Rolling Stone Ranked The 100 Best BTS Songs Ever — Here Are Their Top 10 Choices
With nearly a decade behind them now, BTS has such an extensive discography that any fan of the group would likely struggle to name their favorite song by them. Nevertheless, Rolling Stone magazine recently published an article where they ranked what they believe to be the 100 best songs by the K-Pop group. With reasoning for each of their choices, they certainly did as good a job as anyone could with such a monumental task, though of course there is still a level of subjectivity to their choices. Here are their top 10 BTS songs ever from this list.
10. “Dope”
“Dope” was released in 2015 as the second title track of their third mini-album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1. The song has made nearly a half-million sales on its own digitally, and has been silver-certified by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).
Positioned as hardworking, well-costumed youth who eschewed clubbing and just happened to be unthinkably adorable, fabulously expressive singers and rappers, BTS moved like B-boy artificial intelligence to Pdogg’s infectious, strangled sax (clearly inspired by Flo Rida’s choked sax on “GDFR” via Lookas’ remix of War’s “Low Rider”).
— Rolling Stone
9. “I Need U”
“I Need U” was released in 2015 as the first title track of their third mini-album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1. The song has made over a million sales on its own digitally, and has been gold-certified by RIAJ.
But ultimately, “I Need U” sounds powerful now because it’s the song where BTS cracked the code, branded their sound, had a big hit at home, and welcomed all of us to the Bangtan Universe.
— Rolling Stone
8. “Blood Sweat & Tears”
“Blood Sweat & Tears” was released in 2016 as the title track of their second full-length studio album, Wings. The song has made over 2.5 million sales on its own digitally, and has been silver-certified by RIAJ and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
Showcasing the gorgeously fluid falsettos of Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, the track’s producers float tropical-house breezes over a twitchy reggaeton beat with flirty synths that practically ask for your number. The synthesized vocal hook is a bouncy flurry of energy, and the bits of glockenspiel, chimes, cascading guitar, and hand claps are so enticing that you don’t even need an EDM dumb-down.
— Rolling Stone
7. “Black Swan”
“Black Swan” was released in 2020 as one of the title tracks of their fourth full-length studio album, Map of the Soul: 7. The song has been silver-certified by RIAJ.
Surrounded by pensive, synthetic strings and a cavernous 808 clap, the group’s strangely Auto-Tuned cries are absorbed by the narcotic, cloud-rap ooze. As if trapped in the video’s glistening void, seven barefoot figures in black bespoke suits bend, snap, and twist.
— Rolling Stone
6. “Dimple”
“Dimple” was released in 2017 as the fourth track of their fifth mini-album, Love Yourself: Her. The song has made over 150,000 sales on its own digitally.
Sung by anyone else, the Love Yourself 承 ‘Her’ B side would likely sound like a string of tooth-achingly saccharine pickup lines. But when BTS, here at their most boy-band–y, imbue the lyrics with this kind of delightful, undeniable charm, you’d be hard-pressed not to crack a smile.
— Rolling Stone
5. “Baepsae“
“Baepsae” was released in 2015 as the sixth track of their fourth mini-album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2. The song has made over 100,000 sales on its own digitally.
The Korean title, “Baepsae,” translates as “small bird” or “crow tit,” derived from a Korean idiom that says, more or less, stay in your lane if you’re born into a certain class. Both a rap flex and a generational anthem, “Silver Spoon (Baepsae)” hits hard.
— Rolling Stone
4. “Fire”
“Fire” was released in 2016 as one of the title tracks of their first compilation album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever. The song has made around one million sales on its own digitally.
The rappers’ energy only escalates with the candy-flipped dubstep beat yo-yoing and kick drums thumping. The language (a mix of Korean and English) is no barrier to the content; “Fire” is clearly a call-out to kids, no matter their country, economic background, or depressed situation, to get hyped and set fire to class restrictions, dismissive haters, or their own inhibitions.
— Rolling Stone
3. “Ddaeng“
“Ddaeng” was released in 2018 as a non-album single, and is considered an “unofficial song” by BTS that was written, composed, and produced by RM, Suga, and J-Hope.
… RM, Suga, and J-Hope artfully toy with six different meanings of the word ‘ddaeng‘ — namely, “wrong” and (you’re) “finished” — over a plucky beat made of traditional Korean instrumentals. ‘We’re being ruined, so thanks/For ignoring us until now, thanks/Thanks to you: stadiums, domes, Billboard,’ Suga spits. It’s as scathing as it is refreshing, and leaves little room for doubt that BTS have earned the right to have the final word.
— Rolling Stone
2. “Save Me”
“Save Me” was released in 2016 as the one of the title tracks of their first compilation album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever. The song has made over 300,000 sales on its own digitally, and has been silver-certified by RIAJ.
Jimin’s first verse alone is an airily crooned dramatic turn, and the breathtaking four-man-weave throughout, by all the vocalists, is a marvel of nuanced technical facility. The meticulously eccentric instrumentation — ticking-clock percussion; trickling marimba sound; the distant, yearning quality of the EDM snares! — creates a sense of falling so that the chorus feels like it literally saves you.
— Rolling Stone
1. “Spring Day”
“Spring Day” was released in 2017 as the title track of their reissued Wings album, You Never Walk Alone. The song has made over five million sales on its own digitally, and has been gold-certified by RIAJ.
While the lyrics are widely understood to be originally about the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, the perennial sentiment packs an emotional punch that’s universal, transcending country, culture, and language. And the bud of hope BTS offer at the end — ‘The morning will come again/Because no darkness or no season can last forever,’ they sing — is the reason they’ve cultivated a garden of blossoms.
— Rolling Stone
