. The easiest way to shut them up is to deny them any outward reaction to their behavior. And then other times, as we see in “Not Today”… it’s best to rub their faces in how wrong they are.
BTS continue to climb the charts. Walking The Red Carpet @ 6th Gaon Music Awards
Too hot, doublin’ my success
Too hot tumbling on the chart
Too high we’re on a trampoline
Too high somebody better stop this
But nobody could stop it. Even amidst the ridiculous sajaegi allegations, BTS’ upward momentum never stopped. They continued to rack up wins on music shows and at award ceremonies. Their juggernaut WINGS tour took them all over the world and sold out many locations within minutes. Several dates (most notably in the United States) had to be added as a result. America was on alert. Promos for their tour and their attendance and subsequent win at the Billboard Music Awards put them in the sights of some of their most respected artists—and future collaborators.
The sheer volume of press the group was receiving also meant that ARMYs all over the world were getting to know them better and better—and the fanbase was also growing as a result. Social media buzzed with questions like “Who are these guys?” and “How are they so popular but I’ve never heard of them before?” Curiosity drove many to search for more info, and subsequently, fall down the BTS rabbit hole.
“NOT TODAY” COMEBACK ON MCOUNTDOWN (04:38 -show above)
“NOT TODAY” FOLLOW CAM (03:54)
“NOT TODAY” DANCE PRACTICE (03:54 - as shown)
“NOT TODAY” WINS ON MUSIC CORE (03:54, The captions on this are hilarious. - as shown)
“BILLBOARD FACE OFF” BTS ANSWERS ARMY’S QUESTIONS (03:12, They SEE our memes. - as shown)
BEHIND THE SCENES OF “NON-NO” SHOOT (01:46, not on YT playlist.)
BANGTAN BOMB: J-HOPE TALKS PERSPECTIVES ON PERFORMANCE: VLOG 04/16/17 (02:21, After attending a Coldplay concert.)
“J-14” INTERVIEW (10:38)
BONUS: JBTV “SECRET SHOW” (45:01, Amazing performance/interview at a legendary venue. - shown below)
Bangtan Bubble: Who would YOU most like to see collab with BTS?
Let us know your answer in the comments below or on social media (include #BangtanBubble)!
DAY THREE:
Two weeks ago, we discussed “Interlude: Wings”, the last song on the WINGS album. When You Never Walk Alone was released the following year, the song was expanded and the new version entitled “Outro: Wings”.
The message is the same. But given the negativity swirling around BTS during 2017 in the midst of their promotions for YNWA and the WINGS tour, we can take a look at some of the other lyrics within the song and see how they too, much like those of “Not Today”, perfectly summed up the group’s opinion on those trying to hold them back and keep them from their goals.
Going down the path that others tell not to go,
doing things that others tell not to do,
wanting things that are not supposed to be wanted,
and getting hurt again, hurt again
You can call me stupid
then I’ll just smile back
I don’t want to succeed with something that I don’t want to do
I push myself
BTS didn’t have time for hate. The members were growing and changing. They wanted forward momentum only. Around the time of YNWA’s release, Jin became the first of the group to graduate from college. He couldn’t attend the ceremony due to BTS’ schedule, but they made sure to go on VLive to celebrate him with ARMY. The members of the Rap Line were also growing more established in their roles as songwriters and producers and setting up their own studio spaces. Enjoy the video we have linked below in which RM introduces us to his new space “Mon Studios” (before it was called RKive), and proceeds to almost break several of his decorations. (The God of Destruction, indeed.)
They were making moves—inviting ARMY (seasoned and new) along for the ride while resolutely leaving the haters behind in the rearview mirror.
“OUTRO: WINGS” LIVE STAGE MIX (05:25 - shown above)
JIN GRADUATES FROM COLLEGE: VLIVE 02/22/17 (10:02, He couldn’t attend the ceremony because of an award show. - shown above)
YNWA + “OUTRO: WINGS” STAGE MIX (08:03, Harmonies for daaaaaaays. - shown below)
FLASH FORWARD: JUNG KOOK “OUTRO: WINGS”: VLIVE 08/31/17 (03:30)
BTS CAN’T LET GO OF CHINESE CONVERSATION PT. 1 (00:27, Jin & Jimin.)
BTS CAN’T LET GO OF CHINESE CONVERSATION PT. 2 (00:28, RM & SUGA.)
BTS CAN’T LET GO OF CHINESE CONVERSATION PT. 3 (00:24, j-hope & Jung Kook.)
BTS CAN’T LET GO OF CHINESE CONVERSATION PT. 4 (00:28, SUGA & V.)
BTS CAN’T LET GO OF CHINESE CONVERSATION PT. 5 (00:39, RM & Jin.)
BTS CAN’T LET GO OF CHINESE CONVERSATION PT. 6 (00:19, OT7.)
BTS CAN’T LET GO OF CHINESE CONVERSATION PT. 7 (00:25, j-hope & V.)
BTS CAN’T LET GO OF CHINESE CONVERSATION PT. 8 (00:23, Jimin & Jung Kook.)
