SEVENTEEN released their 10th mini-album on the 24th of April, this time with not just one but TWO title tracks. One goes by the name “Fxck my Life” and the other by “Super”. I know I’m a little late, but I really wanted to praise the lyrics of Super.
So, let’s go through the song together and I will add my nonsense to it:
Seventeen as Main Characters: The instrumental intro already gives me a sense of urgency, importance… As if the main character of an anime is about to face the final villain. The air is thick, there is dust (get it?) in the air. It all comes down to this very moment. I should not have to mention that Woozi’s “Ooh-ohh-ah-ah-ah…yeah” sounds absolutely beautiful, but it also continues to keep the urgency of that moment while also keeping it kind of light-hearted? Think about all the bright protangonists in adventure animes like Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Naruto (Naruto), Gon (Hunter X Hunter) or even Aang from Avatar: The Legend of Aang. Just like the flow of the “Ooh”s the main character has somehow made it this far through all the ups and downs due to their cheerfulness.
Happiness Promoters. Seventeen is definitely happiness in persona. They started with really cheerful and cute concepts like Adore U, Mansae and Pretty U, but even throughout their eight-years-career and various concepts they themselves never lost their touch of hope and happiness (and even if the title track is not like that, for example with “Fear” from An Ode, the bsides like “Lucky” tell you to not “be afraid, forget all your worries”, advise you to smile “the brightest in the world” and see that “After the rain stops, life is so beautiful”.) Seventen are surely one of the biggest promoters of happiness in Kpop and the “SEVENTEEN right here!”, known to be the starter line for their title tracks in the earlier days, just catapults you back, like, yes, so many years have passed, but still, they made it this far together.
Be Proud of Yourself. The verse “I looked at the ground and kept going to the top” reads to me as either being humble while rising, or only seeing the hardships without realizing that you actually accoplished something along the way. Maybe you, the reader, are also struggeling with all the exams, interviews and life events you still have to face. Take a pause to see all of what you have accomplished this far – even making it to this day alive is something you can be “proud” of.
Motivational Boost. At this point I knew, that this song would be great to listen to while working out. The line “It’s key that you got a strong will” motivates you to believe in what you want to achieve. Your “future” is entirly in your hands; it is up to your present you to shape your tomorrow’s self. Show that you have got what it takes to be the “Hero”, you have it in you to become a legend, a name that will be known in “all time[s] and space[s]”. I also love how Seungkwan’s verses say “If I give it my all and slip up / Don’t know how to give up, I’m running riot” – as if you want to win so bad, even the thought of staying on the ground after a setback fills you with anger and drives you crazy. The way Seungkwan presses these words out just scream out the tension, while at the same time remaining calm as if giving up is so out of question, there is no need to get riled up about it.
Before the album was released, word got around that Seventeen wanted to rephrase “Fxck my Life” into something more positive. This shows in this song as well with the verses “We’ll never rest, every day, make it, make it / Don’t break till we make it”. Life can be tough and full of hardships, but it is through strong will and the passion to change your current life, that will let you take the steering wheel of your life. I take it as: fxck my current boring/stressfull/… life, I will turn it upside down into something worth living and fighting for.
SONOGONG. According to the internet, Sonogong is one of the protagonists of the novel The Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en (16th century). The story is a mix of legends and myths and is an essential part of Chinese literature, yet, the story itself seems to be known in most of Asia. Plotwise, to put it very briefly, it is about the journey of a monk who is given the help of four other beings in order to reach his destination. One of these four is Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. His backstory is explained at the start of the novel and his skills and powers are quite similar to those of Son Goku, which makes sense since the anime character is based on the novel’s protagonist. Seeing how Woozi is a huge anime lover (why else would he do a 6-hour-long livestream on anime?), the references to Son Goku or Sun Wukong, in Korean Sonogong, find their way into the lyrics and dance. “Hop on our cloud”, “Rise way up to the sky, power pole”, “Ener-Energy, one massive shot”… Judging from the reactions videos and comments, Dragon Ball watchers and those familiar with the novel seem to have caught these references quite quickly.
As I mentioned before, I believe it is the happy nature of Son Goku which makes him a great hero to support the message of the song: To be happy and enjoy your life and journey, to never give up, and rise back up and fight in the most desperate moments just to come back stronger like a Super Saiyan. You have what it takes to be super.
13 Members, 3 Units, ONE Team. Seventeen loves to display their love and affection for each other, but most importantly they never forget to appreciate each other. They know they have only made it this far, because they did it together and the lines “I love my team, I love my crew” simply scream it out to the world to hear. Not just the members but managers, directors, photographers, camera-staff, make-up artists, stylists, co-producers (Bumzu especially!) – every single staff member and person who helped them is to be credited here. Going all the way alone is possible, but having a team makes the journey much more fun and definitely takes you further. Small reminder to show your team some love too, be it your parents, siblings, friends, relatives, classmates, teachers, club-members, neighbours, ficitonal characters, idols…. Anyone who has supported you along the way and contributed to you coming this far – it may not be that obvious, but you also have a whole team and crew behind you. “It’s all thanks to you”, is also a nice change-up of the last “I love my team”-verse to express their love to the listeners, Carats (the fans), as well.
With that being said, I think it is obvious how I feel about this song. Seventeen did a great job (again) and delievers a wonderful message about not giving up and appreciating the one’s who stick with you until the end. Don’t give up and strive higher, get on your cloud and fly high, Carats and everyone else!
Yours,
Tanniyan