Anicca

For context - I am new to the k-pop world. I loved ‘Standing Next to You’ & ‘Too sad to Dance’ by Jungkook and he got me curious enough to look into K-Pop. The logical next steps would be to go to BTS songs, but IG Reels took me to Run BTS clips and somehow I landed up listening to ‘D-day’ Album by August D (Suga’s alter ego for his solo stuff). ‘Life Goes on’ and ‘Amygdala’ had their hooks into me. After listening to his solo album and the mix-tapes, I went into SUGA’s solo songs as part of BTS albums. Once I heard ‘Trivia : Seesaw’, I have been stuck. FOR.TWO. MONTHS. NOW.

Seesaw 1 - Lyrics

Though the lyrics sit perfectly about a romantic relationship, I personally feel that the song could also be about life. Most of us live with an illusion that we are in control of our life. But, life likes to remind us every now and then that the feeling of being in control is just an illusion. So, I see a parallel there - between the constant struggle of people to get things under control and the pushbacks from life from time to time. Only, I think there is no getting off that see-saw until the final moment.

Seesaw 2 - Melody & Lyrics

The melody & the lyrics are at complete contrast with each other. For once, I think my language handicap came in handy because when I heard the song for the first time, I thought it must be a sweet song about the beauty of either life or relationships. Then I looked up the lyrics here and couldn’t believe how wrong I was. While the melody has a feel good vibe, the lyrics bring out the darker side of relationships. Ironically, the part where I feel that the melody is the sweetest is where the lyrics are about how conniving people can be.

Seesaw 3 - Rap & Vocal

SUGA likes to pretend he can only rap & not sing. Yeah well, this is one of the many songs that say otherwise. The constant back and forth between his rap and vocals should have been more jarring, yet there’s a smooth balance there. His low tone is perfect for the vocal sections. Adora provides a soft touch with her backup vocals too.

Seesaw 4 - Tempo

The song constantly shifts between slow and fast(er)-paced, rhythmic portions. These tempo changes conveys the emotional rollercoaster to reflect the emotions of the lyrics. During the verses, where the lyrics focuses on the complexities of a relationship, the tempo is slow giving it an introspective feel. In contrast, the tempo picks up during the emotionally charged sections - specifically the rap & chorus sections.

Seesaw 5 - Dynamics

The dynamics of the song compliments the tempo very well. The softer tones help create a  sense of vulnerability and introspection. On the other hand, the chorus and rap sections often feature increased dynamics, creating a sense of urgency and intensity.


The metaphors in the lyrics, SUGA’s vocals and the tempo changes certainly stand out as the highlights of this song.

#QOTD - Have you heard this song before? If you have, what's the one thing that stood out for you? If you haven't, are you going to listen to it now?

I know I am very late in posting about my ‘Word of the Year’ as we are into February as I start writing this. Fact is, I had decided on the word in 2023 but I took the month of January to analyse what it would really mean; start living in accordance to that and see whether it is something I can carry on not only for this year but for rest of my life. Whether it is something truly feasible and sustainable. 

I have always been proud of the fact that I can see multiple perspectives in a situation. I may not truly understand each of them, but I do see them and try to understand them. When I got this Tattoo, it was to remind myself that there are multiple perspectives in every situation and that it doesn’t make my personal experiences wrong or insignificant. That I had every right to believe in my own perspective of my experience. That my feelings weren’t wrong just because someone else couldn’t see it nor were other people’s feelings wrong because I couldn’t understand it.

Back then I used to take pride in the fact that I could see the perspective of the person in front of me and cut them slack because of it. Yes, you read that right. I USED TO take pride in that. I no longer do because I came to realise that while I was trying to be kind and understanding towards other people - it meant (most of the time) being unkind and unfair to myself. I was the collateral. When I realised that late last year, I turned inwards and started being kind to myself instead. It wasn’t a conscious decision - it just started with ‘I don’t want to deal with this negativity anymore’ and it has brought me more peace than I expected.