{"id":7696,"date":"2026-06-01T08:48:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T08:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/boradaily.news\/?p=7696"},"modified":"2026-06-01T08:48:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T08:48:20","slug":"arirang-songs-explained-by-namjoon-rm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/boradaily.news\/?p=7696","title":{"rendered":"Arirang Songs Explained by Namjoon (RM)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here is the behind-the-scenes breakdown, decisions, and creative stories for all 14 tracks from BTS’s studio album ARIRANG<\/em>, categorized based on Namjoon’s detailed reflections from his Weverse Live transcript (with supplemental context regarding the final tracks):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Body to Body<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Origins:<\/strong> It was a song that originally emerged during the pre-sessions in April and May, before the majority of the members were officially discharged from the military.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Collaborators:<\/strong> Namjoon worked on it with a professional U.S. songwriter named A.Chic to ensure the English phrasing blended naturally, as English is not his native language.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Lyric Changes:<\/strong> The song was originally titled Body on Body<\/em> and featured highly sexual lyrics. Namjoon remarked that while the group is now in their 30s and fully capable of doing sexual songs, he didn’t feel like dropping a track with that vibe just “for no particular reason”. It was briefly changed to Hand to Hand<\/em> (inspired by the 1988 Olympics theme song Hand in Hand<\/em>) before settling on Body to Body<\/em> with the definitive goal of turning it into a stadium anthem.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The “Arirang” Insertion Debate:<\/strong> A major point of discussion in their documentary was whether or not to include a traditional “Arirang” folk section. Namjoon confessed that because he had listened to the original cut for so long, the folk transition felt incredibly jarring at first and made him worry it would come off as “forced patriotic hype”. However, by the third time he listened to it, he was completely convinced. The group strongly pushed for the track to loop back into its original intro part after the folk break.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Concert Impact:<\/strong> Seeing international crowds sing the Korean folk melody seamlessly at exactly that point during live shows proved the decision right. Namjoon counts the moment they transition from “Arirang” straight back into the line “I need the whole stadium to jump”<\/em> as his absolute favorite, most exciting part of the entire concert setlist.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n

    In Namjoon’s Words:<\/strong> “Originally, Body to Body was called Body on Body. As far as I remember, it was a very sexual song… we\u2019re in our 30s. But still… I didn\u2019t think that just releasing a sexual song for no particular reason was something we needed to do right now.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    “Personally, for me, this is the most exciting moment in the show. When we do Body to Body together. Singing \u201cArirang,\u201d and then going back into \u201cI need the whole stadium to jump.\u201d That part.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    2. Hooligan<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Origins & Keyword:<\/strong> This track was primarily created during the LA song camp inside the studio room shared by Jung Kook and Hobi. Jung Kook spontaneously thought of the core concept and penned the line: “watch this, watch this beat goin\u2019 hooligan”<\/em>. Local songwriters and Namjoon later stepped in to help flesh out and revise the track.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Producer:<\/strong> It was helmed by Spanish producer El Guincho (noted for his extensive work with Rosal\u00eda), who spent over ten days collaborating with them. He experimented heavily with unique, unconventional sound samples like knives, motorcycles, and retro Game Boys.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Setting the Album Standard:<\/strong> Finished around the one-month mark of the sessions, both BIGHIT and Bang PD fell in love with it so much that it became the official reference standard for the entire album. The crew spent subsequent weeks scrambling to make a track hard-hitting enough to surpass it as the main title track.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The Choreography Switch:<\/strong> The group initially created a very intense choreography for the song. However, following company advice to pivot toward something “meme-like” to spark a viral dance challenge, they simplified it. Ironically, their official challenge did not take off; instead, a hip-bouncing choreography created spontaneously by an ARMY on social media went massively viral and became the definitive challenge everyone used.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      \n

