Studio Notes Pt. 3- Arirang (3/20)

Part 3 of their Weverse/YouTube Live

My commentary in green.

Please find PART 1 here.
Please find PART 2 here.

SUGA: shall we move on to the next song?
j-hope: starting with the next song - an important song is coming
SUGA: this is the title [track], SWIM

::RM swim zoomies::

V: I don't think we knew we were doing it but we gave a lot more spoilers than I thought...

RM/SUGA: oh really?
V: mm
Jimin: about this??
V: yea
Jimin: oh really?
V: like in our group live, someone was ::does swimming motions::
RM/V/SUGA all look at RM

RM:
RM: but anyone can just do this, no? ::is swimming:: (lmao help what a walnut i can't)
Jimin: was it you???
RM: O__O?? was it me?

i normally don't have severe cuteness aggression over RM (most commonly kookoo/sugi) but he's SO friggng cute here jakd;fgjladfkg

JK: were we by the ocean during that one?
V: i'm not sure
RM in tiny/defeated koalabb in the background: was it me again?
V: i don't know
JK: ...!!
(boba will defend honeythighs to the moon loll)
Jimin: hyung, was it you again?

(loool bobaa)

RM: ....okay

j-hope: okay let's move on to the theme of the song
RM: so this song came out pretty early on, and it was really good and catchy, but it wasn't really strong. if you listen carefully, there aren't a lot of instruments in the arrangement. the melody isn't like "lalalalala!! lalala ah!! lala" it's just kind of swim
Jin + boba ::crack up at RM's lalalala

RM: it's a song with a lot of rests. but there were a lot of twists and turns before we decided to make this the title track. i think the reason we had to make this the title track is because it felt like a song that could be accessible to anyone, and also, even though i've listened to our 'BE' album a lot, this is the one that i don't get sick of.

SUGA: i mean that's that too but for me, i mean listening to our album SO MUCH - this is a track i definitely don't get sick of
RM: that's true
Jimin: i also wanna say..
SUGA: yea i don't get sick of it
Jimin: ...cuz when it was proposed to make this the title track, the one who opposed it was also me hahaha ::laughs::
::JK laughs::
SUGA: were you just opposing for the sake of opposingggg ::trolling jimin::
Jimin: nooo - it's not that - it's cuz like we, as an entity, have this kind of established image/rep
RM: oh yea like .. IDOL ..Dynamite..
SUGA: [we had] a clear beginning/development/climax/resolution narrative arc type of thing
Jimin: right.. like ON..
RM: like kpop
Jimin: because we'd always do things where we can really show off our choreography ..if Bangtan Sonyeondan is doing comeback and .. like..::sings 'swim' faintly:: that felt..
SUGA: i mean ..it's not quite ::imitates jimin's sad little faint 'swim':: no like
JK: [he/Jimin] ALWAYS does that ::faint 'swim' imitation:: all the timeee
::Jimin/SUGA/JK laughing::

Jimin: i mean so anyway i was thinking ..that wouldn't be great [for a low-energy song instead of a high-performance/energetic song to be the main title track] -but then partway through, hyung (you, RM) wrote the lyrics ..and then I actually felt that it was the most fitting song for our team right n ow and then completely agreed from that point/was totally on board

RM: like we're simply, day by day, just swimming forward
Jimin to JK on the side in tiny: i think i kept opposing stuffs...
::boba laughs::

RM continuing: while we were preparing the album and actually even during the military too .. just day-by-day, we just kept counting down the days. i think life is just swimming forward one day at a time

하루하루 (haruharu) - day by day, this lyric is also in Best of Me (and MANY other songs in general)
SUGA (in English): KEEP SWIMMING KEEP SWIMMING
RM: i mean we don't need to be like professional swimmers or anything - we just keep treading forward day by day .. i mean tbh i can't even swim so ..if we just swim one day at a time..
j-hope: even if there are waves that crash against you
RM: yea something like that
j-hope: indeed..i mean we do have to swim forward even now .. but this wave ::gently gestures to RM's busted leg:: was maybe too strong

and this is how i learned RM can't swim...

