Heartwarming / BTS

You never walk alone.

As the members have said themselves, BTS has aimed since the beginning to make music that inspires their listeners, often making content that draws from their own personal experiences and struggles. As a result, many people have found strength or comfort in BTS' songs.

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Music:

• "Tomorrow" is directed to everyone (especially young adults) who's feeling stuck or lost in search of a dream, encouraging them to not give up. The fact that Suga wrote it while they were trainees when the group's future was completely uncertain - not to mention that Suga himself was seriously struggling with financial problems and mental illness during that period - makes the song even more meaningful.
  Because the dawn right before
  the sun rises is the darkest
  Even in the far future,
  never forget the you of right now
  Wherever you are right now,
  you’re just taking a break
  Don’t give up, you know
• "Moving On" is about the members moving to a new dorm, looking back and reflecting on the memories (good and bad) of the old, smaller one they lived in since they were trainees.
• "I Know" by RM and Jungkook thanks ARMY for being by BTS's side for three years. This song managed to touch a lot of ARMYs' hearts by openly addressing both male and female fans of BTS, showing that they acknowledge how diverse their fanbase has become.
• The WINGS album features some of their most personal and emotional work to date, with each member getting a solo song in which each had heavy input in some way.
  • "Begin", Jungkook's song is based on what he once told the others: that he could endure any difficulties he had as an idol, except seeing his older members going through difficult times. It also tells the story of how, being the youngest member, he was practically raised by the others and shaped into who he is now.
  • "First Love", by Suga, is a powerful ode to his piano, told with a rap style that (with the initial lack of clear beats), resembles narration or a monologue; the song grows adding more classical instrumentation, with Suga's voice going harsher, louder and more emotional along the way. It narrates his relationship with his piano during the course of his life, concluding that, even if he at times abandoned the instrument and wanted to throw it all away, the piano was always there for him, becoming his lifelong companion.
  • "Mama", by J-Hope, is about how, now that he has finally achieved success, he can finally repay his debt to his mother - who supported his dream - and make her proud.
  • "Awake", by Jin, is a beautiful, bittersweet song heavy with Reality Subtext. Having joined without knowing how to sing or dance, he particularly struggled to keep up with others during the early days. In "Awake", he accepts that struggle is his reality; however, even though he might never "fly", he'll always keep fighting.
  • "Reflection", by RM, basically talks about someone's anxiety, lack of purpose, fear and overall lack of self-esteem. What makes this heartwarming? During live performances of the song, in the final verse which is just the phrase "I wish i could love myself" repeated 8 times, ARMYs would chant "We love you" in-between each saying of the phrase ^note  This was unusual, as most fan chants are usually handed out by the company while this one was created by the fans themselves. . RM was so touched by this single display of support, he gradually started to change the closing verse to "Yes, i do love myself", and later to "I wish we could love ourselves".
  • After the solos (of which the majority alternate between dark, sad and/or bittersweet), the second half of WINGS ranges between emotionally inspiring, empowering, or all-around defiant, starting with "Lost", which is about how losing your way in life might just be another way to find your path.
  • "21st Century Girl" encourages women to not worry about what anyone else says, and instead live their lives proudly.
  • "2! 3! (Still Wishing for More Good Days)" is directed to their fans, ARMYs. It addresses some of the difficult times both BTS and ARMYs lived during the group's career (it should be mentioned that WINGS was released months after the "plagiarism boys" hashtag incident), saying that while they can't promise that things will surely get better or that the good days will last, they can still hope for more good days. Moreover, they thank their fans for being their support all those years and encourage ARMYs (and casual listeners as well) to forget about the bad times and smile together. It ends with all the members chanting the chorus, meant for the audience to sing along in concerts.
    It’s okay, come on, when I say one-two-three-forget it
    Erase all sad memories, hold my hand and smile
    It’s okay, come on, when I say one-two-three-forget it
    Erase all sad memories
    Smile holding onto each other’s hands
  • "Interlude: Wings" (and the extended version in the repackaged album) ends the album on a high, uplifting note, being a dance track with lyrics encouraging the listeners to believe in themselves and follow the path they choose.
• The repackaged version, appropriately named WINGS: You Never Walk Alone, adds three more songs:
