WEEK 30 | We Dreamed the Same Dream

Monday Muster
Written By Quince

July 22 - 26, 2024

Determination.

Love. Is there anything else in this world as capable of instilling hope and despair within us in equal measure as love? That’s mostly rhetorical. There certainly isn’t another subject out there as widely studied, written or talked about. It has inspired endless works of art—paintings, books, movies, songs, the list goes on and on. And I think it’s because love causes us to experience such a wide range of emotions. The Love Yourself trilogy is a prime example of this—taking us through that entire spectrum of feelings in just 27 songs. 

The spectrum of Bangtan

And the middle album in that trilogy might be responsible for the lion’s share of that. Every BTS album is a journey, but I don’t know that they have another which takes us up to both the highest mountain peaks and down to the lowest valleys quite like Love Yourself 轉 'Tear', does. 

This week, as we wrap up our discussions on this masterpiece, we’ll soar on the wings of hope and heroism, and then plummet into pain and frustration in quick succession—a microcosm of how it can feel when life tosses us around sometimes.

This album has asked us to look inside ourselves—to examine everything we find “ugly” and recognize it for what it is—a roadblock to happiness. We can be afraid of it… we can even be angry and rail against it, but at the end of the day the only way to be free is to embrace that part of ourselves. And then, show it to the ones we care about—finally giving them a chance to embrace and love us for who we really are. 

 

Playlists & Lyrics

 
 

Skip to Content: Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day Five

 

DAY ONE:

The first time I ever heard “Airplane Pt. 2”, I loved it. Duh. It’s catchy (whether you’re listening to the Japanese or the Korean version), and the latin-inspired pop beat makes me want to get up and move my body—for better or worse.  

“Airplane Pt 2” Official M/V Japanese Version

Of course I read the lyrics while listening to the song, but didn’t reflect upon them deeply at the time. It seemed pretty straightforward—a song about them celebrating their dreams coming true, flying everywhere and experiencing world-wide success. And it is about that, but there’s more there. Admittedly, before I had to write about it for this blog, I enjoyed “Airplane Pt. 2” most often by watching the music video. And, well… we all know how distracting the visuals of BTS can be, right? Right. (I mean, they’re DANCING IN THE RAIN. Come on!)

“Airplane Pt 2” Official M/V Japanese Version right before it starts raining on set

“Airplane Pt 2” Official M/V Japanese Version—Jung Kook caught in the rain

So when I started preparing to write about this album, one I’ve heard so many times, I delved into the lyrics of its songs more than I ever had before. And one of the songs that surprised me the most with its hidden depth is “Airplane Pt. 2”. Once you recognize the pride over their success in the lyrics, you can then go a step further and hear the other feelings present in the song—feelings also woven deeply throughout the entire album—uncertainty and exhaustion.

Only singing
The thing that made his heart beat
The thing that made his heart beat
It’s not easy
Failure and frustration
Words that someone gave me after calling me, exhausted, to stop
You’re a singing star
You’re a singing star
But I see no star…

The dance practice for “Airplane Pt. 2” is a must-see. Jimin. Chelsea Boots.

Following one’s dream isn’t always easy. Here, it’s singing—but it could be true for anything. BTS weren’t successful as soon as they debuted. They had to put in years of extremely hard work, along with literal ‘blood, sweat, and tears’. At this point in their career, at the time when they were creating this album, they had achieved a level of success they’d never thought possible initially, but they were also feeling the effects of everything they’d done (and sacrificed) to get there. They were so tired, constantly second-guessing if they were doing the right thing, and wondering if it was worth continuing.

I don’t know, I don’t know,
I don’t know, I don’t know,
yeah, how to stop
I don’t know, I don’t know,
I don’t know, I don’t know,
yeah, how to take some rest

I’ve used the analogy of a roller coaster before (though the airplane one from the song itself isn’t bad either), but the members of BTS were definitely on a metaphorical ride, and in 2018 they were realizing that they weren’t having as much fun as they used to, but they didn’t know how to get off so they could take a breather and get some rest.

 
 

Red Carpet Interview discussing "Airplane Pt. 2" Billboard

Flash Forward: "Airplane Pt. 2" Special Stage (BTS Focus) 2018 MMA

 

Fun Fact:

We know BTS loves to play the long game in their music. They often give us call backs to previous songs through lyrics and even titles. On Love Yourself 轉 'Tear' we get “Airplane Pt. 2”, and some of you may be asking, so where’s Pt. 1?

