Apologies for taking so long to make another BTS reaction :) I knew 100% that I'll be checking out Black Swan sooner or later, and what intriuged me more than anything is the fact that Black Swan the Movie is one of my all time favorites, so this reaction has been planned out for months and I'm happy to FINALLY do it :)
Hehe take your time.... Because you never watch any song halfheartedly and that's what makes ur reactions perfect...... It's better to take some time ..instead of rushing things ☺☺
No worries I more appreciate that you took the time to really appreciate it when you were ready rather than try to do as many reactions with not much substance (as too many reactors do).
the first death lyric is based on this quote: “A dancer dies twice - once when they stop dancing, and this first death is the more painful.” - Martha Graham
Finally I found a reactor who really dives in to the meaning of BTS songs not just focusing on the MV. Thank u for the reaction, new subscriber here. 💜
Excellent understanding and interpretation. One other point is this song is on their Map Of The Soul 7 album. The album was based, in part, on the ideas of Carl Jung's psychological theory of Personal Development focused on the persona, 'The Shadow and The Ego'. There's another performance to this song, with a different musical arrangement, that I think you would like. It's "Black Swan' ART PERFORMANCE By MN Dance Company. It's eerie yet beautiful, raw yet elegant all at the same time. I think a lot of people would enjoy seeing your reaction to it.
Jimin was the best contemporary dancer in his arts school. He’s highly trained in hiphop dance too and various other types. One of the best dancers in kpop
Ugh, this song is SO GOOD. So much meaning and it really puts in the shoes of an artist who is terrified of losing their craft and the joy it brings them. Also, Jimin is doing all the dance solos and look at that baby FLY. 🐥 Of course, the choreo is amazing, the MV is so dark and broody and awesome, the vocals are bomb like always. Great BTS song, thank you so much for reacting! 💜😁
Black Swan was what really sunk me into BTS, I had only been familiar with Jin's Epiphany and the english songs. Once I saw Black Swan, for some reason, I read the captions and I was shook. It made me realise just how deep they were and after that, I had sunk into the BTS world.
Sir, I have been LIVING for the day you will react to BTS Black Swan. It is a song MV which got released in between banging BTS hits and therefore could not live the life of glory it deserves. Everyone should hear Black Swan once, watch the MV once, just to bask in their excellence.
the shadow represents the black swan, and their shadow also represents the parts of themselves that are undesirable, the parts of ourselves that we suppress. I take the last scene as that part going back into the background and not trying to take over because we have now accepted it and it doesn't need to come out.
I have never seen such a good analyst as you, nor have I seen such an intelligent and respected person in my entire life« You have my full respect and love.
Every artist has an existential crisis. (Even some of us non-artists do.) What happens when you question everything you thought was important? I think you understood the depth of this song. Bravo. 💜
Same! One of my MOST favorite songs to date! So so meaningful to me! I’m 54 and although I love my family , my children….. I lost my passion for my own Art…. Or mostly just lost The ability to actually do it based on “basic life circumstances”. THIS SONG lit a fire within me to “try again” to REestablish paving my own way to begin again! I am trying again to be entrepreneurial but in my field of passion!! 🥰🙌🏻🥹💜. Thank you BTS Black Swan! 🤟🏼💐 I thoroughly enjoyed your reaction breakdown!! 🫶🏼
The Map of the Soul series of albums focuses on Carl Jung’s psychological concept of the self. The persona - the self we show the public, the shadow - our fears and doubts, the ego - our hopes and dreams. Black Swan is a part of the shadow concept. BTS fears losing their passion for music. Hence the shadows and mirrors.
Knew you'd love the song. I really really think youd absolutely appreciate the art film version (it's an official release), it's a different arrangement of the song as well. This is probably up there with my favorite releases from any artist, no matter genre. This video as well was stunning visually and the atmosphere just ugh so great. Thanks for reacting to BTS again. Then again I'm here for everything lol. Edit: your interpretation of the lyrics as always helps me remember why I love them tbh. a note on the ocean lyric. BTS have a reoccurring reference to the ocean, in kpop the fans in the audience is called an ocean. BTS has before referred to the world before being BTS as a desert, and then with the fans or fame or recognition really, as an ocean. As a way to remember their roots and where they come from. They have also alluded to the fact that the ocean isn't always necessarily safe for them but that they prefer it? I'm doing a horrible job here lol. This song especially is about losing the passion for their art as they surrender parts of themselves to their fame/fans. It's not really always about the hate (that is a part of it though) as much as it is about them becoming the image they curated and losing their purpose within it, thus losing their motivation and passion for their art. A version of them had to die in order to become who they are now as the global superstars BTS.
Fabulous reaction, loved how you really listened to the lyrics and cared about the meaning. If you haven't the live version from either LA or Vegas concert, it is stunning.
