The Double Meaning Behind BTS RM’s “Still Life” Proves His Lyrical Genius And Creativity
BTS‘s RM released a surreal music video for the upbeat second track on his debut solo studio album, Indigo, titled “Still Life.” The song features the legendary rapper, producer, and musician Anderson .Paak.
At first glance, some fans might think that the title refers to the style of art mainly depicting static inanimate objects, but RM revealed the true double meaning behind “Still Life” in an interview on the TongTongCulture YouTube channel wherein he previewed all of the tracks on Indigo.
Being a non-native English speaker, RM misinterpreted the words “Still Life” to mean the opposite of what it usually refers to.
“As a non-native English speaker, I interpreted the word as ‘Life still goes on.’ Even though the picture is stationary in a frame, it is still alive. I wanted to talk about life ongoing moving away from fixed canvas.”
RM’s ability to remake the meaning of the words, which first came about because of a language barrier weakness, into a beautiful message of hope highlights his incredible talent as an artist and lyricist. The music video for the track is evidence of the transformation, showing RM continuing to forge a path for himself while smiling, despite all of the frozen objects and people around him.
At the song’s end, RM resumes writing in his notebook, indicating that he still has plans to continue living his life as an artist to the fullest.
Watch the music video for “Still Life” and RM’s full interview on the TongTongCulture YouTube channel below. He starts talking about the double meaning behind “Still Life” at the 3:09 mark.