  • "Spring Day", possibly their most emotional/heartwarming single (with an equally beautiful, heartwarming music video, listed below). It's about missing a person (a friend, a relative, a loved one), but it ends on a positive note: like with the seasons, the hard times are not eternal; things will get better with time, and they will become less painful. It also ends with the possibility of the person taking action to reunite with the other.
  • The other single "Not Today", an empowering hype song meant for the underdogs, with the initial lines being reminiscent of Aragorn's speech in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
  • The final song "A Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone", which as the name indicates, is You Are Not Alone made into a song, about enduring pain and hardships together.
    Hey, why does God always make us feel lonely?
    Oh no no no no no no
    Yeah, even if we're covered in scars
    We can smile if we’re together
• The overall message of the LOVE YOURSELF series, as stated by Word of God, is that love can not only be between people, but also between "me and myself". The love between people can only last if you're able to show both the good and the bad sides of yourself to the other; you can truly love yourself only if you accept both sides of yourself while still striving for improvement.
• LOVE YOURSELF: Her (the first half, anyway) has some of the most joyful music BTS has done. The first song, "Intro: Serendipity", is about finding and falling in love, talking about love as either a happy accident or something pre-destined. The soft instrumentation and Jimin's voice make the song pure Sweet Dreams Fuel.
  • "Best of Me" is also about love; it can be interpreted as romantic love, but is also directed (as stated by the members) at the fans, meaning that they've given BTS the best side of BTS themselves.
  • "Dimple" (also known as "Illegal") is a pure love song about... loving someone's dimples, a physical feature that is not often talked about, let alone positively. They also happen to be a quality many fans vocally love about some members, especially RM.
  • "Pied Piper" is again about the fans, but in more of a "tough love" (as described by Billboard) sort of way. They gently chide fans for leaving their lives and responsibilities aside for BTS.
  • They added their Billboard award speech from 2017 as a Skit, as a way to, in their words, treasure an important memory for them and their fans. Then it's followed by "Mic Drop", where it goes from Heartwarming to Awesome.
• While LOVE YOURSELF: Tear has a darker vibe, there are several songs that fall into this, mostly encouraging listeners to allow themselves to live life to the fullest despite bad times and pressures from other people.
  • "Paradise" talks about how it's okay to not have a dream, as long as you're happy, and the need to stop thinking of life as a race to the top. It's based on Suga's New Year's greeting to ARMYs a few months before (where he said that exact same thing), and it's meant as a song where listeners can take a break.
  • "Love Maze" is about how you should keep trying in love, despite the hardships and dark times you'll find there.
  • "Magic Shop", produced by Jungkook, is another song made for ARMYs, with many Call Backs to things members have said in lyrics, Twitter posts, among other things (but also enjoyable for casual listeners nonetheless). It's pure Sweet Dreams Fuel. It thanks their fans fully for their success, saying ARMYs were the ones who saved them when they were at their lowest so they'll always do the same in return, being a relationship of mutual comfort. They make a Call-Back to "Best of Me" in the last lines; however, rather than telling fans to find our best versions of themselves in BTS (as "Best of Me" describes more of a co-dependent love), "Magic Shop" encourages fans - and anyone who's listening - to find the best versions of ourselves by ourselves, just like fans helped the group become the best versions of themselves.
    You gave me the best of me
    So you'll give you the best of you
    You found me. You knew me
    You gave me the best of me
    So you'll give you the best of you
    You'll find it in your galaxy
  • "Anpanman" is a Shout-Out to the manga character of the same name, a superhero who, having a head made of food, is not the "ideal" type of hero we often see in media (the kind that has biceps or a supercar and fights evil, like Batman and Superman), but one that gives up parts of himself to help people who are starving. They make a parallel to themselves as artists: while they might be imperfect people with weaknesses, they aim to inspire and help people with their music. The performance for "Anpanman", which is very cute and fun, also features them partly dressed in firefighter uniforms.
  • "So What" is about enjoying your life without worrying about others' opinions, and just letting go. It's also, appropriately enough, a dance song.
• LOVE YOURSELF: Answer compiles all previous entries in the series and finally ends it on a heartwarming note.
  • "Euphoria" perfectly captures the feeling the song's titled after, beautifully conveying what it feels like to fall in love.
  • "Trivia: Just Dance" follows up on "Euphoria", with J-Hope singing and rapping about the simple joy of a new relationship by comparing it to dance.
