BTS' B-side Track That Touched the Hearts of Millennial Fans

Bangtan Boys (BTS)

In the most recent album of the internationally popular boy group Bangtan Boys (BTS), there is a B-side track that is loved by fans almost as much as the title, DNA. Don’t Worry Just Go gained massive popularity, and the fans attribute the reason for the track’s unexpected success to its lyrics.

A song for the struggling millennials

The lyrics resonate with many millennials who are struggling to land a stable job after college and instead are forced to wallow in the “YOLO” mindset by living in the moment - which means more spending and less saving.

“I don’t have the money but I want to get away to somewhere far away…I work hard to get paid and I eat all of my money away,” says the lyrics. The catchy refrain repeats “YOLO” thirty-two times.

Another word that is repeated throughout the song is “Tangjin Jam,” a modern lingo that is used amongst the younger generation of Korea. It is a blend word of tangjin, which means “to waste away,” and jam, which means “fun.” The word roughly translates to “the fun of wasting all the money away.”

I piss it all away in a day
I earn the money, and then I splurge
I wanna be cruisin' on the bay
I don't have the money but I want to get away, to somewhere far away
I don't have the money but I want to put my worries to rest
I work hard to get paid, and I eat all of my money away
Just let me be, I'm gonna splurge
There's no tomorrow
There's no point in saving
We're pretty young to be worrying
Piss it all away in a day

- excerpt from BTS' Don't Worry Just Go 

Don’t Worry Just Go sends a message to the struggling millennials that “[they] are too young to be worrying,” and tells them to put their worries to rest for the day.

Suga, a member of the group, explained that “it’s not a BTS album without a social commentary," and that “not much thought is given to the reasons behind the circulation of phrases such as ‘YOLO,’ or ‘Tangjin Jam' and what [the group] tried to do is interpret the popular slangs in [their] own way.”

By Goldbin and Arin Kim kim.arin@joongang.co.kr