Closer Than This - Tumblr Posts
Nessa madrugada teve o lançamento de Closer Than This, a música que o Jimin fez para ARMY e a tradução é tão linda, o MV contém momentos e memórias do BTS desde o debut, os momentos inesquecíveis do Jimin, que com certeza tiveram muita importância pra ele, um dos momentos é o do show do BTS em 2019, o show de São Paulo onde o Jimin estava com problemas na garganta e não conseguia cantar sua parte em The Truth Untold, os B-ARMYs cantaram com toda a força e o Jimin chorava muito, Jungkook chegou ao lado dele e também passou conforto, mais tarde Jimin disse que aquele momento com os B-ARMYs o curou, ele se sentiu curado com todos cantando junto com ele e com certeza isso ficou muito em seu coração, fico tão feliz que esse dia e esse show marcaram tanto ele e os meninos também.
Closer Than This diz tanto do amor que o Jimin sente pelo ARMY e também pelo BTS, o MV, e a letra também, cheios de amor e sentimentos do Jimin por nós, pelos meninos, ele nos ama e ama todos os meninos com tanta força, ele ter escrito essa música para ser lançada nesse momento importante que é quando nós não temos os meninos aqui com a gente significa tanto, como a própria letra diz:
“Não precisa se preocupar agora
Estou soltando sua mão por um tempo, mas é apenas uma pequena vírgula em nossa história
Apenas chame meu nome em voz alta
Até os dias ficarem roxos novamente”
Jimin abraçou todo mundo com essa música, ele quis afirmar o quanto ama o ARMY e o quanto quer que estejamos bem até nos vermos novamente.
Outra parte da letra da música que faz o coração disparar:
"Sete= 1, nossos corações ainda bate como um só."
Os sete são iguais a um, eles todos juntos são como um só, sem um não existe os sete, Jimin ama tanto o BTS, ama muito os meninos e ele sempre demonstra isso de todas as formas possíveis e ser amado pelo Jimin é um privilégio. Vamos ouvir muito Closer Than This, uma declaração do Jimin para o ARMY, ele com certeza irá ver.
💜 Jimin is just so beautiful - inside and out. His intentional inclusion of so, so many details (over and over) amazes me. I love that little genius mochi, (and I *love* the connection to that famous selfie in the car 💜💜).
I knew I was fucked within the first 15 secs of the MV because this used to be my favorite memory of Jimin
He was with Jungkook during their EU, LY leg tour and had spent the whole day filming with him
And because it birthed this
The fact that that’s how he started the MV 🥲
I fucking can’t.
Jimin ' MUSE ' Tracklist
[KOR/ENG LYRICS] Closer Than This by Jimin
너도 기억하니? Do you remember it too?
우리 첫 만남이 The first time we met
수줍고 어색했던 그때 We were shy and awkward back then
문득 돌아보니 Looking back, suddenly,
어느새 여기까지 we've made it all the way here
함께 걸어왔던 거야 It’s a journey we’ve walked through together
때론 넘어져 울기도 하고 At times, we stumbled and cried
서로의 어깰 토닥여 주고 We would pat each other on the shoulders
눈물로 여울져 바라보며 Looking at each other with tears in our eyes
서로의 이름을 불러줬지 We called out to one another by our names
6월 13일 그날부터 June 13th, since that day
오늘의 지금까지 너와 난 Until this moment today, you and I
Even if you're not here
같은 자리에 always In the same place, always
Don’t have to worry now
잠시 이 손을 놓지만, 작은 쉼표일 뿐인걸 Though I let go of this hand for a moment, this is but a comma, a tiny pause
Just call my name out loud
다시 보랏빛 물들 그날 The day we are coloured in purple light again
‘Cause anytime you want me (I'll be)
Right here where you call me (I'll be)
I could never let you go
Never let you go
Whenever you need me (I'll be)
If you believe me (I'll be)
I'll never let you go
Never let you go
비가 내리면 비 맞으며 노래하던 그때를 기억할게 When it rains, I’ll think of the time we sang under the rain
눈이 내리면 눈 맞으며 웃어주던 널 추억하며 When it snows, I’ll remember you smiling for me under the snow
다시 만날 봄날에 못다 한 얘길 전할게 When we meet again on a spring day, I’ll tell you all the things I couldn’t before
My love, my babe 영원히 네 곁에 My love, my babe, forever next to you
일곱은 하나 right 두근거려 지금도 하나의 마음 Seven is one, right, the one heart we share still beats strong
잠깐 눈을 감아 눈앞에 서 있을게 oh Close your eyes for just a moment, I’ll be standing right in front of you, oh
Don’t have to worry now
잠시 이 손을 놓지만, 작은 쉼표일 뿐인걸 Though I let go of this hand for a moment, this is but a comma, a tiny pause
Just call my name out loud
다시 보랏빛 물들 그날 The day we are coloured in purple light again
‘Cause anytime you want me (I'll be)
Right here where you call me (I'll be)
I could never let you go
Never let you go
Whenever you need me (I'll be)
If you believe me (I'll be)
I'll never let you go
Never let you go
하나 된 맘으로 두드리면 When we come to you as one and knock on the door
그 웃음으로 문을 열어줘 Open the door for us with that same smile
멈췄던 시간이 돌아오면 When this frozen time starts moving again
Baby I’ll come back to you
다 함께 부르자 이 노래 Let’s all sing this song together
다시 하나 될 그날에 Until the day we become one
I could never let you go
Never let you go
