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Airplane Pt 2 – Analysed and Explained

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Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a great Bang Bang Con weekend! Brazil, you guys are so so special. Thank you for giving the boys so much love. Amo muito todos vocês 💜

Recently, a few of my readers have compiled further evidence supporting my theories and have taken the time to post them in the comments section in the relevant posts! Please do take the time to check them out! You can read them here:

I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has over the months posted pieces of evidence supporting my theories in the comment section! Thank you for all your contributions! 😊

Okay, let’s get started!

Assumed Knowledge & Assumptions

I have written this post assuming you know:

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.

This idea is completely consistent with what Namjoon said about the Love Yourself albums.

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

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

Enjoy! 😊

1. Preface

1a. The story told thus far

Let’s do a recap of where we are in the story line.

In Part 1 (Serendipity to Answer: Love Myself (finished)) we saw our three protagonists meeting and falling in love with their respective Hers and their worlds falling apart as they initially tried to overcome their problems by pretending that they were fine. This led to their relationships becoming fake and to their breakups. Thankfully, they had an epiphany and realised that She wasn’t the issue, it was them who needed to fix themselves.

In Part 2 so far (Magic Shop and Best of Me), we saw our protagonists reaching out to ARMY to share with ARMY their stories so that ARMY can learn from them the importance of loving yourself. They also asked their respective Hers for reconciliation on the basis that they now know what they needed to fix and how to be a better partner. She thankfully agreed and promised to remain by their sides.

With Her back by their sides, our protagonists set off to continue their world domination.

1b. The story of Airplane

It is no secret that Airplane Pt 2 is a sequel to Hobi’s (solo) work, Airplane.

Therefore, it is important that we understand what Airplane is about before we study Airplane Pt 2.

As the lyrics to Airplane are straightforward, I have summarised its key messages and takeaways below instead of undertaking a full length analysis of it:

Key takeaway #1

Airplane was written by Hobi and is based on Hobi’s experience of being an idol. At the start, he faced criticisms and challenges that all threatened to burn him down and destroy him, “Again I remember myself of back then, when the barren land was burning me down…”

However, he never lost hope and kept looking to the skies and imagining himself on an airplane, “I ran looking at the blue sky, I wanted to fly in that airplane…”

When Hobi flew on an airplane to his first show in Japan, he was so excited “because that’s what flew my dream.”

Key takeaway #1: The airplane is a symbol of BTS’ success.
The more successful you are, the more airplanes you will fly to perform at concerts, meet fans, shoot music videos, attend award shows, etc.

Key takeaway #2 and #3

Hobi said in his lyrics that:

Key takeaway #2: Hobi, and by extension BTS, endured a lot of criticisms, hate and jealousy.

Key takeaway #3: Literally and symbolically, saying you’re on an airplane is saying “piss off” to the haters because:

1. In the literal sense, when you’re on airplane mode you can’t receive or read any hate messages.
2. In the symbolic sense, being on an airplane means you’re successful and any hate messages are meaningless and baseless.

I’ve turned on airplane mode. So haters, have a cry by yourselves and piss off.

Key takeaway #4

Hobi then says:

Key takeaway #4: In the song Airplane, Hobi and by extension BTS, have made it.

They are so successful that they have chalked up a few hundred thousand mileage, have had years of flying and… have their own airplane.

BTS are not just successful. They are top of the world successful.

1c. The authors of Airplane Pt 2

Namjoon, Yoongi and Hobi are all accredited authors of Airplane Pt 2, and in Namjoon’s Vlive, he mentioned that he wrote most of Airplane Pt 2’s lyrics.

Generally, when this happens, I would take on the assumption that the majority of the lyrics are written from Namjoon’s perspective and can be therefore applied to his lover. However, in the context of what Airplane Pt 1’s lyrics are about and the fact it is an extension of Hobi’s solo work, I don’t think it is the case here.

Further, Namjoon himself said in his VLive that he doesn’t have much to say about Airplane Pt 2. I believe he has nothing much to say because:

Now, let’s start analysing Airplane Pt 2.