So glad you asked. It’s on j-hope’s mixtape HOPE WORLD, which was released earlier in 2018, on March 2. He wrote “Airplane” to talk about his dreams of success when he was younger versus the reality he found himself in at the time, with BTS. He uses the metaphor of jet-setting around on an airplane to show that he has made it, and achieved those dreams he had when he was a kid. 

After j-hope played “Airplane” for Bang PD, he told him it had a good theme, and would also fit BTS as a whole. Therefore, when Love Yourself 轉 'Tear' was being written, he asked j-hope to expand on his lyrics from the mixtape to create something for the entire group. Thus, “Airplane Pt. 2” was born.

j-hope "Airplane" Official M/V

 
 

DAY TWO:

“Fake Love”/”Airplane Pt. 2” Japan Limited Official Photo Card CD jacket

I mentioned yesterday that “Airplane Pt. 2” is one of those songs that makes me want to get up and dance. (Although I’ll never look as cool as Jung Kook did doing that famed sultry runway dance at the 2018 MAMA Awards…)

The sound of the song is addictive. BTS has always experimented with different sounds and genres over the years. The Latin-inspired instrumentals used on this song are meant to represent their growing influence and success around the globe. The lyrics echo this triumph as well.

We goin’ from Mexico City
London to Paris
Wherever we go, it’s a party
El Mariachi
El Mariachi
El Mariachi
We goin’ from Tokyo, Italy
Hong Kong to Brazil
Wherever in the world, I will sing

In Day One’s Fun Fact, we learned that this song is a continuation of the success story found in j-hope’s song “Airplane” from his mixtape Hope World, and that j-hope was actually responsible for writing a large portion of the lyrics for “Airplane Pt. 2”. In his verse, we hear the euphoria of getting to travel and experience so much of the world because of this success, but we also hear how it can also be a lonely and disorienting experience too.

Every day above the clouds Every day above the clouds
My feel above the clouds Check it above the clouds
My chemistry with the clouds All day with the clouds
The fun of riding the clouds Fade-in looking at the clouds
You don’t know maybe
Thanks to years of flying,
I got a few hundred thousand mileage

 

“Fake Love”/”Airplane Pt. 2” Photo

If all you’re seeing is clouds while high up in the sky on one airplane after another, constantly moving on to the next location, it could be very easy to get lost in the whirlwind of their life. And that’s exactly what was happening to them. They didn’t know how to stop and rest, only that they needed to.

 
 
 

"Airplane Pt. 2" Dance Practice

 

BTS Use Emojis to React to Everything | Audacy

 
 
 
 

Bangtan Bubble: If you could go to one of the locations mentioned in “Airplane Pt 2”, where would you pick?

 
 

Let us know your answer in the comments below or on social media (include #BangtanBubble)!

 

DAY THREE:

Do you ever hear the opening notes of a particular song and instantly smile in response, no matter what’s going on at that moment in your day? “Anpanman” is that song for me. It doesn’t matter what kind of mood I'm in, as soon as I hear V singing that first “Waiting for you, Anpanman…” I’m instantly transported to a front row seat at a BTS concert, and they’re singing just for ME. 

I don’t have biceps or pecs
I don’t have a super car like Batman
My ideal is a really cool hero
But all I can give you is just Anpan


“Anpanman” is based on a long-running series of Japanese children’s picture books with the same name, Anpanman. It began in 1973 and ran for fifty years, until the author’s death. It has also been adapted into an anime series. It’s about the adventures of Anpanman, an unlikely superhero who protects the world from a villainous anthropomorphic germ. He doesn’t have a lot of special powers or gadgets, he mostly only has his head, which is an anpan (a red bean paste filled pastry). When he finds weak or sick people, he allows them to eat part of his head in order to save them.

 

“Anpanman” Performance at Music Core 180526

As far as premises go, it’s pretty wild, but then again… so are most superhero stories, right? In the press conference that BTS held for the release of Love Yourself 轉 'Tear', Jimin said that BTS, like Anpanman, wants to help as many people as they can, but they don’t have special super powers either. “We put our hearts in the song… we want to give our fans hope and energy, solely with our music and performances.” 

I’m not a superhero
Don’t want too much from me
I can be your hero
I’m really not sure whether this even makes sense
But mom, I really need to do it
Who’s gonna do it if it isn’t me

 

“Anpanman” performance dressed as their respective BT21 characters

There are a lot of negative feelings BTS was clearly working through on this album, but I said before that in the midst of that, they were also looking for reasons to go on… to keep performing and being BTS. “Anpanman” is the core example of that. I think they view ARMY as their greatest strength and greatest source of inspiration. And the thought of being our strength and inspiration is something that makes them want to do what they do. I think we’re just as much Anpanman for them as they are for us.

