FAKE LOVE – MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

I raised a flower that couldn’t bloom in a dream that can’t come true.

The day before yesterday BTS released the official music video for their song “Fake Love” lots of fans have been waiting for excitedly. At the latest, after the release of the teaser it was clear that we could expect another visual piece of art and above all, cryptic symbols and a story you are eager to understand. This text will not analyze everything of the video in detail because let’s be honest the video is full of symbolism and several details and ain’t nobody got time for that. I am just telling you some of my impressions and analyze the themes which appear important to me.

Isolation through social media and other forms of escapism

V is spending time on his phone which then dissipates into sand. This process of vanishing illustrates that activities on social media are only fugitive and literally not tangible. I am not going to analyze the lyrics in detail but it is pretty obvious that these support the feeling of isolation which is caused by the disappointment the figures have suffered. “Fake love” stands for a relationship which seemed to be a real connection with genuine feelings but in reality there is just a shallowness. The feeling of distance is also shown by moving the scene down a level and showing that V has been in a kind of abyss the whole time. Plenty of displays on the wall are flaring up but V stands still. He distances himself from everything. The “Save me” sign in the background underlines the sinister feeling of being a prisoner of technology. An interesting fact is that if you flip the sign upside down it says “I’m Fine”. This just supports my impression that mental illness caused by isolation is exemplified. In my view this whole scene is an illustration of the dangers of using technological devices and especially social media as a sort of escapism.

A similar sort of escapism is represented by J-Hope. He is locked in a room full of toys and later on lays in a huge pile of candys. The room looks old and run-down and contrasts with the colorful toys and candy bars. These objects are a metaphor for things people use to instantly feel happiness. In this case that would be, as mentioned before, spending more time in front of displays than actually being socially active. The problem here is that these short-term solutions are not really solutions for the real problem (feeling isolated and not being able to truly connect with others) and even make the situation worse while damaging oneself. Just as too much candy will make you sick, isolating oneself too much can cause depression, anxiety and many other kinds of mental problems.

The most obvious interpretation of the title and the song would be to see it as an illustration of toxic relationships in general. An important part of the lyrics that is repeated three times is this one:

If it was for you
I could pretend that I was happy even if I was sad
If it was for you
I could pretend that I was strong even if I was hurt
Wishing that love is perfect as itself
Wishing all my weakness is hidden
In a dream where nothing worked out for me
I raised a flower that couldn’t bloom,
I raised a flower that couldn’t bloom in a dream that can’t come true.

The lyrical speaker truly believed in the relationship with the other person who certainly was not the right partner. The speaker tried to hide his/her feelings and pretended that everything was fine just because of the dream that everything would work out somehow. The flower is a symbol of this dream. The very first scene of the video shows a close-up of this flower in a glass case. This is an object which comes up in another story line which is portrayed by Jin. In the beginning, he finds himself in a big, lighted house. Outside of the house there is Jungkook’s face in front of a dark background. Jin closed the curtains and separates himself from Jungkook. It is important that he and some other figures of the video isolate themselves willingly from others which express their wish to be alone and dive into a surreal world, trying to find nothing but a spark of happiness. This feeling of not letting go of an illusion is emphasized by the scene in which the whole house is going down but Jin is still holding on to the flower in the glass case instead of leaving the house which means that he is holding on to his illusion even though it might destroy him. He then realizes that the rose has dissolved into sand. His dream of a possible positive turn in this relationship has finally failed.

The problem of not truly knowing oneself in a relationship is exemplified by RM. He is singing about sacrificing everything you have for one person without getting something in return and the despair which comes along with that. Not knowing your ambitions and what exactly makes you happy can lead to a distorted picture of reality, especially when you have very strong feelings and idealize someone. He forgets who he really is which is shown by him looking in the mirror but not recognizing himself anymore.

A forest of just us, you were not there
I forgot the route that I came along
I became to not know who I even was
I try to talk to the mirror “Who are you?”

The key to happiness?

If you have seen the first teaser of the video you may know what I am referring to. At the candy shop all of the guys are giving something to the figure with the mask to get something in return. In my view this is a deal everyone is making in order to gain happiness. The only problem is that happiness does not work that way. It is not possible to sacrifice an essential part of you as a human (like your own reflection/ self-knowledge or self-love) and hope for long-term happiness. The person with the mask is portrayed dark and sinister, it could be seen as a precursor of death. Jungkook does not have to offer anything but he receives something which seems to be very valuable – a key. Not any key, the key which enables him to get in the house of broken feelings in which he tries to save the others. He is the one who is running through the hallways and observes everyone from a distance. Jin isolates himself from him in the beginning. And also J-Hope pushes against the door of his room, just to make sure that no one is able to enter it. Then he observes Jimin from a hatch in the roof. He sees the light of an opened door, he starts running towards it, enters the room, but just runs against a wall. Suddenly the floor starts to disappear while he is running. He stops, the scene moves down a level and it is shown that V just finds himself directly underneath him. He also observes Suga who is sitting alone in a room in front of a piano and a guitar. The room itself seems old and cold but outside of it there is fire. The fire could symbolize hope and the heat of real feelings. This impression is underlined by the fact that even the chimney looks like there hasn’t been any fire in it for a long time. What all of these situations have in common is the fact that everyone is not only isolated but wants to stay isolated. No one (except of Jungkook) is actively trying to get out which indicates that all of the others willingly do not want to accept reality yet or just lost all of their hope and decided to stay in this state of lethargy.

Everyone of the boys seems to be so distanced from each other. Even though they are so close to each other locally, Jungkook does not manage to get near them or to touch him which could also exemplify the emotional distance which exists between these figures. Jungkook might be the only one able to save them from the emotional abyss all of the guys finds themselves in but even though he has the key, he is not able to get to them. I think one of the most important scenes is the one in which Jungkook is in the basement and sees the broken glass case which lays on a pile of sand. As I already mentioned before, the sand is a metaphor for the failed dreams of the lyrical speaker. So Jungkook takes this sand and lets it fly through the room. No one else of the guys would be able to do that but as Jungkook owns the key, he embodies hope itself.

After he did so, Jimin’s room is flooded with water and a huge fireball lights up in Suga’s room. There is even the hint of a smile on Suga’s face. If you haven’t watched the ending, you might think – that’s it. He did it. The emotional coldness and emptiness everyone is faced with will come to an end. Jungkook has got the key and managed to initiate a connection to the others. They will probably be saved. But that is not what happens. The stone walls form a door through which he walks but there is nothing but an empty room in which the person (death, the devil, whatever you may see him as) who gave Jungkook the key is now waiting for him. That creates a pretty dark and sad impression that the audience is left with. In the end, even hope itself could not save them because everyone of the guys is already caught too deep in the house of destroyed dreams and loneliness. They gave up to much of themselves. I raised a flower that couldn’t bloom in a dream that can’t come true. And in the ends these words stay true.