Thank you for this amazing reaction. Loved every minute of it. Did you also watch the Art Film? Can’t wait for your next reaction you always do such a great job and you understand the meaning of the songs. That means so much. Because there are reactors that don’t take time to understand it. 💜
Thank you so much, Maria! I haven't checked out the Art Film yet, I had no idea until after I reacted to the MV, I'll definitely keep an eye out for it in the future 😊🖤
I just want to say that I loved watching your reaction. Your interpretation of the song and MV was beautiful and thoughtful; and just a delight to watch.💜💐 Black Swan is also my favourite BTS song, and MV. It's so beautiful, and powerful, thoughtful, and painful. And hopeful. I feel this song so much; I literally get a heavy feeling in my chest when I listen to it. But the weight lightens as the song goes on. And, of course, Jimin's dancing is mesmerizing. So beautiful and emotional.💜💜
I think you did a great job analyzing this one. It's a masterpiece and worthy of any and every award possible, but it hit at the beginning of the pandemic and didn't really get it's proper recognition, I think. They have been performing this in all their recent concerts and did a choreo only version at the 2020 MMA's (pandemic time - no audience). Anyway, this was my introduction to BTS and I loved it so much (and still do), that I am way down the rabbit hole now and am an official ARMY member. :) Thanks again!
I love context. And BTS always has a lot of context. So basic Information. "Black Swan" is a psychological ballett movie with "Swan Lake" at it's center. What makes the tragic fairy tale tricky to portray is the fact that the ballerina has to play a double role. The story is "simple": a prince on the hunt finds a lake with swans that turn into women at dusk. He falls in love with the inocent, white swan princess and promises himself to her. The sorcerer that cursed her has a daughter who he turns into the black swan that pretends to be the princess. The prince dances with the less than inocent black swan and so breaks his promise. The princess kills herself (and I believe he does, too). Both completely different emotional dances are done by the same person and that makes the role tricky. In the movie the exploration of her dark side drives the ballerina - portraied by Natalie Portman who got an Oscar for that role - insane. A key scene shows her turning away from a mirror but the mirror image not following her. As mentioned in other comments we are on the "Map of the Soul" about Carl Jungs's theories to psychology. Framing the album are "Intro: Persona" (RM), "Interlude: Shadow" (Suga) and "Outro: Ego" (J-Hope). Here they use applied Jungian psychology - the writer of the book Murray Stein even analyses every song on the albums for the elements of it - and look at their shadow that they have as artists: The death of passion. The shadow is part of us but to become a complete person/individuation/to know ourselves (which we need to love ourselves) we have to find our "shadow"/our unconsciousness parts (the part we hide even from ourself/that keeps us up at night/fears/angers/despair/that is unacceptable to us and our environment etc.) and integrate as much as we can into our full self/Ego and aknowledge that it is part of us, too. That makes the shadow smaller in the end and less to fear. I love that you loved the song! There is a Version with a ballett assamble that is breath taking as are some TV shows/Award shows they did with the song (+ a few concerts now). Your analysis of the song is fantastic. Thank you! 💜 Have you tried bby gang mag's video essays, yet?
Wow... You really make amazing interpretation.... Thank you🙏 Most of BTS song have deep meaning. It is one of reason I fall into their rabbit hole for 6 years.
I love your reaction because you really focus on the lyrics of the song and you're trying to analyze the meaning. Thank you so much. ARMY here appreciates you a lot.
I know you reacted to this months and months ago, but I always enjoy leaving my own input! “Black Swan” is inspired by a quote: “A dancer dies twice. The first time is when he stops dancing and this first death is much more painful”. “Black swan” is about their fear that some day they’ll lose their passion for music and this would be their first death. They chose to use autotune in this song was to show the group's shadow (they're deepest collective fears/secrets) vocally, the fear being that they would fall out of love with their craft. It was RMs idea to use the autotune to blend their voices, (which makes sense since he adores Kanye and Kanye uses autotune on his vocals). Black swan is based on Jung's work of the map of the soul where the shadow, ego and persona (and more) are all equally important parts to a person's construct. The dance moves in particular you can see in the beginning they pluck what seems to be invisible string instruments, while at the end of the choreography they seem to be hanging by those very strings like puppets. Their shadow (fear/secret) has consumed them. Ok, so... the song draws inspiration from both the ballet (Swan Lake) in it's choreo and imagery, but also draws a lot of inspiration from the movie "Black Swan", which in turn is heavily based on the Japanese anime film "Perfect Blue". Both movies break identity and deal (in a non-obvious way) with Carl Jung's theory of the self: Persona, Ego, Shadow. In these movies, a female performer spirals into insanity as increased pressures in her career cause her to lose grip of herself and reality. “Black Swan” tells the story of Nina, a passionate ballerina (Natalie Portman) who struggles to maintain her sanity while competing for the main role (the White Swan, Odette) in “Swan Lake.” Meanwhile, “Perfect Blue” follows Mima, a former (Japanese) pop idol whose sense of reality begins to waiver as she attempts to transition into a career as a serious actress. Both stories feature a female protagonist is put in highly stressful situations and that makes them question their identity and ultimately conjure up a doppelgänger that messes with their psyche (persona, shadow and ego, basically clash). Just as Nina suffers from the