By Jae-Ha Kim
Variety
April 12, 2019
In 2013, BTS was just another Korean boy band signed to a small label that hardly anyone had heard of. Six years and a K-pop global explosion later, they are the most popular boy band in the world, which is why fans around the globe set their alarm clocks (or pulled all-nighters) to catch the global release of âMap of the Soul: Personaâ at precisely 6 p.m. KST (2 a.m. PT/ 5 a.m. ET).
The 7-song album is taut musically and thematically (the group is a septet consisting of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, Jungkook), although things get into murkier territory lyrically. Fans of the group dig deep into the meanings behind the songs â a challenge for many, since the majority of their lyrics are in Korean â but the reasoning behind this albumâs title, derived from âJungâs Map of the Soul,â a study of Swiss psychiatry pioneer Carl Jung written by psychoanalyst Dr. Murray Stein, is unclear. Jung said that people inherited the collective unconscious of their ancestors and possess memories of which theyâre unaware. What could this have to do with BTS?
Well, in Korean, there is a concept of âjung,â which doesnât really have a direct parallel in English but describes an emotion that encapsulates the feeling of love and loyalty that people have for one another â which in this case the bandmembers feel for each other and their fans (collectively called ARMY). That sentiment is prevalent throughout âMap of the Soul.â Heady song titles like âMikrokosmos,â âJamais Vuâ and âDionysusâ sound more like titles from a college syllabus, but the casual listener wouldnât necessarily notice from the music of the groupâs sleek, streamlined pop sound.
American pop star Halsey joins BTS on the highly-hyped single âBoy With Luv,â which the band will premiere live tomorrow on âSaturday Night Live.â An homage to 2014âs âBoy in Luv,â the new song deconstructs their then adolescent mindframe. Halseyâs vocal captures the giddiness of being in love, while the lyrics address the relationship the group has with its ARMY: âIâm flying high in the sky with the two wings you gave me,â with the wings referencing the title of their second album. Likewise, theyâre hopeful and optimistic on the Ed Sheeran collaboration, âMake It Right,â with the Brit adding some trademark melodic flavor to the ballad.
âIntro: Personaâ is a solid showcase for the groupâs leader, RM. His flow eases back and forth between Korean and English. âWho the hell am I?â he asks, but his delivery says itâs more of a rhetorical question.
On the funky final track âDionysus,â the group asks, âAre you ready for this?â The answer probably came at precisely 6 p.m. KST today.
Album Review: With features from @Halsey and @EdSheeran, BTS’ “‘Map of the Soul” mixes sleek pop with heavy lyrics @bts_bighit https://t.co/PQl1Vprqch
â Variety (@Variety) April 12, 2019
Thank you so much for reviewing this masterpiece. I really hope the general public embraces something different and refreshing. BTS puts so much work into their albums they deserve all the praise. 2019 is their year to fly even higher.
The theories of Carl Jung (and a number of books written by authors who were inspired by him) are referenced in BTS albums, songs, videos and, now, books spanning their entire career. There is even a Bangtan âuniverseâ and storyline to challenge you, if you are interested to listen and read lyrics at that level. All songs are multidimensional and layered. Itâs, actually, kind of shocking how consistent and analytical it is ⊠if you want to go beyond the casual listen ⊠Or you can just watch or dance, sing and smile along ⊠đ
I love the Album. My TOP 3 are Jamais Vu, Dionysos and Mikrokosmos so far … I love the diversity of the album đđ¶
You are definitely a pro! How did you manage to write an insightful article despite waking up at 4AM? I woke up at 3:45 and 8 hours later I’m still in my pajamas!
I think itâs interesting what you chose to pick from Jungâs psychology. While I agree that the connection between Jungâs theory and the album isnât very clear, they werenât going for the ancestral memory. The title of the album, as well as the intro, clearly spell out that they are talking about the Persona: the masks you put on to face society. The thought most people had was that we were going to confront the difference between our true âselfâ and our persona, as many of us identify with our âego,â or what we believe ourselves to be. While itâs not clear right now how that connection was made, BTS is nothing if not intentional. Iâm interested to see what their next album is like: if this album was the persona they put on for the world as BTS, before showing us their âshadowsâ as Kim Namjoon or Min Yoongi.
Either way, thank you for covering this album Variety and Jae-Ha. I loved it from front to back.
Avery⊠You are truly ARMY. Great points. Fighting.
I agree with above comment by Avery. This happy cheery boy band song is the face that the society expect from them and BTS delivered exactly how they were shown to the gen public. They did it so cleverly while blessing my ears⊠but if you think of the true meaning of it, itâs kinda of sad. BTS Never fail to amuse me⊠I just Canât wait for the next album (SHADOW) already..
I loved the album. All the songs are different and yet they fit amazingly well together. Almost like puzzle pieces. One of my favorite track is Jamais Vu. Listening to it makes me feel this longing and I donât even know for what. Mikrokosmos makes me happy. Itâs not overly upbeat but it has just enough energy to make the listeners smile unconsciously. Make It Right is another one of my favorite tracks and itâa a masterpiece. Dionysus is well wow, it makes me wanna rebel. All the songs are special in its own way. Lastly however, the title track Boy With Luv is a bop. Itâs happy and mature. Just a beautiful song to listen to.
Loved your explanation. Please follow their journey past present and to future to really experience why armys are crazy for them. You wonât be disappointed
Thank you Mr. Kim for your prolific commentary on the group BTS as well as the trail of their beginning to this point. The clarity that youâve given to the English speakers is so valuable to the dissemination of meaning that has spanned 6 years and still continues. I believe this story of these young men through their Company and their music is one of the key reasons the collective conscious of their ARMY has made this phenomenon so immense. With articles like yours⊠dare I say, the catalyst is given even more momentum. Thank you for such a well developed piece.
Good review!! Thanks for this!! Itâs a much more precise review, that understands some of the places where BTS is coming from. True, the music is not leaps and bounds ahead of its time, or super outrageous musically because thatâs not what the fans want. Like RM said at the grammys, the album is a gift to fans. We appreciate it because we know and understand behind those smoothly produced beats that there is an underlying appreciation, depth, and hollowness in what theyâre trying to express, which often actually goes unnoticed especially when some translations donât do the korean lyrics justice. BTS are well known for having beautiful and poetic lyrics, and although many articles reference that, they really are just sticking it as a fact in there without really understanding how hard, and how much effort BTS puts into their songs.
Even though I lived in Korea (teaching English) and learned a lot about Korean culture, I still learn so much because of BTSâs music and lyrics. I had never heard of âjungâ before, and I guess itâs one of those things thatâs a part of Korean culture, but not really spoken about. Itâs fascinating and beautiful to learn about it and how they mixed the Korean âjungâ with the Carl Jung. BTS never fail to amaze me!
This is really and amazing article. Thank you for this Mr. Kim, we really appreciate it. I would add that what BTS is doing reminds of the transgression strategy â they put a lot of meanings into well known pop music genres, meanings that most people wouldnât expect to find there. And this is their power. Also please notice that they could make a western casual audience-friendly album, yet they choose to dedicate it purely to their fans â they fulfill it with their own mythology and it seems they have no intentions of changing just because they became worldwide famous.