THE PATH TO TAKE TWO

BTS has crafted numerous songs expressing their appreciation for ARMY. As part of their 10th anniversary FESTA celebration, they honored their beloved fanbase again with Take Two. Before its release, the men gradually unveiled pieces of Take Two through their group social media platforms, each snippet revealing a different word related to the song’s meaning. These gems, along with meaningful songwriting from RM, SUGA, and j-hope, presented ARMY with a song whose depth elevated its beauty.

In 2020, Jungkook sang about his confidence in ARMY remaining beside BTS in their song Stay. Years later, he reverted to questioning if ARMY would still stay in the first line of Take Two.

Jimin then expanded on Jungkook’s query with his worries. Similarly to how Jimin confronted his innermost thoughts and struggles in his solo album, FACE, he continued to face his concerns about BTS’ relationship with ARMY going forward. Although Jungkook and Jimin addressed BTS’ road of difficulty, much of Take Two showed their shifts from uncertainty to assurance while reminiscing on their past with ARMY.

In the chorus, V expressed how young they feel, a prevalent theme within Take Two and past BTS songs, namely Introduction: Youth and For Youth. However, their most notable song about youth is their classic, EPILOGUE: Young Forever. In EPILOGUE: Young Forever, BTS vowed to continue pursuing their aspirations and passion for music, even if their popularity disappeared. Their youth represented the yearning to achieve their dreams.

Take Two expanded on this theme. Despite BTS’ tremendous growth, they still want to hold onto the passion that drove them in their early days together. In the years between EPILOGUE: Young Forever and Take Two, the members realized they should not worry about lacking support in living out their dreams.

j-hope expressed how BTS and ARMY staying together impacted them, as though they were in a desert that became a sea. When BTS began reaching new heights of success in 2017, they released Sea, a hidden track on their mini album, Love Yourself: HER. Sea touched on the differences between the sea and desert, with the desert representing the loneliness, drought, and hardship that BTS experienced and the sea being the hope and beauty they were conflicted about. In Sea, BTS expressed distrust of their growing popularity. They were unsure if they were living a falsity or in reality. Take Two showed they no longer doubt their success.

One heartfelt lyric of Take Two came when j-hope sang about the lonely whale from BTS’ Whalien 52. In Whalien 52, BTS told a story about a whale who felt like an outcast from his kind because he spoke a different language. The whale signified how they felt at that time, unaccepted amongst their peers because they did not fit the mold of a traditional K-pop group. j-hope revealed the once rejected whale was no longer lonesome and had others to sing with him. BTS felt the same with ARMY singing alongside them.

RM complimented ARMY, revealing that their fanbase was a light in their lives. The concept of light connected with Mikrokosmos, another BTS song dedicated to ARMY. The members saw ARMY as a source of strength in dark times and hoped they provided the same in return. Although BTS has celebrated 10 years together, they wished to begin anew. Jin sang about their hopes going into the next chapter of BTS. They planned to keep aspects of their past while walking on a new path of self-assurance.

During their early years, BTS wondered where they would be if they did not join the group. They discussed this with Path, a hidden song from their debut album, 2 Cool 4 Skool. In Path, SUGA rapped about how they were not alone because they had one another. They expanded on this line with Take Two, realizing they were on the right path with ARMY alongside them. Even with endless support, they occasionally questioned if they deserved it. SUGA’s verse on Take Two reflected this feeling and the group’s soul-deep connection with ARMY. Despite their worries, having ARMY has brought them a joy they want to keep forever.

Through Take Two, BTS emphasized ARMY's impact on their lives, alongside the greater appreciation and comfort they have developed with ARMY and plan to carry into their next chapter.

Written by: Amaya

Edited by: Ren

Designed by: Achan

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