By Jae-Ha Kim
Variety
October 18, 2019
Early Friday morning (Oct. 18), BTS gave fans a taste of what their upcoming “comeback” (Korean pop terminology for new music) may be like with a reworked version of “Make It Right.”
The Korean boy band collaborated with the American singer-songwriter Lauv, who starts the soulful ballad off with a verse in English.
Advocates for promoting the awareness of mental health – especially in young people – BTS obliquely addresses this issue with the song’s music video. It includes concert footage along with an animated story line. The animation gives off a strong “Le Petit Prince” vibe. Like the imagery depicted in the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry novel, the video delves into the delicate nature of human behavior.
The plot is an homage to ARMY – the name of BTS’ fandom. The black-haired boy represents BTS, while the blonde girl serves as their collective group of fans. Scared and lonely, the boy crouches down while the girl morphs into a cloak that protects him. She stands by his side as he walks a path lined with jeering hecklers. With her encouragement, he now has the confidence to tackle his fears (which manifest themselves in the form of a dragon). The visuals mesh well with the hopeful lyrics (“I can make it better / You were the reason that I survived”).
Shortly after the song’s release, “Make It Right” by BTS & Lauv reached No. 1 on U.S. iTunes. It was BTS’ fifth No. 1 and the American’s first. The collaboration also drummed up interest in the original version, which has re-entered iTunes Top 200. Co-written by BTS and British pop star Ed Sheeran, that song was a B-side on their April EP, “Map of the Soul: Persona.”
.@BTS_twt show love for @Lauvsongs and their Army of fans in video for reworked “Make It Right” https://t.co/tYAo1w5UCx
— Variety (@Variety) October 18, 2019
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It is a beautiful song filled with the history of BTS & ARMYs struggles to have our boys’ music heard. I totally cried while watching the music video. One of most touching moments is when the boy (BTS) and the girl (ARMY) are holding hands and the sun comes up creating a shadow of their interlocking hands that makes the BTS logo! It also recounts V’s dream about traveling with ARMY (https://twitter.com/doyou_bangtan/status/1033695446244286466?s=20) Seriously the amount of details on the music video of moments shared are beyond special for ARMY! Truly an artist unlike any other. Blessed to be an ARMY
Nancy, your eloquent comments touched me so much ……