더 크게 부르자 이 노래 Let’s sing this song louder
다시 하나 될 수 있게 So we can become one again
I'll never let you go
Never let you go
다 함께 부르자 이 노래 Let’s all sing this song together
다시 하나 될 그날에 Until the day we become one
I could never let you go
Never let you go
더 크게 부르자 이 노래 Let’s sing this song louder
다시 하나 될 수 있게 So we can become one again
I'll never let you go
Never let you go
Trans cr; Aditi & Annie @ bts-trans © TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS
a hug for armys 🫂💜
This song is so, so beautiful and spirit-lifting (if that's even a word). It just makes me happy 😭🥰💜🩷💕
지민 (Jimin) Official MV
Apologies that this poll wasn't posted on release day of the song like my other rankings. One of the reasons I did the 12 days of Bangtan-mas was I'm traveling and it helped to have all of the polls scheduled well in advance. (Scheduling these in a different timezone has me nervous that I've messed it up but hopefully this one inserts itself properly!)
LAST CALL: Which member gave the BEST gift in the Christmas vlive?
Bonus poll: 100 day anniversary of this blog!
Less than 2 Hours until new Jimin 💜
I’m really excited for this song!!! The reel that was posted with Tae was adorable and I really liked the cute melody of the song. To me, it didn’t sound like Christmas song, but I’m up for anything honestly. I loved the laid back choreo too I hope we get even more for the song.
they're so cute 🥺💕
Full list of those 7 men who are the meaning of my life 💖🍭🦄
Closer Than This | Jimin
I've only slept 3hrs in the past 48 and am extremely jetlagged. Will be back to share thoughts whenever I have a functional brain again but for now here are links.
I liked it on the first couple of listens. Definitely see why it wasn't included in FACE though.
QUICK COMBO: HOME | FOR YOU | CLOSER THAN THIS
My thoughts and Listening Links below the cut:
I have always adored Home. It's the absolute definition of the word cozy in musical form. I believe JK once said that Jimin carried this song in the development process and I completely believe it. This performance on Jimmy Fallon was absolutely wonderful too. Charming and technically impressive at the same time, exactly the qualities that sets BTS apart from the rest.
For You is another track I don't listen to very often but when it does come up, I never skip it. (Side note, is this mv supposed to be part of the BU? There's a lot of the elemental subtext for each of the members there...)
Closer Than This is exactly what I personally needed at this time of year. Jimin has given me the perfect christmas gift and the video was an excellent choice and execution as well. I may do a longer post just on it later but for now this is what I've got.
Listening Links:
FACE, LETTER, & CLOSER THAN THIS
Disclaimer: The following post is full of my own opinions and interpretations. I do not share this with the intent to convince anyone else that this meaning upholds for all. My interpretations are also limited to English and that is an important distinction to make when accessing art from another language and culture. There are absolutely intentions and meanings that won't translate. Art is beautifully subjective, and I hope you all find your own reasons to love Jimin's music.
This is quite a lengthy post. Thank you to anyone who reads. I'd love to hear your thoughts as well, so don't feel shy to share! 💜
So FACE has been out for nearly a year, why am I making this post now? Honestly, it's all because of Closer Than This and the few nuggets we can glean from the music video. The very first clip of the mv is of Jimin's team discussing the lyrics and then Jimin's recording session. Honestly, I was quite surprised CTT was written at the same time as all of the FACE songs.
So the question then rises: Why wasn't CTT included in FACE? The answer I've arrived at is because CTT is not part of the journey Jimin was describing with FACE. More on CTT below but first, we need to revisit FACE:
TIMELINE
(US dates - I have to do too much timezone manipulation in my job, I'm not spending the time here):
30 DEC 2018 : Promise Release on SoundCloud
21 FEB 2023 : FACE announcement
16 MAR 2023 : Set Me Free pt.2 Release
23 MAR 2023 : FACE Release
22 DEC 2023 : Closer Than This Release
And here's the FACE schedule:
MOTTO-THEME-GUIDE
These phrases are ALL OVER the FACE project! They're in the digital media that was released, on pretty much every side of the physical albums, on the back of the photocards and postcards... They're pretty much on everything official connected to FACE. They're not just fluff included to fill up space; these words have MEANING in this project. I've been using these phrases as guide posts to help me interpret some of the meanings behind FACE recently, and I would encourage anyone interested in Jimin's deeper message to do the same. I've highlighted my references below.
