BTS - Dynamite

I. Introduction

"Dynamite" is the first English digital single by BTS. It was released on August 21, 2020 at 12AM EST (1PM KST).

EDM and acoustic remixes were released on August 24 and tropical and poolside remixes were released on August 28, known as the "DayTime" versions. Slow Jam, Midnight, Retro, and Bedroom remixes were released on September 18 as the "NightTime" versions. A Holiday Remix of the song was released on December 11.

A limited edition vinyl and cassette were also made available for pre-order. A limited edition CD single was added later on the group's online American store.

The single's music video became the most viewed YouTube video in the first 24 hours of its release, with over 101.1 million views.

II. Tracklist

Digital

Original

"Dynamite" - 3:19

Instrumental

"Dynamite (Instrumental)" - 3:18

Extended

"Dynamite" - 3:19

"Dynamite (Instrumental)" - 3:18

"Dynamite (Acoustic Remix)" - 3:17

"Dynamite (EDM Remix)" - 3:18

DayTime ver.

"Dynamite" - 3:19

"Dynamite (Instrumental)" - 3:18

"Dynamite (Acoustic Remix)" - 3:17

"Dynamite (EDM Remix)" - 3:18

"Dynamite (Tropical Remix)" - 3:17

"Dynamite (Poolside Remix)" - 3:02

NightTime ver.

"Dynamite" - 3:19

"Dynamite (Instrumental)" - 3:18

"Dynamite (Slow Jam Remix)" - 3:19

"Dynamite (Midnight Remix)" - 3:16

"Dynamite (Retro Remix)" - 3:28

"Dynamite (Bedroom Remix)" - 3:27

Holiday Remix

"Dynamite (Holiday Remix) - 3:33

Physical

7' vinyl

"Dynamite" - 3:19

Cassette

Side A

"Dynamite" - 3:19

Side B

"Dynamite" - 3:19

CD single

"Dynamite" - 3:19

"Dynamite (Instrumental)" - 3:18

"Dynamite (Acoustic Remix)" - 3:17

"Dynamite (EDM Remix)" - 3:18

"Dynamite (Tropical Remix)" - 3:17

"Dynamite (Poolside Remix)" - 3:02

"Dynamite (Slow Jam Remix)" - 3:19

"Dynamite (Midnight Remix)" - 3:16

"Dynamite (Retro Remix)" - 3:28

"Dynamite (Bedroom Remix)" - 3:27

III. Background & Release

"Dynamite" is one of the few songs to which the members did not contribute in songwriting or production. In interviews with multiple media outlets, writers David Stewart and Jessica Agombar explained the song's creation. Through their publisher Tim Blacksmith at Stellar Songs, they learned that BTS was searching for an English language single. The duo wrote three songs over Zoom calls at the start of lockdown. Stewart and Agombar wanted to create a song which is energetic, fun, hopeful, positive and just like a huge ball of energy.

On July 26, 2020, the band confirmed during a livestream on V Live that they would be releasing an English-language song on August 21, 2020, as the first single for their upcoming album. Discussing the song, which was one of their most heavily promoted releases thus far, the band said that due to COVID-19, people around the world have been going through tough times and we wanted to share some positive energy with our fans. One day after the news, a website displaying seven countdowns went live, each one corresponding to a new announcement for the single.

On July 31, the group shared a pre-save link for Spotify. On August 2, Big Hit revealed that the title of the song would be "Dynamite". The following day, pre-orders went live for 7-inch and cassette editions of the song, as well as the digital single and its instrumental for US customers; the physical versions sold out within an hour. The next day, the band shared a promotion schedule revealing two music video releases, three interviews with American networks and a performance at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards.

IV. Spotify Playlist

V. Videos

Teaser

Official MV

Live Performance

Dance Practice

VI. Reception

With 7.778 million first-day streams on the global Spotify chart, "Dynamite" surpassed Taylor Swift's "Cardigan" (7.742 million streams) as the biggest song debut of 2020.

In South Korea, "Dynamite" debuted at number six on the Gaon Digital Chart, with two days of tracking. The following week, it rose to the top spot, making it BTS' seventh number one in the country, and the second in 2020 after "On". The song remained at the top position for seven consecutive weeks, tying with Zico's "Any Song" for the longest running number one song on the chart. On the chart issue dated October 31, "Dynamite" regained its number one spot and remained at the top spot for a further three weeks, tallying a total of 11 non-consecutive weeks atop the chart. The song also topped the component download and streaming charts, spending 11 weeks atop the latter. "Dynamite" was the best-performing song of September and October 2020 in South Korea, based on digital sales, streaming, and background music (instrumental track) downloads.