pressures of being a ballerina, Mima is also forced to deal with the strict expectations of being a Japanese idol. Their personal conflicts also bleed into their professional lives causing them to spiral out of control. In Nina’s case, it comes in the form of her oppressive mother and in Mima’s situation, it’s an obsessive stalker fan. At the core of the film, both protagonists have a psychological battle with themselves that results in hallucinations that blurs the lines between fiction and reality. In the end, like I said, these films break the self and deal with themes like loss of passion and the heartbreak that come with working for your dreams. Black Swan (BTS), at its core, reflects these themes. I think that Perfect Blue can be chillingly on point for BTS, since they too are idols and experience some of the things that Mima experienced as an idol and continues to go through. BTS reflect the core concepts of these movies, identity, and conceptualise them to reflect their fear of losing their passion for music and, by extension, losing themselves. They portray people who are afraid that music is all there is to them and are afraid of losing themselves if they lose their passion. This song became even more heartbreaking for us after their FESTA Dinner 2022, when they announced they’re taking a break from making music as a group. They expressed that they had been feeling lost and unsure of their identity as a group since the MOTS: 7 (this song’s album) release and the plan to take a break had been in place since then. They planned on having their world tour (MOTS Tour, which got canceled due to COVID-19) and then taking a break to work on their solo music, not only to find their unique flavour as artists, but also to rekindle their passion for music. Reading the lyrics for Black Swan, it makes sense that RM cried after writing this song. It expresses their fears at the time, how they felt like they no longer had an identity and feared they’d die if they lost their passion for music. And ohhhh boy, Jimin's dance haha he did train in ballet, albeit very minimally and as part of his main focus, which was contemporary and that's what he mostly trained for during high school. He is "professionally" trained in contemporary, hip-hop and idol dance. Even the members have said that Black Swan is Jimin's song, that he embodies the black swan. This is further highlighted in the 2020 MAMA version of Black Swan, where he does a duet with Jungkook! (here's the link for a breakdown of the moment twitter.com/mintynkks/status/1335236325373448192?s=20&t=2C90i3inGV9MBv5dgoiYQA & twitter.com/sopeshopes/status/1567652963367239680?s=20&t=7xjj1LVpvBUJbNtYOWfnMg… Spoiler alert, since I dunno if you plan to react to the 2020MAMA performance. Which I HIGHLY recommend, it has an amazing performance of Dynamite as well). Anygays, Jimin's dance style is unique and probably near impossible to replicate since its highly influenced by his 8+ years experience in martial arts + hiphop training. +idol training + his contemporary (and minimal ballet and Korean traditional) training. He does a lot of tricking and aerials you could see with his medialuna (which is a very dangerous movement to do, because you can easily over rotate and injure your ankles) and with his movements here twitter.com/pjmgem/status/1466261374355402757?s=20&t=u_YLlw3YOrAu5eb2FaijzA and here twitter.com/jikookheart/status/1465173437589110788?s=20&t=u_YLlw3YOrAu5eb2FaijzA, during the live performance, where he basically does a one-handed cartwheel to cover more space. Black Swan is one of my favourite songs from BTS!
This song is so powerful, I'm glad you finally got to it. Thanks for paying such close attention, as always, to the details. I really enjoyed your analysis. This song helped me rekindle my own creativity which I had thought had died years ago. 💜🖤
Amazing deep dive on the lyric content. We already know the amazing choreography and visuals that BTS brings on the table every time and it never fails but for me Black Swan was the one that hit the hardest 💜💜💜
This song and the MV are simply art and the whole idea that losing your passion to make art is their largest fear and a type of death. It is a part of the album Map of the Soul, which gets strongly into the Jungian ideas of Shadow part of our self. Fascinating insight about the black white costumes I don’t think I’ve heard many realize that. There is a classical musical arrangement of the song with a different MV performed/danced by a classical/modern dance troupe in Europe (the BlackSwan art film) and it’s so so beautiful. In the latest live stage performances they use the classical arrangement from that MV and really beautiful stunning stage for this. Glad you enjoyed it! Although there is no MV Dionysus has a similar feel for me because it’s about the idea of getting drunk/intoxicated by making music/art, and some of the most stunning stage choreography.
never stop to amaze me the way you interpret and explain everything, with such detail, respect and sensitivity. If the profession of visual translator exists, it should be yours
About 'black silence', in kpop egsist something like 'black ocean' when people on concert turn off their lighsticks and they are quiet bc for example they don't like performence
I really like your interpretation of the lyrics! Make me understanding the song more too! Thank you 💜 Looking forward to your next BTS breakdown lyric next one.
The white suits with a hint of black represents their pure selves slowly being tainted with darkness within themselves and the black suits represent being within the depression and hopelessness and their struggle to pull themselves out of it. The shadow is frequently used by BTS to show the darkness within themselves.
Hi always love your input on their music ☺️ I really can't say wich music video would be my favorite and bts has so much music that is so important to me but one of my comfort song that I love is Blue and Gray 💜
thank you so much for checking this out! it is a very much loved song by army. Others are requesting the ON music video (not the connetic manifesto) which has a great story and i agree with. I also recommend RUN and I Need U music videos!!