Circles of Resonance Reflection of vulnerable minds and unexposed wounds. An echo, tremor and small movement to reach you. Face of facing the deepest part of inner-self. Face, the reflection of myself in an unfamiliar appearance. Waves originated from the deepest invisible inner world, pass through the face on the surface and reach others to resonate while transmitting the inner voice. Waves spread beautifully, finding its own flow despite wounds and distortions from a smallest scratch. The face of unwavering effort despite repeated falls and pain.
When asked what the album was about, Jimin freely shares that it relates to the events during the pandemic...and then the conversation usually moves on without any deeper discussion. This interview is probably the most verbose Jimin was any time he described the meaning behind FACE. If you haven't watched it recently, I highly recommend it.
We know that Jimin rarely shares the problems he's having whilst he's going through them (with us at least). He always waits until after he's moved on so that he can tell us not to worry, that it's in the past. (This concept comes up again in this post so keep it in mind.)
The distinction that I think is important to make is that, yes, FACE is about the pandemic, but it's not a straightforward diary of events. It's about how those events affected him. How the waves caused by the pandemic RESONATE, ECHO, and TREMOR through him - effecting the UNEXPOSED WOUNDS. Jimin found something in himself through this experience and had no choice but to FACE it. There were no distractions anymore, no pushing it to the side to deal with later. And he was able to share that journey with us in such a tragically beautiful way.
THE TRACKS
I made the below gifs for each track but I think they look best as a set without the tags so you can get the full effect of the differing ripples. Check out this post to see what I mean. ☺️
FACE-OFF
I know everyone likes to meme about Face-Off and trying to find who hurt Jimin to make them pay...but I really don't associate Face-Off with an external person. You can betray yourself in much worse ways than anyone else can because you know exactly all of your own weaknesses. You know exactly what pretty lies to tell yourself. And honestly, the source of the event doesn't really matter in the context of FACE. I view Face-Off as the initial incident. The SMALLEST SCRATCH that pushes the waves to spread.
There's also a lovely bit of foreshadowing with the lyric "Like crazy, everyone shout out, yeah yeah". CIRCLES OF RESONANCE. Not singular, multiple; we are in for a bumpy ride.
INTERLUDE : DIVE
I admit, I only listen to this track when I'm doing a full album listen. I love instrumental tracks but this isn't instrumental to me, it's sound effects. And I just personally have a sensory issue that comes out to play here BUT it's important to include in our discussion so don't skip it when you're trying to delve into the meanings!
The message I glean here is just how pervasive the issue is becoming. Jimin can be going about his life, trying to disregard it but the UNEXPOSED WOUNDS are there lurking underneath it all.
The pretty music overlaying the track may sound like glitz and glam, but this is just the beginning of the WAVES SPREADING BEAUTIFULLY, FINDING ITS OWN FLOW DESPITE WOUNDS AND DISTORTIONS...
LIKE CRAZY
I've been promising a post on Like Crazy for ages and this may be the closest I get to it. Let me know if any of you are interested in a more in-depth discussion on how the movie and the song work together. My short summary for both is this: there are moments when you willfully take actions that you KNOW are against your best interest. Not in a fleeting eats-too-many-cookies way. In a I-know-putting-my-hand-on-the-stove-and-turning-it-on-will-burn-me way.
I hope none of you experience this to such a damning extent. I have. Despite being the kind of person who I thought would never venture down such a path. It's not something I wish upon anyone. This is the WAVES ORIGINATED FROM THE DEEPEST INVISIBLE INNER WORLD, PASS THROUGH THE FACE ON THE SURFACE...
ALONE
Have you ever repeated a word enough that it starts to sound bizzare? What if you got the point where you thought the weird sound was reality? And then you were confronted with the truth. This song is that point. Where you are left with the sober understanding of yourself. FACE, THE REFLECTION OF MYSELF IN AN UNFAMILIAR APPEARANCE.
SET ME FREE pt.2
The rise! Jimin was able to find a way to push himself beyond the betrayal of himself. It absolutely wasn't easy and there were setbacks, but this is a clear call to any who find themselves in similar circumstances: you CAN overcome. THE FACE OF UNWAVERING EFFORT DESPITE REPEATED FALLS AND PAIN.
Remember when I said earlier that Jimin only tells us about his struggle once it's over? I honestly believe that's why SMF was the pre-release track. He needed us to know that there was a happy ending before he would tell us about the pain he went through.
LIKE CRAZY (English Version)
As I mentioned my sensory issue above, I cannot talk about Like Crazy without mentioning the whispered English at the beginning/end. I HATE it sooooo much! It just twigs my brain in all the wrong ways. It's a huge part of why it took me a long time to appreciate LC. As much as I hate it though, it's absolutely necessary for the interpretation of LC. It firmly gives us a landmark into where and how the song relates to the movie. It also creates a bookend structure that gives the original and the English versions their own rightful places to exist.
