BTS’ PIED PIPER ANALYSIS:
PART 1: PIED PIPER STORY, ORIGINS, AND THEORIES
Many know the story pretty vaguely so assuming things about it is tricky. As it’s said, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity”. So please even if it may seem long read this first part
The Pied Piper of Hamelin, many know the story that I will summarize in some line “Hamelin had a rat infestation, a man claimed that he can get rid of the rats as long as they pay him a certain sum. The Mayor accepted his offer. The man played his pipe and lured the rats into a river where they drowned. The man who came to claim his money was given very little and even accused of being the cause behind the invasion of the rats. The piper swore revenge. On Saint John and Paul’s day, while the Hamelinites were in church, the piper attracted the town’s children who followed him out of town.
THE CHILDREN’S FATE IN THE TALE:
Some say they followed him into a cave and were never seen again. Other versions relate that the Pied Piper led the children to the top of Koppelberg Hill, where he took them to a beautiful land, or a place called Koppenberg Mountain, or Transylvania, or that he made them walk into the Weser as he did with the rats, and they all drowned. Some versions state that the Piper returned the children after payment, or that he returned the children after the villagers paid several times the original amount of gold.
THE PIED PIPER IS INSPIRED OF A REAL STORY:
The earliest known record of this story is from the town of Hamelin itself depicted in a stained glass window created for the church of Hamelin, which dates to around 1300 AD. Although it was destroyed in 1660, several written accounts have survived. The oldest comes from the Lueneburg manuscript (c 1440 – 50), which stated: “In the year of 1284, on the day of Saints John and Paul on June 26, by a piper, clothed in many kinds of colours, 130 children born in Hamelin were seduced, and lost at the place of execution near the Koppen.”
The supposed street where the children were last seen is today called Bungelosenstrasse (street without drums), as no one is allowed to play music or dance there. Incidentally, it is said that the rats were absent from earlier accounts, and only added to the story around the middle of the 16 century. Moreover, the stained glass window and other primary written sources do not speak of the plague of rats.
THE UNKNOWN FATE OF THE CHILDREN:
If the children’s disappearance was not an act of revenge, then what was its cause? There have been numerous theories trying to explain what happened to the children of Hamelin. For instance, one theory suggests that the children died of some natural causes and that the Pied Piper was the personification of Death. By associating the rats with the Black Death, it has been suggested that the children were victims of this plague. Yet, the Black Death was most severe in Europe between 1348 and 1350, more than half a century after the event in Hamelin. Another theory suggests that the children were actually sent away by their parents, due to the extreme poverty that they were living in. Yet another theory speculates that the children were participants of a doomed ‘Children’s Crusade’, and might have ended up in modern-day Romania, or that the departure of Hamelin’s children is tied to the Ostsiedlung, in which a number of Germans left their homes to colonize Eastern Europe. One of the darker theories even proposes that the Pied Piper was actually a pedophile who crept into the town of Hamelin to abduct children during their sleep.
Again those are ALL just theories, NONE of them was proven right and the fate of the children of that town is still unknown to this day. No researcher or specialist was able to perceive what really happened. Thus, no one can take a theory and apply it as fact (unless you lived some thousand years ago which I doubt). For example taking ONE theory and applying whoever uses Pied Piper as an inspiration of a work is supporting what the piper in that theory did is just nonsense.
Merriam-Webster definitions of pied piper
a charismatic person who attracts followers
a musician who attracts mass
a leader who makes irresponsible promises
Those three metaphors the 2nd one was the motive behind BTS’ choice of this story.
The story is so popular that it resulted in a large number of works (novels, songs, movies, animation …). But it’s not the only reason, The Pied Piper can be portrayed as good or evil depending on the storyteller, it can be a tale of a good or a disastrous ending, all of these factors made it into something that creators love to use their imagination for. So what kind of Pied Piper did BTS pick? to understand this we need to analyze the song’s lyrics.
THE DUALITY OF BTS’ PIED PIPER
If we go back to the story. Two contradictory points of view can be made:
Seen from the Pied Piper: He was accused, used and bad mouthed when all he did was help the town get rid of a dangerous situation. Add to that he was paid so little what he was promised, thus betrayed.
