"Life Goes On" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by BTS | ||||
from the album Be | ||||
Released | November 20, 2020 | |||
Recorded | 2020 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:27 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Pdogg | |||
BTS singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music videos | ||||
"Life Goes On" on YouTube | ||||
Other versions | ||||
"Life Goes On" on my pillow on YouTube "Life Goes On" in the forest on YouTube "Life Goes On" like an arrow on YouTube |
"Life Goes On" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band BTS and released on November 20,2020,through Big Hit Entertainment and Columbia Records as the lead single from the group's fifth Korean-language studio album Be ,released the same day.
"Life Goes On" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the band's third number-one single in the United States as well as the first primarily Korean-language song to debut atop the chart.
Following the postponement of their Map of the Soul Tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic,the group started working on a new album. [1] The group's label officially announced Be on September 27,2020,stating via press release that the album "imparts a message of healing to the world by declaring,'Even in the face of this new normality,our life goes on'". [2] "Life Goes On" was announced as the album's lead single on October 30. [3] J-Hope described the song's creation as:
We started this album off by getting together and asking what kind of story we wanted to tell. The end result of that conversation was, “Well, hey, we still have to live with this situation; we can’t give up.” And from there, “Life Goes On” was born, and then we got to work on the stories we each wanted to tell. I think it sounds more raw, since we tried to capture the emotions we felt living through the pandemic.
"Life Goes On" was written by band members J-Hope, RM and Suga alongside Ruuth, Antonina Armato, Chris James and its producer Pdogg. The song has been described as an alternative hip hop and synth-pop song underlaid with an acoustic guitar. [5] [6] The folky [7] [8] production consists of 808 drums, [9] electronic beats, [7] melodic rhymes, a stripped-down melody [10] accompanied by "acrobatic" vocals and harmonies on the chorus. [11] The lyrics of the song have been described as uplifting and seeking to provide hope to fans during the pandemic. [12] [13] The song has been compared to the group's own 2017 single "Spring Day". [8]
"Life Goes On" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, on the chart issue dated December 5, 2020, becoming BTS' third number-one single in the United States in exactly three months, following "Dynamite" in September and "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat) (BTS Remix)" in October. [14] This marked the fastest accumulation of three number-one songs on the chart in 42 years since the Bee Gees, who previously achieved the feat in two months and three weeks with "How Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin' Alive", and "Night Fever" from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack between December 1977 and March 1978. [14] The song topped the Digital Songs chart issue of the same date, having sold 150,000 units (pure sales) in its opening week, including 129,000 digital downloads and 20,000 physical copies. [14] It is the first Korean language song in Hot 100 history to debut atop the chart, as well as the first song sung predominantly in a non-English language since Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito" remix with Justin Bieber in 2017. [14] The following week, "Life Goes On" charted at number 28, marking the third-largest drop from number one by a song in Hot 100 history after Taylor Swift's "Willow" and 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj's "Trollz", which fell to numbers 38 and 33 respectively in their second weeks. [15] [16] It charted at number 93 in its third week and left the chart afterwards. [17]
Supported mainly by sales and streaming, "Life Goes On" received "minimal" US radioplay in comparison to its predecessor "Dynamite", prompting discussions from publications such as Slate and The Atlantic about, among other things, the difficulties facing non-English-language performing/speaking artists to break into the mainstream. Senior Culture editor for The Atlantic Lenika Cruz was unsurprised by the "lackluster radio spins", but felt that this made the single's debut at number one "that much more unbelievable" because while "'Dynamite' was everywhere...'Life Goes On' is currently the biggest song on the charts, released by the biggest musical group in the world—and there's a good chance you haven't heard it." She acknowledged that "non-Korean-speaking audiences would, of course, not understand most of the lyrics", but believed that the song "could resonate with many listeners in a difficult year" if given the chance by radio. [18] After outlining other performance differences between "Dynamite" and "Life Goes On" and possible influencing factors, Slate's Chris Molanphy concluded "One thing we do know, basically indisputably, is that radio, the third component of the Hot 100, decidedly prefers BTS singing in English." The "stark disparity" in radioplay between the former, which opened to an 11.6 million radio audience, and the latter, which opened to a 410,000 audience, supported his observations. Molanphy also pointed out that "Dynamite"'s holding at its peak of number 11 on the Radio Songs chart—the only other mostly-Korean song to previously peak on the chart was Psy's "Gangnam Style" which reached number 12 in 2012—suggested that the band would "fall short of the radio Top 10, even after singing in English." [19] Echoing sentiments similar to Molanphy's findings, Cruz additionally wrote that "The takeaway seems clear: If you don’t primarily perform in English, you need to outsell your closest competitors many times over—or secure a radio-friendly collaboration or remix—to have a shot at reaching No. 1 on the Hot 100." [18]
