BTS’s V Breaks Down The Meanings Of 8 Of The Best Songs He’s Ever Written
BTS‘s V is a great songwriter!
In an interview with Weverse Magazine, V revealed the true meanings of many of his songs.
Here’s what V had to say about the meanings behind his songs!
1. “Stigma”
V used “Stigma” to speak to his younger self. He wrote the song when he was feeling “fragile” and “broken,” and he used the song to convey the emotional growing pains he faced and that other young people face.
‘You paid for my sins, frail as you were,’ is what I wanted to say to my younger self, even though I’m still pretty young. I wanted the song to say, ‘I’m sorry you’re hurting like this.’ I guess I’m feeling fragile. It’s like I’m all broken, like shards of glass, and I don’t think I can get up again.
— V
2. “4 O’CLOCK”
V started working on this song while waiting for Jimin at a playground near the dorm at 4 AM. He wrote this song with RM. Coincidentally, he and RM were listening to and working on the same types of music at the time, so their collaboration went very smoothly.
I made this song while waiting for Jimin at the playground in front of our home. That was at 4 AM, so the title ended up being ‘4 O’CLOCK.’ I feel like I can write well just before dawn, when the blue light slowly starts to come up. The music I was listening to and trying to make at the time all overlapped with Namjoon, so he really understood what I was feeling and filled in the gaps where I needed help. It was a really interesting process.
— V
3. “Scenery”
V described “Scenery” as a “me-and-you song.” Through this song, he played with the idea of describing what he was seeing through his eyes while also being perceived through someone else’s eyes.
‘Scenery’ is a me-and-you song. I wanted to represent the idea of what was in my sights, and me being in yours, as a landscape. When we were touring around the world a lot, I made taking pictures my hobby. But when I stop and think about it, performing for ARMY and having the opportunity to go and see them is what made it possible to take those beautiful photos. The song was born out of such thoughts and so I tried to express my gratitude in it.
— V
4. “Winter Bear”
V was feeling very hopeful during the time when he wrote “Winter Bear.” The song originally mentioned a bluebird, which is a symbol of hope. In the final version, however, V changed the bluebird to a blue parrot.
The lyrics originally said ‘blue bird’ instead of ‘blue parrot.’ A bluebird, of course, is a symbol of hope. I twisted the expression slightly and changed it into a parrot. A blue parrot could be a symbol of hope, its background, or the time you have it. I found something hopeful in myself at the time so that expression kept coming to mind.
— V
5. “Inner Child”
V used this song to send a message of hope to his younger self. Interestingly, he already had an idea for the performance of “Inner Child” in mind while writing the song, and his songwriting process was influenced by his vision for the song’s performance.
I conceived of this song with the performance in mind and I tried to express that in the song. In terms of the message, I was sending my younger self a message of hope. You had it rough in the past, but now I found a certain degree of happiness, so keep your head up.
— V
6. “Sweet Night”
V wrote “Sweet Night” before it was ever part of the Itaewon Class soundtrack. The bar in the K-Drama is called Sweet Night, just like V’s song. V named the song “Sweet Night” before he knew it would become part of the soundtrack, and he later added details from the K-Drama to the song’s lyrics when it was chosen as the OST for Itaewon Class.
I had the title ‘Sweet Night’ before it was ever part of the Itaewon Class soundtrack. I was eating with one of the actors and happened to play the song for them. It was called ‘Danbam’ [literally, ‘sweet night’], just like the pub in the show. It was pure luck. The lyrics were written after the song was chosen for the soundtrack, so I put in some references to the show.
— V
7. “Blue & Grey”
V wrote this song near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was feeling anxious because he didn’t know when he would be able to see ARMY again. The title was inspired by the English expression “I feel blue” and V’s feeling that all the color had drained from his vision.
I was feeling anxious when COVID-19 started to get serious because I didn’t know when I’d be able to see ARMY again. I settled on a scheme of ‘Blue & Grey,’ using blue from the English expression ‘I feel blue’ meaning depressed, and the feeling that all the color had drained from my vision and I was only seeing in monochrome. I think the song reflects my style and works to deal with the psychological pain I was feeling.
— V
8. “Snow Flower (feat. Peakboy)”
V wrote this song because he wanted to release a song for ARMY during winter, the season during which he was born and that he believes describes him best. He knew everyone was having a hard time because of the pandemic, so he wrote the lyrics as a source of comfort for everyone.
My thoughts become softer and deeper in winter. I decided to hurry up and release a song for ARMY while it was still winter, the season I was born in and the one that describes me best. It was a hard time for everybody, so I wanted the lyrics I wrote to sound comforting. The part that goes, ‘there’s a lot of white angels all over this year, came from an idea that we had talking with the artist featured on the song, which was to show thanks for all the medical staff who are working tirelessly through the pandemic. And then, where it says, ‘it’s a special event to see you come here at this cold time of year,’ I tried to convey how big a deal making memories with someone is, and I thought how nice it would be if this song I made was like a special event for someone else, too.
— V
