Euphoria!

Hello everyone!

I hope you guys are excited – we are finally talking about Euphoria!

It is such a happy uplifting headbanger of a song and JK sang this song beautifully with so much energy, youth and emotion. This is one of the first songs from BTS that caught my attention before I became a proper ARMY. 💜

A forewarning, this is an extra-long post as we have heaps to discuss. So please make yourself a cuppa before settling in!

Today, we will be discussing:

• Why we are discussing Euphoria after Tear;
• The purpose of Euphoria being:
  • the first song in Love Yourself: 結 Answer; and
  • released as a mini film titled “Theme of Love Yourself 起: Wonder”;
• The True Author of Euphoria; and
• The meaning behind Euphoria’s lyrics.

Leeetttt’s gettt it!

Assumed Knowledge & Assumptions

I have written this post assuming you know:

• my theory, that all of the songs in LY albums are connected and reveal a storyline when read in a specific order; and
• Joon and Yoongi’s stories discussed in my blog so far.

New Readers

Hello there and welcome to my blog! I’m sorry to say that if you haven’t read any of the above posts… I may lose you in the detail as my lyrical analyses are built on existing knowledge!

This is simply because all of the songs are interconnected and need to be read in a specific order for it to make sense, just like a book.

You can absolutely still continue to read and follow how I draw meaning from the lyrics, but you may not understand for example what I’m talking about when I say the perspectives of Joon, Hobi and Yoongi.

If you’re wondering where to start, please start here!

Please also note the assumptions I apply when I analyse songs.

Enjoy! 😊

1. Why are we discussing Euphoria after Tear instead of Epiphany?

The table below marks the songs and perspectives that we have discussed so far in my blog:

As you can see, the last perspective that we have not covered is Hobi. “Trivia” in Latin means the merging of three roads (i.e. three (tri) perspectives via Joon, Yoongi and Hobi), and we can see that the three perspectives merge in DNA, Her, Fake Love and Tear.

Thus, we need to study Hobi’s perspective first before we can move on to Epiphany, I’m Fine and so on.

However, as Euphoria is placed before Trivia 起: Just Dance in the order, we must study Euphoria first before we can move on to Trivia 起: Just Dance and study Hobi’s perspective.

2. The Purpose of Euphoria

Euphoria had an interesting release. Besides being released as part of the third album Love Yourself 結: Answer on 24 August 2018, a short clip was released on 5 April 2018 with the title: Theme of Love Yourself: 起 Wonder.

Euphoria is the only content from the Love Yourself: 起 Wonder series and, interestingly, (through Love Yourself: 起 Wonder) is connected to the suffix: Wonder and the prefix: 起. This is the same prefix as Hobi’s Trivia 起: Just Dance.

Why do this? Why create a mini Love Yourself: 起 Wonder video to be part of the Love Yourself series? What purpose does this serve? Why not just release the same Euphoria video as a normal singles video like IDOL and Fake Love? Why highlight it separately? Why the connection to the prefix 起 and “Wonder”? What is the point of all this? What are they trying to tell us?

2a. The meaning of 起承轉結

There are altogether four Chinese/Korean/Japanese prefixes in the Love Yourself series: 起承轉結. These prefixes, when combined together describes the structure of Chinese, Korean and Japanese narratives:

• 起 – Means start or introduction
• 承 – Development
• 轉 – The Twist
• 結 – Conclusion or ending of the story.

In Part 1 of my theory, we have identified that the narrative of:

• 承 is told through Serendipity, DNA, Dimple, Trivia 承: Love and Outro: Her; and
• 轉 is told through Singularity, Fake Love, The Truth Untold, Trivia 轉: Seesaw;

結‘s narrative, as we will soon see, will be told through Epiphany, I’m Fine, Idol and Answer: Love Myself. Notice that there is no song with the prefix 結 in this group. Why this irregularity? We will find out later… Hint: There is no end 😉

Thus, as Euphoria and Trivia 起: Just Dance are clearly linked to the prefix 起 (which has the meaning “start” or “let’s go!”), this tells us that both songs function as prologues to the Love Yourself trilogy.

They are like “The Hobbit” to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

If Euphoria and Trivia 起: Just Dance are prologues – I hear you wonder – why didn’t they release Euphoria and Trivia 起: Just Dance before Love Yourself 承: Her? It would make a lot more sense.

