BTS - Fly To My Room

 Music you may not have heard, but should

Song: 내 방을 여행하는 법  -  (Fly To My Room)

Written by: Cosmo's Midnight, Joe Femi Griffith, RM, Suga, J-Hope

Performing Artist: Suga, J-Hope, Jimin and V  (BTS)

Album: BE

Released: 2020 (yesterday night)


Spotify link:  Fly to My Room


YouTube link: 내 방을 여행하는 법


Yes, this is K-Pop.  Yes this is a BTS unit song.

Ok, let's get the K-Pop conversation out of the way.  Rather than posting all my thoughts on that here in this post - you can find them here: (my blog on being a k-pop fan)  It's just easier and cleaner that way.


Right - now that that's out of the way....

BTS dropped their new album last night around 9pm or so.  The big push from the band and the label is focused on the "Life Goes On" track  - which is a good song with a good video - but if you dig into the album only one track further, you find this gem sung by 4 of the 7 members.


Musically, I like the stripped down instrumentals in the opening with the slow pulsing repetitive beat.  For a song about being stuck in your room in quarantine, it's an effective musical choice.  Production wise, it's not overly processed.  I like that they kept it simple - again, I think the choice really goes with the message of the song.  It certainly makes the tune more relatable for the rest of us also stuck in our rooms making do without a lot of our more complicated tools that aren't available here at home.


That being said, some of their harmonies are not simple at all.  They're tight and deceptive in that they sound simple but the way they travel and move together is actually pretty difficult.


It's also a track where they do a thing I love - they harmonize on the rap section.  Yes, you read that right.  This isn't the first time BTS has done this, but I love it EVERY TIME.  They put enough melody into their rap intonation that the intonation itself straddles the line between more traditional spoken rap and full on singing - and since they standardize their inflections in the rap it becomes an inflection in their rap that isn't singing per say but can still be harmonized with by one of their singers - and it's fantastic.


Lyrically.... there are multiple translations out (yes, even though it hasn't even been out for 24 hours) - my favorite is posted below after my comments and is done by someone with the handle @perfecsian.  If you want a lyric video that uses this translation you can watch one here: (translation video)


I chose this translation because it's the one that puts zoom at the end of the phrase rather than the middle.  Other translations have the line as "Lower your gaze and zoom anywhere" but this one choices to go with the translation "Lower my gaze, to wherever just zoom".  This might not seem like a big difference to you, but I like the quarantine word play that it implies.  By putting zoom at the end of the phrase it can be either an action word about movement OR it can be a proper name referring to the online video chat program ZOOM.  And if you don't think that BTS isn't aware of this word play, than you don't know them well.  Word play is a big thing for them - if you want to learn about how much they play with words in their lyrics - check this out (A korean explains Ddeang)


There are other parts of the translation that are different too.  This one has part of Suga's rap as "This place is the safest / Somehow this place just accepts /Happiness, sadness, whatever emotions/ Even if this room sometimes becomes a trash can of feelings /It embraces me"  which is VERY different than another translation "This is the safest place /Somehow there's no joy, no sadness, no emotion /It's just me here / Sometimes this room becomes an emotional trash can /It hugs me."  And that second translation just doesn't do it for me.  The whole meaning of the verse changes.  So yeah...   


Translation:


Shall we go, let me fly to my

Lower my gaze, to wherever just zoom

Come out now, let me fly to my

Get me outta my blues

And now I’m feelin’ brand new


Everyday

It’s so stifling, I’m going crazy

Feel like it’s still day one

Someone go get back that clock

This whole year got stolen

I’m still in bed

My stomach is bloated

It’s killin’ me slowly nah

Anyway

I want to go any way

There is no way

This room is my everything

Then I might as well

Turn this place

Into my world

Yeah


Shall we go, let me fly to my room

Lower my gaze, to wherever just zoom

Come out now, let me fly to my room

Get me outta my blues

And now I’m feeling brand new


Everywhere

I wonder if this place is like this

Suddenly, this scenery is unfamiliar

Pointlessly, I get locked in memories

An old desk and

The changed sunlight as well

Look special

I’m little less lonely nah


Better way

I just found a better way

Sometimes we get to know

Broken is beautiful

My body is light

Fly far away

This thing so surreal

Yeah


Shall we go, let me fly to my room

Lower my gaze, to wherever just zoom

Come out now, let me fly to my room

Get me outta my blues

And now I’m feelin’ brand new


This room is too small

To hold my dreams

Land on my bed

This place is the safest

Somehow this place just accepts

Happiness, sadness, whatever emotions

Even if this room sometimes becomes a trash can of feelings

It embraces me


They welcome me again

My room’s toys that seem like people

It’s as crowded as downtown

With the sound of the TV

Thoughts just need to change

This place is for travel only I can enjoy

Delivery food is three stars

Fill it up with optimism, I’m full


Shall we go, let me fly to my

Lower my gaze, to wherever just zoom

Come out now, let me fly to my

Get me outta my blues

And now I’m feelin’ brand new


Shall we go, let me fly to my room

Lower my gaze, to wherever just zoom

Come out now, let me fly to my room

Get me outta my blues

And now I’m feelin’ brand new


Shall we go, let me fly to my room

Lower my gaze, to wherever just zoom

Come out now, let me fly to my room

Get me outta my blues

And now I’m feelin’ brand new


Listen and enjoy!

#365songs

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