WordsByPhinn

In 2018 the famous Korean band BTS released a song called “Anpanman”. The name being a reference to a Japanese superhero with the same name featured in a picture book series written by Takashi Yanase from 1973-2013. Anpanman is a superhero made from a red bean bread called Anpan who goes around feeding starving people from himself before going to a doctor to make himself whole again.

When BTS released the song the intended meaning went unknown before fans started to decipher think deeper about what the artists were trying to express. One such fan being S. Park, a journalist from Soompi which is a leading source for Korean pop culture and an international fan community, claims that the artists’ meaning behind their lyrics were meant to give their audience hope through their music and performances.

BTS continues to double down on this theme with lyrics such as:

“I don’t have biceps or pecs

I don’t have a super car like Batman

The ideal hero is my fantasy

But all I can give you is Anpan

I’m not a superhero

Don’t expect a lot

I can be your hero

Just like Anpanman, BTS doesn’t have superpowers but rather just want to help their fans. A group of journalists from The Rolling Stone continue to elaborate on their interpreted meaning of other lyrics by saying the song was “a persuasive confession of fear; a moving comment on the responsibilities of success; and an inspiring message of self-love and support for its fans.”

The openness about the group’s struggles dealing with so much attention and scrutiny that comes with their level of fame alongside their gratefulness and support to their fans was an amazing message to have in a song. BTS was able to use an example of a superhero made out of bread, labeled as “the world’s weakest superhero” and turn that idea into something so much deeper then a picture boom series is a talent both in terms of songwriting and ability to use multiple cultures to influence the style of music. I think more artists should adopt the style of having more meaning to their lyrics because many people may resonate with those lyrics as well. There are many artists that. do this well with some being Joey Bada$$, Lauryn Hill, and Outkast, the ability to blend different cultures is a unique trait that I would love to see more often.

Music can mean a lot to many people, including myself, so both using music and having music as an outlet makes the musicians and listeners have a closer connection through that shared love. Alongside with that, different people having different interpretations of what BTS was trying to convey through their Anpanman song shows how people can both equally resonate with deeper meanings in the same lyrics for two separate reasons. BTS knew this and wanted to put the idea into a song to thank their fans for their support and try to give them hope, regardless of what the lyrics mean to them.