Do you remember the first time you heard the song The Astronaut from Jin of BTS? I do. As a fan of the group, Jin’s solo debut felt bittersweet knowing that he was enlisting in the South Korean military. I was happy that the song spoke of his obvious love and appreciation for his fans (for ARMY). But I was also sad that it felt like it was his way of saying goodbye. And goodbyes, no matter how inevitable this enlistment was, are never easy. In this post, I will take a closer look at the song and its music video. I will share my thoughts on this love song and a goodbye for-now message from Jin for ARMY.
The Song
Written as a collaboration by Jin and Chris Martin of Coldplay, whom BTS had worked with on the song My Universe. When the single was first announced during the BTS Yet to Come concert in Busan, fans were so excited. Little did they (or should I say, we) know. Turns out our hearts would break a day later. This was when BigHit released the announcement of his military enlistment.
The mixed feelings people had about the single's release were not surprising. It was his first official solo single, and it was something he did with Chris Martin of Coldplay, no less. But it was also a song that will always remind fans that he was leaving for the military.
Listening to the music, I could immediately tell the Coldplay influence in its sound. Despite that. lyrics and the message were very Jin. According to Jin, this song was in English, but they felt that it would sound better with Korean lyrics too. That was a good call.
I thought Jin’s emotions were more heartfelt because he was singing in his language. I don’t think that the fans mind that it wasn’t all in English. After all, BTS has been singing in Korean for years. The language barrier has never been an issue for global fans.
The song talks about someone drifting along until he found his home in someone. He talked about a home with someone he found that he loved. For some reason, I remembered his song Moon, where he says he's the moon shining his light down on the earth he loves. This was how I could discern that Jin played a role in crafting the lyrics of 'The Astronaut.
The music created for this song feels very hopeful and light, which I appreciated. I know that if he came out with a sad song it would make too many fans cry hearing it. The song's tone is bittersweet yet reassuring and comforting. It’s like Jin is telling his fans that he loves them. He wants them to know that even if he goes away for a while, they will always be important to him.
The opening bars of the song have a comforting tone that I enjoy. The song carries a hint of sadness due to its connection to Jin's military enlistment. Still, there's something about it that makes me smile when I hear it. It's so comforting to listen to. It’s like a warm hug. There’s no other way for me to explain it than that.
The Music Video and the Easter Egg Theories About It
Like every other BTS fan, I recognized some nods to his being a part of BTS and other easter eggs in the music video. They seemed intentional, like it was for the fans because only ARMY would understand it. If these were coincidences, well, those are amazing ones.
Intentional or not, here are some easter eggs ARMYs pointed out that I agree with:
The Nod to Him Not Intending to Be an Idol
The story of the video is that he was an alien who lost his way and found his home on Earth. Many have said this could be a nod to the fact that what he wanted at first was to become an actor, but he wound up being an idol.
When his character in the music video chooses life on earth instead of going home, it seems like a nod to Jin's story. He was studying to be an actor but chose life as an idol. He chose life with his bandmates, and the world with his fans as his home and his love.
I'm not sure if this was intentional or a coincidental similarity. For me, it was something that would make one stop and think if you are a fan who knows this trivia about Jin.
A Goodbye to ARMY
It was touching to see a hint of him saying goodbye to his fans. This theory stems from a scene where he helps a young girl learn to ride a bike on her own. People say it saying he would be leaving but was making sure people would be OK while he is gone. When I first read that theory, I couldn’t help but get teary-eyed while I agreed to it.
The most touching of all for me was a tattoo in braille on Jin’s neck. This was at one part of the video when the line of the song is I love you. That braille said ARMY. He was telling ARMY that he loved them. How sweet (and clever) is that?
BTS Symbolism Everywhere
The scene where he is in his room has a lot of nods to his life with BTS. When he is doing the crossword puzzle, many ARMYs have pointed out the black boxes in the crossword. They lined up to read FOR ARMY in braille.
The room itself is also filled with items that would remind fans of the rest of the members. Books for RM, guitar for Yoongi, instant camera for J-Hope, vinyl for V, the speaker for JK, and the flowerpot for Jimin. There is even a solar system in the room. People think it represents ARMY. This is also about their song with Coldplay, My Universe.
There was also the part where he hitched a ride at the back of a truck. This reminded fans of the truck from the Most Beautiful Moment in Life era of BTS aka HYYH (Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa).
Another easter egg that I found adorable was the part where there were children’s drawings. If you’re a BTS fan, you would recognize the drawing of a little boy in a suit. It is a drawing of a young Jin wearing a suit that he had shared before that every ARMY knows about. Putting that in there was a nice touch!
The Performance with Coldplay in Argentina
Apart from the release of the song and the music video, Jin also performed this song live. This was with Coldplay in one of their concerts in Argentina.
It was touching to watch this performance of him performing solo in a crowd of Coldplay fans (and ARMYs). Jin's performance conveyed mixed emotions. It made me have a share of my own too.
It made me wonder what was going through his mind at that moment. It was his first performance without the rest of his bandmates. It was a performance in another country. It was his first time performing his first official solo single. And he got to do it in front of an audience and with a band that he loved and respected so much! Then, of course, there was also the fact that every fan was looking at him knowing that he was saying goodbye.
You could tell there was so much going on behind his eyes as he performed the song. I loved the moment he ran over to Chris Martin, and they hugged each other. That was so precious!
As of this writing, Jin has been in the military for almost a year. There are still months to go before his service is over, but fans are already looking forward to it. It will be less than a year from now and ARMYs already talking about he will be alone until Hobi comes back. While ARMY is waiting, photos and videos are being released monthly by Big Hit from Jin. It seems he had prepared everything for ARMY so that they wouldn’t miss him while he was away.
I'm not sure about his plans after his military discharge. What I know for sure is that there is no love lost between him and ARMY when he returns. I hope that he's excited to come back. I hope it will inspire him to write more music. I would love a follow-up to The Astronaut because this song is so good and there needs to be more where it came from! I can’t wait to see him back!
Have YOU heard this song? What do you think of it? If you're ARMY, share your theories and interpretations of the song and the video! Share your thoughts with me in the comments section!
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