Jimin to RM: at this rate, isn't it a tsunami??
RM: i think it's like a triangular wave..
j-hope: the wave was a bit too strong just now huh - how will we swim outta this one?
Jin in tiny off to the side: think you crashed against a rock that's all..
SUGA: well that's us though
Jimin: we just try to move forward
j-hope: yea i mean the circumstance right now even is just so us

RM: if you watch the SWIM music video, the members are all like, because of the exhaust from the generator..
SUGA: yea
Jimin: ah, to be honest, my head does hurt.. i don't know how the heck we're going to perform. tomorrow ... my head is throbbing, really.
SUGA: i mean we just gotta keep swimming ...what choice do we have

j-hope: i think we came out with a really solid song - a really great song has come to BTS
RM: a new feel for BTS in our 30s..
j-hope: yeaa

V: for me - the SWIM lyrics - Namjoonie hyung like.. overall wrote such a great song
j-hope: was heavily involved
V: but really i think the lyrics are so good

RM: what's fun is if you hear it like a love song it can sound like a love song
JK: that's right that's right that's right
SUGA: like ARIRANG right~
RM: i suppose you could say that..

RM giving me major cuteness aggression in this live... and friends after all that reading and all that typing - we are only just past the halfway point in the live lol - this is at 45minutes/84minute mark

V: 🎶water falling off your skinnnnnn🎶
RM: talking about the water falling off your skin.. so.. anyway - it can be interpreted in many ways

aka he said it could be a sexy time song - meanwhile, i'm 90hundredpercent sure that all ARMY went straight to thinking this song was about the boombooms from the get LOL i think exactly 0.000% of people heard this song and watched that music video and thought "ah, this is about striving in life" HAHAHA but now hearing their explanation and really digesting the theme of perseverance and resilience - i STILL CANNOT HEAR IT THAT WAY LMAOOO

bruh be so fr right now... "don't make it so hard, nights like these i just wanna get lost, right here with the moon and the sharks, i ain't gotta think bout a thing, baby i just swim" is ZERO PERCENT the vibe when i'm like working hard to achieve a goal HAHAHAHAHA but maybe one day, when i need it most, these lyrics will hit that way~ all good art allows space for different interpretations to hit differently in changing seasons of life

j-hope hyping up his twin: yea i think it's so witty and came out so well
JK: it's so awesome
j-hope: it doesn't feel limited/confined to just one thing~
RM: yea i think depending on what context you're in when you listen to it can..
j-hope: yea [that moment's] emotions let it hit differently
RM: i think that's why it became our title track
j-hope: right right
JK: so coool

boba's heart eyes for the leader - we get it, bobaball, we get it

RM: are we going to talk about the music video at all at this time? orrr
Jin: the music video?
SUGA: maybe after we're done with all of the songs?
RM: maybe if we have time after all the songs ..
Jimin: okay let's do that

SUGA: okay next song - Merry Merry Merry-Go-Round
RM: oh? Merry Go..
SUGA: Merry Go..
RM: Merry Go is.. so like I ..
SUGA: did you do this?
RM: more than being heavily involved.. like Tame Impala, I really like Kevin Parker and one of the friends that I work with a lot, I think his name is Sam, he's really close with Kevin Parker and works with him a lot, and he had a lot of Kevin Parker tracks. and when I heard this track, I was like "this is SO good"
Jimin: hyung, wasn't this the first song you made?
RM: it did come out in the earlier days
Jimin: right?

(Tame Impala is Kevin Parker's stage name)

RM continuing: but kinda like Jung Kook just randomly thought of 'Hooligan' - I was reminded of a Merry-Go-Round, kinda feeling like every day.. i keep going round and round in circles
SUGA: weren't you actually in the same studio B? Weren't you in B working on this?
RM: that's right - I was in B.. so to Aldae, I was like 'I'm going to go work on different lyrics for a little bit, can you do brainstorm a bit with the concept of a merry-go-round? and then 40 minutes later, Aldae called me and just sang the vocals as they are right now and not a single lyric changed- and I was like 'oh? the song is already done??' and that's how this song came about

j-hope: Aldae's good
RM: Aldae wrote it really well

Jimin: i'd love it if this became like the 'Spring Day' of our chapter 2, it's such a great song
j-hope: like it came out so well
Jimin: thank you
RM: going round and round

V: omg trying to copy Aldae's demo was like..
j-hope: i don't remember the demo at all
V: oh really?
j-hope: i think i should find it and listen to it later

Jin: I've only heard the version of it with our members' voices
V: but Aldae sang it so well
Jimin: oh that's right for you hyungg.. and i mean our members voices are SO good too so
RM: Aldae was so good
JK: so good so good
V: really good

SUGA: i mean it's not on the album but the first thing I worked on was with Aldae and.. the other guy...um
V: Sam?
SUGA: well anyway as SOON as I listened he was so good I was like oh this guy is the real deal..

