Is letter a song for army?
I know it's been talked about and chewed over and over already, but I want to put in my two cents as well.
Shall I start with the bottom line? Give you my clear answer and then if you want to you will read on, and if you don't you can move on?
Will it be passed as a song for army?
I will sum this up in a couple of paragraphs, I hope.
A letter, as the name describes it.
JM writing or perhaps reading the letter he wrote pertaining to his thoughts and feelings towards a very special someone in his life.
Reading it out loud, for an audience of one.
The one that towards the end of the song joins in with JM, in a sense replying to him, affirming or reenforcing JM's words, at times feels like he's agreeing with them.
This is JM voicing his feelings towards JK and the choice to add JK to the song is to make a exactly that point. That this is about JK and me (JM), a conversation he's having with JK, one he's/they are letting us in on.
A clearly very intimate moment they are having, but at the same time sharing with us. One of those "we clearly shouldn't be here" third wheeling moments for us.
I have no doubt that this will be sold as a song for army. And it's ok, JM is clever that way. It also isn't the first time we've been told a song is for Army, and we knew better.
The lyrics can be fitting, they can (to I-army that don't have an understanding of Korean language or culture). Well somewhat. Because if you stop to read properly, dive just a little deeper, there is a sense of intimacy there that really does not befit a song for army (even without knowing the Korean side of things).
Yes JM loves army, but heck, he knows how to keep a proper distance from them (way more than JK does, and even he told us in famous Feb live that there need to be boundaries). There is a level of intimacy in this song that is just way beyond. There is imagery of physical contact. There is usage of language that he just wouldn't use with army, as much as he might love them.
Yes, there are lyrics that can definitely be read as a cute song for army, and once again, I believe this was done on purpose, given that indeed we are talking here about a closeted couple.
If you listen to K-army they KNOW. They have a grasp of the language, the nuances. We see intimacy in the words, they see even more than that. They see use of formal and informal language that would not be used in a song for army. They see JM's original notes, god his original notes, and understand them.
JM used the term dangsin. Translated into you, but not really. Because this is a term used with someone you are highly intimate with, a term used between couples. It's a term that implies intimacy. But he changed the lyrics. JM changed those lyrics because they were too obvious.
There are other clues in the original lyrics that JM chose to share with us that point outright to the fact this is about his feelings for JK, that this song is an intimate love song.
Who is the person JM turns to repeatedly, the person he has said out loud time and time again that will defend him, take care of him, protect him?
JM's album is riddled with queer coding, this song is an effing love song to another man, but at the same time there are checks and balances in the mix, all those little things to weigh it out, allow those that clearly have issues with them being queer to continue living in their fantasy worlds.
I will give you another example: the She in Like crazy.
Yes, it's possible that JM decided to change his own original lyrics from baby to she. It's also possible that this was one of those 'defence mechanisms' put into place to balance out the queer coding in the album. Yes BH artists are given leeway, but be assured that it's not a "do what you want" card. Songs were/are censored. Including hyung line songs, if seen to be too edgy, or too risky, something the fans or public are not yet ready to deal with. In this case, the "she", I cannot tell you this was the case with JM, or if he did his own censorship or if he decided to switch to she because the she represented his feminine side or that the she was imposed on him and the concept of the choreo grew from that and wasn't the original idea. Any of the above are possible.
JM sharing those original lyrics he wrote with us is him telling those that want to hear, those that will understand, exactly what his true intentions were. All while those that don't understand or are unwilling to hear can stick to the 'song for army' narrative. He knows, JK knows, and those that love and support them know. That is what's important.
I was having a discussion with a follower earlier and I told them, this all feels like a little foreshadowing. JM's album, Letter, perhaps JK's music if we get to hear it before MS, a clear hint to something way bigger that will come our way once they're done with the military service.
And when that day comes, all those outright idiots that not only cannot read the signs right in front of their faces, but argue and throw dirt at those that can, at JM and JK, well, it's gonna hit them real hard.
I digress. Back to Letter.
I mentioned JM using intimate language. Words he just does not use with Army (and again, he wouldn't, as they blur the invisible line between idol and fan, a line that he has marked in the sand very clearly I'd say since around 2019), words that did make it to the final cut, like baby.
