Dynamite (BTS song)
"Dynamite" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band BTS, released on August 21, 2020, through Big Hit Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment. It is the band's first song fully recorded in English.[3] The song was written by David Stewart and Jessica Agombar and produced by Stewart.[4] It has been described as an upbeat disco-pop song[1] with elements of funk, soul, and bubblegum pop, and takes influence from 1970s music—it features snapping handclaps, echoing synths, and celebratory horns.
"Dynamite"
August 21, 2020
2019–2020
- Dogg Bounce, South Korea
- MixStar, Virginia Beach, Virginia, US
- Sterling Sound, Edgewater, New Jersey, US
3:19
- David Stewart
- Jessica Agombar
David Stewart
Intended to soothe listeners during the COVID-19 pandemic, the song talks about joy and appreciation for the little things that make life valuable. Upon release, "Dynamite" received positive reviews from music critics, with praise towards its catchiness and broadly appealing retro sound. It garnered the band their first Grammy nomination, for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, making them the first Korean pop act to be nominated for one.
"Dynamite" experienced large amounts of commercial success worldwide; it debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the band's first number-one single in the United States and making BTS the first all-South Korean act to top the Hot 100. The song sold 265,000 downloads in its first week, marking the biggest pure sales week since Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" (2017). "Dynamite" stayed atop the Hot 100 for three total weeks. On Spotify, "Dynamite" debuted with 7.778 million streams, marking the biggest opening day for a song in 2020. Additionally, "Dynamite" peaked at number one on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, topping the latter for three consecutive weeks. The song peaked within the top ten of the charts in 25 countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and topped the charts in Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea. The accompanying music video reached 1 billion views on April 12, 2021.
Initially a standalone single, "Dynamite" was later included on BTS' fifth Korean-language album, Be (2020), released on November 20.[5]
Lyrics and production[edit]
"Dynamite" is a 1970s-influenced disco-pop song[11][13][14] with elements of funk, soul[15] and bubblegum pop.[16] Sheet music for the song shows a 4
4 common time in the key of C♯ minor with a tempo of 114 beats per minute. The vocal range spans from B3 to D♯5.[17] Instrumentation was provided by Stewart, who played drums, percussion, bass guitar, synth bass, synthesizers, pads, piano, electric guitars, programmed horns and programmed strings, and Johnny Thirkell, who played live horns.[18][19] The upbeat production consists of "snapping" handclaps, bounces, grooves and "infectious" beats.[20][21] The track features a funky bassline accompanied by vocal harmonies, falsetto hooks and a disco rhythm that is "ready-made for the dancefloor."[12] It utilises "layered vocals, echo-y synth, and celebratory horns" to recreate the '70s retro sound.[11]
The song opens with a snippet of the chorus, where Jungkook sings, "'Cause I, I, I'm in the stars tonight/ So watch me bring the fire and set the night alight." Percussion and bass is added in the next section. It further builds with Nile Rodgers-esque guitar that is later boosted by "vibrant" brass sound.[20] The chorus is "unifying" and gains speed as the song progresses.[22] Craig Jenkins of Vulture compared the horns in the chorus to that of Neon Genesis Evangelion's theme song, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" (1995) and described "Dynamite" as "a vehicle expressly designed to break through the stratosphere", noting its similarity in genre to the handful of other disco-influenced songs that reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 earlier that year (namely Doja Cat's "Say So", Harry Styles' "Watermelon Sugar", and Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande's "Rain on Me").[23] Pitchfork's Noah Yoo compared the song musically to Taio Cruz's 2010 song of the same name.[24] The last two verses of the track introduce a change in the key.[25][22] Speaking about the meaning of the song in a press conference, Suga stated that "Dynamite" has a "message of confidence and happiness. It's like after you fell on the ground, you're trying to get back up again. That's what this song is like."[26] In an interview with Zane Lowe of Apple Music, RM said the song is "made of positive vibes, energy, hope, love, the purity, everything."[27] Lyrically, the song talks about the joy and appreciation of little things that makes life valuable.[28][29][30] The lyrics also include several pop cultural references including King Kong, The Rolling Stones and basketball star LeBron James.[21][25][24] Alyssa Bailey of Elle interpreted the lyrics as "a much-needed burst of joy and invitation to join them, dance, and be a light, even when the world seems a little dark".[31]
Release[edit]
On July 26, 2020, the band confirmed during a live stream on V Live that they would be releasing an English-language song on August 21, 2020, as the first single for their upcoming album. Discussing the song, which was one of their most heavily promoted releases thus far, the band said that "due to COVID-19, people around the world have been going through tough times and we wanted to share some positive energy with our fans".[32][33] One day after the news, a website displaying seven countdowns went live, each one corresponding to a new announcement for the single.[34] On July 31, the group shared a pre-save link for Spotify. On August 2, Big Hit revealed that the title of the song would be "Dynamite".[35] The following day, pre-orders went live for 7-inch and cassette editions of the song, as well as the digital single and its instrumental for US customers; the physical versions sold out within an hour.[36][37] The next day, the band shared a promotion schedule revealing two music video releases, three interviews with American networks and a performance at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards.[38] EDM and acoustic remixes were released on August 24.[39] Additional tropical and poolside remixes were released on August 28.[40] Four new remixes of the song, "Slow Jam", "Midnight", "Retro", and "Bedroom", were released simultaneously on September 18.[41][42] A special "Holiday Remix" version of the single was released on December 11 as a thank-you to fans for their support of the song and its achievements.[43]
Live performances[edit]
BTS first performed "Dynamite" at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards on August 30, 2020.[130] They followed that up with additional performances on the Today Show on September 10,[131] America's Got Talent on September 16,[132] and as the closing act at the iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 18—the band opened their four-song set with the track.[133] BTS made their first ever appearance on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts on September 21, also opening their three-song set with "Dynamite".[134] During the first of the band's week-long stint on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that began on September 28, BTS presented a pre-recorded performance of the song that featured both Jimmy Fallon and the Roots.[135] They performed it from Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport for the 2020 Billboard Music Awards in October,[136][137] at the Seoul Olympic Stadium for the 2020 American Music Awards in November,[138] and as the closer for their appearance on MTV Unplugged in February 2021.[139] In March 2021, they performed "Dynamite" from the roof of a skyscraper in Seoul for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards,[140] becoming the first Korean pop act to perform their own song at the Grammys.[141]
Credits adapted from Tidal and NetEase Music.[150][151]