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my thoughts on why the second verse of "Burn It" is so smooth (and how a few of its rhythmic elements contribute and correspond to its meaning): a thread
today i'll address 3 main topics: offbeats/onbeats and accents, flows and flow switches, and interpretations.
this thread was created in collaboration with the wonderful @tinzoongi! her observations about the production of "Burn It" will be linked at the end of this thread!
this thread was created in collaboration with the wonderful @tinzoongi! her observations about the production of "Burn It" will be linked at the end of this thread!
i kept seeing people say that yoongi's second verse in "Burn It" is one of his best yet, so i spent several days thinking, "i am one step away from transcribing the second verse of 'Burn It'," and then i finally sat down and just did it by hand.
here's a transcription of the verse (there's info at the top!):
NOTE: the letters of the romanizations are separated phonetically so each syllable corresponds exactly w/ its note. (example: i wrote "ho-geun" instead of "hog-eun"—the second note starts w/ the sound of the "g")
NOTE: the letters of the romanizations are separated phonetically so each syllable corresponds exactly w/ its note. (example: i wrote "ho-geun" instead of "hog-eun"—the second note starts w/ the sound of the "g")
and here's a video with the verse and the sheet music! i've slowed the verse down a bit so that it's easier to follow.
1. offbeats/onbeats + accents:
yoongi stays on the beat for the vast majority of this verse. there's a total of 64 beats in the verse, and he only dodges the beat 5 times. besides that, he's hitting 1, 2, 3, 4 very consistently, which contributes to the smoothness, b/c he (1/2)
yoongi stays on the beat for the vast majority of this verse. there's a total of 64 beats in the verse, and he only dodges the beat 5 times. besides that, he's hitting 1, 2, 3, 4 very consistently, which contributes to the smoothness, b/c he (1/2)
doesn't disrupt his flow by accenting (emphasizing) offbeats (defined here as any note falling btwn 1, 2, 3, and 4). he just keeps staying on the beat as he moves forward, so that's one reason the second verse flows so well. (2/2)
in fact, yoongi actually accented a few onbeats. in music, onbeats (1, 2, 3, 4) are naturally the strongest beats. so, he accents in places where it feels most natural, which again contributes to the smoothness of the verse.
yoongi only really* accents one offbeat in the entire verse, and that's the "yeah" at the beginning. but it doesn't feel weird or disrupt a smooth flow because it's the start of a new mini-phrase.
*check the note at the top of the picture for the maybe second accented offbeat
*check the note at the top of the picture for the maybe second accented offbeat
2. flows and flow switches
in the 1st half of the verse, every time yoongi is about to switch flows, he changes his current flow just slightly. this leads us to anticipate the new flow.
he also blurs the boundaries between flows, which helps make the transitions very smooth!
in the 1st half of the verse, every time yoongi is about to switch flows, he changes his current flow just slightly. this leads us to anticipate the new flow.
he also blurs the boundaries between flows, which helps make the transitions very smooth!
exhibit a: measure 4
yoongi's flow at the beginning of the verse is super consistent, but here he changes it a little with an extra sixteenth note (=1/4 of a total beat). he also ends this measure with the same rhythm that he started the verse with, closing it out nicely. (1/3)
yoongi's flow at the beginning of the verse is super consistent, but here he changes it a little with an extra sixteenth note (=1/4 of a total beat). he also ends this measure with the same rhythm that he started the verse with, closing it out nicely. (1/3)
simultaneously, he takes this opportunity to start a new line of lyrics, and a new flow with the very last note in measure 4.
in music, this is called a "pickup", because it begins a new musical phrase, AND this note also comes before beat 1 in the next measure. (2/3)
in music, this is called a "pickup", because it begins a new musical phrase, AND this note also comes before beat 1 in the next measure. (2/3)
so while the last note of measure 4, "eo", is the first syllable of the second flow, it can be considered part of the first flow in terms of rhythm!
i find this blurring of rhythmic boundaries between where flows start and end very interesting and impressive! (3/3)
i find this blurring of rhythmic boundaries between where flows start and end very interesting and impressive! (3/3)
exhibit b: measure 7
yoongi repeats his second flow for the third time. but, he changes it slightly by putting an accent on beat 3. this begins a third flow, taking us to "don't be afraid".
disregarding the accent, "a nin ji" also belongs to the second flow! esp. lyric-wise
yoongi repeats his second flow for the third time. but, he changes it slightly by putting an accent on beat 3. this begins a third flow, taking us to "don't be afraid".
disregarding the accent, "a nin ji" also belongs to the second flow! esp. lyric-wise
the second half of the verse is less consistent with flows, but it's still anchored (and smoothed) by certain rhythms, especially sixteenth notes.
exhibit a: measures 9-12
the rhythm for "bureul butyeobwa" is always 4 16th notes followed by an 8th note (=1/2 of a beat).
the pattern is that yoongi's flow has a lot of 16th notes right before he says "bureul butyeobwa". so all the 16th notes flow smoothly into each other
the rhythm for "bureul butyeobwa" is always 4 16th notes followed by an 8th note (=1/2 of a beat).