LETTER
My very first post on this blog was a simple comparison of the lyrics in Like Crazy from the translation on the original music video to the english version. There is absolutely a difference here and I think it's a very important distinction that there are two versions of Like Crazy in the album. One is AN ECHO, TREMOR AND SMALL MOVEMENT TO REACH YOU. This phrase is for us, the audience. None of the other phrases use "you". Even though Jimin has set himself free, there are still CIRCLES RESONATING.
If you have seen any of my posts prior to this, you likely know how obsessed with Letter I am. I have the hardest time naming anything as a favorite (even favorite colour, there's just sooo many good uses of different colors) so I hope you understand how revolutionary it is for me to unequivocally state that Letter is my favorite song. Like ever. For all of my (cough*decades*cough) of music-listening, opinion-having life. Letter is THE ONE. Letter is it. I probably have stronger feelings about Letter than any relationship I've been in (but I'm aspec so take that with a grain of salt...)
I listen to Letter A LOT (sometimes on literal repeat - there's a video on YouTube that loops it for over an hour and I've definitely contributed several of those listens) and while working on this post, I would still get emotional hearing it at the end of FACE. This song is the absolute definition of the beauty that can only truly be understood after utter tragedy.
To me, Letter is about how this experience has effected Jimin to the point where there's a noticeable difference in the way he interacts with and appreciates those he loves, in all interpretations of the word love. WAVES...REACH OTHERS TO RESONATE WHILE TRANSMITTING THE INNER VOICE.
I am not using this post to debate the merits of exactly who Letter is for: a significant other, ARMY, or Jimin himself. Frankly, I don't think it matters to the meaning of the song. Use whatever flavour most appeals to you. That's the real genius and gift of Jimin's music imo. He creates it in such a way that we can fold it around our own personal stories and needs.
WHAT WAS THIS POST ABOUT AGAIN?
Right, so rewind to the release of Closer Than This. I'd had very little sleep as I traveled for the holidays and was absolutely feeling the timezone difference. But I stayed up to hear Jimin's new song. I listened to it first in Spotify and thought it sounded like a beautiful, happy, well-produced gift of a song - perfect for the end of the year and to comfort us with his departure for military service. Then I watched the mv to read the subtitles... Y'all, I absolutely was NOT expecting to see clips from the time covered in Jimin's Production Diary! I wouldn't have been surprised if it was the same team that Jimin worked with before but at a later time - he trusts them artisically after all. BUT these clips were the same angles and same conversations we saw from the development of FACE.
So I started my due diligence. Is it possible CTT was supposed to be part of FACE but they held it specifically to release when it did? I listened to FACE multiple times trying to insert CTT into the narrative. And it just doesn't fit this journey...at all. Like not in the slightest. I thought maybe immediately after Letter or even replacing Letter but no. I even tried inserting Promise as a bridge and it just doesn't work in the context of FACE.
CTT has a pretty literal storytelling narrative. It describes the journey WE have been on with Jimin. It lists his promises to US going forward. The music video being an album of memories, supports the nostalgic and loving viewpoint of the song. It has absolutely nothing to do with how Jimin was affected by the events of the pandemic or anything he found inside himself because of it.
Both songs have been described by Jimin as a 'fan song' and as I described in this post, there are many reasons that support both of them falling into this categorization. To me, Letter is more about Jimin having a deep intimate conversation with us because he trusts us. While CTT is literally about the relationship between ARMY and Jimin.
Anyway, I think that's all I've got to say about it for now. What are your thoughts? Should Closer Than This have been included in FACE? Was it just a marketing ploy to keep generating our interest after Jimin left?
(BTW I'm really happy with those FACE gifs and how the ripples look when they're together. They took some time to figure out. I just wish I had some better software to turn them into gifs so the colours display better, but alas, beggars can't be choosers. They look really great in the ppt that I made them in but I guess that's just for me to enjoy!)
Bringing this back in honor of the upcoming anniversary of Take Two. If you're interested in melting into a puddle of ooey gooey love, here's a combo for you. Oh and you can add Closer Than This at the end as well.
Happy Festa month! I can't wait to see what we get!
QUICK COMBO:
PROMISE | LETTER | TAKE TWO
(Technically I've recommended this order before but now I have custom gifs!)
My thoughts on this QC:
Promise was always my ultimate favorite song and it killed me having to navigate to SoundCloud and not just have it in my spotify playlist (to help with the stats at least). I had a few weeks of joyful ignorance once it was made available on Spotify before FACE and Letter...
I don't think words exist to describe how much Letter speaks to my soul. I have never been a huge 'on repeat' person but i can NEVER listen to Letter just once. Each time it ends, i think that i didn't appreciate it properly and have to listen again...usually for quite a few iterations.