j-hope: but trulyy all the producers [from abroad] that we worked with .. like fascinatingly so - it was like HOW could they come up with this line? how'd they come up with this kind of track? there were LOTS of moments like that
RM: learned a lottt
Jimin: their process is so different

JK: if you wanna work like that, you have to live there
j-hope: true
RM: and anyway, us, living in Korea - there are things only we can do too
j-hope: that's true for sure too
SUGA: i think this album is a good mix of everything

V: but you know how like, more than you'd think, there are some melodies that come out more - like each person keeps..
RM: there are quirks/habits/go-to's for sure (re: the kinds of music they each (members/other artists) bring to the table)
V: but they each have like their kinda go-to melodies or their go-to *gibberish you know?
JK: right right
V: don't you think, after coming back from America, we all came back SO different?
JK: a lot of different
SUGA: changed the modes..
RM: i expanded the gibberish/lines a bit

look how happy he is talking about music lol

*gibberish - beyond just meaning nonsense sounds - turns out this is an korean?? music industry term I only learned since becoming ARMY but basically when artists (not just BTS) need placeholder "lyrics" before the actual lyrics are written or finalized, sometimes well before the lyrics are even considered - they sing 'anything' to the melody - these are also called mumble tracks, dummy vocals, scratch vocals, etc. in english

i'm not sure if this is a ubiquitous music-making term or just specific to the korean music industry

RM: like the pattern got longer
SUGA: it's like a lick
Jimin: we just learned a few new things
V: like my lines..
j-hope: i mean it's the same i think.. like .. cuz we'd just stand in front of the mic and ::sings nonsensical syllables:: to get the vibe of the song and these guys [the producers abroad] also did the same type of thing- they'd sing 'nonsense' into the mics too

a lot of gibberish being sung

they're singing nonsensical syllables so im not tryna type all that out but it's definitely worth watching because it's fun to see what they found amusing in meeting/learning from/working with international artists/producers

they're basically going over how much they have in common but also the little quirks that each new artist shared that felt interesting and special and fun and funny to each of them

i've never recorded anything but often times when you meet experts of any kind that have truly given a HUGE chunk of their life to something (baking, painting, piano, writing, etc.) our preferences, our go-tos, etc. and it's so fun to compare notes and to be introduced to each others faves.

i'm blessed to have some very thoughtful friends but i know almost no one that has seriously studied/done visual arts academically/professionally after graduating and just figured that's a part of my life i enjoy solo AND THEN - on a whim, because it was happening near me - I went to an illustrator's workshop (for beginner to intermediate level) with zero expectations because I was intimidated but figured it couldn't hurt to try.. AND I MET MY PEOPLE! THEY HAD FAVORITE FONTS. FAVORITE FONT FOUNDRIES. FAVORITE DESIGNERS. GO-TO TOOLS, etc. - I think it's always so fun to see these little details of others who know/love/respect deeply the craft of choice and being delighted by each others' ways 🥰

JK::imitates someone else's gibberish featuring a lot of kakaka sounds::
RM: yea it kinda feels like 'martial arts' vibes??
SUGA: but what's so funny is that like them too.. as we're approaching the final stretch/end of the day/final moments - they also lose all creativity (in their gibberish syllables, etc.)
JK: hahahaha that's right that's right
BTS::laughing::
SUGA: they're just like us...
JK: yea they're exhausted/depleted/run outt..
Jimin: then they keep doing the same th ings too
j-hope: i mean the members each have their own things too right?

(more gibberish but make it BTS-flavored this time, kongkong, pungpung, hahaha it's cute)

RM: why do we like ddongddong so much
j-hope: i really like ong ong
JK: i do a lot of kongkong

AWWWWWW LOOK AT HIS LITTOFACEEEE jkal;dfjglakjdfg;lkajdfl;kgajdfkgjaf
HSJKGJDSLFKGJ:SLKJGL:KSJFLKSJFAHHHHHHHHHH

SUGA: okay on to the next song
RM/JK: ah, this songgg
j-hope: my favorite
RM: Ryan Tedder
Jin: when I arrived in LA - this is the song that you all were like 'this is a MUST-INCLUDE' and showed me first
j-hope: totally my favorite forreallll
V: but Normal is ..
j-hope: SUCH A GOOD SONG
RM: this song just makes you ::starts dancing??:: all together just..