Super reaction, Black Swan is truly a masterpiece, and you got that right, it's about fearing to lose their passion for music and art in general, which they feel like it's their life's purpose. So it would be indeed their first death, and it would be the most painful. Their album, MOTS7 really revolves around them acknowledging their fears and shadows but still, they are fighting despite that and now that they have recognized thoses darker parts of themselves, they are stronger. I don't know if you know, but this album revolves around Carl Jung's work, a Swiss Psychiatrist, and it's essentially about the "ego", "persona" and "shadow". So, you won't be surprised to know that three of their songs in this album are even titled like that, and you should see them. Suga with "Interlude : Shadow" RM with "Intro : Persona" J-Hope with "Outro : Ego" Also, I recommend you their title track from the same album : "ON" (there are two mvs, one focused on the dancing and the other on the symbolism). But also "Film Out" which is a beautiful - sad - independent release in Japanese, who speak about loss, and not only the song and lyrics are beautiful but also the mv, which I'm sure you'll find interesting. Thank you for reacting, can't wait for the next one. 💜
I'M SO HAPPY YOU GOT TO ONE OF MY TOP FAVS! 😭💜 Please 🙏🏽 Watch "Interlude: Shadow" & "Outro: Ego" IN THIS ORDER! I KNOW you'll love Shadow, & how well they wrap up with Ego!! 🤔 Have you seen "Intro: Persona"? You might want to do them in order with it too 😅 May like Persona as well!! Sry, I'm crying & typing at the same time 🤭 I just love "Black Swan" so much & it gets to me like my 1st listen/ watch!
I think the ocean of lights they are talking about here is essentially to lose their passion would lead to the loss of their fans and the ocean of army bombs at their concerts.
When this came out I was soooo impressed, bc it was soooo good. I still don't forgive bighit for not puting this song as title track from mots7. I just don't have any words to describe this masterpiece Please react to some Twice bsides, I recommend you the Formula Of Love album
Modern consuming society is part of the problem. Artists must create on a frightening scale, never slowing or someone will shout they have lost their gift, or they were a fluke. There is little time to naturally allow the passion to create to flow. What's next...what's next....What's next, what's taking so long. Forcing creations brings you right up against exhaustion, failure, and a desperate need to take time to heal and regenerate.
thanks for your reaction to this song..mv and lyric in this song deserves a lot of attention 💔 and please react to ONF songs (you won't regret it, it's a wonderful band that unfortunately didn't get much attention)
Hi, I'm here again 🙂💜 🔥Recomendations FOREVER RAIN - RM of BTS Tear -BTS Spine Breaker -BTd Silver spoon -BTS Daeng-BTS Ugh - BTS House of cards - BTS I can go on and on and on LITERALLY!!!!! But I choose only 7. 🙂
Not sure where else to put this but if you get the chance, please check out Pixy's Addicted MV. Its not just a pun when I say you'll be addicted to them as soon as you hear how unique they are
Apologies for taking so long to make another BTS reaction :) I knew 100% that I'll be checking out Black Swan sooner or later, and what intriuged me more than anything is the fact that Black Swan the Movie is one of my all time favorites, so this reaction has been planned out for months and I'm happy to FINALLY do it :)
Hehe take your time.... Because you never watch any song halfheartedly and that's what makes ur reactions perfect...... It's better to take some time ..instead of rushing things ☺☺
I have faith in the art of BTS but this took a while 😜 lol. Thank you for finally checking it out!💜
Yeess, thank you so much!!
Please react to BTS On Kinetic Manifesto MV
No worries I more appreciate that you took the time to really appreciate it when you were ready rather than try to do as many reactions with not much substance (as too many reactors do).
To think there's actually someone who understands this masterpiece
A lot have reacted to this but only very few understand
the first death lyric is based on this quote: “A dancer dies twice - once when they stop dancing, and this first death is the more painful.” - Martha Graham
Hence the black swan theme that originated from the "Swan Lake" ballet, because Martha Graham was a very accomplished ballerina.
7:20 youre killinf me kfkkkfkfkka
This MV is an audio and visual masterpiece. I truly appreciate how observant you are to even the smallest detail. Your interpretation is wonderful.
Finally I found a reactor who really dives in to the meaning of BTS songs not just focusing on the MV. Thank u for the reaction, new subscriber here. 💜
Excellent understanding and interpretation. One other point is this song is on their Map Of The Soul 7 album. The album was based, in part, on the ideas of Carl Jung's psychological theory of Personal Development focused on the persona, 'The Shadow and The Ego'.
There's another performance to this song, with a different musical arrangement, that I think you would like. It's "Black Swan' ART PERFORMANCE By MN Dance Company. It's eerie yet beautiful, raw yet elegant all at the same time. I think a lot of people would enjoy seeing your reaction to it.
Jimin was the best contemporary dancer in his arts school. He’s highly trained in hiphop dance too and various other types. One of the best dancers in kpop
Also, his martial arts training impacts on his dance style, the way his body moves, his core strength. The shear beauty that is Jimin dancing.
He's the top student in whole schl
Ugh, this song is SO GOOD. So much meaning and it really puts in the shoes of an artist who is terrified of losing their craft and the joy it brings them. Also, Jimin is doing all the dance solos and look at that baby FLY. 🐥 Of course, the choreo is amazing, the MV is so dark and broody and awesome, the vocals are bomb like always. Great BTS song, thank you so much for reacting! 💜😁
Black Swan was what really sunk me into BTS, I had only been familiar with Jin's Epiphany and the english songs. Once I saw Black Swan, for some reason, I read the captions and I was shook. It made me realise just how deep they were and after that, I had sunk into the BTS world.
