BTS is back in a big way. The K-Pop boy band returned from a four-year hiatus with a new album, “ARIRANG,” which also marks their first studio album of new material since 2020. It debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart, making it their seventh No. 1.
Leading the charge of BTS’ new songs is “Swim,” which also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Again, it’s their seventh No. 1 on the chart, and the sixth to lead the chart on its first week.
“Released March 20 on ‘ARIRANG,’ ‘Swim’ drew 15.3 million official streams and 25.8 million radio airplay audience impressions and sold 154,000 (digital and physical singles combined) in the United States in the week ending March 26,” Billboard reports. “Its physical sales total reflects two CD singles, one including an instrumental version, while its digital sum is comprised of the original and instrumental versions, with seven options of the original available from March 24 through the end of the tracking week with alternate cover art — one for each member of BTS.”
BTS supported the album by promoting it on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where they performed “Swim,” and spoke about its meaning.
“I think ‘Swim’ is about a message that we got from what was in our heart. We feel that life has struggles that we overcome every day,” j-hope told Fallon during the couch interview. “People feel different weights and tides in life. But nevertheless, we need to keep swimming and move forward. This is just about the love for life itself.”
Fans also got an inside look at the band in a new Netflix special called “BTS: The Return.”
Watch members RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook record “Swim”:
Musically, “Swim” has several attributes to reflect a watery theme. The opening has a prominent arpeggiated figure that implies a Dmaj7 by repeating the chord’s root, third, and seventh: D, F#, and C#. The pattern loops those three notes, and since the song is in 4/4, the loop accents a different pitch on beats one and three of each bar. At the end of two bars, the fifth of the chord is added for a four-note arpeggio that puts the pattern back into an even subdivision.
This creates some ambiguity, and if we use our imaginations, we can picture waves crashing against each other, with the three-note phrase contrasting the equal division of a measure.
“Swim” also uses a simple chord progression for most of the song, alternating between Dmaj7 and C#min7. The repetition creates the feeling of floating in the ocean, while vocals provide the forward motion j-hope spoke of.
Although the song just hit the airwaves, MuseScore has you covered for the sheet music. User rbalieiro has a whole collection of BTS songs and has already transcribed the majority of the album. (Check his page for more.)