IHEART RADIO INTERVIEW (05:47, Jung Kook’s quest to get Charlie Puth to notice him continues. - shown below)
BONUS: RM GIVES US A TOUR OF HIS STUDIO: VLIVE 07/20/17 (23:40, Feat Bang PD, SUGA, & book and song recs.)
BONUS: YOSHIMOTO SHINKIGEKI VARIETY SHOW (10:14, Absolutely ridiculous. Jimin is desperate to look ANYWHERE else, not in YT playlist.)
Fun Fact
BTS loves nothing more than giving their projects ridiculously long names that are hard for people who are trying to chronicle their journey to type over and over… ahem. (Let’s take a moment to be grateful for being able to copy and paste on a computer.)
Prime example? Their 2017 world tour: “BTS LIVE TRILOGY EPISODE III: THE WINGS TOUR”. I mean, honestly. Was that entire title necessary? Kidding! (Mostly.)
This is a bit of a spoiler for Day Five’s topic, but the tour to promote WINGS was massive and it spanned almost the entirety of 2017. Not only did they visit countries they’d never performed in before, but it was also the first time the members sang solo songs along with their BTS setlist.
The members learned a lot about performing during the WINGS tour, and about themselves. The schedule was relentless and exhausting, but it also sharply honed their live performance skills. By the end, they all found themselves far more confident in their abilities than they had been before. And, as always, they supported and encouraged each other through the whole thing.
For more info on and coverage of the tour itself, make sure you check out Day Five!
2017 BTS LIVE TRIOLOGY EPISODE III: THE WINGS TOUR IN SEOUL PT. 1 (20:45, not in YT playlist)
2017 BTS LIVE TRILOGY EPISODE III: THE WINGS TOUR IN SEOUL PT. 2 (30:19, not in YT playlist)
2017 BTS LIVE TRILOGY EPISODE III: THE WINGS TOUR IN SEOUL PT. 3 (35:57, not in YT playlist)
WINGS TOUR DOCUSPECIAL IN JAPAN (42:14, not in YT playlist)
DAY FOUR:
In 1992, a new group burst onto the music scene in Korea—Seotaiji and Boys. At the time, Korean radio was dominated by traditional (Trot) music and outside influences were minimal. In a complete 180° move, Seotaiji and Boys experimented with different genres of popular western music, including pioneering the use of rap in their songs. They also used the music to convey social and governmental critiques, despite heavy pressure from censorship committees that existed at the time. For these reasons, Seotaiji and Boys are widely credited with revolutionizing the Korean music industry, and paving the way for the genre of K-Pop that exists today.
Though the group disbanded after only four years, Seo Taiji continued to make music on his own, and remains a relevant contributor to the industry to this day. Many artists have covered his music, and emulated his style.
BTS on stage with Seo Taiji during the Time Traveler Concert
2017 marked Seo Taiji’s 25th Debut anniversary. A concert was put together to celebrate his achievements. To the surprise of some (perhaps even the member’s themselves) he asked BTS to be guest artists at the concert, and to perform multiple songs with him. Thrilled, they agreed.
The concert was a huge hit, and in the middle of it, Seo Taiji took a moment to proclaim BTS as his successors in Korean music. He’d already said that he felt their messaging, their convictions, and style of music aligned closely with his own—it was why he invited them to perform. Now, as they stood on stage next to him, he formally passed the torch to them.
“This is your generation now.”
BTS took on that mantle and have treated it as an extension of their “bulletproof” motto—something they respect and take very seriously.
K-CON 2017 INTRO + “NOT TODAY” (05:31)
K-CON 2017 “SPRING DAY” (04:34)
K-CON 2017 “SAVE ME” (03:18)
K-CON 2017 “BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS” (03:37)
JIN’S CONFIDENCE BOOST: VLIVE 03/23/17 (05:46, Jin gets a bad haircut ON PURPOSE in order to give himself perspective on his handsomeness. “I know I still look good, but not AS good.”)
SEOTAIJI 25 TIME TRAVELER CONCERT (WITH BTS) “CLASSROOM IDEA” (07:28, Get ready to rock your socks off.- shown above)
SEOTAIJI 25 TIME TRAVELER CONCERT (WITH BTS) “COME BACK HOME” (02:03 - shown below)
SEOTAIJI 25 TIME TRAVELER CONCERT (WITH BTS) REHEARSALS (08:21 - shown below)
FLASH FORWARD: OT7 PERFORMS “COME BACK HOME” AT 4TH MUSTER 2018 (04:15, Jin’s high notes!)
Fun Fact:
Seo Taiji (Jeong Hyeon-cheol), has long been known as the 문화 대통령 (President of Culture). His influence on the trajectory of the music industry in South Korea since the early 90s cannot be overstated.
Seotaiji and Boys—the group he was in along with Yang Hyun-suk and Lee Juno—became the first extremely successful modern band in Korean History. Prior to their rise in popularity Korean music had been dominated by ballads and trot music. Seo Taiji experimented with mixing popular western music genres, including rap and rock. He and his bandmates saw immediate success after debuting, winning daesangs in 1992 and 1993. Their four albums remain some of the all-time best-sellers in South Korea.
