I wanted to make this thread for a long time and decided to do it today since soon in the next few weeks all my energy will be dedicated more towards Day6 upcoming comeback. This is going to be an essay so bear with me.
So, here are some further insights on Day6's Zombie, and why the song and the MV it the greatest masterpiece of 2020
First off lets talk about the repetitive instrumental that Jae talks about here I timestamped it
He mentioned how the intro of the song, and the chorus is literally the same beat, but just an octave lower. This might not seem much to you, but it kinda also represents what the song meant. The song is about how one leads their life repetitively over and over again, and this repetitive yet catchy beat kinda represents that too.
Now to the MV, where it starts off with a guy waking up going through his daily routine just like everyday. The way Jae and Young K sang the intro, they also sounded defeated
Wonpil sings "yeah we live a life, just running circles all day and night", and it shows the guy walking to work just like everyday, and everyone just walks past him not caring about him
And of course the most iconic line of the song "I became a zombie", as he makes his way across the bridge. The way Young K sings it, it kinda seem hopeful? Jae sounded maybe a bit sad but not defeated
And he reaches work to do the same thing he has been doing over and over again from day till night
The way Sungjin sings the chorus, he sounds angry like he hates his life and his job. Wonpil sings it with a bit more sadness than Sungjin. When he leaves for work, he also stares across the bridge, thinking of maybe ending his life
The next line "Get it all out wanna cry, let go of everything, can I cry", the room starts to flood
The windows also showed that it is raining. All this emphasizes on the sadness the character is feeling
The last chorus, the drums end. The drums kinda signify the beating heart of the character and when he reaches home it finally ends. It shows that he has given up.
The instrumental starts to sound lower and lower, and Jae finally finishes the song with "Tomorrow will be no different, I live counting the time till I close my eyes". He sounds defeated, and finally lay on his bed given up, knowing that the next day will be as meaning as this day, and the following days will be bad as well, leading to an endless cycle of misery
The song doesn't end the way people think it would. Normally people might think the song will end with some "happy ending" and that maybe everything will get better at the end and life will be better, but it doesn't. It gives you a tight slap of reality that things are going to be the same, and is going to be as shitty like how you experienced it today and probably is going to continue again and again. The song is depressing and does not really give a hopeful image of what might happen.
However, upon more consideration, it kinda also gives a slight comfort. Comfort not because the lyrics make you feel better or give you hope, rather it is comfort knowing that you are not the only one feeling defeated, other people are also feeling that way, and that even though things might not get better tomorrow, you know you are not struggling alone in this. You are not fighting the battle alone, many people are fighting these battles as well.
Also, probably the most important message, the song also gives us a glimpse of mental health and depression. A lot of time people don't really know how people who are facing depression actually feel. Friends and family will keep trying to comfort you and say "don't worry things will get better" or "just get over it", but that is no the reality at all. The reality is this, that is things are going to be bad, and is going to get worse and worse. People don't know and don't feel the way others who are feeling depressed feel. Day6 doesn't sugarcoat and tell you everything is ok, but somehow it is ok to feel that way because just like other people facing depression, you are not the only one facing your demons (which could also be the reason why the album title is called The Book Of Us: Demon). The fact that Sungjin and Jae took a hiatus from promotions because of mental anxiety makes this song hit even harder.
I hope you guys love my insight about the MV and the meaning of the MV/song. What do you guys feel about this masterpiece? Let me know your thoughts
