“Life Goes On” by BTS

Chances are that everyone reading this post have had their lives adversely affected, in one way or another, by the coronavirus pandemic. And likewise musicians have not escaped the wrath of this global catastrophe. Usually when we try to empathize with such individuals, perhaps our minds will note for instance how the music industry itself has suffered significantly as a result. 

But there is a more personal side of what they are going through also. For instance, Jimin pointed out to the United Nations that his “world had shrunk to a room”, whereas prior to the lockdowns he was “singing and dancing with fans around the world”.

Fundamentally it is such a sentiment which is being relayed on “Life Goes On”. Yes, the song is very allegorical in its approach. But premise-wise, what it is based on is the world unexpectedly becoming more challenging, and we can also say more stressful, on the singers. However, the way the message is presented is in a universal fashion, as in the band being insightful enough to know that this is not something only they are going through. 

Concerning said message, it is centered on the philosophy of “life goes on”. In other words, the singers have concluded that the best way to overcome this ordeal is by being resilient and supportive. And they are confident that even though “there’s no end” to the pandemic “in sight”, eventually “the day will come back around as if nothing happened”. So basically, BTS are encouraging patience in the face of COVID-19.

And by the way, the disease itself is never mentioned in the lyrics, nor is there any direct reference to it. So again, this song has a general applicability and can be related to any unexpected, seemingly never-ending setback a listener may face in life.

Facts about “Life Goes On”

This is the lead single from an album (or EP, considering it only has eight tracks) BTS dropped on 30 November entitled Be. And they did so via Columbia Records as well as their hometown-based Big Hit Entertainment label.

BTS had begun teasing the track in late October. The first time they performed the song live was during the American Music Awards held on 22 November 2020. They did so remotely via their homeland of South Korea. During the two following days they also rendered it respectively on Good Morning America (23 November) and The Late Late Show with James Corden (24 November).

Jungkook directed two different music videos for “Life Goes On”. The first one came out on 19 November 2020. And the second, which is known as the ‘on my pillow’ version, was released a couple of days later on 21 November and features the homeys chillin’ in their dorm.

As of 22 November 2020, the original music video surpassed 100,000,000 views on YouTube.

Shortly after this song’s release, it was widely predicted that due to its popularity, it may prove to be BTS’s first number one on the UK Singles Chart. However, at the end of the day, the song failed to make it to the top of the UK Charts. It only managed to hit position #10 on the chart in question.

Three members of BTS – Suga, RM and J-Hope – contributed to the writing of “Life Goes On”. And the song’s other authors are Ruuth, Chris Brenner, Antonina Armato and the track’s producer, Pdogg.

Chart Success

“Life Goes On” was a big hit for BTS in a bunch of places, including Singapore and of course the United States.

Other places where “Life Goes On” enjoyed commercial success, include Japan, the UK, Lithuania and South Korea.