The group was only active for four years, disbanding in 1996, but their impact was ongoing. Yang Hyun-suk eventually founded YG Entertainment, one of the biggest companies in K-Pop today. Seo Teiji himself has maintained a successful solo career since 1998, continuing to experiment with many new sounds, like heavy metal, electronica, and even classical music.
Once the youth of South Korea had a taste of Seoteiji and Boys’ brand of popular music, they didn’t want to go back to listening to ballads after the group disbanded. Many other bands and solo acts with similar sounds began popping up all throughout the late 90s and early 2000s. Naturally, companies started forming in order to replicate and manage them. Eventually, this became the Idol training system as we know it today.
For more information on Seo Taiji, his influence on music, and the birth of K-Pop, check out the links below.
DAY FIVE:
As mentioned before, the WINGS tour was massive in scale. It lasted the majority of 2017, starting February 18 and ending nearly ten months later on December 10th. BTS went to twelve different countries and gathered 550,000 fans, making WINGS their second biggest tour to date.
Promotional picture for THE WINGS TOUR.
Though the group did take small breaks from the road here and there (mostly for other promotions or commitments), they didn’t get a lot of rest. They were exhausted, but determined. For a lot of stops on the tour it was their first time there, and they wanted to make sure they gave their fans the best show possible.
During this time, the members experienced a lot of growing pains. The tour wasn’t easy. They fought with each other, got injured and sick, messed up sometimes, and put entirely too much blame on themselves. It was messy… and real. And they documented the entire thing.
BTS has always made a point of being as honest and transparent as they can be with ARMY. The “Burn the Stage” movie and docuseries both chronicle the entire tour, including great moments and terrible ones. During a stop in New York, Jin and V have an argument about choreography and stage direction, and it almost disrupts that night’s performance. But the group steps in and handles it masterfully—together. By the end of the night, the matter is resolved. It can’t have been easy putting all those behind-the-scenes vulnerable moments on display, but BTS has never claimed to be perfect. They want us to see them trying, never giving up.
WINGS TOUR TRAILER (01:53 - as shown)
JIN’S RED HEART EVENT DURING WINGS TOUR (06:51, He’s the cutest. - as shown)
BTS INTERVIEW WITH HOLLYWIRE PT. 1 (01:15, Jung Kook is relentless in his “Notice me, Charlie Puth!” agenda.)
SUGA TRIES TO FIGURE OUT TIME ZONES WHILE ON TOUR: VLIVE 03/25/17 (06:35, Also, in case you missed it, he’s in New York. - as shown)
CLEVVER NEWS: THE SUPERLATIVE GAME (03:30, Jimin is resigned to his tardiness.)
BONUS: WINGS TOUR IN SEOUL BTS COMMENTARY (52:53 - shown below)
Bangtan Bubble: Do you struggle with letting others see your vulnerable side? Why?
Let us know your answer in the comments below or on social media (include #BangtanBubble)!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
As we wrap up You Never Walk Alone, and reflect on both the highs and the lows BTS experienced in 2017 after they released this album, consider how unknown everything they were doing was to them. No precedent had been set before for the kind of global popularity they were beginning to experience. In many ways they spent much of the year just kind of throwing stuff at the wall to see what would stick. They often stumbled, but they always got back up—and they always reached out for ARMY’s hand, to take us with them.
Next week… we start to party! Join us as we begin our coverage of all things BTS Festa, from their first Debut anniversary celebration in 2014 up until 2023’s 10th anniversary festivities. These next four weeks will take us all the way to June, just in time for Festa 2024 and Jin’s return from military service!
Side Quest
There isn’t much I enjoy more than a good music documentary, particularly when it is about an artist or group of artists I really enjoy. Imagine my delight when I realized BTS has made several documentaries over the years.
”Burn the Stage”, which is both a docuseries and a movie, covers the group’s tour for WINGS. It lasted almost all of 2017 and was a huge undertaking for BTS. It was their most ambitious tour yet, covering multiple continents.
As I mentioned above on Day Five, this documentary really covers it all—not just the triumphant performances on stage, but all the messy and uncomfortable moments behind the scenes as well. They show everything it takes to carry off a successful tour as large as this one—always determined to be as honest with us as possible.
BTS on Day 1 of their WINGS Tour in Seoul
The WINGS Tour BTS performance.
BURN THE STAGE TRAILER (01:12)
BURN THE STAGE: THE MOVIE (01:20:46)
CREDITS:
YouTube/Web
HYBE LABELS, BANGTANTV, Bangtan Subs, Brilliant, Seokjin’s Tapes, Clevver News, kuma, BTS ARMY Tunisia, BTS Live Archive, Hollywire, 1theK (원더케이), iHeartRadio, M2, DKDKTV, Mnet K-Pop, [RUS SUB]K-POP CRAZY, Music Play HD, Enjoy BTS more, Ukraine ARMY, Misxing You (GOT7/BTS), TSN1995, J-14 Magazine, taehyungbae ♡, TV-People, Billboard, People, iBangtan 0613, The Buzz, dailymotion.com (BTSandARMYPower, KimmyYang), reddit.com, billboard.com, wikipedia.org
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); Editing Team: Kendra (Discord: Mudskipper); 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).