In Japan, the song debuted at number seven on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, peaking at number two, three weeks after. The song reached number one on Billboard Japan's Streaming Songs chart on the issue dated September 7, 2020, with over 10 million streams. In its 11th week, the song surpassed 100 million cumulative streams, becoming the fastest song in history to do so and only the second song by a foreign artist in Japan besides Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" (2016). The song exceeded 250,000 downloads in 2021 and was awarded platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) that February.

On the UK Singles Chart, "Dynamite" debuted at number three, representing the band's most successful single in the territory, surpassing the peak of "Boy with Luv" (2019) at number 13. In January 2021, OCC revealed that "Dynamite" was the 15th best-selling song of 2020 in the UK.

In the United States, "Dynamite" debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the group's first number-one single in the US and their fourth top-10 entry. BTS became the first all-South Korean act in Hot 100 history to debut at number one. They also became the first Asian act to chart a number one song in the country since Kyu Sakamoto with "Sukiyaki" (1963). "Dynamite" sold 300,000 units in its first week, including download, vinyl and cassette physical versions. It earned 33.9 million total US on-demand streams and 11.6 million radio impressions.

"Dynamite" also debuted atop the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart, selling 265,000 downloads—the biggest pure sales week since Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" launched with 353,000 downloads in 2017. Spurred by the "Poolside", "Tropical", EDM, acoustic remixes and instrumental version of the song, "Dynamite" sold a 182,000 units in its second week, remaining atop the Hot 100 for a second week, becoming only the 20th song, of 43 songs that have entered the chart at number one since, to debut at number one and spend its first two weeks atop the chart since a mid-90's rules change allowed songs to debut at number one; it is the first song by a group to accomplish this since Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (1998). In its fifth week on the chart, "Dynamite" returned to the top spot the Hot 100 for a third week at number-one, aided by its "Bedroom," "Midnight," "Retro" and "Slow Jam" remixes, which together accounted for 52% of the overall song sales of 153,000 copies that week.

"Dynamite" entered the Pop Songs chart at number 30 on the issue dated August 29, 2020, becoming the band's sixth entry on the ranking. On the week of November 7, it reached the ninth position, becoming their first top ten on the chart, and also the highest-charting song by a Korean act, besting Psy's "Gangnam Style" (2012). In January 2021, Billboard announced that "Dynamite" was the number one selling single in the US of 2020, and the only song to exceed 1 million downloads. It sold a total of 1.3 million copies across all formats according to Nielsen Music's annual year-end report. The margin was so significant that it surpassed the second best-selling song, "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd, which sold 580,000 copies, by more than a 2.2x multiple.

On March 9, 2021, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) published its annual top-10 charts. "Dynamite" was listed as the 10th best-selling digital single of 2020 globally, having amassed 1.28 billion subscription stream equivalents worldwide in less than five months.

Following the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on March 14, Billboard reported a surge in sales of all songs performed on the show for that day. "Dynamite" sold an additional 10,500 copies—a 2,748% increase—and was the top-selling track of the night. The song returned to number one on the Digital Songs chart for that week and the next—its 15th and 16th non-consecutive weeks in the lead—with 27,880 and 26,700 copies sold respectively, tying with "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X in week 16 for the second most weeks atop the ranking.

The single is BTS' fourth to achieve platinum status in the US, but their first to receive double-platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), on March 17. On March 29, "Dynamite" tied "Despacito"'s record for the most weeks at number one on the Digital Songs chart, when it topped the issue dated April 3 for a record-extending 17th week with 43,000 copies sold.

On the Hot 100 issue of the same date, the single spent its 31st consecutive week inside the top 50, tying with "Gangnam Style" as the longest-charting songs by a Korean artist on there. The following week, Dynamite became both the longest-running number one on the Digital Songs chart and the longest-charting song by a Korean artist on the Hot 100 respectively, when it spent its 18th non-consecutive week atop the former with over 37,600 copies sold, and its 32nd week on the latter, for their issues dated April 10, 2021.

VII. Awards

At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, "Dynamite" garnered BTS their first-ever Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance—the band is the first K-pop act to be recognized by the Recording Academy. The song also achieved a record 32 music show wins in South Korea.