SUGA: all the full english songs seem like ones our American friends would all like...i think
RM: for this cuz the keyword "normal" was in the demo - I really wanted to protect/preserve that concept/word but the original [demo] NORMAL's lyrics weren't like this [the current version] at all and rather it was about a kind of obsessive love for a lover

that isn't normal** or something like that, but it was hard to apply that to us so
Jimin: we had a lot of discussions about how to approach the lyrics
RM: I asked a lot of questions too
Jimin: like what do we think is normal? what do people think is normal? etc.
V: but I think the lyrics ended up being really deep and
Jimin: really special
RM: they helped a lot - thank you

::Like Animals playing::
RM: should we go into the next song?
Jimin: yea
RM: ahhh favorite
SUGA: we had to include something like this - if we didn't include this on the album i was going to take this one
RM: favorite
V: oh it's your favorite, hyung?
RM: one of my favorites
V: oh it is?
RM: psychedelic

j-hope: wow all our favorites are so different huh
SUGA: is this one Diplo?[
RM: Diplo and Artemas.. Artemas blew up on tiktok with his song 'i like the way you kiss me' and this is a style we'd haven't really done
Jin: true
j-hope: kinda reminds you of a rock band too
RM: band vibes
SUGA: anyway that's why A&R and Bang PD too.. were like.. i mean this song almost didn't make the cut
(lowkey could you imagine a life without 'Like Animals' ???? nopeee)

RM: i think this added depth to our album
SUGA: that it didn't fit the vibe of the album

(lol please look at j-hope's face)

SUGA: but we pushed back that we MUST have this song so it made it in
JK: ah~ we gotta do this oneee

j-hope: so good.. it's such a good song
SUGA: i liked it the MOMENT i heard it - the demo was really good too

j-hope: for me - by the time i got there this song was already made
RM: mm that's right
Jimin: Like Animal?
RM: now we're approaching the second half..
JK::singing::

j-hope: it's the 10th track now right? wow we really packed this with 14 tracks this time..
RM: we only pulled like 10% from all the tracks we made
SUGA: we extracted the essence
Jin: pulled a lot too
RM: you're right

j-hope: let's go to the next track..
RM: ah JIMIN! you really each hit onee
SUGA: in the same room..
Jimin: what a relief truly
SUGA: cuz we were working on a different track - not this one remember?
Jimin: right right
SUGA: but that one didn't work out -and then you said you wanted to work on it so you took that one
RM: Jiminsshi, can you please introduce us, what kind of song is this?
Jimin: this song? 'They Don't Know Bout Us'
SUGA: i mean for both of us.. we didn't think this would make it in we just decided like let's just do SOMEthing..

Jimin: actually, for this song - the day before this -I spoke a LOT with Namjoonie hyung
RM: oh yea we talked a lot
Jimin: yea~ originally we took off from the 'you make me weak' point
RM: 'you make me weak' yup.. like you all are our kryptonite type of thing
Jimin: right we came up with the keyword with our fans in mind and thenn.. that wasn't really coming together
RM: it didn't really come together
Jimin: yea 'you make me weak' was not coming together cuz we were talking about the fans not knowing us very well [in the sense that they give us too much credit] when we still feel so weak~ [creatively] that was our starting point but then it was reborn/revived into this much stronger/awesome song

j-hope: i personally really l ike sampling-based songs like this ..so I think it came out really well
SUGA: that room [we were working in] had a lot of sampling-based songs
V: isn't this the only song that's based on sampling?
RM: actually i'm not sure
SUGA: it's not it's not - there are a lot of songs that have samling in them
V: no but the [only song] with the main beginning part [that is sampling-based]
RM: oh with legit 'just' the sample?
SUGA: oh where you just snap it off after?
RM: oh that's true..

::SIMULTANEOUS CONVERSATIONS::

JK to RM: ahh but 'you make me weak' was so good..
RM to JK: it suits you really well
JK to RM: i guess i just gotta work on it then (👀👀👀 yes)
RM to JK: ..sunny (???)
V to RM/JK: SUNNY?? (🤷🏻‍♀️)