      In Namjoon’s Words:<\/strong> “When this song came out… the company really liked it, and Bang PD-nim really liked it too. So this song became the standard. It became the reference point. We spent the whole rest of August… trying to make a song that could surpass Hooligan.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      “In the end, one of our fans made that other choreography, the one where you bounce your hips like this, and that became the challenge… That was where I thought, ‘Ah, you really can\u2019t make something go viral just by aiming for it.'”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      3. Aliens<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Origins & Creation:<\/strong> Like Hooligan<\/em>, this track similarly materialized out of Jung Kook and Hobi’s studio room during the LA camp. It was produced by American hitmaker Mike WiLL Made-It.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Structuring the Song:<\/strong> A local songwriter named Charles laid down stellar phrasing for the track. The song went through an exhaustive iterative process where the rap portions were repeatedly stretched and snipped back as Jung Kook and Hobi meticulously built its conceptual structure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Title Change:<\/strong> The track was originally titled Endless<\/em>. While the phonetic flow of the word was incredibly smooth, Namjoon felt the meaning was too abstract and vacant. They shifted it to Aliens<\/em> (which perfectly preserved the phonetic mouth-feel of Endless<\/em>) to proudly declare to the world: “We\u2019re aliens from Korea, guys, hi”<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Lyric Choices:<\/strong> The lyrics were kept intentionally intuitive, direct, and slightly unpolished to exude a raw pride in being Korean, intentionally avoiding an overly poetic or heavily “sophisticated” approach. Writing it was an uphill battle for Namjoon because it required interweaving Korean and English together without derailing the original rhythm and phonetic bite.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n

        In Namjoon’s Words:<\/strong> “Originally, the title of Aliens was Endless. But Endless felt a little empty, you know? ‘We have no end.’ It sounded too abstract… So we changed it to Aliens, like, ‘We\u2019re aliens from Korea, guys, hi.’ … It could keep the taste of the original track\u2019s wording while adding more of our own originality.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        “Aliens was really hard to write in Korean. At first, I wrote a lot of it in English, but the members found some of the pronunciation difficult, and the song was also about Korea, so I mixed Korean and English together. Keeping that sound and flow was really not easy.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

        4. FYA<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Origins & Intention:<\/strong> This track was manufactured late in the summer sessions with the exact purpose of trying to top Hooligan<\/em>. Namjoon wanted a completely chaotic, “unhinged” track modeled to act as an explosive “mosh pit” song where concertgoers could completely switch off their brains and jump.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Collaborators:<\/strong> The track boasts massive collaborative production by Flume and alternative hip-hop artist JPEGMAFIA. Namjoon explicitly petitioned BIGHIT to get JPEGMAFIA on the record. While scouring through thousands of Flume’s back-catalog beats, Namjoon caught a unique option that began with a revving motorcycle sound and morphed into a fast Jersey club rhythm.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • The Inside Joke:<\/strong> The entire premise grew from the slang phrase “That’s fire,”<\/em> which western writers at the song camp habitually threw out as a compliment for everything. Namjoon found the constant repetition hilarious and suggested building an entire track around it, asking JPEGMAFIA to record a line centered around the word, which became the cornerstone of the song.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Member Reception:<\/strong> A couple of members initially voiced deep hesitation about the track’s chaotic sonic direction, but after performing it live in front of a stadium crowd, everyone mutually agreed the album absolutely required its specific live energy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          \n

          In Namjoon’s Words:<\/strong> “Personally, I just wanted to make one really unhinged song… I wanted one song where you could just turn your brain off and play. Like real brain rot. I imagined everyone jumping together at the concert, almost like a mosh pit.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          “Because the phrase that came out the most at the song camp was ‘That\u2019s fire.’ People say it even as an empty compliment… For Korean people, it\u2019s almost like saying, ‘Have you eaten?’ … I thought it was funny how that compliment, ‘That\u2019s fire,’ kept getting thrown around everywhere. So I thought, why not just make it ‘That\u2019s fire’?”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

          5. 2.0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • Working Title:<\/strong> The track directly honors the internal project name for the group’s grand comeback initiative, which was referred to as the BTS 2.0 Project<\/em> for nearly a year and a half before officially being renamed Arirang<\/em>. It was conceptualized in the room shared by Jung Kook, Hobi, and Tae Hyung alongside Mike WiLL Made-It.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Vocal Line Hardships:<\/strong> Sonically, the track features an extraordinarily high, intricate melody composed by the writer Charles, which Namjoon pointed out requires a specialized grasp of R&B\/Black music vocal styling to successfully pull off. It stood as the single most difficult track on the record for the vocal line to lay down, leaving them feeling awkward and highly critical of their initial takes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Internal Debates:<\/strong> Because the recording phase was so grueling, there were strong internal pushes up until the absolute finalization of the concert setlist to drop the song from the tour entirely. Jimin and Tae Hyung were among the members most hesitant about it. Namjoon fought aggressively to save it, recognizing it was the only song on the tracklist that let them execute the sharp, high-intensity choreography fans missed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Namjoon\u2019s Practice Routine:<\/strong> Knowing his dancing was weaker compared to the group’s powerhouse performers (Jung Kook, Jimin, Hobi, and Tae Hyung), Namjoon would arrive a full hour early to dance practice and stay 30 minutes late explicitly to master the complex 2.0<\/em> routine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            \n

