Please note: This piece is written as an interpretation of the musical piece with reference to the mixtape. I have intentionally not read through the lyrics of the full version, as I wanted to write this down in my raw thoughts so it is not necessary that my concept gels in with them.
If you were to travel through his Hope World, you would find your way back to the Blue Side.
Hope World, the mixtape begins with its title track by the same name. The song, in particular, does not have a music video of its own. But pieced together from a couple of seconds in the beginning, the listener literally ‘dives’ into an alternative universe of Hoseok’s Hope World. (hint: waves, picture Taehyung from the Run MV) As the tracks flow, the themes change, they all fold into each other to form a greater story. But that is a topic for another day. The interesting part here is the setting they put together.
If you were to focus on the cover art for the album, the vibrant usage of colors is very apparent and aptly matches the theme too. But when I first saw this, I noticed how everything changes except the color of the water. It is as if through the tracklist, the listener dives into the waves deep enough to reach the other side of the world. Often represented in mythical tales as the underworld, the place represents hopelessness and despair, the land of the dead and the kingdom of Hades. The red sky seems to align with the perception of this hellish place. But Hoseok’s ‘dive’ takes you to the bottom of the waters till you rise in his Hope World. And maybe that is true hope, on the edge of despair, what pulls you back from places you least expect.
As the tracks piece together, you can see Hoseok narrating tales that tie in to tell a story about several elements associated with the theme of hope itself. As if he jumps from the opposite side of the rainbow (happiness) to rise in the ‘red’ and flow down to the ‘blue’ and ‘violet’ zone. Completing a full circle of exploration in a world where everything seems much more ideal, Hoseok rises back in the waters to the Blue Side.
If I close my eyes and try to picture one word as Blue Side plays in the background, all I can think of is “Revival.” Mentioned previously in his VLive too, Hoseok associated the song with memories of his youth, the young and clueless days. It is interesting for me because the concept of traveling a full circle and linking blue to youth is something I can connect with on a personal level.
As a child, blue was one of my favorite colors, it reminded me of vast calming skies, the seven seas, refreshing purity, birth of hope, and simply nature (much more than even green did). But as I grew up the definition of the color transitioned into ‘having blues’ and the melancholic feel it carried urged me to ‘dive’ into hope again. So I painted a world where things seemed better but with time as realities donned upon me, blue was no longer my happy color. Rather it mirrored longing, yearning for the simpler days in life, and evenings leading up to loneliness under the night skies. Listening to Blue Side reminds me of my own journey through the years and how I have tried to find my way back to the Blue Side.
Hope World (the concept) is beautiful, mesmerizing, and alluring. We seek it when we feel ourselves sinking to rock bottom. But in the end, it too is just a figment of the imagination. Maybe what the adolescent mind seeks was never a land of its own, rather a place for the same in the current world. And so the adult leads their inner child back to the Blue Side, the safe haven. Pandora’s box contained the ideal elements the mind still seeks but truth be told what we truly want to hold onto is their reality in the place we call home (room/comfort zone). Blue Moon may refer to it all being a rare occurrence, but maybe that is what makes it all special, more than abundance in the Hope World could. So Hoseok sings his blues as if he has returned to the place he started from, but the ride has taught him more about acceptance, adaption, and evolution of oneself than the same could originally.
To me, the dive at the beginning of Hope World and the journey that followed mirrored the idea of escapism. Blue Side felt like returning to the reality that once the mind wanted to leave behind with the chimes welcoming back the individual after a period of thought, self-reflection, and growth. I connect that to my reviving love for elements I associate with my childhood including two of my favorite colors, purple and blue. Then again this is just my interpretation connected to a more personal story.
I would like to give credits to Lindsay as her Red to Blue concept here reminded me of my version of the same analysis that I had yet to write about.
This analytical piece is a subjective interpretation of the actual work (bound to have a one-dimensional perspective) and claims to reflect nothing directly or indirectly mentioned in the original lyrics.