Take Two is a nice little cap to this combo. I just want to melt in a puddle of joy and love when listening to these songs.
Listening Links:
(I cannot wait until the album version of Letter is on spotify. It's my only hope that one day it will be. For now, here's Jimin's live version.)
For any of you looking to stream Closer Than This in preparation for MUSE, here's a combo.
QUICK COMBO: HOME | FOR YOU | CLOSER THAN THIS
My thoughts and Listening Links below the cut:
I have always adored Home. It's the absolute definition of the word cozy in musical form. I believe JK once said that Jimin carried this song in the development process and I completely believe it. This performance on Jimmy Fallon was absolutely wonderful too. Charming and technically impressive at the same time, exactly the qualities that sets BTS apart from the rest.
For You is another track I don't listen to very often but when it does come up, I never skip it. (Side note, is this mv supposed to be part of the BU? There's a lot of the elemental subtext for each of the members there...)
Closer Than This is exactly what I personally needed at this time of year. Jimin has given me the perfect christmas gift and the video was an excellent choice and execution as well. I may do a longer post just on it later but for now this is what I've got.
Listening Links:
Bringing this post back as I've seen some speculation going around about MUSE, FACE, and CTT. I still maintain the view that CTT is intentionally separate from FACE even though they were developed at the same time. I believe it will become very clear once MUSE is released and we see how CTT fits in with the entire album.
I'm curious if we'll have any theories about CTT being released early for any other reason than a gift for us. There's absolutely something to the strategy of getting a single released so far before the album as we saw with Golden.
FACE, LETTER, & CLOSER THAN THIS
Disclaimer: The following post is full of my own opinions and interpretations. I do not share this with the intent to convince anyone else that this meaning upholds for all. My interpretations are also limited to English and that is an important distinction to make when accessing art from another language and culture. There are absolutely intentions and meanings that won't translate. Art is beautifully subjective, and I hope you all find your own reasons to love Jimin's music.
This is quite a lengthy post. Thank you to anyone who reads. I'd love to hear your thoughts as well, so don't feel shy to share! 💜
So FACE has been out for nearly a year, why am I making this post now? Honestly, it's all because of Closer Than This and the few nuggets we can glean from the music video. The very first clip of the mv is of Jimin's team discussing the lyrics and then Jimin's recording session. Honestly, I was quite surprised CTT was written at the same time as all of the FACE songs.
So the question then rises: Why wasn't CTT included in FACE? The answer I've arrived at is because CTT is not part of the journey Jimin was describing with FACE. More on CTT below but first, we need to revisit FACE:
TIMELINE
(US dates - I have to do too much timezone manipulation in my job, I'm not spending the time here):
30 DEC 2018 : Promise Release on SoundCloud
21 FEB 2023 : FACE announcement
16 MAR 2023 : Set Me Free pt.2 Release
23 MAR 2023 : FACE Release
22 DEC 2023 : Closer Than This Release
And here's the FACE schedule:
MOTTO-THEME-GUIDE
These phrases are ALL OVER the FACE project! They're in the digital media that was released, on pretty much every side of the physical albums, on the back of the photocards and postcards... They're pretty much on everything official connected to FACE. They're not just fluff included to fill up space; these words have MEANING in this project. I've been using these phrases as guide posts to help me interpret some of the meanings behind FACE recently, and I would encourage anyone interested in Jimin's deeper message to do the same. I've highlighted my references below.
Circles of Resonance Reflection of vulnerable minds and unexposed wounds. An echo, tremor and small movement to reach you. Face of facing the deepest part of inner-self. Face, the reflection of myself in an unfamiliar appearance. Waves originated from the deepest invisible inner world, pass through the face on the surface and reach others to resonate while transmitting the inner voice. Waves spread beautifully, finding its own flow despite wounds and distortions from a smallest scratch. The face of unwavering effort despite repeated falls and pain.
When asked what the album was about, Jimin freely shares that it relates to the events during the pandemic...and then the conversation usually moves on without any deeper discussion. This interview is probably the most verbose Jimin was any time he described the meaning behind FACE. If you haven't watched it recently, I highly recommend it.
We know that Jimin rarely shares the problems he's having whilst he's going through them (with us at least). He always waits until after he's moved on so that he can tell us not to worry, that it's in the past. (This concept comes up again in this post so keep it in mind.)
The distinction that I think is important to make is that, yes, FACE is about the pandemic, but it's not a straightforward diary of events. It's about how those events affected him. How the waves caused by the pandemic RESONATE, ECHO, and TREMOR through him - effecting the UNEXPOSED WOUNDS. Jimin found something in himself through this experience and had no choice but to FACE it. There were no distractions anymore, no pushing it to the side to deal with later. And he was able to share that journey with us in such a tragically beautiful way.