the pattern is that yoongi's flow has a lot of 16th notes right before he says "bureul butyeobwa". so all the 16th notes flow smoothly into each other
exhibit b: measures 13-16
here, there are a lot of rhythms with 1 eighth note falling on the beat, followed by 2 sixteenth notes (this is counted as "1+a"). furthermore, yoongi accents the 1st notes of some of these rhythmic groupings. (1/3)
here, there are a lot of rhythms with 1 eighth note falling on the beat, followed by 2 sixteenth notes (this is counted as "1+a"). furthermore, yoongi accents the 1st notes of some of these rhythmic groupings. (1/3)
in measures 13-14, he accents beat 2; in measures 15-16, yoongi accents beat 3.
remember that accents sound very natural when they fall on the onbeats, and notice the sixteenth notes in his flow leading up to the accented beats. (2/3)
remember that accents sound very natural when they fall on the onbeats, and notice the sixteenth notes in his flow leading up to the accented beats. (2/3)
the sixteenth notes create a momentum so listeners expect them to lead up to a peak in the music. and they do, because they lead to the accented notes.
essentially, yoongi eases us into the accented notes, so even though they're more prominent, they don't feel abrupt. (3/3)
essentially, yoongi eases us into the accented notes, so even though they're more prominent, they don't feel abrupt. (3/3)
3. interpretations
the fact that the beginning of the verse is very repetitive in terms of rhythm becomes more interesting if we consider the lyrics: "The weakness, hatred, loathing, and even rage—/Them, too, are rather futile". he's listing all these negative things he (1/2)
the fact that the beginning of the verse is very repetitive in terms of rhythm becomes more interesting if we consider the lyrics: "The weakness, hatred, loathing, and even rage—/Them, too, are rather futile". he's listing all these negative things he (1/2)
doesn't like to see, so the repetitive flow emphasizes how all these similarly negative emotions build up on each other.
these emotions are "futile", meaning they're pointless. so it makes sense to loop this rhythm—no development b/c this is something pointless anyway. (2/2)
these emotions are "futile", meaning they're pointless. so it makes sense to loop this rhythm—no development b/c this is something pointless anyway. (2/2)
additionally, yoongi says "I face you in the deepest place" before he goes on to talk about negative feelings.
this one is DEFINITELY a stretch, but one can hear the rhythm of his flow as the sound of someone going down a set of stairs at an uneven pace. just a little thought!
this one is DEFINITELY a stretch, but one can hear the rhythm of his flow as the sound of someone going down a set of stairs at an uneven pace. just a little thought!
later, yoongi raps, "Whatever it is, yeah, bastard, light the fire/You of the past, you of the present/Whoever it is, bastard, light the fire."
the "light the fire" lines are fast, but he slows down when he talks about his past and present selves. (1/3)
the "light the fire" lines are fast, but he slows down when he talks about his past and present selves. (1/3)
it's probably just because it's less syllables to say, but i think there's space for interpretation here!
the first "light the fire" line is fast, which reflects the impulsivity of the decision to burn everything, as well as the quickly destructive nature of fire. (2/3)
the first "light the fire" line is fast, which reflects the impulsivity of the decision to burn everything, as well as the quickly destructive nature of fire. (2/3)
but then yoongi hesitates a bit, slows down, pauses to take the time to think about himself and his decision.
but he goes back to quick rhythms again because he's decided he'll light the fire no matter who it is, as he says in the lyrics. (3/3)
but he goes back to quick rhythms again because he's decided he'll light the fire no matter who it is, as he says in the lyrics. (3/3)
i said earlier that there's several times when yoongi accents certain beats. after talking with @tinzoongi, i realized that this is an example of text painting, b/c it sounds like the flickering of flames, and he talks about fire esp. near the end https://twitter.com/tinzoongi/status/1305163737054281731?s=20
there's also a lot of "1+a" rhythms near the end. these rhythms are common in snare drum parts in band and orchestral music, especially to push a song forward.
in the last line, yoongi says, "I hope you don't forget that giving up decisively also counts as courage." (1/5)
in the last line, yoongi says, "I hope you don't forget that giving up decisively also counts as courage." (1/5)
so these rhythms make it feel like yoongi's marching forward. if giving up decisively also counts as courage, then let's keep going; let's keep moving forward, because it's okay. just keep going! (2/5)
it gets even more interesting if we directly connect these rhythms to the idea of marching bands, as @tinzoongi suggested! snare drums/marching bands are associated with war. so as yoongi marches forward in time, one could say he is simultaneously at war with his past self, (3/5)
because giving up decisively is difficult. it's difficult to move on from what your past self once strove for. (4/5)
@tinzoongi also brought up the parallel btwn "burn it" as "daechwita", as both have elements of war music! "daechwita" draws from korean culture, but "burn it" has more western elements, since snare drums in war music are more western. it makes sense, b/c he collabed w/ max (4/5)
final thoughts:
1. yoongi makes the music come alive—it's much more than just notes on a page. that's what a good musician does! his tone of voice and his delivery of course also contribute to the excellence of this verse!
2. his second verses never miss!
1. yoongi makes the music come alive—it's much more than just notes on a page. that's what a good musician does! his tone of voice and his delivery of course also contribute to the excellence of this verse!
2. his second verses never miss!
here is the collab thread! https://twitter.com/tinzoongi/status/1305163713738088449?s=20
translations from doolsetbangtan! :) https://doolsetbangtan.wordpress.com/2020/05/22/burn-it-feat-max/
