my thoughts on how the musical elements of "Interlude: Shadow" contribute and correspond to its meaning: a thread

first, a note on authorial intent. on april 25, 2020, in DJ Suga's Honey FM 06.13, yoongi mentioned his approach to working on music. "I use ambiance a lot":

(i had never felt more validated in my life than when i read these subtitles.)

from this, we can infer that at least some of the elements are on purpose to help visualize a story. and i had definitely visualized some things when i listened to "Interlude: Shadow", prior to then.

intro:

as yoongi nears the end of his intro, his flow moves faster and becomes louder (a crescendo), making me visualize him breaking into a run up a hill to the top that he speaks of. it gives the impression that he's slowly rising as he lists his dreams. the MV mirrors this

verse 1:

no break btwn intro/verse 1, showing how yg suddenly found himself at the top after running relentlessly. also, his flow when he says how only going higher makes him dizzy is quick + syncopated (weak beats accented, not strong beats), emphasizing how disorienting it is

(listen: intro and verse 1)

yoongi begins getting louder and faster at 0:02.

the immediate transition from the intro to verse 1 is at 0:05.

the part with the quick flow about only going higher and getting dizzy is from 0:37 to 0:42. https://twitter.com/yoongitracks/status/1271559220924571648?s=20/video/1

chorus 1:

yoongi sings his pleads as quarter note triplets (don't let me, don't let me. tri-p-let, tri-p-let). this makes those words stand out, b/c in 4/4 time, even numbers of syllables often flow more smoothly. the triplet rhythms draw our attention to what he has to say

verse 2:

when i listen to this, i once again visualize yoongi trying to make his way up a steep hill. at first, he walks, but he begins to speed up before the acoustic guitar comes in. the acoustic guitar is strummed in the background, subtly propelling him forward. (1/4)

in the middle of the verse, yoongi almost gives up and has to pause for breath, as his voice nearly breaks. however, he gathers the strength to go on, which is marked by a heavy accent (an emphasis) w/ the bass drum on the first beat of a new measure (1 measure has 4 beats) (2/4)

after that happens, we hear yoongi gain momentum with a quicker flow. he slows down into regular eighth notes near the end of the verse. this makes me imagine that he's stopped sprinting, since he's close to the top of the hill, and he's slowed into a jog or a quick walk. (3/4)

also, the electric guitar that comes in at the end plays progressively higher and louder notes, giving him the last push he needs to reach the top. this development corresponds with the lyrics about simply doing his best and running forward, even though a shadow haunts him. (4/4)

(listen: verse 2)

acoustic guitar comes in around 0:11/0:12.

yoongi pauses twice from 0:18 to 0:20

the heavy accent in the bass drum part is around 0:24/0:25. his flow is fast from then on until 0:31

from 0:31 to the end, he slows down. The electric guitar is also heard here

chorus 2:

this chorus is the same as the 1st regarding the flow. yoongi emphasizes his fears about shining/flying high w/ his quarter note triplet flow. however, this time there's an electric guitar, which adds an increased intensity, insisting that we listen to yoongi's words

hook:

the cold, echoing notes of the piano make me imagine being on the edge of a precipice high above, looking down, which corresponds w/ the position of success that yoongi has found himself in. but soon that disappears and siren-like sounds are heard in the background, (1/2)

as well as a distorted bass, alerting us that something has shifted. i also interpreted the distorted vocals as being the voice of yoongi's shadow, echoing the sentiments that once motivated him, but now scare him. the shadow doesn't care about yoongi's reservations (2/2)

outro:

here we know that yoongi's shadow speaks directly to him. its presence is made clear by the even more distorted vocals, the distorted bass, and the heavy beat. the shadow echoes itself as well, adding to the menacing atmosphere. the outro is jarring, but the more (1/2)

one listens to it, the more one becomes used to it. and maybe that's the point. yoongi needs to accept that he'll never be free of his shadow, which is a process that takes time, just as how listeners grow to accept the outro the more they become used to it. (2/2)

so yeah! final thoughts:

"Shadow" is top-tier. i think it's notable for its musical development, and the diff. elements introduced as the song progresses. i also think that as a rapper, yoongi can be more flexible w/ rhythm, which is definitely an advantage here for storytelling