2. El Mariachi

“El Mariachi” is repeated throughout the song no less than 14 times. The repetition conveys the importance of El Mariachi, but… who or what exactly is El Mariachi and why is BTS singing about it?

El Mariachi is a 1992 low budget movie that tells the story of a young musician who one day arrives at a Mexican border town looking for work. He is dressed in black, carries a guitar case, and all he wants to do is to pursue his dream of becoming a mariachi to sing for people and play his guitar.

Unbeknown to him, a killer arrives at the same town on the same day, dressed in the same way as him with a guitar case filled with weapons, and hitmen after him.

Thus, the mariachi, a harmless innocent romantic who only wanted to sing, is suddenly thrust into a middle of a blood feud with a bunch of people shooting at him. He defends himself while trying to figure out why he is the centre of attention, and why people want him dead.

We can draw parallels from El Mariachi to BTS’ story:

Similarly with El Mariachi, BTS started as a group of young passionate artists who only wanted to rap, sing and perform for their audiences.

They quickly found themselves subjected to assaults that they needed to defend, and were confused as to why people were actively trying to bring them down.

In addition, El Mariachi was an extremely low budget film with a budget of approximately $7,000 USD. $3,000 of it was raised by the director Robert Rodriguez agreeing to be a laboratory rat (source – I recommend everyone to read this!).

Despite the incredibly tiny budget, El Mariachi went on to be so successful it was recognised by the Guinness World Records as the lowest-budgeted film ever to gross $1 million at the box office (source). A truly amazing feat.

We can also draw a further parallel.

Similarly with Robert Rodriguez, PD Bang/BigHit started as a poor director/company with very limited resources to record and produce music, shoot and film music videos, set up concerts, purchase props, costumes etc.

Despite their limited budget and resources, PD Bang/BigHit were able to work with BTS to produce music, media and stage productions that went on to be very successful and win world records.

This is also why Airplane Pt 2 has a Latin American pop feel. It is inspired by a movie that takes place in Latin America.

3. The Young Mariachi

An odd kid
He sang as if he was breathing
Anywhere was fine
He only wanted to do music
Only singing
The thing that made his heart beat
Although he walked down the only path

The young mariachi (i.e. the odd kid) in this song is, of course, BTS themselves. Similarly to the young mariachi in El Mariachi, all the boys ever wanted to do is to do music because it was “the thing that made his heart beat.”

The above lyrics convey to us a sense of genuineness and sincerity through the absence of any other goal “he only wanted to do music, only singing…” Intuitively, we understand that BTS entered the music industry with no ill intentions and no other safety nets if they failed “he walked down the only path.”

In other words, if music didn’t work out, the odd kid (BTS) had nothing to fall back on.
Music is all he has.

The description of “odd kid” also relays to us that BTS entered the kpop music industry at a young age, and that there was nothing particularly threatening about them. It evokes to us a sense of vulnerability and conveys to us that this odd kid was an outcast according to society norms. They were most certainly not part of the “cool crowd”.

This, as we can easily see, is consistent with BTS’ history.

4. Failure and Frustration

It’s not easy
Failure and frustration
Words that someone gave me after calling me, exhausted, to stop
You’re a singing star
You’re a singing star
But I see no star…
After some years passed by

(We still) Sky high, sky fly, sky dope
(We still) Same try, same scar, same work
(We still) Wherever in the world we go,
(We still) we work in our hotel rooms

The above lyrics reveal to us that BTS experienced “failure and frustration” and were told repeatedly that they had no potential to become a famous star, “you’re a singing star, but I see no star…”

The lyrics “after some years passed by” indicate to us that these doubts were predominately present in their earlier years before they grew in popularity and were able to perform around the world “wherever in the world we go.”

These calls for them “to stop” and give up were “exhausting“, indicating to us that these criticisms and unhelpful comments were relentless and wore BTS down.

This is consistent with what we know from the BTS’ history and also with songs like The Last by Agust D.

