Meaning of “Fake Love” by BTS

“Fake Love” is a song by the South Korean boy band BTS (also known as Bangtan Boys). As the title suggests, the lyrics of the song are about love that isn’t real. According to the band’s leader RM (Kim Nam-joon), when someone finds him/herself in love and isn’t true to him/herself, the love tends to have a very short lifespan.

All in all, the lyrics of “Fake Love” are about a love that one thought was real only to later find out that it was nothing but a total lie or a complete fake.

Facts about “Fake Love”

• The song was written by BTS member RM and two other songwriters, namely Pdogg and Bang Si-hyuk (also known as “hitman” bang). In addition to being a composer and lyricist, the latter is the CEO and founder of the record label Big Hit Entertainment, which is the same label that launched the international career of BTS.
• The song was produced by the three men (RM, Bang Si-hyuk and Pdogg) who wrote it.
• This track was officially released on May 18tth, 2018 as the first (lead) single from the band’s third studio album titled Love Yourself: Tear. The album has a theme that mainly focuses on the pains brought on by separation. Love Yourself: Tear made history by becoming BTS’ first album to make its debut at the number one spot on the US Billboard 200. In addition to that, the album also became the first K-pop album to reach number one on the US albums chart. Furthermore, Love Yourself: Tear is the first album from an Asian act to top the albums chart in the US.
• Within the first 24 hours of being released on YouTube, the music video of “Fake Love” accumulated approximately 35.9 million views, thereby making it one of the most viewed YouTube videos in 24 hours of being released.
• BTS performed the song live on May 20th, 2018 during the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. The performance saw the song receive its first international television debut.
• The track made its debut at the tenth position on the US Billboard Hot 100. This made it the band’s first ever top ten entry in the Hot 100. It also made history by becoming the most successful song (in terms of its performance on the chart) in the United States. In the UK Singles Chart, the song peaked at number 42.

What is the musical genre of “Fake Love”?

Being a multi genre song, “Fake Love” fits perfectly into the following genres: rap rock and emo hip-hop.