The 2023 Countdown – #3
It’s been a busy Tuesday morning, but I finally have a break to come post. Not that anyone is waiting to see. lol! 😉
At number three, we finally have a BTS member. 😉 This is Jimin’s first solo project and I love the range of sounds and vocal styles on this album. Even more, I appreciate being let in to his darkness and sharing his experiences.
Track 1| Face-Off
2023 Favorite New Songs: #25
The first few seconds of the song, I thought it would be a skip. The instrumental sounds like a depressing circus act to me, but then it goes into the main production and vocals and I was captivated. I’m glad I gave it a chance and didn’t immediately hit the forward button.
For me, the lyrics evoke a desire to break free but instead of coping with the feelings, using alcohol to drown them. It’s a common theme in the album. However there’s also a sense of resilience, of acknowledging one’s pain and mistakes and overcoming them.
I was fucking drunk, oh
Even those damn days in the past
It’s all over now
…
Break it down
…
This is my ordinary story
Get it out
…
Pour it out
Pour it down
Until this night is over
Track 2| Interlude: Dive
2023 Favorite New Songs: #–
It’s an interlude … but it’s also the sounds of how life changed for him during Covid, from performing in front of thousands of fans to being alone, isolated, drinking, trapped. It really shows us his mindset at the time. I’m grateful he’s sharing his story with us.
Track 3| Like Crazy
2023 Favorite New Songs: #8
The 80s synth matches the mood of this song. Continuing the theme of the album, we are brought into Jimin’s state of mind. His desire for some sort of comfort and relief, even if it’s not real, or even if it’s temporary, is sung with Jimin’s signature emotional sound. I can feel what he’s feeling, even though I’ve never turned to drugs or alcohol myself. Very relatable and vulnerable.
Watch me go
Drenching myself all night
So that even the morning
Gets drunk and doesn’t arrive
By the end of the song we know how broken and lost Jimin feels, not wanting to face reality. That tugs at my heartstrings, the feeling so familiar I can taste it.
This will break me
This is gonna break me
No, don’t you wake me
I wanna stay in this dream, don’t save me
Don’t you try to save me
I need a way we
I need a way we can dream on
(Alone again
What’s the point?)
Track 4| Alone
2023 Favorite New Songs: #12
We slow down for more self-reflection and really delve into the cycle of despair, emotional turmoil, and even deception, convincing oneself everything really will be all right somehow.
I’m drunk and asleep
I can’t remember when
I’ve been thinking about what I’m doing
Why is it only me? No, everyone’s like that
I’m pretending to be okay every time
I’m so pathetic
…
Without thinking
I walk in my dark room alone
I said it was okay
I feel like I’m losing myself slowly
Day and night fall and repeat (Mayday, get me out of here)
Make it right, it’s gonna be all right
Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie
The background singers chorusing “lie, lie, lie…” is significant not only within this song but also taking us back to an earlier Jimin song, from BTS’ Wings era, “Lie”:
I can’t be free from this lie
Give me back my smile
Caught in a lie
Pull me from this hell
I can’t be free from this pain
Overall a very poignant song showing us Jimin’s introspection and desire to break out of the cycle he’s fallen into. He really lets us see his raw emotions and inner struggles.
Track 5| Set Me Free Pt.2
2023 Favorite New Songs: #21
We round out the album with an anthem of strength and determination. The butterfly is a symbol BTS have used many times, and here I see it as Jimin embracing the transformation needed to break free from the pain and move forward on his journey. He acknowledges his past, his mistakes, all while moving forward, working through the struggles.
The video is a choreographed visual respresentation of being lost in the maze and breaking free, despite any opposition (external or internal). The breathtaking act of singing “Set me free” over and over again at the end is cathartic.
I wandered into a maze
Hennessy at night
I never stop, I never stop
Again, repeat
I never stop, fuck all your opps
Finally free
Ah yeah, ah yeah
I’m standing at the edge
Not yet, not yet
I won’t look back
Now yeah, now yeah
Fly away, butterfly
Finally free
Look at me now
I won’t hide anymore, even if it hurts
Going insane to stay sane
Raise your hands for the past me
Now, set me free
Set me free, set me free
Track 6| Like Crazy (English Version)
2023 Favorite New Songs: #–
This is an English version track, and because the language is different, the tone also feels very different to me. It feels less introspective and more distant somehow.
The Korean one gives me a sense of uncertainty, confusion, of trying to escape the pain of loneliness, of the lie he’s caught in. The English one, I feel it’s more of about escaping stardom, which can also be a cause of that very loneliness. There is definitely still the same sense of using alcohol and partying to avoid it all.
I can hear the voices listening
Don’t know who they are
Trying to take the pressure off
Been reaching for the stars
Tell me, will I find myself again?
When I go too far?
Yeah, I know
You know, I know
…
Can you help me numb the pain?
Track 7| 편지 | Letter (Dear ARMY)
2023 Favorite New Songs: #–
This is a hidden track only available on the physical album. It begins at the 6:13 mark, not a coincidence, since June 13 is the anniversary of BTS’ debut. It’s a heartfelt song dedicated to the fandom, reminding both us and himself that we’re always there for each other. Super sweet, kinda sappy, but it makes me smile. I appreciate that BTS really goes the extra mile to make their fans feel special and loved.
What should I say?
And how should I convey it?
I’m really not getting my words right
I know it sounds so clichéd
So that it’s not taken lightly
Let me say it to you properly
I say oh-oh, I hope you can be happier
You, who stretched your hand out to me whenever I fell
I say oh-oh, I’ll hold it now
So when you feel like crying, you won’t fall
Find strength, embrace change, face yourself. 🤍