However, the repetitive echo of “we still” conveys to us that from day 1 to the present day, BTS did not slow in their efforts to become a successful music entertainer. They still continued to “work in our hotel rooms“, with the same amount of passion and effort “same try… same work“, and endure the “same scars” and treatments from their critics.

The recurring motif of scars in BTS’ lyrics also leaves us with the understanding that these keyboard warriors and media companies left the boys with a permanent mark. Their words and actions over the years have scarred the boys emotionally and mentally… maybe even physically.

And though scars can fade and form part of your constellations… they will always be there.

BTS endured endless assaults and scars.

This was particularly frustrating and difficult because music and performing for ARMY was all they wanted to do.

5. Namjoon’s ongoing battle

I refer to the following lyrics:

(I still) One day it works out too well, then the next day it’s completely screwed
(I still) Who should I live as today, Kim Namjoon or RM?
25, I still don’t know how to live well
So, today as well, we just go

The above lyrics reveal to us Namjoon’s ongoing mental battle with his various selves, “who should I live as today…?”

The comparison of Kim Namjoon (his birth name) and RM (his stage name) tells us that the leader of BTS and the person Kim Namjoon live with a different set of expectations and rules that they need to follow.

You may remember from Answer: Love Myself that Namjoon was “still looking for myself.” This is consistent with the above lyrics “I still… I still… who should I live as today… I still don’t know how to live well,” evidencing that Namjoon in Airplane Pt 2 was still trying to figure out his various personas to live his life well.

This daily toss-up of who he needed to be (or should be, or is) and the implications of his choices were just as much of a roller coaster ride as BTS’ history and career, “one day it works out too well, then the next day it’s completely screwed.”

Being the leader of BTS and an idol meant that Namjoon had to sacrifice parts of his “Kim Namjoon” persona at various times.

Having to deal with the ups and downs and having to constantly swap personas became confusing for Namjoon, resulting in him not “living well”.

Worst, sometimes he “screwed up” and used the wrong persona for a situation. As the leader, he would have had to deal with its implications.

This may be the root cause of his feelings discussed in the Sea post.

6. Hobi in the clouds

I refer to the following lyrics:

Every day above the clouds, Every day above the clouds
My feel above the clouds, Check it above the clouds
My chemistry with the clouds, All day with the clouds
The fun of riding the clouds, Fade-in looking at the clouds
You don’t know maybe

Thanks to years of flying
I got a few hundred thousand mileage
It’s time to cheer you up who couldn’t make it
I’ll give you the flight points as a present
Love the airplane mode 
Turn off all the concerns
No matter what anyone says
I’ll just continue to keep the first
and look at the night sky as it fits my place right now

The above lyric are the exact same lyrics from Hobi’s Airplane song and we have already touched on some earlier in this post.

We can see that Hobi is having a great time hanging above the clouds, “my feel… my chemistry… all day… fun,” and we can infer that Hobi is on cloud 9, feeling elated that has been able to accomplish what so many people have told him that he wouldn’t be able to do.

Hobi addresses someone directly in this lyrics, “you don’t know maybe… time to cheer you up who couldn’t make it… I’ll give you the flight points as a present.” We can infer from the lyrics that this person (or persons) that Hobi is referring to hasn’t made it to become a successful idol.

Given the overall tone of Airplane and Airplane Pt 2, we get a sense that this “you” Hobi is addressing wasn’t exactly the most supportive person(s), and that they were the ones “talking shit” about Hobi in his Airplane lyrics.

Hobi takes a little jab at this person(s) by telling them to cheer up because he is going to give them his flight points as a present, rubbing it in that yes, he indeed is rich with flight points from all of that flying.

Who can blame Hobi though? Our star who was once lost has found his place in the beautiful night sky.

7. Yoongi doesn’t know

I refer to the following lyrics:

I don’t know, I don’t know,
I don’t know, I don’t know
yeah, how to stop

I don’t know, I don’t know,
I don’t know, I don’t know
yeah, how to take some rest

I don’t know, I don’t know,
I don’t know, I don’t know
how to fail

I don’t know, I don’t know,
I don’t know, I don’t know

I got fed up by you cutely bragging about your money on TV
My passport is about to die from overwork
You’re the ones who benefited from media bahahaha
Hey hey you’re the ones who’re better at playing celebrities
We’re still the same as back then
Woo!