            In Namjoon’s Words:<\/strong> “In this entire album, the part that was hardest for the vocal members to record was 2.0… So up until the very end, before the setlist was decided, there were quite a few opinions saying we should take it out… But I… was like, ‘Absolutely not. No way. Absolutely no.’ So I\u2019m relieved. In the end, it turned out like this, right? I\u2019m so glad I was right. Haha.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            “Because I\u2019m not very good at dancing, every time we danced, I really wanted to do the 2.0 choreography well. So before dance lessons, I would come an hour early and practice. After they ended, I would stay 30 more minutes before leaving. Only 2.0. Because every day, watching Jung Kook, Jimin, Hoseok, and Tae Hyung, I kept thinking, ‘I really don\u2019t want to be a burden.'”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

            6. No. 29 (Interlude)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            • The Concept:<\/strong> Named directly after the Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok (a historical Korean cultural treasure). While mapping out the album, Namjoon met Yu Hong-jun, the Director of the National Museum of Korea, who extended an exclusive invite to Gyeongju for Namjoon to be one of ten notable public figures to strike the historical bell for a sonic inspection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • The Decision:<\/strong> Namjoon couldn’t make the trip due to tight group scheduling conflicts, but the premise heavily inspired Bang PD. Rather than including a traditional, spoken-word “skit” in a car like they used to do in their rookie eras, they obtained the recording of the actual bell strike to act as a sonic transition piece.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Structural Purpose:<\/strong> Clocking in at 1 minute and 37 seconds, the interlude behaves as an essential artistic boundary, cleanly separating the heavily intense, hip-hop-driven front half of the album from the more emotional pop and alternative soundscape in the back half.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
              \n

              In Namjoon’s Words:<\/strong> “Instead of doing a skit like the old days, where we\u2019re talking in the car and saying this and that, if something like this went in, it could separate the front section, which is really hyped up, from the later section, which is more, so-called, emotional pop. So it ends around 1 minute and 37 seconds, where the frequency disappears.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

              7. SWIM<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • Origins:<\/strong> This was another track pulled from the preliminary pre-sessions in April and May, crafted well before the majority of the group had completed their military service.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • The Lead Track Choice:<\/strong> Namjoon noted he loved the track deeply but acknowledged that many fans were initially confused or disappointed that a more plain, slower, drifting song was chosen as the lead single over high-voltage album tracks like Hooligan<\/em> or 2.0<\/em>. He clarified that despite trying to outdo it, they simply did not make a better-rounded song than SWIM<\/em> during the camp, and it won out due to its immense longevity, cross-cultural versatility, and massive global radio potential. It carries a hopeful undertone about pushing forward through life’s endless struggles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                \n

                In Namjoon’s Words:<\/strong> “I really love this song. I think a lot of people were probably disappointed. Like, why isn\u2019t it something exciting like Dynamite, or something intense with hip-hop and performance like Hooligan or 2.0? Why did they come out with this kind of plain, somewhat dragging song? First, the reality is this. We didn\u2019t get a better song than SWIM.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

                The Rest of the Tracks (The Melodic & Personal Back Half)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                Following the tolling of the bell in “No. 29,” the album transitions entirely into a reflective pop, neo-soul, and alternative R&B space handled by various sub-teams and global producers:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                8. Merry Go Round<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                • The Concept:<\/strong> A psychedelic rock and alternative R&B track co-produced alongside Tame Impala\u2019s Kevin Parker. The song serves as a “sad millennial anthem” about feeling stuck inside the endless, repetitive cycles of adulthood, internal anxiety, and external pressures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Lyric Vibe:<\/strong> It uses the metaphor of a broken roller coaster or a spinning carousel that you cannot slow down or step off of, while everyone is forced to mask their pain and pretend they are okay.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  9. NORMAL<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  • Origins & Language:<\/strong> Namjoon highlighted NORMAL<\/em> as an incredibly melancholic, heavy track. He revealed that he wrote the lyrics completely in Korean first. However, the group later recorded a full English version intended for global radio accessibility and streaming. The original Korean version exists in BIGHIT’s vault.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Core Theme:<\/strong> It explores the deep personal crisis of what “normalcy” even looks like when your entire life and identity are consumed by being in BTS. It touches on the volatile nature of public love and hate (“One day you love me, one day you say you hate me…”<\/em>) and praying to be bulletproof enough to survive it emotionally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                    \n