//

j-hope to Jimin: and actually this was also a different song that changed into something else
Jimin to j-hope: that's right that's right.. and the sampling was all different too
j-hope: cuz everyone worked on such different songs.. i think that's how the album came together
Jimin: yea i think that's right - each person participated and that made it into the album

timestamp
RM: yea everyone's colors are in the album~ and honestly if Jin hyung finished the tour earlier he could've put more into the album
Jimin: 아쉽긴 해 (ashipgin hae)- it's too bad, i've talked about this phrase before but it's when something is JUST EVER SO SLIGHTLY off and you feel like dangitttt about it and this is re:THE TIMING of everything NOT about Jin not doing enough
V: but even though there was some time after the tour, [Jin] hyung was not in good condition because he was touring back to backk
RM: cuz he kept touring back to back
V: yea cuz he was touring back to back~
JK: and he went somewhere before us too
RM: that's right that's right
RM to Jin: hyung, you bore so muchh/endured so much..
V::echoes the same sentiment Jimin said earlier::
Jimin: but it was THANKS to you holding up the team/maintaining our presence that we were even
RM: that's right
Jimin: that we were even able to make the album at all
RM: that's right
JK::physically offering Jin comfort -patting Jin's leg/patting his back::
Jin::taking everything in:: i am happy that so many incredible songs were made.. ::laughs::

a Korean[-American?] content creator spun some chaotic nonsense online when he said "all real Koreans... with emotional intelligence" would interpret Jin's facial expressions/body language as an irritated response of like stifled anger/hurt as he was getting bullied by the members for not pulling his weight

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NONE of us could know, with exact certainty, what their FACIAL expressions were communicating - but the tone of this entire live and this entire segment and their 13+ year history together demonstrates that they would NEVER publicly humiliate, shame, or bully ANY of their members for working hard??!!? Like BE SO FORREALLL RIGHT NOW - and tell me you're not ARMY without telling me lol??

I won't ever purport to know exactly what someone else was feeling based on exchanged glances and facial expressions. But here are some facts - Jin didn't dive RIGHT back into public activities/content creation the ACTUAL day right after his military discharge for shits and giggles. He did it because he didn't want ARMY to feel unsettled by lack of presence from the group since there were still members in the military serving time. Jin hit the ground running immediately and planned and executed a very labor-intensive YouTube content series AND a global tour (best he could muster given the timeline of his members' military discharge and logistical considerations (available venues, towns with infrastructure able to support GLOBAL ARMY attendance, etc.)) and gave his UTMOST effort to further cement BTS' presence/relevance during the time they couldn't be together as a group - representing himself as a MEMBER of BTS on other shows/series/media opportunities.

And if you've watched many of their older interview/comeback lives- if there's ever an instance where Jin speaks lowly of himself, saying something like "I know I'm not the best dancer but.." or "I know I'm not as talented in [this area] but.." - you'll all hear many members (esp V) rush to his defense "Hyung, don't say that about yourself!" "Hyung, I think you're great at [area]" "Hyung, your role is irreplaceable because.." etc. - then Jin makes this face in response, sorta sheepish/flustered/grateful and says something like "oh thank you but it's okay that this is the case.." etc.

All to say, Jin has demonstrated, throughout time, that he is deeply self-aware and is not shaken by things easily.

At every stop of Jin's tour, during his lives - he'd mention in some form how much he missed derping around with his members and how much he loved ARMY.

No part of Jin's solo pursuits were executed with the intent to put his personal career over the welfare of the group and NONE of the members have ever interpreted Jin's efforts that way.

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In general, any time any content creator purports to know 'exactly' what something is when it's as subjective as a FACIAL EXPRESSION or says things like "all REAL " would "__" - it's a good idea to be wary of that content creator's depth/wisdom

Many Jin solos were riled up saying 'ONLY TRUE JIN BIASES/SOLOS know the real pain he was experiencing' - type stuff because Jin remained quiet through a lot of this live and after seeing this Korean content creator's video, they decided to interpret that as him being shaken or sinking into himself...

Again the OBJECTIVE FACTS - confirmed by Jin and the members multiple times over - was that his tour dates were planned in advance. These sessions were planned afterward with MANY critical things taken into consideration, Jin's not being able to participate in the bulk of these sessions were not overlooked or disregarded. But BTS had to collaborate with MULTIPLE western artists in a very short amount of time - this was not just a matter of preference but MULTIPLE goliath entities in their own right had to schedule time to spend and create together DESPITE their personal schedules as well. So the timeline looked the way it did and IN FACT Jin was not able to contribute to the album as much as if he'd been in LA the entire time.

It goes to reason that he has that much less to say ABOUT the work that was done during that time...

But he has also gone on to say that he is proud of the incredible repertoire of work he arrived to when he landed in LA ~ his members had created some 100+ songs to consider. WHILE he was there, he did everything he could. And once they were back in Korea, he also did everything he could.