We have already discussed at length in previous blog posts about Yoongi’s ambitious side and the ‘greedy monster’ that lives in him. This again comes through in the above lyrics as Yoongi tells the world and his haters that he doesn’t know how to stop, rest or fail. He will do anything win.

The same lyrics also reiterate to us that Yoongi went all-in into his music career and that he works tirelessly and endlessly, producing, writing, promoting, and practising everywhere around the world in his hotel room.

In other words, Yoongi’s limit and ambition are as high as the clouds, and his passport is as overworked and exhausted as he is.

Similarly with Hobi, Yoongi addresses someone directly in his lyrics, “I got fed up by you cutely bragging about your money on TV… you’re the ones who benefited from media… you’re the ones who’re better at playing celebrities…”

We can infer that the person(s) Yoongi is addressing is not the same person(s) Hobi was addressing because Yoongi’s “you” is successful.

This person(s) has become rich, is on the tv and is relishing their celebrity fame and power.

Given Yoongi’s obvious dislike for this person(s) and the overall context of Airplane’s lyrics, we can infer that this person(s) grew rich by benefiting from the media at the expense of BTS. Yoongi further implies to us that this person(s) has changed a lot over the years, because unlike this person(s), BTS are “still the same as back then.“

Unlike this person(s), BTS would not intentionally try to benefit from someone’s expense.

They would also still happily sit on the floor, camp out in a caravan, cook meals over a camping stove, enter into a partnership with McDonald’s, get excited over a $10 gift voucher and betray each other for a box of ramyeon.

8. From humble beginnings to…

The song finishes with the boys singing:

We goin’ from NY to Cali
London to Paris
Wherever we go, it’s a party

El Mariachi
El Mariachi
El Mariachi

We goin’ from Tokyo, Italy
Hong Kong to Brazil
Wherever in the world, I will sing

El Mariachi
El Mariachi
El Mariachi
El Mariachi…

From humble beginnings, our young mariachis and their once poor director/company overcame the odds to become one of the most* successful artist and music company of this decade and generation.

*Arguably the most successful, but I figured I may be biased, it would be inappropriate to compare groups from a different era because of the differences in technology, global connectivity, award availability, etc etc, and we should follow BTS and not brag about being the best 😋

The variety of locations (New York, Cali, London, Paris, Tokyo, Italy, Hong Kong, Brazil) make it is clear that BTS fans are global and worldwide, and that their music has transcended language and culture barriers. BTS held sold-out concerts everywhere they went and despite language differences, every concert was filled with ARMYs belting their hearts out and singing with them in Korean.

Even though Airplane Pt 2 makes it clear that BTS are now rich and successful, the song also makes it very clear that BTS will always remember:

El Mariachi
El Mariachi
El Mariachi…

Author’s Thoughts

BTS is the first Kpop group I’ve ever been interested in, and so when I joined the fandom I was shocked at the intensity, loyalty and protectiveness of ARMY. I was never exposed to anything like that before BTS.

But as I met wonderful people who educated me and as I got to know BTS more and more… I now understand the reason why ARMY are so fiercely protective over the boys.

There are many articles, Youtube videos and Twitter threads that discuss the media abuse BTS endured and still continue to endure (example 1, example 2, example 3 and example 4). They were the underdogs in South Korea (and in the world) with little power and influence, and everyone was trying to burn them down.

Hence, words can’t quite describe my love and respect for BTS, PD Bang and BigHit who walked through the fire and went from rags to riches by choosing to act with integrity and authenticity, and by choosing to spread love and acceptance.

💜 G

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Lyric sources:

Doolset lyrics and Genius lyrics

Please note I made some minor updates where I thought things could be expressed better. These minor updates do not result in any substantial change in meaning.

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 Airplane Pt 2 is based on my interpretations of its lyrics. Please enjoy.

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