BTS's First Ever All-English Single, "Dynamite", Is The Song The World Needs Right Now — And It's Already Breaking Records

"It’s dedicated to all the people who feel like they've fallen down while running a marathon."

On Friday, pop superstars BTS released the song of summer 2020 with their latest single, "Dynamite". I know it's the end of August already, but I'm just reporting the facts here.

Big Hit Entertainment

Alongside the single, the group also released a brightly-coloured, free-spirited music video, as usual showcasing their impressive choreography and vocal range, but also bringing joy and comfort to fans during a difficult time.

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The song itself is an undeniably happy and upbeat disco track, with both lyrics and choreography paying homage to musical legends like the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley.

The music video has already smashed records with the backing of their fans — the BTS ARMY — with YouTube confirming on Sunday that it had racked up 101.1 million views in its first 24 hours, marking a new record.

Big Hit Entertainment

The group's previous 24-hour record was 74.6 million views for "Boy With Luv", which was broken in June by Blackpink's "How You Like That" with 86.3 million.

The song also had the biggest premiere in YouTube history, with more than 3 million concurrent viewers at the time of its release, and has topped both Spotify's Global Top 50 chart and the iTunes single charts in more than 100 countries.

This is far from the first time BTS have broken records with their music, but "Dynamite" does mark one big milestone for the South Korean group: It's the first time they've released a single as BTS that's sung entirely in English.

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At a press conference on Thursday prior to the single's release, the members explained that releasing "Dynamite" hadn't been in their plans for 2020, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, everything changed.

Big Hit Entertainment

After the group's worldwide 2020 stadium tour was indefinitely postponed due to the severity of the global coronavirus crisis, they began working on a new album, giving fans an unprecedented glimpse into their creative process through livestreamed meetings on YouTube.

During Thursday's press conference, the BTS members explained that they had heard the demo for "Dynamite" during the process of making the album, and decided to release it as a separate single in order to reach their fans around the world as quickly as possible.

"As soon as we heard it, we thought it was a fun and cheery song that wasn’t that serious," leader RM said. "It just made us feel good when we heard it. We really wanted to share this energy with the fans as soon as possible."

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The members explained that they decided to release the song in its original English because they liked the way the lyrics fit with the melody, and enjoyed the vibe and energy of the demo. They said they wanted to share the feeling it gave them with fans during an difficult time for the world.

"It’s dedicated to all the people who feel like they've fallen down while running a marathon," Suga said. "Even if you're going through tough times, let's do what we can in our places, and find freedom and happiness through dance and music."

He went on to say that the group's goal with "Dynamite" is to reach as many people as possible, and share that happiness with them.

This goal is just one example of BTS' continuous and unmatched connection with their fans. In recent months, the members have made it their mission to connect with and comfort their ARMY, and with "Dynamite", that dedication really shows.

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The song is upbeat, poppy, full of rainbow colours and sweetness — in short, it's everything a person could need for just a small amount of comfort and light during a time of unprecedented isolation and uncertainty due to the coronavirus pandemic.

If their connection with their fans is what makes BTS so unique — and so successful — then the uplifting, comforting message of "Dynamite" will likely only serve to strengthen it. And, if that's the case, it's highly likely that the BTS ARMY is about to gain an awful lot of new recruits.