Life Goes On (BTS Song)

"Life Goes On" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band BTS and released on November 20, 2020, through Big Hit Entertainment and Columbia Records as the lead single from the group's fifth Korean-language studio album '' Be'', released the same day.

"Life Goes On" debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and became the band's third number-one single in the United States as well as the first primarily Korean-language song to debut atop the chart.

Background

Following the postponement of their Map of the Soul Tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the group started working on a new album. The group's label officially announced '' Be'' on September 27, 2020, stating via press release that the album "imparts a message of healing to the world by declaring, 'Even in the face of this new normality, our life goes on'". "Life Goes On" was announced as the album's lead single on October 30. J-Hope described the song's creation as:

Music and lyrics

"Life Goes On" was written by band members J-Hope, RM and Suga alongside Ruuth, Antonina Armato, Chris James and it's producer Pdogg. The song has been described as an alternative hip hop and synth-pop song underlaid with an acoustic guitar. The folky production consists of 808 drums, electronic beats, melodic rhymes, a stripped-down melody accompanied by "acrobatic" vocals and harmonies on the chorus. The lyrics of the song have been described as uplifting and seeking to provide hope to fans during the pandemic. The song has been compared to the group's own 2017 single " Spring Day".

Commercial performance

"Life Goes On" debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, on the chart issue dated December 5, 2020, becoming BTS' third number-one single in the United States in exactly three months, following "Dynamite" in September and " Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat) (BTS Remix)" in October. This marked the fastest accumulation of three number-one songs on the chart in 42 years since the Bee Gees, who previously achieved the feat in two months and three weeks with "How Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin' Alive", and "Night Fever" from the '' Saturday Night Fever soundtrack'' between December 1977 and March 1978. The song topped the Digital Songs chart issue of the same date, having sold 150,000 units (pure sales) in its opening week, including 129,000 digital downloads and 20,000 physical copies. It is the first Korean language song in Hot 100 history to debut atop the chart, as well as the first song sung predominantly in a non-English language since Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito" remix with Justin Bieber in 2017. The following week, "Life Goes On" charted at number 28, marking the third-largest drop from number one by a song in Hot 100 history after Taylor Swift's "Willow" and 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj's "Trollz", which fell to numbers 38 and 33 respectively in their second weeks. It charted at number 93 in its third week and left the chart afterwards.

Music video

On November 17, Big Hit released a 26-second long trailer for the song and music video, followed by another, 22-second long trailer the next day. The official music video was released on November 19, along with the album, and was directed by BTS member Jungkook. In the video, the members laze around in their dorm, V drives them around, and they watch movies and perform the song in an empty stadium.

The video became the fifth-most viewed YouTube video in the first 24 hours, earning over 71.6 million views.

In the following weeks, 3 alternate versions of the music video were released: "on my pillow", "in the forest", and "like an arrow".

Live performances

BTS performed "Life Goes On"—and "Dynamite"—at the American Music Awards on November 22, 2020. The following day, two pre-recorded performances of the song were shown on American television programs. The first, on ''Good Morning America'', featured the group performing inside a decorated house, wearing pajamas and bathrobes. The second performance was broadcast during ''The Late Late Show with James Corden''. The group sang the song while dressed in pajamas again, this time on a set consisting of a series of conjoined living rooms. The performance ended with them unboxing gifts in a Christmas-themed room. ''Elle's'' Ariana Yaptangco said that the group "traded in their regular top-notch choreography to show off their impressive acting skills." BTS also performed "Life Goes On" as part of their four-song set at the Melon Music Awards on December 5, and their three-song set for the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) on December 6. Suga, who was recovering from shoulder surgery at the time and did not attend in person, appeared as a hologram for the song's performance at MAMA.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Big Hit.
* BTS – vocals
** J-Hope – songwriter
** RM – songwriter
** Suga – songwriter
* Pdogg – producer, songwriter
* Antonina Armato – songwriter
* Chris James – songwriter
* Ruuth – songwriter

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Accolades

Certifications and sales

Release history

See also

* List of ''Billboard'' Global 200 number ones of 2020
* List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number ones of 2020
* List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles of the 2020s
* List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top-ten singles in 2020
* List of most-viewed online videos in the first 24 hours
* List of number-one songs of 2020 (Malaysia)
* List of number-one songs of 2020 (Singapore)

References

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2020 singles
2020 songs
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
BTS songs
Columbia Records singles
Macaronic songs
Number-one singles in Malaysia
Number-one singles in Singapore
Songs written by Antonina Armato
Songs written by Pdogg
Songs written by RM (rapper)
Songs written by J-Hope
Songs written by Suga (rapper)
Music videos directed by Lumpens
Songs about the COVID-19 pandemic
Hybe Corporation singles
Billboard Global 200 number-one singles
Billboard Global Excl. U.S. number-one singles