THE TRACKS
I made the below gifs for each track but I think they look best as a set without the tags so you can get the full effect of the differing ripples. Check out this post to see what I mean. ☺️
FACE-OFF
I know everyone likes to meme about Face-Off and trying to find who hurt Jimin to make them pay...but I really don't associate Face-Off with an external person. You can betray yourself in much worse ways than anyone else can because you know exactly all of your own weaknesses. You know exactly what pretty lies to tell yourself. And honestly, the source of the event doesn't really matter in the context of FACE. I view Face-Off as the initial incident. The SMALLEST SCRATCH that pushes the waves to spread.
There's also a lovely bit of foreshadowing with the lyric "Like crazy, everyone shout out, yeah yeah". CIRCLES OF RESONANCE. Not singular, multiple; we are in for a bumpy ride.
INTERLUDE : DIVE
I admit, I only listen to this track when I'm doing a full album listen. I love instrumental tracks but this isn't instrumental to me, it's sound effects. And I just personally have a sensory issue that comes out to play here BUT it's important to include in our discussion so don't skip it when you're trying to delve into the meanings!
The message I glean here is just how pervasive the issue is becoming. Jimin can be going about his life, trying to disregard it but the UNEXPOSED WOUNDS are there lurking underneath it all.
The pretty music overlaying the track may sound like glitz and glam, but this is just the beginning of the WAVES SPREADING BEAUTIFULLY, FINDING ITS OWN FLOW DESPITE WOUNDS AND DISTORTIONS...
LIKE CRAZY
I've been promising a post on Like Crazy for ages and this may be the closest I get to it. Let me know if any of you are interested in a more in-depth discussion on how the movie and the song work together. My short summary for both is this: there are moments when you willfully take actions that you KNOW are against your best interest. Not in a fleeting eats-too-many-cookies way. In a I-know-putting-my-hand-on-the-stove-and-turning-it-on-will-burn-me way.
I hope none of you experience this to such a damning extent. I have. Despite being the kind of person who I thought would never venture down such a path. It's not something I wish upon anyone. This is the WAVES ORIGINATED FROM THE DEEPEST INVISIBLE INNER WORLD, PASS THROUGH THE FACE ON THE SURFACE...
ALONE
Have you ever repeated a word enough that it starts to sound bizzare? What if you got the point where you thought the weird sound was reality? And then you were confronted with the truth. This song is that point. Where you are left with the sober understanding of yourself. FACE, THE REFLECTION OF MYSELF IN AN UNFAMILIAR APPEARANCE.
SET ME FREE pt.2
The rise! Jimin was able to find a way to push himself beyond the betrayal of himself. It absolutely wasn't easy and there were setbacks, but this is a clear call to any who find themselves in similar circumstances: you CAN overcome. THE FACE OF UNWAVERING EFFORT DESPITE REPEATED FALLS AND PAIN.
Remember when I said earlier that Jimin only tells us about his struggle once it's over? I honestly believe that's why SMF was the pre-release track. He needed us to know that there was a happy ending before he would tell us about the pain he went through.
LIKE CRAZY (English Version)
As I mentioned my sensory issue above, I cannot talk about Like Crazy without mentioning the whispered English at the beginning/end. I HATE it sooooo much! It just twigs my brain in all the wrong ways. It's a huge part of why it took me a long time to appreciate LC. As much as I hate it though, it's absolutely necessary for the interpretation of LC. It firmly gives us a landmark into where and how the song relates to the movie. It also creates a bookend structure that gives the original and the English versions their own rightful places to exist.
LETTER
My very first post on this blog was a simple comparison of the lyrics in Like Crazy from the translation on the original music video to the english version. There is absolutely a difference here and I think it's a very important distinction that there are two versions of Like Crazy in the album. One is AN ECHO, TREMOR AND SMALL MOVEMENT TO REACH YOU. This phrase is for us, the audience. None of the other phrases use "you". Even though Jimin has set himself free, there are still CIRCLES RESONATING.
If you have seen any of my posts prior to this, you likely know how obsessed with Letter I am. I have the hardest time naming anything as a favorite (even favorite colour, there's just sooo many good uses of different colors) so I hope you understand how revolutionary it is for me to unequivocally state that Letter is my favorite song. Like ever. For all of my (cough*decades*cough) of music-listening, opinion-having life. Letter is THE ONE. Letter is it. I probably have stronger feelings about Letter than any relationship I've been in (but I'm aspec so take that with a grain of salt...)
I listen to Letter A LOT (sometimes on literal repeat - there's a video on YouTube that loops it for over an hour and I've definitely contributed several of those listens) and while working on this post, I would still get emotional hearing it at the end of FACE. This song is the absolute definition of the beauty that can only truly be understood after utter tragedy.
To me, Letter is about how this experience has effected Jimin to the point where there's a noticeable difference in the way he interacts with and appreciates those he loves, in all interpretations of the word love. WAVES...REACH OTHERS TO RESONATE WHILE TRANSMITTING THE INNER VOICE.