For fans that claim to "KNOW SOMETHING" - I truly believe this is more out of their personal desire to feel this more personal intimate connection than is actually there so they can assert things on behalf of artists as some kind of special representative of the artist's "true" feelings. That's more a mental health issue on the part of the fan than it is an actual point of contention for the artists lmao. For those folks - I wish them solid therapy, sunlight, hydration, and sleep.

Saying anything spicy about BTS is SURE to bring engagement because of ARMY and haters. Good or bad- engagement increases reach. But an uninformed, shallow hot take will always be just that. There was no issue here.

We have to be digitally literate enough to recognize clickbait from creativity - which means we have to know when NOT to engage with stupid shit - because even arguing/reposting to defend BTS with that kind of content- INCREASES THE REACH of that type of content. Let it die in obscurity. "Not interested" & keep scrolling.

::One More Night::

RM: i like this song
JK: this one hobi hyung!!
j-hope: this is a song i very much did not feel.. like 'what is this??'
RM/j-hope: BRO? BRO! HEY BROO! WHAT'S UP MAN? (🤷🏻‍♀️)
j-hope: this is so broo
JK: but for me too - when it came to this song - i didn't feel the like 'wow this is it!' kinda feel
RM: i mean this might come across as corney but i just really like listening to this song
JK: but yea after i kept listening to it. .it grew on me

Jimin: actually songs like these are really nice to drive to~
RM: thatttt's it right there -that's exactly ittt

(above you can find one Sir Kim Namjoon affirming Jimin's comment with his entire body because now he is, too, a driver)
JK: kinda has like our older vibes to it too
Jin: very easy listening~
RM to JK: right rightt

V: kinda feels like our song HOME
Jimin: now that the weather's gotten nicer..
SUGA: yea it does feel like some of our older BTS songs too so..
j-hope: perfect for a drive~
RM: this one kinda makes the album a bit easier to listen to~
SUGA: softens it
Jimin: cuz the album is a little bit dense/heavy
SUGA: the first half is quite dense
j-hope: at first listen i was like.. does this have to go in?? lolll
SUGA: nah TILL THE VERY END you were like..
RM: i like this song..
SUGA: ..like even while we were working on the second half of the album. you were like 'ahh must we includee this??'
j-hope: like 'idk about this..'

RM: but considering that you sang [your verses] SO heartfelt.. like.. 🎶starts singing j-hope's part in Please🎶 (they are discussing "One More Night - not Please)
j-hope: i mean when it comes to work i'm still going to give my best...on everything/anything

i love that j-hope (and all the members) will never skimp on effort even if the project/song/whatever is not their personal favorite or aligned with their tastes - 100% excellence every time

Jimin: is this how the explanation for this song concludes? like.. 'j-hope was not a fan..' hahaha
JK: hey that's "Please"
j-hope: oh yea.. that [the part RM sang] is from Please.. but

V to RM: hyung, you didn't even knoww~
94's have a moment
RM: 🎶side by side~
::singing j-hope's verse from One More Night"

SUGA: but i think it's because
94::still singing::
SUGA: this song doesn't really have a clear definitive theme when you sing it like.. there's no like one main.. it just flows steadily throughout~

inexplicably V sighs and like bends over and does like 🤦🏻‍♀️ and SUGA looks over concerned.. but literally one second later V gets back up and it was over nothing LOL #dramatic
j-hope, presumably seeing V: oh did something happen for this song too?
V: no there's nothing

JK: ..no oh just you hyung (to j-hope) just that you didn't like it that's the only thing
j-hope: whoooo wrote this one??
RM: this one ..probably... just the lyrics maybe?
SUGA: oh i have one.. when we were in America..
Jimin: wasn't it like PDogg hyung.. and ..
SUGA to Jimin: it was in our room -
j-hope: this came from the sessions in America?
Jimin: yup yup yup
SUGA: in our room while i was working on writing the rap..
JK: that's right! (idk what he's responding to lmao)
SUGA to Jimin: and then that friend.. was it Kurtis? the really tall friend?
Jimin: yea
SUGA: i was inspired by THAT friend.. cuz he said 'i should rap in falsetto' so i went in and rapped in falsetto...hahaha
Jimin/SUGA::imitating falsetto::
Jimin to j-hope/the others: so yea [SUGA] hyung was doing this [falsetto squeaking] and so i was like 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? why aren't you rapping right now?? don't singg'

tiny sugismiles lol and sassypants Jimin

j-hope: Yoongi hyung this session.. waaaa this hyung and his guitar like..
SUGA: just me and my guitar and my mumble singing
Jimin: you know how i was in the room next to yours? [SUGA] ...this guy plays guitar for like 8 hours.. one cannot sleeeeeppp

timestamp
please. Jimin just said he couldn't sleep because of SUGA's incessant guitaring and JK is laughing his head off - SUGA sitting back nonchalant af about his process lmaooo

