Hi! It’s Annie!
I am officially BTS trash now, so luckily that means I won’t shut up about them. Well, lucky for you, not so much for my family. That means so much more BTS content as I get deeper and deeper into their performances while becoming a bigger part of ARMY. Now that I have listened to almost everything they have ever put out, I have compiled my own list of my personal favorite songs. Hopefully, if you are a baby ARMY, like I was not too long ago, you can find some recommendations or places to start using this list. I want to point out that this list was extremely difficult for me to make and leaving literally any of their songs out pains me. I’m not sure many of these I actually like more than the others, and my favorites list is always changing, but this will be at least some of my favorites. (Not just by BTS; these are actually some of my favorite songs to ever exist.)
10. Dynamite
This is the song that has most recently taken over everyone’s brains. Whether the music video now lives rent free in your brain or you just can’t get the song out of your head; I would be surprised if there’s a single person out there that hasn’t heard this song. What’s more amazing, this song was made specifically for all the people currently suffering through quarantine due to Covid 19. This song was the necessary boost of serotonin that everyone needed, and they knew we all needed it because they needed it too. They said themselves that this song was about coming together through all of this, and the amount of fun that they had while filming this music video helped us all to do just that. Not to mention their remote performances of this song have been amazing. If you haven’t checked out the absolute adorable performance of this on ‘America’s Got Talent’, what are you still doing here? The 70’s vibe and the absolute joy that comes from this video and song will warm your heart without fail.
9. Airplane pt. 2
This song just hits different and I’m not sure why. It largely seems to have Spanish influences, and many artists have done things like that before; but I honestly have never heard it done so successfully. There’s something about this song that completely takes the listener away from reality and transports them to someplace entirely different. This is the kind of song that makes you want to get up and dance. Not only that, but this song has the absolute smoothest transitions between each vocalist and I will forever wonder how they were able to accomplish this song sounding so effortlessly smooth. That’s the defining word for this song; smooth. If you want to be transported by music, (Which, really who doesn’t?) just go and listen to this song.
8. I Need U
Definitely one of their older songs, but that doesn’t make it any less good. The amount of emotion this song has just in vocals alone will completely blow you away when you’re listening to it, and that’s not even considering the music video. This music video is very different than most of the stuff they put out, and you’ll be surprised to see just how different it is. It gets DARK. This music video features themes of crime and murder among other things. While the boys generally act as themselves in music videos, this is one of their pieces where they each are acting a part. If you love these boys at all it can be really hard to watch, because they all act their heart out in it and each person plays a character in a really messed up situation. The song is sweet and sad while also maintaining a badass theme. If you were ever on the fence about whether or not to go and listen to their older stuff, go and do it!
7. UGH!
If I’m including a list of their basic songs, I’ve got to also highlight the individual lines. This is exclusively a rap line song and it is absolutely unbelievable. It highlights each individual rapper in a way that no other BTS song does unless you’re looking at their solo releases. One of the many many things that sold me on this band was Yoongi’s ability when it comes to rapping (see ‘Daechwita’ under his other name; ‘Agust D’) and that definitely stands out in this song. But damn are they all so good at what they do! In fact, I might even say that Hobi might just be the standout in this particular song. No matter what, they all go hard in this song and it was more than we all deserve. If you’re ever just angry and you need a song to hype you up, this is the one.
6. House of Cards
This is one of the exclusively vocal line songs. It absolutely kills me. This is one of those songs where whatever is happening instrumentally almost doesn’t even matter. The background music is only there to provide a background for the vocal line of this band tearing your heart out. If anyone ever questions whether or not anyone in this band can even sing, just play them this song. If they still have the same opinion, you know they are absolutely insane. It highlights each of their vocals amazingly while also giving us an example of how well they can harmonize. There is a point in this song where Jimin and Jungkook are harmonizing, and it is some of the best vocal work I’ve heard in any song ever. If you want to hear exceptionally good singing, this is the song for you.