Baby is intimate. Baby is just not a word JM would call army and never has in the past.
You know who he does call baby on a pretty much regular basis, and it also kind of slips out even with cameras around at times (ahm...they kind of call each other that)?
That "MY shrimp..." translation was hilarious, and also another example as how the automatic translators have a problem translating certain words or expressions. Also, the way BH ran to use that comment as a basis for the JK Qatar post replacing the baby for army... now with Letter out it makes even more sense them trying to dilute it's true meaning.
I feel like I might be all over the place here, but I guess you guys will have to bare with me on this. It's HUGE. Letter is HUGE. Some don't seem to understand just how huge.
Let's reverse a little, because I did speak about JK being there, answering/reacting/mirroring/confirming JM's feelings towards him. And this is my next point as to why this is a love letter, JM conveying his emotions towards a certain person, not Army.
JK could have easily not have been there.
I listened to this song so so many times already.
JM could have conveyed all his feelings for 'army' without asking JK to join him towards the end of the song with vocals he could have done oh so well for himself. But you see, JK needed to be there.
JM talking, and at some point JK answering.
Add the calmness of the song. The use of the guitar, no big band, no loud musical background. It all adds to that feeling of just JM and JK sitting there on the beach, waves heard in the background, JM guitar in hand and he's telling the love of his life, singing to him, that they are together forever, no matter what.
And then you also have JM telling us how no other members took part in the creation of this album, this journey of his, it being a personal journey. Funny how JK found his way into this personal journey. Unless, wait a second, JK is part of this specific journey maybe?
I'm going to say this once again, this is something I've been saying practically ever since I opened this little corner in the world called my Jikook blog. They want out. Out of the closet. Out of the silence. JK wants to say JM's his and vise versa. They want to be free to celebrate their love freely, openly. But they can't. Not with the industry they're in, not with the society their in, not with MS around the corner, and damn, not with their own fandom.
Over the years we've had the pushing of boundaries, pushing pulling back, that constant movement. 2022 was weird. Things were happening, to them personally, changes with the company, changes within their band, that had them disappear more or less. I kept saying that not seeing them does not mean they aren't still the same jikook, and every single time we got to see them it was clearly evident.
Why the long ass story? Well, to come to the long ass point I guess, which is, that with this album JM is pushing again, and it's a big one. It's him on a personal level telling people who he is (it started with his folio and blowing up with this album, and the artistic choices for his MV and performances).
I'm going to go so far as to say Letter is JM's GCFT.
And having JK there in the song, is as if we had JM there on video watching GCFT and reacting to it.
The way JM set Letter up, the lyrics, JK's part, his entrance, it's all about his feelings towards JK and their forever.
And if we didn't think this was loud, well dear Mr. Jeon came in our faces hours before it landed to show us his 1 lesson in guitar playing being the song JM sang, to him, with him.
There was indeed a hidden track on Face.
A secret song, one we weren't told about.
Letter.
JK our lovely doing background vocals for his
Peeps, open your ears and eyes here.
These men are telling us something.
And it ain't "we love army".
JM will say he is, and he does love army, but this isn't about army. Disguised as...sure, I accept that. But actually being about...nah.
And here's for point number 118, page 19 chapter 13:
Surprise for army you say?
Once again, definitely perfect reasoning.
Only that if Letter was surprise for army, how does it land only on the physical discs. Is JM now discriminating between armys that bought the discs and those that bought digital? Or those that listen on streaming services? Food for thought.
It wasn't promoted, it was kept secret, yes again the surprise element pops up. But you see, what would have happened if this song was out there all in the open before the album came out?
Let's all be honest here shall we?
That's what would have happened.
Do I have to explain why? No, I'm not going to. You know exactly why. And it would have overshadowed everything that JM worked for. Because some of this fandom is shit.
So yeah, surprise, sure, hella good reason.
Because of the Jikook connection.
Not to mention the symbolism of it all.
Hidden track, hidden lyrics, hidden couple.
Shall I conclude as I started?
Letter isn't for army, not really.
K-army recognize it and anyone who takes the time to read the lyrics, listen to the song, dig a little deeper than what they are told, can see it.
Letter is JM conveying his feelings for JK to JK.
An intimate Love letter/song. One that turns into a dialogue with the person he wrote those words for. JK.