Two teaser trailers preceded the music video. The first, released on YouTube on November 17, 2020, is a 26-second long clip—accompanied by "ambient piano and guitar music"—of the band outdoors at night, seated around a campfire, then indoors watching a video while dressed in pajamas and loungewear. [20] [21] Jungkook's name appears in the teaser's end credits as the music video director. [22] The second, released the following day, is a 22-second long clip comprising black and white stills of the individual band members set to audio of them singing the lyrics "'I remember, I remember' over wistful pop production." A photo of Jungkook holding a camera and staring into its viewfinder, in honor of his role as director, closes out the visual. [23]
The full four-minute-long music video premiered on YouTube on November 19, 2020. [24] More personal and "sentimental" in nature, it presents the band living together in isolation in their dorm during the COVID-19 pandemic—in one scene RM "wistfully wipes a couple of fingers' worth of dust off his bicycle seat" as he can no longer participate in that outdoor activity [19] —having a pajama party, watching movies, and playing video games, [25] intercut with a clip of V driving his bandmates around South Korea and eventually past Seoul Olympic Stadium—he "peers out the window" and "longingly stares" at the venue as they pass it—where the band was slated to kickoff their Map of the Soul Tour several months prior, before it was ultimately cancelled due to the pandemic. The latter part of the video features a black and white sequence of the band envisioning themselves singing the song in the empty stadium "with stage lights shining down on them" as the video fades out. At a press conference held the day of Be 's release, Jungkook said that his intent with the music video was to express the "sadness and the longing" the band felt due to the tour's cancellation "and because we couldn't see ARMY much". [26]
The video received over 71.6 million views in its first 24 hours of release to become the fifth-most viewed YouTube video within that period at the time. [27] Just over two days later, it became BTS' 27th music video to surpass 100 million views, extending the band's record as the Korean artist with the most music videos over 100 million views. [28] The music video became the band's 15th to cross the 300 and 400 million views milestones, doing so in March and November 2021 respectively. [29] [30]
In the days that followed, three alternate versions of the music video, titled "on my pillow", "in the forest", and "like an arrow" respectively, were released. The "on my pillow" version was uploaded to YouTube on November 21, 2020. An extended version of the bedroom scene from the original music video, [31] it shows the band lounging on two beds in their pajamas, singing the song, and taking photos of one another, [32] and ends with them standing atop the beds while singing together. [33] Filmed in an outdoor setting, the "in the forest" version followed on November 25 and features the band singing the song on a green lawn against the backdrop of a forest and sunny skies. [34] The final version, "like an arrow", was released on November 29 and comprises various black and white photo stills, some of which were first seen in the second teaser trailer, depicting behind-the-scenes cuts from all four music videos, as well as candid shots of the band, set to the song's audio. [35]
Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Gaon Chart Music Awards | Song of the Year – November | Won | [36] |
Program | Date | Ref. |
---|---|---|
Show! Music Core | November 28, 2020 | [37] |
December 5, 2020 | [38] | |
December 12, 2020 | [39] | |
January 2, 2021 | [40] | |
January 9, 2021 | [41] | |
January 16, 2021 | [42] | |
Inkigayo | November 29, 2020 | [43] |
December 6, 2020 | [44] | |
December 13, 2020 | [45] |
Award | Date (2020) | Ref. |
---|---|---|
Weekly Popularity Award | November 30 | [46] |
December 7 | ||
December 14 | ||
December 21 | ||
December 28 |
BTS performed "Life Goes On"—and "Dynamite"—at the American Music Awards on November 22, 2020. [3] The following day, two pre-recorded performances of the song were shown on American television programs. The first, on Good Morning America , featured the group performing inside a decorated house, wearing pajamas and bathrobes. [47] [48] [49] The second performance was broadcast during The Late Late Show with James Corden . The group sang the song while dressed in pajamas again, this time on a set consisting of a series of conjoined living rooms. [50] The performance ended with them unboxing gifts in a Christmas-themed room. [51] Elle's Ariana Yaptangco said that the group "traded in their regular top-notch choreography to show off their impressive acting skills." [52] BTS also performed "Life Goes On" as part of their four-song set at the Melon Music Awards on December 5, [53] and their three-song set for the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) on December 6. Suga, who was recovering from shoulder surgery at the time and did not attend in person, appeared as a hologram for the song's performance at MAMA. [54] [55]
Weekly charts | Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [98] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
Streaming | ||
Japan (RIAJ) [99] | Platinum | 100,000,000† |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | November 20, 2020 | Big Hit | [3] | |
United States | Columbia | [100] [101] | ||
BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they expanded their musical style to incorporate a wide range of genres, while their lyrics have focused on subjects including mental health, the troubles of school-age youth and coming of age, loss, the journey towards self-love, individualism, and the consequences of fame and recognition. Their discography and adjacent work has also referenced literature, philosophy and psychology, and includes an alternate universe storyline.