 

BTS Coca-Cola Ad

"Anpanman" Today Citi Music Series

 

Fun Fact

As mentioned above, Anpanman is a Japanese children's picture book series that was written by Takashi Yanase. It ran from 1973 until Takashi's death in 2013. 

The series has also been adapted into an anime (Soreike! Anpanman, or Let's Go! Anpanman), and it is one of the most popular anime series for young children in Japan. Both the books and the animated series follow the adventures of Anpanman, a superhero who has a head that is an anpan (a red bean paste filled pastry). Anpanman protects the world from an evil anthropomorphic germ named Baikinman.

The idea of a normal superhero that helps people even though he doesn’t have any amazing powers is one that is universally appealing. The message children (and all of us, really) can take away is that anyone can be a hero, if they want to be.

 

Anpanman Cartoon

DAY FOUR:

Listening to “Anpanman” is an amazing experience all on its own, but when you see a performance of the song, it takes it to a completely different level. BTS is always at their best when they’re having fun and enjoying being on stage with each other, and performing for ARMY. If you click on any of the links for “Anpanman” above or below and don’t at least find yourself chair dancing, it might be time to get your hearing and vision checked, friend.

The legendary “Anpanman” performance at the 2018 MAMA Awards

Not your imagination—That is in fact Namjoon dressed as an astronaut doing the Robot Dance for “Anpanman”

The performance choreography is as earnest as the lyrics themselves are. It’s cute and high energy, full of lots of superhero poses and big smiles. They make it look easy—we know it’s not—like we could get up and just start doing it with them. (Do not try that unless you have adequately warmed up first!) Sometimes, it’s even better when they perform the song without the choreography and choose to just run around the stage like idiots, or bounce on bouncy castles. No matter what, if BTS is having fun, we’re all having fun.

Keep spinning and spinning my Anpan
Keep ballin’ ballin’ still Bangtan
As I open my eyes, I’m a hero but still in maze
That young man, young man, young man
Keep secretly secretly getting covered in bruises
But ballin’ ballin’ still Bangtan
Even if I’m hurt, I’m a hero Put the fear behind
Anpanman panman panman



You might be sick of me belaboring this point by now, but they really did almost call it quits at the beginning of 2018. If they had, we might still have gotten this album as they completed their contractual obligations, but would their hearts have been in it? They dug deep, and they found their reasons to keep going. So, when I hear the line “But ballin’ ballin’ still Bangtan” I get extra hyped up. Why? Because HELL YEAH they’re still Bangtan. And they always will be.

Still Bangtan.

 

Bangtan Bomb: Who Gets Up in the End

Fun Fact:

Well, it’s here. I’ve hinted at it and shown you snippets over the past couple of weeks, but now we’re handing the entire thing over to you on a silver platter.

Of course I’m talking about RM’s Love Yourself 轉 'Tear’ VLIVE. We love it when he shows off his big, sexy brain to us and explains the process of writing and creating the songs for each BTS album. And this one was a doozie.

Over the course of an hour RM makes us laugh, sigh, and above all else—he makes us think. And of course he gets interrupted multiple times… it wouldn’t be a Namjoon live broadcast if he didn’t. A highlight for sure is when Jung Kook wanders in and discusses writing and working on “Magic Shop”.

Enjoy!

 
 

DAY FIVE:

Do you journal, or keep a diary? Somewhere you can just get out your feelings at the end of the day (or the beginning… whenever) and put them on paper, raw and unfiltered?

I do, although I’m not as good about writing in it as I used to be. Since BTS has become such a huge part of my life along with AP529, this blog has become a bit of a journal for me. When we began, I was very careful not to insert my voice into the blog too much. It was supposed to be an impartial chronicle of BTS’ career, not a weekly journey into Quince’s Bora head cannon.

But as the months have progressed, I’ve gradually given more of myself to this writing and let you all see what I’m thinking alongside the facts and the story we present. And apparently, you like it a lot when I do that, so here I am now each week, putting my squishy feelings out on the internet. (And my hilarious jokes… I mean, let’s not forget about “Festa-ivities”, am I right? Ahem. Moving on.)

