BTS's new single, "Black Swan" came out on January 17th, and it touches on the deep subject of losing your passion.
Rather than releasing a video that features them, BTS trusted the MN Dance Company to showcase their first single from their next album, "Map of the Soul: 7," and leave a good impression on their fans.
Right from the start of the official art film for "Black Swan" the audience is shown a quote from Martha Graham that sums up what the song's lyrics touch on, "a dancer dies twice- once when they stop dancing, and this first death is the more painful."
Taking a more straightforward viewpoint of the song, the title "Black Swan" literally means "an unpredictable or unforeseen event, typically one with extreme consequences," according to Lexico Dictionary.
The single also pays tribute to the 2010 film, "Black Swan," which focuses on a ballerina who receives the lead role in "Swan Lake" instead of the prima ballerina in the company.
Looking into the lyrics, this song is about the fear of losing your passion in either singing or dancing. Despite the fact that the words of the song involve having a passion in music, the overall theme of the song can be applied to any passion and is relatable for everybody.
Some lyrics that I think should be highlighted include, "If this can no longer resonate/No longer make my heart vibrate/Then like this may be how/I die my first death/But what if that moment's right now/Right now," "Deeper/I think I'm goin' deeper/I keep losing focus/No, just let go of me/Let my own feet carry me/I'll go in myself," and the intro/bridge/outro of the song, "Do your thang/Do your thang with me now/What's my thang/What's my thang tell me now."
Even though the lyrics in the first half of the song center on the idea of losing what you're passionate about, it's important to note that the second half is about how the members of BTS will not let that happen to them, (credit to @yoongilip on Twitter).
i was confused because everyone is focusing on the first half of the song, feeling out of touch with your passion a… https://t.co/4HuYUq5Zcr— drew⁷ (@drew⁷) 1579253711.0
Along with looking deeper into the lyrics, many fans discovered more interesting things within this single. One of the biggest things found was how the instrumentals in this song are similar to those in BTS's 2018, "Fake Love" song trailer, (credit to @jjkuzi on Twitter).
so i combined the ending to black swan with the fake love trailer 👉🏾👈🏾 #BlackSwan https://t.co/DeN2V7gAlg— chelsea from the hood⁷| mary day!💓 (@chelsea from the hood⁷| mary day!💓) 1579310044.0
In addition to these two songs linking together perfectly, the vocals featured in "Black Swan" are worth noting. When you listen to the song, it can be difficult to tell who is singing each part because the vocals are layered. This layering technique neatly aligns with the album art for "Map of the Soul: 7," which is featured above in the Twitter post.
The artwork for the "MOTS: 7" album features seven different designs of the number seven placed over top of one another, representing each one of the seven members in BTS.
Another fan, @Jungkxxing on Twitter, discovered that the music video for BTS's 2016, "Blood, Sweat, and Tears" features multiple shots that are similar to those in the film "Black Swan".
So I just rewatched the movie and....? #BlackSwan https://t.co/qpU4SYYMPR— Stel⁷ (@Stel⁷) 1579292264.0
I'm 100% positive that there are even more hidden meanings/symbols in "Black Swan," but these are just the ones I found the most interesting.
BTS is going to be performing "Black Swan" for the first time on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" on January 28th, so don't forget to tune in and see their new choreography.
Look forward to BTS's comeback album, "Map of the Soul: 7" on February 21st, 2020!