RM: during our sessions.. like at our place.. hyung [SUGA] would keep playing Evangelion OST til 2am...
JK: that's right i heard it tooo!!
RM::singing:: 🎶Kokuu, Uno 🎶
Jimin/JK/V join in the singing it is chaos::
RM:: おいしくなれ oishii kunare 🎶 (this roughly translates to 'become delicious' but not correctly LOLL -prob just RM plugging random words he remembers into the Evangelion melody which causes boba to repeat/burst into laughter and Jimin to clap and fall over - Jin fondly watches it all unfold and laughs too)

(happy derps.)

SUGA talking through the chaos: that day - that was the song [I was stuck on]
RM: he kept ONLY playing thattt
SUGA: that day's song was that song.. i think i got stuck on one song each day..
RM: so much so that the next day i went into the session but all i could think about was that theme song
j-hope/Jin: hahahaha
j-hope: so fun so fun..
Jimin: it was really so fun

RM: 2 songs left now right?
SUGA: shall we move onto the next song?
JK: let's go to the next song

::Please::
RM: i think this song is more like 'HOME'
JK: oh yea kinda
j-hope: oh yea it kinda is
Jimin: i think it's like HOME but it's a little bit more poignant/emotional/sorrowful
RM: that's true that's true
Jimin: that's why i think it's good

j-hope: yea it's smooth, but just like you said [RM, earlier when he cited these lyrics during 'One More Night discussion'], it's more poignant/emotional and you can feel our sincerity through it - like something 'desperate' like 'please'
RM: even this song- is like an offering to ARMY - to the people that like us and that have shown us love..
Jimin: truly a song for our fans

...meanwhile - please look at the boba

j-hope: as we approach the last track, the songs tend to keep getting smoother and more comfortable
RM: absolutely
Jimin: i mean cuz the bell was rung
j-hope: yup yup yup - once the bell's rung you know..

SUGA: when i chat about this with the people around me - i think it's pretty 50/50 there are people who prefer the first half of the album and people who prefer the second half
RM: i think people who prefer 'easy listening' will prefer the second half
SUGA: right and people who kinda like more hiphop and stronger sounds might like
RM: right if they like more strong sounds, they'd like the first half

::SIMULTANEOUSLY::
SUGA: i mean almost to the point that people would ask if the vocalists were a bit disappointed - the first half comes on so strong (re: rap)

JK: if they listen all the way through though it would be like fine dining ::smiles in bobaball::

j-hope: but it's true that it changes depending on my mood too
RM: true
j-hope: like before/after the bell
RM: right right
JK: per your preference

RM: and after the concert - I'm sure everyone's opinions of all the songs will change again
JK: that's right that's right
SUGA: true.. as we've been prepping for the concert, our faves keep changing
RM: that's right that's right
Jimin: oh yea that's trueee it does work like that
RM: sure - it'll change, i mean it changes even for us so..
JK: that's right that's right
Jimin: that was nice the..

j-hope: there are things that change after watching the on-stage performance too
SUGA: yea if you see the stage performance ..definitely..

JK::noticing Jimin was cut off a bit follows up with Jimin:: what what [was nice?]
Jimin (in tiny): FYA

RM: last one
j-hope: we're on to the last song.. last songg we have our Taehyungsshi
RM: one of my favorites
Jin: Into the Sun
JK: Taehyungie hyung killed it w/ this

RM: Vsshi, can you please introduce this song for us?

this bb was not prepared for the spotlight lmaoo

V: ah.. well so .. the title. ..ah.. this song was suddenly put on as the last song for the album
JK: as the last song - it was a nice *finishing touch [to the album]
*장식 (jangshik) = decorated - but here means more like put the final finishing touches [on the album]
SUGA: it's so good as the outro
Jimin: but the funny thing about this song is also that Taehyungsshi opposed this song
j-hope: oh really??
V: oh yea that's right
RM: why'd you oppose it when you're the one that wrote it??