5. Filter
A Jimin solo song being high up on this list is really unsurprising for me given how much I love his vocals. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved every solo song I’ve heard from BTS; but this is genuinely my favorite. I’m probably biased (no pun intended). This one isn’t actually one I’ve seen talked about a lot. When I first joined ARMY I knew about ‘Lie’ and ‘Serendipity’ which I liked a lot, but I had never heard of this one until it came up after another song I was listening to. This song feels a bit more dance-y than the other vocalist solo songs, which generally isn’t my thing. I don’t know what about this song sky-rocketed it to become one of my favorite songs ever created. There’s something about it that feels so genuine and it shows off Jimin’s vocals so well! If you like Jimin’s vocals at all, I would recommend listening to any of his solo songs. Really, that goes for every single member of BTS.
4. Magic Shop
This is another one I don’t hear talked about as often. It’s difficult to describe this song as anything but beautiful. This is going to be a weird comparison; but listening to this song had the same feeling for me of hearing ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ at Disneyland. It’s this feeling of coming home and experiencing something so new and different you worry that you’ll never experience it again. Something about finding this song somehow told me that this was what being an ARMY was. Of course, everyone is going to have that feeling about different BTS songs; but it is clear that this song holds up to it’s name. Listening to this song is, indeed, like experiencing a little bit of magic.
3. Spring Day
Namjoon once said that if you’re going to introduce someone to BTS, start them with this one. He also called it a masterpiece. There is no doubt in my mind that he was completely correct on both of those points. Even the music video feels like a piece of artwork. Every once in a while, I will stumble upon a piece of music that is so beautiful it feels like staring at a particularly beautiful painting at an art museum. This was that for me. (Are you sick of my weird comparisons yet?) This is an example of what music should be like. It causes it’s listener to feel so many emotions at once while still having this fresh feeling that makes you hope for the future. I admire BTS for creating so many songs that help you to feel again no matter where you are in your life.
2. Dionysus
If you ever want to hear a song that is probably the definition of badass, this is it. Congratulations! You’ve found it! This song stands on it’s own listening to it by itself, but I’m going to tell you right now that you are going to miss out if you don’t watch a live performance of this song. I would specifically look up their performance at the 2019 MMA’s. Their performance in it’s entirety is over half an hour long and definitely worth watching every minute of; but everyone needs to at least see them perform this one at the very end. It is extravagant, giant in scale, and the most badass thing you will ever witness in your life. I went into this one knowing that it would be good (I mean, it’s BTS!), but I came out of it with my jaw on the floor and the feeling that I would never see anything that epic ever again. If you listened to this song and were on the fence about it, watch the performance and then watch it become one of your favorite BTS songs.
1. Blood Sweat & Tears
This will most likely forever be my favorite BTS song just because this is what introduced me to them. I have determinedly stayed away from becoming too involved in celebrity fandoms, and then BTS came along and I didn’t even have to be dragged into ARMY. I saw this music video and basically just said, “alright”. This is another one of their badass songs, but the music video is like watching a small movie. They don’t even have to say anything regarding the plot for you to realize that you’re watching one of the best things you’ll ever see. This song made me intimidated of almost all of them, and I can guarantee the music video will put you in awe of every single member of this band. Then you watch them in interviews and on other shows and you realize that none of them are the least bit intimidating. It just makes this even more impressive and makes you love it that much more.
It pained me to leave out songs like ‘Pied Piper’, ‘Your eyes tell’, ‘We are Bulletproof; the Eternal’ (I cried so much during that song), ‘Run’, and ‘DNA’. Also make sure to look up songs like ‘Ddang’ and ‘Tony Montana’, which haven’t been released on many albums. At least not yet. I hope you aren’t too sick of all of my weird comparisons, but this band is one of the best things I’ve ever found. I’m not a huge pop fan and actually haven’t ever been. I don’t know what it is about K-pop in general, but also BTS, that means so much more to me and feels so much more meaningful as a whole. Do not let prejudice against a specific type of music or uncertainty stop you from checking them out if you haven’t been sold yet or have been attempting to keep yourself from looking them up (as I had before I was convinced to watch my first MV). I will warn you; you will fall very hard for them very fast. But you should also know that they are more than worth it.
See you across the pond!
Sincerely, Annie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 