Kim Tae-hyung, known professionally as V (뷔), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and a member of the boy band BTS. Since his debut with the band in 2013, V has performed three solo songs under their name—"Stigma" in 2016, "Singularity" in 2018, and "Inner Child" in 2020—all of which charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart.
The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever is the first Korean-language compilation album by South Korean boy band BTS. The album was released on May 2, 2016 in two physical configurations, a day version and a night version. The album contains twenty-three tracks, including three new singles, and most tracks from The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1 and The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2, as well as several remixes.
"Run" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band BTS as the lead single for their fourth extended play, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2 (2015). The original Korean version was released by Big Hit Entertainment on November 30, 2015, in South Korea. The Japanese single version was released on March 15, 2016, under the Pony Canyon label.
"Fire" is a song recorded by South Korean boy group BTS for their first compilation album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever (2016). The original Korean version was released by Big Hit on May 2, 2016, in South Korea with the Japanese version being released September 7, 2016, on their full album Youth, under Universal Music Japan and Virgin Music-Def Jam Recordings.
Min Yoon-gi, known professionally by his stage names Suga and Agust D, is a South Korean rapper, songwriter and record producer. He debuted as a member of the South Korean boy band BTS in June 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. His first solo mixtape, Agust D, was released in 2016 and re-released in 2018 to digital download and streaming platforms, reaching number three on Billboard's World Albums Chart. In 2020, he released his second solo mixtape, D-2; it peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard 200, number seven on the UK Albums Chart, and number two on Australia's ARIA Album Chart.
"DNA" is a song recorded in two languages by South Korean boy band BTS. The Korean version was released on September 18, 2017, as the lead single from the band's fifth extended play Love Yourself: Her (2017) by Big Hit Entertainment. The Japanese version of the song was released on December 6, 2017, by Universal Music Japan as a triple A-side single album that included "Mic Drop" and a new, original song "Crystal Snow", both also in Japanese. Both versions were written by "Hitman" Bang, Supreme Boi, KASS, Suga, RM, Pdogg, with the latter of the six solely handling production. A "Pedal 2 LA" remix of the track appears on the band's third compilation album, Love Yourself: Answer (2018). An EDM and pop song, the lyrics talk about fate and love at first sight.
"I Need U" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band BTS as the lead single from their third extended play, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1 (2015). The single was released by Big Hit Entertainment on April 29, 2015, in South Korea. It was the first of BTS' career to garner them a win on a South Korean television music show. Two remix versions of the song were subsequently released on the band's first compilation album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever in 2016. By September 2016, the song had sold over 800,000 digital downloads domestically. In December 2019, its music video became BTS' 14th to surpass 200 million views.
"Fake Love" is a song recorded in Korean and Japanese by South Korean band BTS. It was written by "Hitman" Bang, RM, and Pdogg, with the latter as producer. The Korean version was released through Big Hit Entertainment on May 18, 2018, as the lead single from the band's third album Love Yourself: Tear (2018). Columbia Records serviced the song to US contemporary hit radio on June 12, 2018, as a single in the country. A remix, titled "Rocking Vibe", was released on June 4, 2018, and appears on the band's third compilation album, Love Yourself: Answer (2018). The Japanese version of the song was released for digital download and streaming on October 16, 2018, by Universal Music Japan as a single album that included the remix and "Airplane Pt. 2", both also in Japanese. "Fake Love" is an emo hip hop, grunge, rap-rock and electropop song which relies on rock instrumentals. The lyrics talk about the love that was once believed to be destiny, but turned out fake at the end.