  • "Trivia: Love" RM's beautiful solo song for the Her chapter, where he reflects on the nature of love by comparing the words "live" and "love", and the words "사랑" ("love") and "사람" ("person"). He wrote it thinking of making a song to go outside, and it shows; while "Trivia: Just Dance" is fun and exciting, "Trivia: Love" it's nice and refreshing, like spring.
  • Jin's solo "Epiphany", which comes right after "Tear" (the series' version of a Darkest Hour), is about the realization that what truly matters is not loving another person and making them happy, but finally accepting and loving yourself, even if you're not enough.
  • "I'm Fine" is a Sequel Song to "Save Me", but working on the reverse, using reverse melodies, reverse order of the rappers, but most importantly, thematically reverse lyrics, down to having RM's verses in both songs directly mirror each other. Where "Save Me" was about needing someone as a Living Emotional Crutch, "I'm Fine" is about gaining emotional independence and being unafraid to let go.
  • "IDOL" is BTS' take on the "love yourself" theme by applying to themselves as a group, boasting that they love themselves and can be whoever they want and do whatever they want without caring about what others have said and keep saying about them since their debut. They proudly claim both titles of "idol" and "artist".
  • "Answer: Love Myself" brings the (not-quite conclusive) finale to the series with the promise to love oneself, while recognizing that it's a learning process.
• "Promise", a song written and sung by Jimin, it's pure Sweet Dreams Fuel. It's dedicated to himself, but also to fans. He asks the person to promise to not throw out themself, and to find happiness within themself - rather than relying on the singer, which is more common in other songs, a message also found in "Magic Shop".
  • Also heartwarming taking into account that Jimin has been known for being particularly hard on himself. He is learning to love himself, after all.
• According to Word of God, MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA is dedicated to ARMYs, more than anything. It's a Lighter and Softer EP meant to give back to the fans for the love they've received and to celebrate - and the love expressed here is much healthier and more mature than the love expressed in BTS' early days. This is particularly expressed in the main track - its full title being "Boy With Luv (A Poem For the Small Things)" -, where rather than try to go higher and concern themselves with being "K-pop superheroes" (as one critic put it), they prefer to look back and find joy in fans and the small things in life.
• MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 features some of the most personal work done by all the members since WINGS, fitting for an album made during the group's 7th year together as 7 members of BTS.
  • While "My Time" is mostly a Tear Jerker track about Jungkook feeling like he's grown up too fast and feeling the restrictions of idol life, the ending is hopeful, giving a sense that he's happy to have met everyone he has and is going to find the resolve to make up for the time he lost.
  • "Friends" by Jimin and V is a heartwarming track about their friendship through the years and how they want to stay that way forever.
  • "Louder Than Bombs" is yet another love letter to BTS's relationship with ARMY, about how they'll always protect each other from hate and how BTS won't give up in their fight to protect the youth of today.
  • "00:00 (Zero O'Clock)", the album's vocal line-only song, is about how 00:00 or midnight signifies a new day, and therefore another chance to have a good day even if the previous one wasn't.
  • "Moon" by Jin is a song about how the moon can only shine bright when it's around the Earth, comparing himself to the moon and ARMY to the Earth.
  • "Inner Child" by V is an ode to V's younger self, saying that the hardships have shaped him and promising to always be open to change as it's needed.
  • "We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal" is a Call-Back to "We are Bulletproof" parts 1 and 2, this time softer and more comforting in tone. The members of BTS reflect back on their hardships and only having each other at first, but now that they have ARMY (which is now millions) by their side, they don't have to be afraid of hate or obstacles anymore. The song thanks ARMY for the band's worldwide success and achievements, saying that BTS wouldn't be what they are without them.
    Oh, I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I
    We were only seven
    I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I
    But we have you all now
    After seven winters and springs
    At the tips of our entwined fingers
    Oh I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I
    Yeah, we got to heaven
  • "Outro: Ego" ends the album on a high note, as a song about J-hope's journey with BTS and even though he had doubts in the past and doesn't know what the future will bring, he trusts himself and is unafraid to keep moving forward.
• "Dynamite" is a purely uplifting song about loving life and taking it day by day, made even more heartwarming by the fact that BTS had written the song to lift people's spirits during 2020, which had been a notoriously difficult year for the entire world.
• "Life Goes On" from their newest album, BE, is another uplifting song, albeit slower and less uptempo than "Dynamite." The lyrics are comforting, reassuring listeners that life goes on, even during difficult times.