2:54 im sure you're that friend 😂 dANG I CANT-
Sir, I have been LIVING for the day you will react to BTS Black Swan. It is a song MV which got released in between banging BTS hits and therefore could not live the life of glory it deserves. Everyone should hear Black Swan once, watch the MV once, just to bask in their excellence.
the shadow represents the black swan, and their shadow also represents the parts of themselves that are undesirable, the parts of ourselves that we suppress. I take the last scene as that part going back into the background and not trying to take over because we have now accepted it and it doesn't need to come out.
I have never seen such a good analyst as you, nor have I seen such an intelligent and respected person in my entire life« You have my full respect and love.
Every artist has an existential crisis. (Even some of us non-artists do.) What happens when you question everything you thought was important?
I think you understood the depth of this song. Bravo. 💜
Same! One of my MOST favorite songs to date! So so meaningful to me! I’m 54 and although I love my family , my children….. I lost my passion for my own Art…. Or mostly just lost The ability to actually do it based on “basic life circumstances”. THIS SONG lit a fire within me to “try again” to REestablish paving my own way to begin again! I am trying again to be entrepreneurial but in my field of passion!! 🥰🙌🏻🥹💜.
Thank you BTS Black Swan! 🤟🏼💐
I thoroughly enjoyed your reaction breakdown!! 🫶🏼
Dude... I'm very much impressed by your reaction 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
you are such an amazingly intelligent and articulate reactor. thank you
The Map of the Soul series of albums focuses on Carl Jung’s psychological concept of the self. The persona - the self we show the public, the shadow - our fears and doubts, the ego - our hopes and dreams. Black Swan is a part of the shadow concept. BTS fears losing their passion for music. Hence the shadows and mirrors.
I have never heard Black Swan explained as well as you explained it. Thank you.
Knew you'd love the song. I really really think youd absolutely appreciate the art film version (it's an official release), it's a different arrangement of the song as well. This is probably up there with my favorite releases from any artist, no matter genre. This video as well was stunning visually and the atmosphere just ugh so great. Thanks for reacting to BTS again. Then again I'm here for everything lol.
Edit: your interpretation of the lyrics as always helps me remember why I love them tbh. a note on the ocean lyric. BTS have a reoccurring reference to the ocean, in kpop the fans in the audience is called an ocean. BTS has before referred to the world before being BTS as a desert, and then with the fans or fame or recognition really, as an ocean. As a way to remember their roots and where they come from. They have also alluded to the fact that the ocean isn't always necessarily safe for them but that they prefer it? I'm doing a horrible job here lol.
This song especially is about losing the passion for their art as they surrender parts of themselves to their fame/fans. It's not really always about the hate (that is a part of it though) as much as it is about them becoming the image they curated and losing their purpose within it, thus losing their motivation and passion for their art. A version of them had to die in order to become who they are now as the global superstars BTS.
Fabulous reaction, loved how you really listened to the lyrics and cared about the meaning. If you haven't the live version from either LA or Vegas concert, it is stunning.
This is actually my favorite song of them🥺💜
I actually really loved your reaction. Thank you
Interesting "take" on this. I've seen Many reactions to this and he actually brought up points I never thought of, kudos 👏 👍💜
This has been one of my favourite reactions to this MV /song. You grasped the message of the song so quickly. I honestly this is a masterpiece.
The best reaction and interpretation I've seen. Thank you
Thank you for this amazing reaction. Loved every minute of it.
Did you also watch the Art Film?
Can’t wait for your next reaction you always do such a great job and you understand the meaning of the songs. That means so much. Because there are reactors that don’t take time to understand it. 💜
Thank you so much, Maria! I haven't checked out the Art Film yet, I had no idea until after I reacted to the MV, I'll definitely keep an eye out for it in the future 😊🖤
@@DGReactshave you checked out the Art Film? If not, can you post your reaction?
I just want to say that I loved watching your reaction. Your interpretation of the song and MV was beautiful and thoughtful; and just a delight to watch.💜💐
Black Swan is also my favourite BTS song, and MV. It's so beautiful, and powerful, thoughtful, and painful. And hopeful. I feel this song so much; I literally get a heavy feeling in my chest when I listen to it. But the weight lightens as the song goes on.
And, of course, Jimin's dancing is mesmerizing. So beautiful and emotional.💜💜
Always enjoy your reactions. They're so thoughtful. For me, Black Swan highlights their extraordinary range.
I really appreciated your thoughtful interpretation and appreciation of this song. 💜
Can i just say Bravo Bravo you've got it.
wow... the intelligence in this reaction! subscribing. 💜
I think you did a great job analyzing this one. It's a masterpiece and worthy of any and every award possible, but it hit at the beginning of the pandemic and didn't really get it's proper recognition, I think. They have been performing this in all their recent concerts and did a choreo only version at the 2020 MMA's (pandemic time - no audience). Anyway, this was my introduction to BTS and I loved it so much (and still do), that I am way down the rabbit hole now and am an official ARMY member. :) Thanks again!