I am not using this post to debate the merits of exactly who Letter is for: a significant other, ARMY, or Jimin himself. Frankly, I don't think it matters to the meaning of the song. Use whatever flavour most appeals to you. That's the real genius and gift of Jimin's music imo. He creates it in such a way that we can fold it around our own personal stories and needs.
WHAT WAS THIS POST ABOUT AGAIN?
Right, so rewind to the release of Closer Than This. I'd had very little sleep as I traveled for the holidays and was absolutely feeling the timezone difference. But I stayed up to hear Jimin's new song. I listened to it first in Spotify and thought it sounded like a beautiful, happy, well-produced gift of a song - perfect for the end of the year and to comfort us with his departure for military service. Then I watched the mv to read the subtitles... Y'all, I absolutely was NOT expecting to see clips from the time covered in Jimin's Production Diary! I wouldn't have been surprised if it was the same team that Jimin worked with before but at a later time - he trusts them artisically after all. BUT these clips were the same angles and same conversations we saw from the development of FACE.
So I started my due diligence. Is it possible CTT was supposed to be part of FACE but they held it specifically to release when it did? I listened to FACE multiple times trying to insert CTT into the narrative. And it just doesn't fit this journey...at all. Like not in the slightest. I thought maybe immediately after Letter or even replacing Letter but no. I even tried inserting Promise as a bridge and it just doesn't work in the context of FACE.
CTT has a pretty literal storytelling narrative. It describes the journey WE have been on with Jimin. It lists his promises to US going forward. The music video being an album of memories, supports the nostalgic and loving viewpoint of the song. It has absolutely nothing to do with how Jimin was affected by the events of the pandemic or anything he found inside himself because of it.
Both songs have been described by Jimin as a 'fan song' and as I described in this post, there are many reasons that support both of them falling into this categorization. To me, Letter is more about Jimin having a deep intimate conversation with us because he trusts us. While CTT is literally about the relationship between ARMY and Jimin.
Anyway, I think that's all I've got to say about it for now. What are your thoughts? Should Closer Than This have been included in FACE? Was it just a marketing ploy to keep generating our interest after Jimin left?
(BTW I'm really happy with those FACE gifs and how the ripples look when they're together. They took some time to figure out. I just wish I had some better software to turn them into gifs so the colours display better, but alas, beggars can't be choosers. They look really great in the ppt that I made them in but I guess that's just for me to enjoy!)
Musings on MUSE
Long post below the cut. Overall, I do like the album but this release has definitely been a journey for me, that's for sure.
First, let's check in on the rest of my theories:
Open Locker Meaning: Nope, I don't think there was any meaning to this. It was fun to theorize though!
Sound Effects Interlude: Nope! I'm still kinda bummed about this. I talk more about it in the Showtime section below.
Rooms Going from Dark to Light: Yes, I still think this was intentionally done for the purpose of helping us realize that MUSE was such a departure from FACE
SGMB as an Actual Band: Yes, confirmed. I talk more about this in my Final Thoughts below.
The Emoji Poll from the Insta Chat: Honestly, I now think the company did intend each of these to reference the different songs...which is disappointing to me as a marketing tactic for the reasons I stated in the theory. Oh well.
So, some right, some wrong. It was definitely fun to participate in the theorizing this time. And as Jimin said, he wanted us to come up with all sorts of ideas for the meanings.
Ok, now let's go through some thoughts on each of the tracks:
Rebirth (Intro)
I remember being actually surprised by how much I was liking Rebirth on the first listen...and then it ended. I had to remind myself that it was intro and likely would be not as complete as a full song but even now...I just really can't get over it. This would have been an absolutely lovely song if fully developed. I'm not saying the way it ends is bad, but a big problem I have with it is that it's an intro that doesn't deliver.
The next track is Showtime...an interlude. But an interlude from what? All we've had is an intro. A beautiful intro, don't get me wrong but both of these tracks are used to set up what comes next. And Rebirth just doesn't have anything next. It's just such a shame there wasn't a song in between. I've put other songs (usually Slow Dance) in between these when I listen and it absolutely makes everything better.
Interlude : Showtime
The first time I heard this on the album, I had some choice words for our beloved trickster. Little did we know that we'd already heard a good chunk of this as the intro on SGMB's video (see it IS an intro...anyway, I'll stop bringing it up). Once I got over that, I still couldn't help being a little disappointed that we weren't in fact getting an Interlude like Dive on FACE. Dive was such a great storytelling point and I loved that Jimin recorded many of the sounds himself.
Initially, I didn't think I'd be listening to it much except when doing full album runthroughs but do y'all hear Jimin's absolutely lovely humming in this track?! Oh it absolutely hits my brain in just the right places. This may be one of my absolutely favorite things we got from the MUSE project...definitely top 3 at least.