Indeed it would have been a lot more logical, but I think they have done it his way for the same reason I believe why only some songs from the first two albums make it to the third album – To confuse us, break up the puzzle across the three albums and (ironically) neatly present to us the right way to read the songs in the third album as illustrated in the table below.

Notice that the order of album release is consistent with my theory’s order of how the songs should be read.

2b. The poetic-ness of this structure

I also want to take this opportunity to point out the beautiful poetic-ness of the suffix names of the Love Yourself albums.

As we know now, there is a short clip plus the three Love Yourself albums:

• Love Yourself 起: Wonder
• Love Yourself 承: Her
• Love Yourself 轉: Tear
• Love Yourself 結: Answer

You may have realised that the suffixes appears in the chorus for (Outro): Her:

All of my wonder
You’re the answer*
I call you her, her
Cause you’re my tear, tear

*Other translation available is: “The answer for that”

Now, “Wonder” is about the beginning, and “Answer” is about the end.

This gives a poetic and literal meaning to Namjoon’s verse in (Outro): Her: “You’re my beginning and my end” as it can be read with the same meaning as the chorus: “[You’re] my wonder… [and my] answer.”

Poetically Namjoon is saying: You, the person I call “Her”, you have caused me both happy and sad tears (in the two meanings).

But because of how wonderful you are, you have filled my life with wonder right from the beginning, and you will always be my answer to everything till the end of my life.

In the most poetic of sense, you’re the beginning and end of me.

3. The True Author of Euphoria

3a. Melanie Fontana

Now, I feel like many of you readers might be disappointed with this post, especially my dear dongsaeng Caji – I know you have been patiently waiting for this analysis! 😔

The reason why I believe many of you may be disappointed… is that though Joon is the sole accredited BTS author of this song, the lyrics were substantially not written by him… meaning that Euphoria’s lyrics are not substantially based on Joon’s experience.

The lyrics for Euphoria were actually substantially written by a producer called Melanie Fontana (together with DJ swivel Young, Candance Nicole Sosa, Hitman bang, Supreme Boi and Adora) and was originally meant for Justin Bieber (source 1, source 2 and source 3).

Joon said this in his Vlive:

I wanted to write the lyrics of “Euphoria”, but I didn’t take part a lot in the lyrics. I was all over the place during “Fake Love” promotion. I was too busy to write the lyrics. I kept putting it off. Turns out a lot of people helped finish the song. I supervised and changed a few words for pronunciation.

…It turned out to be a perfect song. I can’t ask for more. The lyrics, melody and the artist. It’s kind of a magical song. “Euphoria” puts you in a euphoric state… “Euphoria” is a cool song open to a lot of possibilities.  

Given Joon had artistic direction and influence and was the one who wanted to write the lyrics, we can infer that Joon, consistent with the obvious meaning of the song, intended for the song to be about the (general) feeling of being ecstatic, happy and in a state of euphoria.

However, the implication of (the lack of) Namjoon’s participation is that we can only study the lyrics from a general point of view.

The lyrics of Euphoria are not specific to Namjoon’s perspective and story in the Love Yourself series.

4b. Joon’s special contribution

However my Namjin readers and Caji dongsaeng, there is one very special reference for Namjoon’s lover I would like to point out 😊

I said in my post I NEED “U” – Part 2:

Besides the amazing word plays one can play with the letter “U”, I believe one of its purposes is to allow us to draw the connection between “I Need U” and “U” because quite literally, the “U” in both songs, is the same “U”.

I have collated below instances where Namjoon has played with the letter “U” or the sound…

… “You’re the cause of my euphoria… when I’m with you I’m in utopia” – Euphoria (This one is my interpretation, but I would bet my jajangmyeon Namjoon chose Euphoria because the “E” in Euphoria is silent so it sounds like “U-phoria”, and it can be rhymed with “utopia”)

Joon said in his Vlive:

I wrote the bridge part and “When I’m with you I’m in utopia”. “Utopia” and “Euphoria” sound similar, so I added that line.

I say… I called it close enough and that I should be allowed to keep my jajangmyeon 😆😎

I knew those lyrics sounded like Joon’s!

4. Analysing Euphoria’s Lyrics

As we are going to be analysing this from a general perspective, I am going to be referring to the lover in this song as “Her” or the pronoun “She” (to be consistent with the Love Yourself albums), and the speaker as “the speaker” or “their”/”them” as the speaker could be anyone, male or female.

