BTS covers I'll be missing you at the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge
...They also performed Dynamite and Permission to Dance.
Image courtesy of Variety
South Korean septet and newly minted Presidential Special Envoy for Future Generations and Culture, BTS, performed at the BBC one radio one lounge today, marking their debut at this prestigious musical rite of passage. They chose to perform the cover of this 1997 song along with their originals- Dynamite and Permission to Dance.
Typically, musicians at BBC Radio one cover an artist and also sing their original songs. BTS chose to cover Puff Daddy, Faith Evans, and 112’s classic Notorious B.I.G. tribute, “I’ll Be Missing You.” While they mostly stayed true to the original, J-Hope and Suga also added their own verses in Korean to reflect their state of mind during this unrelenting pandemic.
Jimin, V, Jin and Jungkook harmonized beautifully. Jimin’s higher range was in full display throughout the song, while V deftly switched from his signature baritone and lower notes to the mid-range and higher notes. Jungkook’s stable vocals and ad-libs shone through in the song, while Jin’s silvery vocals at the end of the song and the higher note changes transformed the song into a signature BTS cover. RM rapped the P-Diddy verses with panache.
Suga’s verse, when he softly rapped in despondence, “ We are now used to our routines being taken away/ But still can’t give up living on/ We’re more worn out because we don’t know where this ends…” is a feeling that is universal at this point, the waiting and not knowing when the pandemic will be over, and when things will ever get back to normal again, and really, what that “normal” will look like.
ARMYs the world over have been keeping up with BTS through twitter, weverse, through RUN BTS episodes and through their music. This song was a perfect song to remind ARMY how much they mean to BTS.
J-Hope’s verse invoked pathos when he rapped, “ I hate this world/ our traces become memories.” This is even more heartbreaking for fans, because J-Hope, is known as the hope of the fandom, and his lyrics are usually full of sunshine and hope. Embittered lyrics from J-Hope is a real testament to the emotional upheaval that the world continues to go through at this juncture.
(translation credit : Elle Park)
The choice of these three songs make cohesive sense- Dynamite was released at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 as an upbeat track to uplift people around the world going through a hard-time. Last year, BTS made history by garnering a Grammy nomination(first Korean group to do so) hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for Dynamite and Life Goes On, and shared credit with Jason Derulo and Jawsh 685 on Savage Love.
This year, BTS has released Butter , which has spent eight weeks at number one, while being played as a soundtrack for several winning athletes at the Tokyo Olympics.