Smeraldo Garden Marching Band
I don't have much to say that wasn't in my SGMB post. The little tidbits we've gotten of Jimin interacting with Loco were beyond adorable.
Slow Dance
I am so conflicted about Slow Dance. I absolutely love the overall tone of the song, the pacing, Jimin's performance. I think it's a great song with one exception...I really don't care for the featuring artist. I don't know anything about her beyond this track but hearing her on this is easily my least favorite thing from the whole MUSE project. I knew to be wary going into it as women's voices generally don't appeal to me but I wasn't expecting to dislike it this much. It's that much worse on a song that I think would have been my favourite without her. Oh well. She's very talented, absolutely performs her parts well. It's just not to my personal taste.
The live performance video has some of the absolutely worst camera work and cuts as well. I realize they were trying to show off the skyline as the backdrop and intentionally used the band as cut points so they could edit better takes together but it just doesn't come off well. And they have such awkward chemistry live, which I fully blame on the weird obsession people seem to have with seeing members interact with women. Jimin is very specifically measuring his interactions with her to prevent as much drama as possible.
Be Mine
Be Mine is actually pretty forgettable to me. It's not bad but not great. I was expecting to do another english lyric comparison post like I did for Like Crazy but I just can't yet find the motivation to. Maybe that will change in the future but for now, probably not.
Who
There is so much to talk about with Who. I was originally going to make a separate post for it but I'll just include everything here:
The Song: It's a fine pop song. I do actually enjoy listening to it but that's all. There's no depth to dive deeper. Again, it's fine. I don't think pop songs are inherently less because they lack depth. This song accomplished exactly what it needed to. As far as actually listening, I do prefer it over Like Crazy but LC has other things going for it.
The Music Video: I hate it. It's so very amateur and I expect more from this production. The bad CGI. The overt vhs effect with no actual storytelling purpose. If you took all of those out, it'd be a fine performance video. But no, it's the 'official music video', they have to try to make it bigger than that...emphasis on try... Also, I adore our members but I'm so over these mumbling-lip-syncs. I don't know how else to describe it but it's just bad. If you're doing the music video 'sing along', do it right. If not, don't do it at all. This non-commitment just comes across as incomplete.
The Perfomances/Choreo: I think this choreo is absolutely perfect. It accomplishes everything this song needs. They were able to take advantage of the fact that it's not getting performed in front of an audience and the staging is so perfect for camera. The camera director of the dance practice absolutely killed it. The lighting of the Jimmy Fallon performance was stunning as well. I was reminded of how much I loved the lighting in many of the Golden performances. My favorite part of the Who choreo is the little jumping-leg-cross move.
The Remixes: I think I'm in the minority here but I hate all of them. Yes, there is a legitimate industry tactic to releasing these and I don't begrudge them for running a business but I'm so over remixes that are just a reinstrumentization of the original song. I do think these are well produced and some do highlight different aspects of the song that make for great moments...but it honestly comes across to me as not being able to make up their mind about who the target audience is. If they're looking to get rock-lovers, release an actual rock song...not a pop song that's put on a rock costume. I was hopeful for the acoustic remix at least but there is something off about it. I haven't been able to figure out what bothers me about it but it absolutely doesn't speak to the acoustic-loving part of my brain.
Closer Than This
I spent a LOT of time evaluating CTT as potential context for FACE in this post but we've now learned this was written AFTER the FACE promotions so I'm very happy to see I wasn't completely off the mark with saying that it didn't fit into FACE at all.
I still absolutely love this song. Some of that may be the pure nostalgia of when it was released. It was christmas time, we'd just sent the last of the members for their military service, and this song was exactly the kind of comfort I needed at that time of the year.
Final Thoughts
So, like I mentioned in my Theories and SGMB reaction posts, I do see MUSE as Jimin intentionally showing us what he's capable of. Jimin is the ultimate performer. He absolutely loves being an idol. This career allows him to dive into whatever he needs to embody the music and performance. I stand by what I said previously about MUSE being more of a work project than a personal one like FACE was. MUSE was about breadth while FACE focused on depth. Both good but different. (I have a side post I may eventually release about my thoughts on this as a music fan brought up in the west that's now enjoying kpop but that'll have to be another day).
MUSE was a lovely project and a great tool for Jimin to expand his music catalogue whilst knowing that he wouldn't be able to properly promote whatever was released during this time.
One final point: the pronoun debate is beyond asinine. If people find more meaning in certain pronouns than others, let them be. Arguing over original lyrics vs hiding behind public expectations is childish. This is music that was created with a professional purpose, not someone's diary of their deepest thoughts that we stole from a bedside table. Pronouncing the creator's intention like this reminds me of those bad english teachers that were fishing for specific answers on authorial intent and masquerading the lesson as reading comprehension. Those are a scavenger hunt with one hidden 'answer' and not real life.
Today I was walking in the rain listening to closer than this and omg I miss jimin guys