“Butter” by BTS, Friday, August 11, 2023 (repost)

Not since Michael Jackson has an artist had five number one singles top the Billboard Top 100 chart in as quick succession as "Dynamite," "Savage Love," "Life Goes On," "Butter," and "Permission to Dance" from late August 2020 to July 2021. Of course, the hit parade continued in late 2021, as a featured spot on Coldplay's "My Universe." The South Korean phenomenon Bangtan Boys, better known by their acronym BTS, don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

GOT ARMY BEHIND US WHEN WE SAY SO. It's no secret that BTS's fan ARMY is strong. According to Quora, there are estimated to be anywhere between 40-60 million fans worldwide. It's because of this ARMY buying multiple copies of the groups singles that propelled the boy band to number one. Some have called this chart manipulation, mainly because of the strategic planning to buy the song, overtaking any other single that would be pushed up the charts based on the now meager sales, streams, and radio play by the sheer amount that BTS sold. However, in a time when streaming has overtaken most music sales, it's a little heartwarming that music fans care so much about their favorite band to actually buy the music. And yes my hipster indie heart is crying just a bit. "Butter" is the group's second English single, following "Dynamite," which helped bring the band to US radio. The band's popularity has raised international interest in other K-pop groups and many have gone back to BTS's back catalogue of Korean-language hits.

A'INT NO OTHER THAT CAN SWEEP YOU UP LIKE A ROBBER. It's important to tread lightly as I am only one person and there is literally an ARMY of fans across the Internet. I have a lot of admiration for BTS as I've written about in previous posts. The light, sugary "Butter" isn't on my personal shortlist of best BTS songs, but there's something catchy about it that will get stuck in your head all day. But try to put the lyrics together, nothing seems to be sticking to the stand mixer. What does stick out are lyrical fragments. Jenna Andrews, one of the songwriters for the single, told American Songwriter that the song was based on the line "Smooth like butter/ like a criminal undercover," a reference to Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal." The songwriters included more references to MJ's songs as well the line "Don't need no Usher / to remind me you got it bad." There's also a line taken from "Rapper's Delight" and Justin Timberlake.  In small doses, "Butter" can be a delicious addition to your playlist, but let's make sure we don't add too much sugar or other saturated fats.

Read “Butter” by BTS on Genius.

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