This song (as you will soon see) also has a bunch of references to DNA which has three perspectives, Joon, Yoongi and Hobi’s. Thus, this song can be applied to all three “Hers”.

4a. Wonder

You are the sun that rose again in my life
The return of my childhood dreams
I don’t know what this feeling is
Perhaps this is also in a dream

The analogy of the sun rising “again” in my life conveys to us that she brings brightness, joy and wonder into the speaker’s life.

She brings so much joy to the speaker that their childhood dreams return to them. The object of “childhood dreams” evoke within us feelings of simplicity, innocent joy and pure happiness.

Euphoria was released with a short clip titled Love Yourself 起: Wonder is because Euphoria is about how she brings pure wonder and joy to the speaker’s life.

It is also because “Wonder” is an adjective that describes her.
(e.g. Joon’s lover is wonderful, the BTS members are wonderful and ARMY is wonderful)

The speaker wonders “what this feeling is” and that “perhaps this is also in a dream.” The line “I don’t know what this feeling is” echos the lyrics in Trivia 承 : Love where Joon wonders, “Is this love? Sometimes I know, yeah. Sometimes I don’t, yeah.”

Another reason Euphoria was released with a short clip titled Love Yourself 起: Wonder is because Euphoria is about wondering what if this euphoric feeling is love.

In short, the word “Wonder” is a very fitting suffix for Euphoria.

4b. Priori

Dream is a blue mirage in a desert
A priori from deep inside of me
I get breathtakingly euphoric
The surrounding becomes more and more transparent

I hear the ocean from far away
I walk across the dream over the forest
and go towards that place as it gets clearer
Take my hands now
You are the cause of my euphoria

What’s a priori?

I am going to go with my hunch and guess that the lyrics “Dream is a blue mirage in a desert. A piori from deep inside me” was influenced by Joon. This is because I have observed that Joon likes to write lyrics that contain words like “blue mirage”, “desert”, and references to other cultures and deep philosophical stuff. “Priori” is Latin and is, in my humble opinion, pretty philosophical.

A priori is a term applied to knowledge considered to be true without being based on previous experience or observation. In this sense, a priori describes knowledge that requires no evidence.

Priori comes from Latin and literally translates as “from the previous” or “from the one before.”

In other words, “A piori from deep inside me” means that Joon experienced a feeling that inexplicably told him that something was true without any evidence.

(Think of it like a gut feeling from your past life but much much much much stronger.)

We have come across a priori event before in my blog in DNA:

At first sight, I could recognise you
As if we were calling for each other
The DNA in my blood vessels tell me
That it’s you I was looking all over for

I said in DNA:

By referencing this story about Soulmates, Namjoon is revealing to us that within the first second of meeting each other, he and his lover, in silence, immediately recognised and understood each other.

They knew immediately that they found their other half.

Thus, I believe Joon is referencing his first meeting with his lover when he wrote these lyrics.

Within the first second of meeting each other, a priori from deep inside Joon allowed him to immediately know, without any previous evidence as if this knowledge was from a previous life that he cannot remember, that the person he just met is his soulmate.

Because of the priori deep inside of the speaker, the speaker:

• who described their state as being in a dream (“Dream is a blue mirage in a desert… I walk across the dream over the forest” );
• is filled with clarity of thought (“the surroundings become more and more transparent…that place as it gets clearer” );
• is filled with a particular emotion that affects his breathing (“I get breathtakingly euphoric” ); and
• understands what she is to them (“Take my hands now, you’re the cause of my euphoria” )

These lyrics mirror the lyrics in DNA where the speaker:

• stated that they are in dreams with her (“You’re the source of my dream”);
• is filled with clarity of thought (“At first sight, I could recognise you… The evidence of destiny given to me… none of this is a coincidence”);
• is filled with a particular emotion that affects their breathing (“very time I see her, I freak out. Surprisingly, I keep gasping” ); and
• understand what she is to them (“take it, take it, my hand reaching out to you is my chosen fate” )

In other words, Euphoria is about the joy you feel from meeting “Her”, your soulmate(s).

4c. Wandering and fate

Did you, like I did,
wander, looking for an erased dream?
It’s different from a plain word like fate

There are a few intesting to point out:

1. First, the English word “wander” fittingly rhymes with “wonder”… As in wandering the earth before finding your soulmate. And I can’t help but wonder (pun not intended) if this is Namjoon’s doing… hmm!
   
