In “Pied Piper”, BTS questions the relationship between idols and artists in addition to critically addressing ARMY’s fanaticism.
BTS’s catalog is full of songs full of light and encouraging speech, which is why songs like “Dynamite” have crossed the boundaries of popularity. However, the group has also distinguished itself by the incendiary character of its compositions and one of the most profound is “Pied Piper”.
It is known worldwide that BTS’s success is due, in large part, to the support and dedication ARMY employs through social media plays, merchandise purchases, live broadcast attention, and more. These actions have also been described as obsessive by some critics who reinforce the stigmas of K-Pop.
However, despite the fact that the fandom constantly promotes the defense towards Bangtan Sonyeondan and its position in the face of negative comments about the practices of solidarity with the group, did you ever imagine that the septet itself would echo these remarks in their songs , to critically approach the relationship with his community of fans?
If BTS has already spoken about other social phenomena such as the inequality of opportunities in youth, the emotional desolation of their generation, the injustices of high hierarchies and more, of course they would also have to express their position regarding ARMY, one of the most influential and powerful fanbase in today’s entertainment industry.
The interpretations that have been given to “Pied Piper” are diverse.
In a superficial way it can be said that the lineup sings and raps about how irresistible their music is, but not from egocentricity, but through a perspective that highlights the vices of becoming figures of admiration and fanaticism, at the extreme level of these terms.
The song, included in the album ‘Love Yourself: Her’ of 2017, as its title suggests, is inspired by the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, tells the story of a town that suffers a plague of rats and hires a flute prodigy to solve his problem.
The character manages, with the sound of his instrument, to attract the rodents to a lake, where he drowns them so that they cannot return to the town.
Although he fulfilled his task of extermination, the villagers sought to evade his reward, so, as revenge, using the same method of hypnosis, he decides to take 130 children to disappear.
“Stop, stop looking and start studying for the exams …
Even if you try to resist it, it won’t work …”
By way of an analogy, BTS translates this story to the lyrics of “Pied Piper”, with the difference that, in their universe, with their artistic talent, they act as the flute players who blindly captivate millions of people around the world, willing to do whatever it takes for them.