Great analysis DG!
I saw them perform this last night in Vegas and OMG the stage production was amazing.
All BTS is pawer and perfect performance..smart ..best for me jungkook
This lyrics. The purple ocean is ARMY and success. So if the ocean turns black....... Great reaction and great analysis of the lyrics.
Great reaction and impressively on-point lyric analysis. 💜
You got it! Sweet and smart, sir.
I love context. And BTS always has a lot of context.
So basic Information. "Black Swan" is a psychological ballett movie with "Swan Lake" at it's center. What makes the tragic fairy tale tricky to portray is the fact that the ballerina has to play a double role. The story is "simple": a prince on the hunt finds a lake with swans that turn into women at dusk. He falls in love with the inocent, white swan princess and promises himself to her. The sorcerer that cursed her has a daughter who he turns into the black swan that pretends to be the princess. The prince dances with the less than inocent black swan and so breaks his promise. The princess kills herself (and I believe he does, too). Both completely different emotional dances are done by the same person and that makes the role tricky.
In the movie the exploration of her dark side drives the ballerina - portraied by Natalie Portman who got an Oscar for that role - insane. A key scene shows her turning away from a mirror but the mirror image not following her.
As mentioned in other comments we are on the "Map of the Soul" about Carl Jungs's theories to psychology. Framing the album are "Intro: Persona" (RM), "Interlude: Shadow" (Suga) and "Outro: Ego" (J-Hope). Here they use applied Jungian psychology - the writer of the book Murray Stein even analyses every song on the albums for the elements of it - and look at their shadow that they have as artists: The death of passion.
The shadow is part of us but to become a complete person/individuation/to know ourselves (which we need to love ourselves) we have to find our "shadow"/our unconsciousness parts (the part we hide even from ourself/that keeps us up at night/fears/angers/despair/that is unacceptable to us and our environment etc.) and integrate as much as we can into our full self/Ego and aknowledge that it is part of us, too. That makes the shadow smaller in the end and less to fear.
I love that you loved the song! There is a Version with a ballett assamble that is breath taking as are some TV shows/Award shows they did with the song (+ a few concerts now).
Your analysis of the song is fantastic. Thank you! 💜
Have you tried bby gang mag's video essays, yet?
Wow... You really make amazing interpretation.... Thank you🙏
Most of BTS song have deep meaning. It is one of reason I fall into their rabbit hole for 6 years.
Wow I already understand this song in more detail .. thank you. and Jimin is very possessed 😍
I love your reaction because you really focus on the lyrics of the song and you're trying to analyze the meaning. Thank you so much. ARMY here appreciates you a lot.
this is my favorite BTS song and dance too!
I know you reacted to this months and months ago, but I always enjoy leaving my own input!
“Black Swan” is inspired by a quote: “A dancer dies twice. The first time is when he stops dancing and this first death is much more painful”. “Black swan” is about their fear that some day they’ll lose their passion for music and this would be their first death.
They chose to use autotune in this song was to show the group's shadow (they're deepest collective fears/secrets) vocally, the fear being that they would fall out of love with their craft. It was RMs idea to use the autotune to blend their voices, (which makes sense since he adores Kanye and Kanye uses autotune on his vocals). Black swan is based on Jung's work of the map of the soul where the shadow, ego and persona (and more) are all equally important parts to a person's construct. The dance moves in particular you can see in the beginning they pluck what seems to be invisible string instruments, while at the end of the choreography they seem to be hanging by those very strings like puppets. Their shadow (fear/secret) has consumed them.
Ok, so... the song draws inspiration from both the ballet (Swan Lake) in it's choreo and imagery, but also draws a lot of inspiration from the movie "Black Swan", which in turn is heavily based on the Japanese anime film "Perfect Blue". Both movies break identity and deal (in a non-obvious way) with Carl Jung's theory of the self: Persona, Ego, Shadow. In these movies, a female performer spirals into insanity as increased pressures in her career cause her to lose grip of herself and reality. “Black Swan” tells the story of Nina, a passionate ballerina (Natalie Portman) who struggles to maintain her sanity while competing for the main role (the White Swan, Odette) in “Swan Lake.” Meanwhile, “Perfect Blue” follows Mima, a former (Japanese) pop idol whose sense of reality begins to waiver as she attempts to transition into a career as a serious actress. Both stories feature a female protagonist is put in highly stressful situations and that makes them question their identity and ultimately conjure up a doppelgänger that messes with their psyche (persona, shadow and ego, basically clash). Just as Nina suffers from the pressures of being a ballerina, Mima is also forced to deal with the strict expectations of being a Japanese idol. Their personal conflicts also bleed into their professional lives causing them to spiral out of control. In Nina’s case, it comes in the form of her oppressive mother and in Mima’s situation, it’s an obsessive stalker fan. At the core of the film, both protagonists have a psychological battle with themselves that results in hallucinations that blurs the lines between fiction and reality. In the end, like I said, these films break the self and deal with themes like loss of passion and the heartbreak that come with working for your dreams. Black Swan (BTS), at its core, reflects these themes. I think that Perfect Blue can be chillingly on point for BTS, since they too are idols and experience some of the things that Mima experienced as an idol and continues to go through. BTS reflect the core concepts of these movies, identity, and conceptualise them to reflect their fear of losing their passion for music and, by extension, losing themselves. They portray people who are afraid that music is all there is to them and are afraid of losing themselves if they lose their passion.