2. The lyrics “Did you, like I did, wander, looking for an erased dream?” has the same consistent meaning of the soulmate verse from DNA discussed above, where Joon wrote, “ … it’s you I was looking all over for.“
   
3. In the context of DNA, “an erased dream” refers to memories and connections one had in their previous life that they can no longer remember in their current life.
   
   The speaker comments that this “erased dream” is “different from a plain word like fate.”
   
   As we saw in DNA, their destinies, particularly between Joon and his lover are so strong and entwined with each other, that “through the infinite centuries and behind, in the previous life and maybe next to“, they will always wander the earth to look for each other so that they can be “eternally together.”
   
   Because their connection transcends time and space, the speaker comments that the term “fate” does not adequately describe their connection. It is just too “plain.”

4d. Utopia

I refer to the following lyrics:

Won’t you please stay in [my] dreams…

Even if the sand ground cracks
Even if someone shakes this world
Please don’t let ever go of the hand you’re holding
Please don’t ever wake up from the dream…

…Take my hands now
You are the cause of my euphoria
Euphoria

Close the door now
When I’m with you I’m in utopia

The repetition of “dream” throughout the song and the lyrics “please don’t ever wake up from the dream” convey to us that the entire song is set in a dream state that is outside of reality.

Euphoria is set in her and the speaker’s own little world, a world that is perfect, beautiful and allows them to exist happily ever after – A perfect utopia (or, “U”-topia… or “You”-topia… or “U”-niverse or “You”-niverse, you know what I mean? 😏)

Utopia is a perfect world with “U” in it.

The speaker pleads with her to stay with them in this perfect imagined perfect world even if the “sand ground cracks” or if “someone shakes this world” so that they can continue to ignore and stay away from the inevitible pains and troubles that exist in the real world.

We can infer that she agrees as the speaker says “close the door now” , implying that they both are shutting themselves out from the real world to stay in their own happy utopia behind closed doors.

Namjoon’s lyrics? Or a coincidence?

Euphoria ends with “close the door now, when I’m with you I’m in Utopia.” The next song of Namjoon’s story is Serendipity, which starts off with Namjoon and his love “blooming” till they ache presumably in euphoria and behind closed doors.

Thus, if Namjoon did write these lyrics, this is additional evidence that the songs form a continuous storyline.

4e. A touch of pain

I refer to the following lyrics:

You’re looking at the same place with me with a pain in your eyes
Won’t you please stay in dreams

These lyrics felt very jarring to me. All of Euphoria’s lyrics are filled with positivity and happiness… except for this one line. Why? It stood out like a sore thumb.

One interpretation is that she knows that she and the speaker will have to leave their utopia at some point and return to the real world outside their doors. The knowledge that they have to wake up and face the harsh realities of life is the pain that is reflected in her eyes.

However, an additional interpretation in the context of Joon’s story is that there is pain in her eyes because she knows that she can only be with Joon in this utopia in their dreams or behind closed doors. She knows that though they want to be in a relationship with each other like other people around them “you’re looking at the same place with me” … they can’t.

This is because in their reality, their relationship is forbidden.

Author’s Thoughts

You know what I think?

First, sigh… I hope people and society change… soon and quickly. Forbidden love is just painful for everyone 😣

Second, on a much happier note. Thank YOU for supporting my blog! You are the cause of my Euphoria. 🥰 Knowing that you read my blogs gives me so much strength and energy to keep going!

Borahae! 💜💜

x G

Lyric sources: Doolset Lyrics and Genius Lyrics

Disclaimer:

As per my first author’s note, please, no hate!

I do not have a shipping or individual bias, I love all seven members equally and I do not write my blogs because of a particular personal desire for one of them. I reached my conclusion on Joon and Jin being together based on the lyrics, logic and patterns as I have discussed in all my posts (i.e. I did not ship Namjin first, and then started trying to find things to prove my point). I genuinely enjoy all ships because I enjoy watching the different chemistries between the boys.

It does not matter one bit to me if they are straight, gay, intersex, a skrull, a mutant or if they could lay eggs. I love them wholeheartedly (as a sister who would love her younger brothers) for their individual selves.

This theory of Euphoria is based on my interpretations of its lyrics. Please enjoy.