                    In Namjoon’s Words:<\/strong> “The songs that had come out from there [the pre-sessions] were Body to Body, SWIM, Normal, Like Animals, and Please… Personally, Normal is a track I wrote entirely in Korean first. But we ended up recording it fully in English for radio and global streaming. The Korean version is still sitting in the company vault. It’s a very heavy, melancholic song about the reality of dealing with public love and hate\u2014’One day you love me, one day you say you hate me’\u2014and asking if we can truly be normal or stay bulletproof through it all.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

                    10. Like Animals<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                      \n
                    • Sonic Style:<\/strong> Co-produced by Diplo, this track stands out in the back half as a high-tempo, driving pop song.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • Core Theme:<\/strong> It captures a raw, liberated urge to break away from rigid public expectations, rules, and surveillance, leaning into the instinct to live life fully, passionately, and completely freely.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                      11. they don’t know ’bout us<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                        \n
                      • Production:<\/strong> A highly collaborative track featuring substantial behind-the-scenes input and writing credits from Jimin alongside the rap line (RM, SUGA, j-hope), over a sleek R&B bounce produced by Y2K, Pdogg, and Ghstloop.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Core Theme:<\/strong> A song radiating unbothered confidence. It serves as a direct message to external critics and commentators, asserting that outsiders only see a fraction of who BTS really is, and that the unbreakable bond between the members (and their fans) is something the public will never truly comprehend.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                        12. One More Night<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                          \n
                        • Sonic Style:<\/strong> A smooth, club-infused alternative track that brings back Diplo and features additional backing\/writing elements from Ant Clemons.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • Core Theme:<\/strong> It pivots the album into a space of pure, intoxicating infatuation and romantic longing, capturing a fleeting, late-night desire to freeze time and stretch a moment out for just one more evening.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                          13. Please<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                            \n
                          • Origins:<\/strong> Like SWIM<\/em> and NORMAL<\/em>, this was one of the fundamental tracks born out of the initial April\/May pre-sessions before the camp fully kicked into high gear. It features production work by Ryan Tedder and Tyler Spry.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • Core Theme:<\/strong> An emotionally raw, vulnerable ballad. It functions as a sincere plea and a heartfelt promise to the listener, begging for trust and pledging to stand side-by-side through whatever dark, uncertain moments life throws at them next.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                            14. Into the Sun<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                              \n
                            • The Grand Finale:<\/strong> The official closing track of the record, pulling together a massive roster of the group’s trusted producers (Pdogg, Ghstloop) alongside Diplo and features writing contributions from Jimin and V.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • Core Theme:<\/strong> The track is an epic, soaring conclusion that mirrors the overall journey of the ARIRANG<\/em> album. It encapsulates the seven members finally stepping out from the shadow of their hiatus and military era, moving together with absolute sincerity and love, and marching directly “into the sun” toward their next chapter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                              Namjoon summarized rest of the songs by explaining that they rounded out the emotional, sonic space of the album. He noted, “the songs that needed to be there all came in.”<\/em> He concluded the stream by emphasizing the ultimate message behind all his lyric choices: “It comes down to one thing. Just love. Sincerity.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                              Here is the behind-the-scenes breakdown, decisions, and creative stories for all 14 tracks from BTS’s studio album ARIRANG, categorized based on Namjoon’s detailed reflections from his Weverse Live transcript (with supplemental context regarding the final tracks): 1. Body to Body In Namjoon’s Words: “Originally, Body to Body was called Body on Body. As far as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11],"tags":[99,100],"class_list":["post-7696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bts-artistry","category-bts-rm","tag-bts-arirang","tag-song-meanings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/boradaily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/boradaily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/boradaily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boradaily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boradaily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7696"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/boradaily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7698,"href":"https:\/\/boradaily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7696\/revisions\/7698"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boradaily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/boradaily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boradaily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boradaily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}