This song became even more heartbreaking for us after their FESTA Dinner 2022, when they announced they’re taking a break from making music as a group. They expressed that they had been feeling lost and unsure of their identity as a group since the MOTS: 7 (this song’s album) release and the plan to take a break had been in place since then. They planned on having their world tour (MOTS Tour, which got canceled due to COVID-19) and then taking a break to work on their solo music, not only to find their unique flavour as artists, but also to rekindle their passion for music. Reading the lyrics for Black Swan, it makes sense that RM cried after writing this song. It expresses their fears at the time, how they felt like they no longer had an identity and feared they’d die if they lost their passion for music.
And ohhhh boy, Jimin's dance haha he did train in ballet, albeit very minimally and as part of his main focus, which was contemporary and that's what he mostly trained for during high school. He is "professionally" trained in contemporary, hip-hop and idol dance. Even the members have said that Black Swan is Jimin's song, that he embodies the black swan. This is further highlighted in the 2020 MAMA version of Black Swan, where he does a duet with Jungkook! (here's the link for a breakdown of the moment twitter.com/mintynkks/status/1335236325373448192?s=20&t=2C90i3inGV9MBv5dgoiYQA & twitter.com/sopeshopes/status/1567652963367239680?s=20&t=7xjj1LVpvBUJbNtYOWfnMg… Spoiler alert, since I dunno if you plan to react to the 2020MAMA performance. Which I HIGHLY recommend, it has an amazing performance of Dynamite as well). Anygays, Jimin's dance style is unique and probably near impossible to replicate since its highly influenced by his 8+ years experience in martial arts + hiphop training. +idol training + his contemporary (and minimal ballet and Korean traditional) training. He does a lot of tricking and aerials you could see with his medialuna (which is a very dangerous movement to do, because you can easily over rotate and injure your ankles) and with his movements here twitter.com/pjmgem/status/1466261374355402757?s=20&t=u_YLlw3YOrAu5eb2FaijzA and here twitter.com/jikookheart/status/1465173437589110788?s=20&t=u_YLlw3YOrAu5eb2FaijzA, during the live performance, where he basically does a one-handed cartwheel to cover more space. Black Swan is one of my favourite songs from BTS!
It was the most accurate and sharp analysis of the Black Swan reaction I've ever seen. Thank you for your reaction.
This song is so powerful, I'm glad you finally got to it. Thanks for paying such close attention, as always, to the details. I really enjoyed your analysis. This song helped me rekindle my own creativity which I had thought had died years ago. 💜🖤
I absolutely love your reactions! This is also my favorite BTS song! It's amazing dancing, singing, raping, performancing wise.
This, by far, is the best reaction video I’ve seen for black swan. Spot on about what the guys are trying to tell us through this song💜. Thank you.
Ever since I came across your channel and saw the way you analyze songs, I was hoping you would do this one. Thank u so much!:)
Amazing deep dive on the lyric content. We already know the amazing choreography and visuals that BTS brings on the table every time and it never fails but for me Black Swan was the one that hit the hardest 💜💜💜
Thank you for explaining what this song meant, it is hard for a non musician to be able to understand. I love the song very much also.
It's my favorite bts song ever
Hi realy loving your reaction...you are getting most of it and its so nice.💜💜💜💜💜💜💜keep diging😉
i really love your reaction. black swan is my most favorite song from bts.
This song and the MV are simply art and the whole idea that losing your passion to make art is their largest fear and a type of death. It is a part of the album Map of the Soul, which gets strongly into the Jungian ideas of Shadow part of our self. Fascinating insight about the black white costumes I don’t think I’ve heard many realize that. There is a classical musical arrangement of the song with a different MV performed/danced by a classical/modern dance troupe in Europe (the BlackSwan art film) and it’s so so beautiful. In the latest live stage performances they use the classical arrangement from that MV and really beautiful stunning stage for this. Glad you enjoyed it!
Although there is no MV Dionysus has a similar feel for me because it’s about the idea of getting drunk/intoxicated by making music/art, and some of the most stunning stage choreography.
I think you should check out the other version of this song, which is more classical (with orchestra). It's just stunning and very artistic.
you need to see thier live preformance in the last concert they had in america
Wow you the one that find this moment 11:24 💜 you really good 👍 I love your reaction so much 💜
🙏🖤
The shadow is Jimin bro 💜💜
Hi from Paris - France. I love your sensitive reaction!
never stop to amaze me the way you interpret and explain everything, with such detail, respect and sensitivity. If the profession of visual translator exists, it should be yours
Suga comes from his favorite basketball position shooting guard
Damn, I really loved your explanation throughout the videos 💜
Sorry for being late 😁😁😁 Black Swan is one of the most beautiful songs, not only by BTS, but ON EARTH! Thank youuuu!!!!! 💜💜💜💜💜
About 'black silence', in kpop egsist something like 'black ocean' when people on concert turn off their lighsticks and they are quiet bc for example they don't like performence
jimin dance part is beautiful
I really like your interpretation of the lyrics! Make me understanding the song more too! Thank you 💜
Looking forward to your next BTS breakdown lyric next one.
