Wondering what the newest K-pop single taking over the charts is about? “Dragon Ball Z.”
One of the biggest 3rd generation K-pop boy groups, SEVENTEEN, released its new mini album, “FML,” on Monday. In less than 24 hours, it earned the highest first-week sales for a K-pop album, selling nearly 4 million copies.
It’s the fastest selling album this century, surpassing Adele’s “25” – an impressive feat for an album that’s only 19 minutes long.
Why is this album such a hit? Here’s a track-by-track breakdown of “FML”:
Track 1 – “F*ck My Life”
“FML” opens with the song its title is from, which seems depressing at first glance and listen.
But “F*ck My Life” actually serves as a track about hope. SEVENTEEN sing about how painful and terrible life can feel, but contrast their dark thoughts with lyrics about persevering in spite of pain.
“My disappearing self, I just want to find it again,” the group sings. “From now on, fight for my life / Fight for my life for me.”
The track is angsty and existential, and it continues the mature edge SEVENTEEN have developed in its recent music.
Track 2 – “Super”
This is the leading single from “FML,” and for good reason: it’s an incredibly energetic love letter to SEVENTEEN as a whole and its fans, who call themselves “Carats.”
In the post-chorus throughout the song, the group proudly repeats “I love my team, I love my crew / I love my team, it’s all thanks to you.”
Not only is the song a testament to SEVENTEEN’s success, it’s also a tribute from the group’s lead producer and vocal unit leader, Woozi, to one of his passions: “Dragon Ball Z.”
The music video (which features 200 backup dancers) for “Super” contains several references to the anime, and the main line in the chorus is “feels like I turned into SONOGONG,” a blatant reference to Goku.
Oh wow this is interesting! On the 1st teaser, Wonwoo became the center and did the finger sign then we have blonde hair Dino as the center in the end doing the same hand gesture representing Son Wukong’s transformation from normal to Super Saiyan pic.twitter.com/en5hf9oWOw
— 🚂Banu-Ine LAMARAN: updated✨ (@snowflakemlet) April 23, 2023
all the dragon ball references in sonogong / super are so cool to see 😳 i’m glad seventeen (woozi 😭) are living their best anime loving lives pic.twitter.com/hJYKDAwHCc
— ウォヌピース (@1you2moons) April 24, 2023
The powerful vocals and intense build of percussion on “Super” makes it feel motivating to listen to. It’s no wonder why the title track is dominating charts and already has 20 million views on YouTube.
Track 3 – “Fire”
For the next three tracks, SEVENTEEN splits into its three subunits for each song. “Fire” is its hip-hop unit’s song.
SEVENTEEN’s hip-hop unit is known for making upbeat, powerful songs with strong lyricism, and “Fire” is no exception.
The most notable part of this song is Vernon’s verse, where he raps about the group’s success and how he and his members tour both domes and stadiums.
“Boy band making bands,” he raps. “Twelve years, SEVENTEEN got my back.”
Following “Super,” this song continues the theme of flaunting SEVENTEEN’s career and shows each rapper’s pride in their work and journey together.
Track 4 – “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U”
Performance unit’s song, SEVENTEEN’s unit of its strongest dancers, is about how love can transcend language.
“Barbie” or “Oppenheimer” is a debate that has been raging online since the movies were announced to have the same release date.
“Even though I don’t understand, I can know you,” the group sings. “The language barrier is just an illusion.”
This passionate song defines SEVENTEEN’s love for its fans, as most of them are not Korean. Although the group’s members and its fans may not always be able to understand one another, this song recognizes that speaking the same language is not as important as the love itself.
SEVENTEEN’s performance unit are known for electronic and production heavy songs, but this song brings in a recurring guitar riff and is slower compared to other performance unit tracks, making it feel refreshing and new.
Track 5 – “Dust”
SEVENTEEN’s vocal unit reminisces on a past relationship in this song, comparing their yearning and memories to “Dust.”
“The dust of stinging and better longing,” the unit sings, “They don’t float away / They just stack up in my heart.”
Despite being a song about missing someone and not being able to move on, this track is surprisingly bright and upbeat.
Without a translation, I would definitely mistake this for a happy song, which is an interesting contrast to previous vocal unit songs that are sadder and slower reflective tracks, like “Second Life” or “Habit.”
Track 6 – “April shower”
To end “FML,” SEVENTEEN takes the phrase “April showers bring May flowers” and turns it into a song.
The group track “April shower” returns to a more classic SEVENTEEN sound, featuring bright, poppy instrumentals and a lighter feel compared to the previous tracks.
This song talks about viewing the rain and difficult times as a form of hope.
“When the April shower falls in late spring / Put down your umbrella and walk in the rain,” SEVENTEEN sings. “We are like flowers that bloom in May / We go from waiting to beauty.”
This track feels like a nice bookend to an album that centers around the desire and search for hope in life. For an album called “FML,” you wouldn’t think that it would end with such a happy song, but it’s clear SEVENTEEN would rather focus on the silver linings in life than pain.
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