For musicians, I think the songs they write are their journals. Some probably never see the light of day, but the act of writing them alone is a form of catharsis. For the ones that are released though, fans get to see a glimpse into the minds of their favorites during a particular moment in time. The members of BTS have all written and released songs that are deeply personal to them, the three Rap Line members most prolifically. RM, SUGA, and j-hope are responsible for the bulk of BTS’ lyrics, and quite a few melodies as well. Their words, especially when put on a track that is solely for the three of them to perform, are a gateway into the heart and mind of BTS. And as they were in the process of creating Love Yourself 轉 'Tear', that was a dangerous place to be.

When it came time to write the last song for the album, they were inspired by conversations that had occurred between the members—when they were exhausted and frustrated, and taking it out on each other. Conversations that could probably be considered fights, as they hashed out their hurt feelings and discussed whether or not they wanted to continue being BTS. “Outro: Tear” is probably the most raw, honest, and unfiltered song they’ve ever released.

We used to walk towards the same place, but here becomes our last
We used to talk about forever, but now we mercilessly destroy each other
I thought we dreamed the same dream,
but now the dream truly became just a dream
My heart breaks Please rather burn it
so that the pain and my lingering love don’t remain at all anymore

 
 

“Outro: Tear” Performance during Day 2 of the Speak Yourself Tour, Wembley Stadium, London 190602

When we’ve seen the song performed, the Rap Line lay bare their emotions which are just as intense and raw as the words they’re rapping. They barely breathe throughout; each word is staccato and delivered with precision. Their rap is purposeful. It’s fast, and as the song builds we can feel our own emotions swell in our chests along with it. j-hope moves through the final verse of the song like a train gaining momentum as it travels along the track. He stalks the stage, and each word that exits his mouth feels like a guttural curse. 

You’re my beginning and end
That is all
My meeting and my parting
That was all
From now on, fear will repeat itself
Caused by you,
Tear
Tear…  


SUGA said about this song: “When I was writing the melody, at the time, we were deeply contemplating whether we should quit or not. When I played the song for the members, we all cried together.” We know they didn’t end, but it clearly came close. So “Outro: Tear” is a cautionary tale—what can happen to any kind of fractured relationship that isn’t nurtured properly back to health.

 

"Outro: Tear" Color-Coded Lyrics

 
 

"Outro: Tear" Live at Wembley

 

"Outro: Tear" | LY:SY World Tour Final Seoul

 
 
 
 
 

Bangtan Bubble: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve taken from “Outro: Tear”?

 

Let us know your answer in the comments below or on social media (include #BangtanBubble)!

 
 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

BTS LYS: Answer Album

Before we move on from this amazing album, let’s just stop and take a moment to be grateful that BTS did not go their separate ways in 2018. If they had, would we still all have found them, or each other? We may well have, but then this would be the final blog entry to this project if that was the case. I don’t even want to imagine that… we’ve got so much more to go through!


Next week we’ll start on the final chapter of the Love Yourself trilogy. While LOVE YOURSELF 結 'Answer' is a compilation album, it does contain seven new tracks, and will lead us to the “Euphoria” one can only achieve after working through the kind of pain and trauma we did these past three weeks…

 
 
 

Side Quest

Love Yourself 轉 'Tear' released on May 18, 2018 and to celebrate BTS held a special live Comeback Show to introduce the album to ARMY.

They teased the special with little preview clips, even giving a few spoilers here and there (although I’m not sure Jimin revealing that their stage set up was really “fancy”, can honestly be considered a spoiler).

The show itself is a mix of performances, interview clips, behind-the-scenes footage, and fun games they played together on stage. It’s almost a mini fan meeting. It’s clear they were having a lot of fun, and watching it made me hope they get to do another one of these in the future once they’re all back from the military.

 
 

VLIVE: MNET (BTS Comeback Show) Pre-Live! 5/24/18

 
 
 

CREDITS:

YouTube/Web

HYBE LABELS, BANGTANTV, Bangtan Subs, Audacy, STAX, UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN, BTS Live Archive, Adam Bomb, KBS WORLD TV, Billboard, Brilliant, Enjoy BTS more, Angela Chim Chim, mini sweaterpaws, Jaeguchi, 바카라 고딩TV15, limited Jams, Jasbad, Mnet K-POP, Kpop Crush, sweetoothsuga, MBCkpop, KpopAddictBTS, LimitNoMore, harukwon n, Babybear, TheEllenShow, lisaverse, tvN Asia, allforbts, SBSKPOP X INKIGAYO, Coca-Cola Korea, tanniesfm, Chelsea H, Bangtan Library, BANGTAN ZONE; Web: wikipedia.org, ok.ru (Video Bangtan Subs), billboard.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); 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 blog and current BTS events/releases. It’s hosted by the AP529 Admin Team on Stefne’s 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).

Quince
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