A heart on the cover of BTS’ 2019 album, Map of the Soul: Persona, is the perfect symbolism to represent the endearing sentiments the band shared on track #5, titled “HOME.” It was written together with several contributors - including members RM, Suga, and j-hope - as well as Pdogg, Adora, Lauren Dyson, Tushar Apte, Krysta Youngs, Julia Ross, Jeong Bobby, and Song Jae-kyeong. The song’s release coincided with a moment when BTS was reaching new heights and collecting all sorts of accolades for their success. However, the lyrics expressed a yearning for the familiar, safe, and comfortable. Such a place existed in ARMY, their fans — their home.
Contrast: Smooth & Vibrant
The musical journey through this song begins with the mellow vocals of a female singer, accompanied by finger-snapping, which give it an old-school R&B vibe. You can almost picture yourself sitting in a small room in front of a little stage, dimly illuminated, the artists performing just a few meters away from you. It’s a cozy and intimate setting, where it feels as if the lyrics are being sung directly to you; if you’re ARMY, this is exactly the case.
RM is the first member that we hear, saying that he’s exhausted, and the music echoes that very feeling by starting slow, almost dragging itself. However, soon enough, a brief percussion section introduces Jimin’s voice, bright and smooth, which starts transforming the atmosphere of the song into something new.
“HOME” is a song that embodies a harmonious contrast between the smooth vocals and the vibrant strength of the rap sections. The first big change in its mood comes when V sings his famous line “crazy for myself.” It almost feels as if someone kicked the door open and the room got flooded with light as the energy started to pick up. Right after that exceptional transition, RM’s rap section is able to come in naturally, strong, and even a little playful in its delivery.
Then, the sound of hands clapping starts creating an expectation for what’s to come, just like an audience that feels their favorite part approaching during a concert. Both in the pre-chorus and chorus, the vocal line shines the brightest as their melodious voices weave together. They all get to show their personal color in a beautiful way.
The next rap section is j-hope’s. If you’re listening with headphones, and you should be, you’ll hear him jump from one ear to the other right before he properly begins. He comes in with a bouncy and vibrant energy that is sure to hype up the listener. He’s followed by Suga’s more hard-hitting and fast section, with a self-reference to their “No More Dream” lyrics, “Big house, big cars, big rings” that ARMYs are sure to recognize right away.
Finally, for the bridge and the last chorus, the vocal line is able to show off their sweet and rich vocals. From stunning runs to harmonies that make you think of flowers blooming, this is the perfect explosion of sound right before V brings the song to an end. At the press conference for the Map of the Soul: Persona album release, j-hope said that this is a song where you can feel the 7 colors of the BTS members, and he was entirely right.
Home: Safe & Welcomed
At the same press conference, the members briefly offered additional context about each track of the album. When speaking about “HOME,” j-hope indicated that each time they meet ARMY, it feels like being back home. That is the overarching message that we see in the lyrics, but further context was offered on a live stream RM did to speak about the album in-depth.
He explained that the tracks were organized in their specific order to tell a story. Starting at “Persona,” where they start thinking, then realize they need to focus on the small things. This leads them to see each person as a microcosmos, made of small things, but not always welcomed. Finally, they realize the place where they should go, where they can be welcomed, is ARMY. “It’s the place where you, the microcosmos, are,” RM said. This narrative evolves naturally throughout the song, especially in the rap line sections.
“As if everything will become true once I open that door as if I was going to show the world something big, I left home.”
“Yeah, I remember the time when I used to feel I could do everything, I saw the ocean, yeah, even before opening this door”
These lyrics take us back to the past when their younger selves were full of passion and ready to exit the door to face the world. The home back then might have been different, the place where they felt safe and comfortable couldn’t have been the ARMY they hadn’t met yet. They were venturing into the uncertainty of their future, something that they’ve previously mentioned in the Love Yourself: Her hidden track “Sea,” which is referenced at various points in “HOME.”
The realization that even though they’ve achieved a lot of what they had hoped for, something was still amiss is significant. Amid all the success, they still yearn for a familiar place where they can feel safe. ARMY is that home because they are the ones who support BTS and treasure each member’s microcosmos. And since ARMY is everywhere in the world, anywhere they go can be the safe place they wish for.
The knowledge of having such a place means they can keep on moving forward courageously because they’re always able to go back to where they’ll be accepted and welcomed.
Mi Casa: BTS & ARMY
Having the courage to face the world because you have a home you can go back to might be also important as BTS enter chapter 2 of their career. The members can exit the door and explore what they want out of life with the knowledge that ARMY supports and welcomes them. The same goes for ARMY.
Back then, RM found the phrase “mi casa” after searching for an alternative to the English words that didn’t fit in the chorus. It might have been a simple choice, but it ended up being significant for the Spanish-speaking ARMY. Not only was it exciting to hear BTS sing in your language, but to hear it in a song where they were calling you their home was special. It might be cheesy to say, but on this song, they made ARMY, particularly the Spanish-speaking ones, feel more at home than ever.
Closing Thoughts
“HOME” is mostly a Korean song, with some Spanish and English words, so it was important to look at the translations from a native Korean speaker in order to grasp its meaning correctly. The translations included in this blog come from the well-known fan translator doolsetbangtan. In order to get an even better idea of the song, or to make your own interpretations, check them out!
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Written By: Rebeca
Edited By: Aury
Checked By: Shelley