  Like an echo in the forest

  The day will come back around

  As if nothing happened

  Yeah, life goes on

  Like an arrow in the blue sky

  Another day flying by

  On my pillow, on my table

  Yeah, life goes on

  Like this again

• Jimin and V each released a comforting Christmas song on SoundCloud, "Christmas Love" and "Snow Flower" respectively, on December 24th and 25th of 2020. Both of these songs are pure Sweet Dreams Fuel and comfort the listener in their own way:
  • Jimin's "Christmas Love" is based on his childhood love of the first snowfall every winter, and the lyrics are all about looking forward to Christmas with innocent wonder like a kid again.
  • V's "Snow Flower" (featuring Peakboy) is a gift to fans, especially those who were going through a hard time during the holiday season. The lyrics reassure listeners that their existence is important to someone and that even if hard times come upon them they can't last forever like winter turning to spring.
• On July 9th, 2021 (which also happens to be ARMY's anniversary), BTS released a bonus track on their "Butter" single, "Permission to Dance." Just like "Dynamite", it's a very upbeat and uplifting song to comfort people during the pandemic, with the lyrics being about not needing permission to be happy or dance and to just do it.
• The premise of "My Universe", their song with Coldplay, is love between people that transcends all borders, even if it's scrutinized by society.
• Their 2022 Anthology album, Proof, is a look back at BTS's journey as they continue on a new chapter of their career and lives, and the four new tracks in the album find a way to tug at ARMYs' heartstrings:
  • "Born Singer" was a track that had originally been a SoundCloud exclusive, but ended up in the official lineup of Proof. It's an old track from 2014 that showcased the members' passion for music and their desire to spread it around the world, and the inclusion of the track was nostalgic for many ARMYs that stuck around.
  • "Yet to Come" is a beautiful song that reminisces on past moments (with several callbacks to songs such as "Spring Day", "Just One Day" and "No More Dream") and acknowledges that while the past was full of pleasant memories, there's still an entire future to look forward to with the promise of things being even better than before.
  • "Run BTS" uses a style similar to the one they debuted with, and the lyrics praise the members and their hard work for getting BTS this far.
  • "For Youth" starts off by using an audio clip of ARMYs singing "Epilogue: Young Forever" for BTS at Wembley Stadium in 2019 (and ends with a clip of the same moment as well), which then turns into a somewhat bittersweet song that looks back on the emotions felt by the members in the past 10 years. The lyrics emphasize the love and support between the BTS members and ARMYs, promising to be best friends eternally and ending the first chapter off on a hopeful note.

• In "For You", the group finds out that Kookie has been writing to a girl, and they all take up part-time jobs to raise money for a plane ticket so he can go and visit her in Japan. Even though they all practically collapse from exhaustion near the end, they're overjoyed and proud that they were able to make Jungkook happy and give him something very special. It's incredibly cute and sweet.
• The theme of "Spring Day" is that no matter how bad things are, you are never completely alone, even if it may seem like it. From RM walking by himself into the Omelas motel to find the rest of the boys wreaking havoc inside their room (and him cracking a small "What the hell?" smile before getting hit in the face with a cake), to Suga sitting atop a large pile of clothing in the dark, only for a later scene to show him again, this time in the daylight, surrounded by the other members, to Jungkook staring out the window on a train, only for the camera to pan out and reveal that the entire group is with him, and Jimin going to hang a pair of shoes from a tree branch with the support of everyone else. It's also one of the most visually stunning videos of their career.
• "Boy With Luv" is a bright and colorful video with a musical aesthetic that (as DKDKTV pointed out) is about BTS thanking ARMY and simply having fun, both among themselves and with Halsey.
  • Fans (especially female/female-assigned fans) have also pointed out how Halsey's role and BTS' attitude towards her in the music video is a subversion of toxic masculinity and harmful tropes related to gender (as detailed here), most notably mirroring the way masculinity and women were represented in BTS' own early work (namely, the "Boy in Luv" and "War of Hormone" music videos). Rather than seeing the girl as an object and trying to impress her through aggressive attitudes and following in the streets, here the boys simply treat Halsey like an equal, a friend and part of the group, with her being comfortable with them (something many fans pointed out as quite rare in media).
• The music video for "Life Goes On" is a very personal one for the BTS members, and it's even directed by Jungkook. It shows the members being stuck at home during uncertain times, but they make the most out of it by hanging out, comforting each other, and watching home videos of the past. The video ends with BTS performing in an empty stadium (the same stage used in their MAP OF THE SOUL ON:E concert, with ARMY lightsticks on the seats instead of people), waiting to see their fans again.
• The music video for "Permission to Dance" made fans and non-fans alike very happy for several reasons. The background colors are all warm and bright and the boys are clearly having a lot of fun, but what really stuck with fans was how BTS had filmed a bunch of working-class American citizens and highlighted the work they put in every day (such as mail carriers, waiters, teachers, cleaning staff) and managed to include a diverse amount of ethnicities and backgrounds while doing so.
  • Another moment of note is how they incorporated the KSL (Korean Sign Language) sign for "Happy" and the ASL (American Sign Language) sign for "Dance" as part of the official choreography, which did not go unnoticed by deaf fans.

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