"Eight" is a song recorded by South Korean singer-songwriter IU featuring South Korean rapper Suga of BTS. It was released as a digital single on May 6, 2020 by EDAM Entertainment. It is IU's first single following the release of her fifth EP Love Poem (2019). The song was written by IU, Suga, and El Capitxn and produced by Suga. Musically, "Eight" has been described as a "nostalgic" pop rock song with lyrics that find IU confessing as a twenty-eight year old, using a virtual figure and various analogies.
"Idol" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band BTS. It was released on August 24, 2018, by Big Hit Entertainment as the lead single from the band's third compilation album Love Yourself: Answer (2018). An alternative version of the song featuring Nicki Minaj was included as a bonus track on the digital version of the album. The single debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the two versions combined sold 43,000 downloads in their first week of sale in the US. It is certified platinum by the RIAA.
Kim Seok-jin, known professionally as Jin (진), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and member of the South Korean boy band BTS. Jin has co-written and released three solo tracks with BTS: "Awake" in 2016, "Epiphany" in 2018, and "Moon" in 2020, all of which have charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. In 2019, Jin released his first independent song, the digital track "Tonight". He made his official debut as a solo artist in October 2022, with the release of the single "The Astronaut".
Park Ji-min, known mononymously as Jimin, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and dancer. In 2013, he made his debut as a member of the South Korean boy band BTS, under the record label Big Hit Entertainment.
"Boy with Luv" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band BTS, featuring American singer Halsey, as the lead single for their sixth extended play Map of the Soul: Persona. It was released on April 12, 2019, by Big Hit Entertainment. The song's music video was the most viewed online music video in 24 hours at the time, garnering over 74.6 million views within its first day of release. The song was certified Platinum by the RIAA in June. "Boy with Luv" held the record for the song with the most music show wins after the 2000s in South Korea with 21 wins, until the record was broken by "Dynamite".
"On" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band BTS. It was released on February 21, 2020, as the second single from the band's fourth Korean-language album Map of the Soul: 7. A version featuring Australian singer Sia was also released and features on the digital and streaming version of the album.
"Dynamite" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band BTS, released on August 21, 2020, through Big Hit Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment. It is the band's first song fully recorded in English. The song was written by David Stewart and Jessica Agombar and produced by Stewart. It has been described as an upbeat disco-pop song with elements of funk, soul, and bubblegum pop, and takes influence from 1970s music—it features snapping handclaps, echoing synths, and celebratory horns.
Be is the fifth Korean-language and ninth overall studio album by South Korean boy band BTS. It was released on November 20, 2020, through Big Hit Entertainment, nine months after its predecessor, Map of the Soul: 7 (2020). Created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Be was inspired by BTS' perspective of life during the pandemic. The record sees the band members contributing to various aspects of album-making process including songwriting, development, production, and visual design.
"Butter" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band BTS. It was released as a digital single on May 21, 2021, through Big Hit Music and Sony Music Entertainment, as the band's second English-language single. A disco-pop, dance-pop, and EDM track, the song was written by Jenna Andrews, RM, Alex Bilowitz, Sebastian Garcia, Robert Grimaldi, Stephen Kirk, and Ron Perry, with production handled by the last three.
"Permission to Dance" is a song by South Korean boy band BTS. It was released through Big Hit Music and Sony Music on July 9, 2021, as a stand-alone single. The song was also included as part of the CD release of the group's previous single "Butter", and is the band's third English-language single. The song topped the charts in five countries and reached the top ten in ten other territories.
"Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)" is a song by South Korean boy band BTS, released on June 10, 2022, through Big Hit Music and Universal Music Group, as the lead single from their first anthology album Proof. It is the band's first original Korean-language single since 2020's "Life Goes On". An alternative hip hop track, the song's lyrics are a reflection on the past nine years of the band's career while also looking forward to what the future holds. It was written by Dan Gleyzer, J-Hope, Max, Pdogg, RM, and Suga, with Pdogg serving as producer. The song received generally positive reviews from critics.