Didn't expect that Run BTS clip in between 😂
The white suits with a hint of black represents their pure selves slowly being tainted with darkness within themselves and the black suits represent being within the depression and hopelessness and their struggle to pull themselves out of it. The shadow is frequently used by BTS to show the darkness within themselves.
One of the best interpretation the I see in yt
Me encantan sus reacciones 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜🫰🤟🇦🇲
I'm enjoying your reactions. Thank you so much:)
Best and most intuitive reaction to Black Swan. Classical dance is performed barefoot.
your reaction or the lyrics break is very poetic and deep. nice job
This was so beautiful. Thank you so much!
I love this song by BTS!!
I really enjoyed your reaction. Very insightful. Following you. Keep up the great reactions to BTS.
Hi always love your input on their music ☺️ I really can't say wich music video would be my favorite and bts has so much music that is so important to me but one of my comfort song that I love is Blue and Gray 💜
thank you so much for checking this out! it is a very much loved song by army. Others are requesting the ON music video (not the connetic manifesto) which has a great story and i agree with. I also recommend RUN and I Need U music videos!!
I am loving your reactions. Your explanation of the lyrics are spot on. New subscriber.
I love your interpretation of the songs. Could you please react to BTS at the 2022 Grammys?
Super reaction, Black Swan is truly a masterpiece, and you got that right, it's about fearing to lose their passion for music and art in general, which they feel like it's their life's purpose. So it would be indeed their first death, and it would be the most painful.
Their album, MOTS7 really revolves around them acknowledging their fears and shadows but still, they are fighting despite that and now that they have recognized thoses darker parts of themselves, they are stronger.
I don't know if you know, but this album revolves around Carl Jung's work, a Swiss Psychiatrist, and it's essentially about the "ego", "persona" and "shadow".
So, you won't be surprised to know that three of their songs in this album are even titled like that, and you should see them.
Suga with "Interlude : Shadow"
RM with "Intro : Persona"
J-Hope with "Outro : Ego"
Also, I recommend you their title track from the same album : "ON" (there are two mvs, one focused on the dancing and the other on the symbolism).
But also "Film Out" which is a beautiful - sad - independent release in Japanese, who speak about loss, and not only the song and lyrics are beautiful but also the mv, which I'm sure you'll find interesting.
Thank you for reacting, can't wait for the next one. 💜
Brilliant review... 👍👍👍
You're so smart ❤️
I'M SO HAPPY YOU GOT TO ONE OF MY TOP FAVS! 😭💜
Please 🙏🏽 Watch "Interlude: Shadow" & "Outro: Ego" IN THIS ORDER! I KNOW you'll love Shadow, & how well they wrap up with Ego!! 🤔 Have you seen "Intro: Persona"? You might want to do them in order with it too 😅 May like Persona as well!!
Sry, I'm crying & typing at the same time 🤭 I just love "Black Swan" so much & it gets to me like my 1st listen/ watch!
I think the ocean of lights they are talking about here is essentially to lose their passion would lead to the loss of their fans and the ocean of army bombs at their concerts.
ahh amazing!!! Please react to i need u and run. I’m excited to know your take on them as they both tell a story.❤️
When this came out I was soooo impressed, bc it was soooo good. I still don't forgive bighit for not puting this song as title track from mots7. I just don't have any words to describe this masterpiece
Please react to some Twice bsides, I recommend you the Formula Of Love album
Modern consuming society is part of the problem. Artists must create on a frightening scale, never slowing or someone will shout they have lost their gift, or they were a fluke. There is little time to naturally allow the passion to create to flow. What's next...what's next....What's next, what's taking so long. Forcing creations brings you right up against exhaustion, failure, and a desperate need to take time to heal and regenerate.
thanks for your reaction to this song..mv and lyric in this song deserves a lot of attention 💔
and please react to ONF songs (you won't regret it, it's a wonderful band that unfortunately didn't get much attention)
Hi, I'm here again 🙂💜
🔥Recomendations
FOREVER RAIN - RM of BTS
Tear -BTS
Spine Breaker -BTd
Silver spoon -BTS
Daeng-BTS
Ugh - BTS
House of cards - BTS
I can go on and on and on LITERALLY!!!!! But I choose only 7. 🙂
Pls watch BTS FILM OUT MV too. The message and the mv are so beautiful i hope u can make an analysis with it
0:25. 1:29. 3:15. 4:14. 6:13
💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
Pls more reaction BTS!!
RM is main songwriter of Black Swan, co written by Pdogg.
Its produced by Pdogg(a genius producer)
Not sure where else to put this but if you get the chance, please check out Pixy's Addicted MV. Its not just a pun when I say you'll be addicted to them as soon as you hear how unique they are
Please react to I NEED YOU by BTS
This was the starting of BTS storyline