Summer has been here, and the heat has been oppressive. It’s the ideal time to listen to some upbeat K-pop. A seven-member group from a virtually obscure South Korean label dreamed of a “large house, big car, and enormous rings” nearly a decade ago. BTS is now the most popular band on the planet, thanks to a lethal combination of indisputable talent, outstanding lyrics, a rigorous work ethic, captivating personalities, and a few arresting dimples (and likely even beyond that). Members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook eventually got their goal, but they also earned something far more valuable: the capacity to break down barriers and build bridges all around the world because they genuinely had something to say.

Here are some of our favorite BTS songs. 

Boy with Luv by BTS

Who doesn’t like this song, to be honest? The song, which features Halsey, gets your blood racing. Consider yourself on a date with one of the group’s attractive guys, and the video is a pure visual pleasure. 

Fly to My Room

During quarantine, our bedrooms served as steamy dance floors. In “Fly to My Room,” from 2020’s BE, BTS grasped the emotional voyage that music provided to the world. On the sub-unit track, Jimin and V sing, “This room is all I have/Well, then I’ll just change this place to my world,” which is later joined by Suga and J-melodious Hope’s rapping. The laid-back piano groove is timid at first but builds to a final chorus suited for a church choir in search of something to trust in.

Burning Up (Fire)

“It’s burning up,” Suga says bluntly as he turns it on. The boys then break into an addictive collective chant of the title: “Fiyah, oh-aye-oh!” thanks to a runway of stuttering house-music snares, trumpet stabs, and furiously razoring, pinging synths. But it’s J-Hope and Suga’s brash, even sneering Beastie Boys-style energy that sets the tone (though the lyrics themselves express pained frustration). With the candy-flipped dubstep beat yo-yoing and kick drums banging, the rappers’ excitement only grows. The substance is not hindered by the language (a combination of Korean and English); “Fire” is plainly a call-out to kids from all over the world, regardless of their country, economic background, or depressed state, to get pumped and set fire to class constraints, dismissive haters, or their own inhibitions.

Dope

For Western eyes, the compulsively dynamic video for “Dope” was an early discovery. BTS moved like B-boy artificial intelligence to Pdogg’s infectious, strangled sax (clearly inspired by Flo Rida’s choked sax on “GDFR” via Lookas’ remix of War’s “Low Rider”), despite being positioned as hardworking, well-costumed youth who eschewed clubbing and just happened to be unthinkably adorable, fabulously expressive singers and rappers. The footage is still really effective.

2! 3!

“2! 3!” is a promise beyond all else. The mellow Wings: You Never Walk Alone B side encourages fans to take comfort in BTS and hope for a better future together, no matter what hardships they face. All you have to do is close your eyes and count “1, 2, 3” to forget about your troubles. RM sings, “Let’s just walk down the flower trail.”

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