V: no cuz for me - it's one thing for me to have written it but ..whether it fits together with the album overall is something you have to decide objectively
JK: it fits so well- it came out soooo well
V: well because even outside this song, there were songs I liked ..songs you hyungs all wrote.. so many that i liked too.. i liked the ::sings like one vague syllable/blip of probably something we're not allowed to hear::
BTS: ..what is that..
V: sings that again
JK::kinda adding onto it::
RM: ah, that one? no that wouldn't have worked

V: but my thinking was like omg there are SOO many good songs - why would we include this one??
RM: but there are so many strong sounds that kinda overlap with the other songs too
V: but honestly i had no idea all the members would like it this much
(🥹🥹🥹)

RM: the reason why i think this song is so beautiful is because it's kinda like.. the silhouette of the 7 of us running towards the sunset togetheer
Jin: a song that fits really well into the end
RM: kinda like when an animation is over - playing during the end credits

Jimin: so while he was working on it, i was in the room with the entire time.. and Taehyungie worked on it so well
RM: [V] killed it..
SUGA: so i was there while this was being recorded..
Jimin: yea
SUGA: and because he was SO emotionally pouring himself into it -
Jin: a lot of rasp for this song
SUGA: he [V] after like 30 minutes..
Jimin (about V): he like lost his voice because he was emoting [via texturizing his voice] so much ::imitates V::

V: oh and then like Jimin and I - Jimin put the final touches on the last bridge part
Jimin to Jin: Jin hyung, I wrote your part

(we thank you eternally for that, Jimin - Jin's part in this song is truly hypnotic and any one of the vocalists could've sang it - but only Jin could've hit it quite that way~~~)

(another casual boba moment)

SUGA: ohh ahh!! there's another little story another one! ::slaps knees like the grandpa kitty that he is lmaooo:: so after you went into record, you were in the SM7 room right?
V: yea that's right

I lowkey love how no one else mentions the specific rooms they were in except SUGA because he, probably inherently, kept tabs on the different genre/creative worlds that were forming in each separate recording session/workroom and that's how he kept track of which projects were born

SUGA ::breaks out into full body performance for this story::

SUGA: so we were behind the booth and we were messing with the compressor (music production equipment) ::acts out messing with the controls:: and the volume wouldn't increase.. and then it turns out that picking up a different mic - it wasn't the SM7 mic
Jimin: oh that's right that's right the two of us figured that out
SUGA: like oh shoot this is the C800G.. but by the time we figured that out- to re-record everything would've been...
V: they explained to me that all the files were lost..
RM: so wasn't that re-recorded in Korea anyway?
Jin: that's right..

V: but anyway we used the same vocoder (a type of audio effect)

Jimin: i went into the recording but.. we were like PD, wait this isn't right.. *snapping fingers - this isn't the right mic it's not coming out

V: you mean i was singing into this mic but the other mic was picking it up???
Jin: oh the mic next to yours was picking it up??
SUGA: yea so the data for that couldn't be used
Jimin: the PD was like 'oh no this is a disaster' and he swore a LOTT..
SUGA: but it was so intense that we had to revise it some anyway

j-hope: oh and another unique thing about this album is that all the tracks are all group songs
V: that's right

and all ARMY squee'd with delight

j-hope: and i think that's really what makes this special
RM: i mean actually we did have plans for units/solos but then
Jin: [considering] the sheer number of songs too
j-hope: as much as we've been apart- to be able to fill all the tracks with the sounds of all our voices was a good move
SUGA: the balance is actually so good too
RM: cuz we started out after considering the consensus/agreement

V: but even for the 7 of us - to come up with a full album without any unit/solo songs - to fill all the track with full group songs - that was a big undertaking for us too, right?
Jimin: it was

SUGA: now the rap line did try vocal elements and the vocal line took on rap elements too so I think the balance is so good

indeed indeed..

Jimin: i mean as you've seen [on this live] for this album, for all seven of us to agree on all the songs to include was trulyyy not easy..
RM: that's actually so hard
j-hope: cuz each of us have different opinions and different preferences/tastes..
RM: different aesthetics too..
JK: but DESPITE all of that..
Jimin: yea despite all t hat - we concluded it well
JK::nods in cutieboba::

RM: like it's such a difficult thing to find the intersection between all of us
Jimin: but because we keep putting our heads together..
SUGA: so we kepttt iterating.. vocal line would try rapping..
RM: and i wonder if that's not why we neededdd those 100 songs to get through it all - that's what i think
j-hope: ...let's take a second to clap [for ourselves]

(absolutely deserved)

BTS clappies