Seen from the Hummelians: The rats are everywhere. They tried everything but nothing works. Suddenly a stranger appears and asks for a high price if he gets rid of the rats. The mayor accepts be it by hopelessness or simply thinking the man won’t succeed. The pied piper gets ride of the rodents. Humans tend to doubt, judge and have more of a negative approach to things. So they assumed that he was the cause of rats. That he was a dangerous and bad man who wanted to exploit them.
Now, why am I telling you all of this? apply this to our actual society, or let it be something smaller. YOUR SITUATION. Let’s make BTS the Pied Piper: Someone who is here to save you from something that many fail to help you with, it can be something as positive as motivation as mild as boredom or being part of a community where you feel happy and welcomed and climb to being something like depression, self-love … Anyway, it depends on each of us. Let’s make the Hummelians your friends that do not get why you are streaming the same video again and again, why you love these guys, why you are so into everything they do. They can be your parents that want you to study and hate any distraction that comes your way … Now if you understood my point here. Let’s move to the lyrics.
BTS PIED PIPER LYRICS ANALYSIS
The lyrics, in general, take a sarcastic approach (for the ones who do not speak sarcasm, I am VERY sorry for you, Google didn’t make a translator yet so I can’t help you much).
Rap Monster will rap the Hummelians words ”Stop watching and-and start studying for your exams“. He will tell you that they know you are suffering that kind of judgment because of them "Your parents and boss hate me”.Just like the street with no drums where no music is allowed, you may not be allowed to listen to them freely. He even goes into saying how ARMYs are sometimes mocked for their analysis “Stop it, you can analyze the MV later”. Then Namjoon finishes by telling ARMYs that this song is a gift, meaning he understands our struggles and the judgment that even fans need to go through if they even follow them “This song is a reward I give you. Good person” (The gender is not stated. look here)
V’s “Come here, you are my paradise" It is to say that ARMYs are BTS’ most cherished thing comparing it with a paradise.
When V and Jin will sing ”You may struggle but it won’t matter anymore. (Don’t reject me). Just close your eyes and listen closely“. It a way to say that fans can have difficult times too. Sometimes someone will speak and you will just put your earphones and hear a song that makes you run away for a second from that harsh place. That’s what BTS are suggesting, giving you a sound that will help you at hard times so don’t reject their aid.
”I’m takin’ over you. You know that it’s already begun. The moment you heard the sound“ This part is to express how BTS’ songs are taking over the world. How people become ARMYs. It can start with just a song you heard on youtube and end some months later of you wishing to fly to Korea. Come on this is a reality that BTS’ are not afraid to express. They are known to be a bold group and it shows in their lyrics and sound.
"My flute wakes everything up. The sound of it makes you worry more” these lines rapped by Jhope who is very known to play with words. Waking things up is touching issues that others have hidden, so that makes people worry as they see a truth they covered before.
“It may be a little dangerous but I’m very sweet”. Choosing a camp that your surroundings will judge you for may be dangerous. As Aristotle said “Man is by nature a social animal” but once you get into BTS you know how much “sweet” they are. Ask any ARMY they will tell you how well this fandom is treated.
The lyrics continue into “If I am ruining you will you forgive me because I can’t live without you”. BTS are saying here that without ARMYS they are nothing. A statement they asserted numerous times. Even in today’s (170918) fancafe post by Namjoon, he announced while talking about their song ‘Best Of Me’ “You (ARMY) got the best of me. I believe that that’s all of the members’ sincerity”. And thus the song ends in a way that not only ARMYs need BTS but Bangtan also can’t exist without their fans.
They choose such a title because the view you have of BTS can be different depending on your camp. They sing things such as “I’m here to save you” because we know what it means when we are fans then follow it by “I’m here to ruin you” translating what others tell you about them. It is like “If they say I am bad then I will be bad as long as you believe I am not because I know they already made their mind about me. I will not ignore your situation, but we both need one another, neither will I be defeated by their hateful words as I will continue to play my flute (make their music) that will attract more people."
This is such an amazing song. The meaning behind it is not something we see in the industry today. Many artists sing about their travails. However, how many musicians take the time to think of the fans’ situation? They didn’t just sing "I love you” they sang about “OUR REALITY” and that means a lot.
Love you ARMY
By @mimibtsghost
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