'tokyo' or 'seoul' 26
-
tokyo (14) 54%
-
seoul (7) 27%
-
Both (9) 35%
tokyo : 'tokyo' is the first song of RM's 2018 playlist 'mono'. Many simply overlook the title with it being just the name of the capital city in Japan but did you ever think why he might have chosen this name for the song talking about loneliness?
Loneliness is no stranger to humanity however loneliness epidemic is a serious issue in Japan. Tokyo may be the most lively and active city in the world but ironically filled with lonely people.
RM explains this raw state of loneliness first through creating a very haunting soundscape. RM takes on various themes of loneliness, isolation, alienation all of which contribute to the topic of mental health through an introspective outlook on his own personal experiences. These experiences, although written in the first person narrative, are expressed generally which makes it more relatable and relevant for anyone to define the loneliness that they feel. 'tokyo' encapsulates loneliness in its entirety.
seoul (produced by Honne) : The lyrics video takes us through the city of 'seoul' which has been captured very well by the director. 'seoul' is about RM's love/hate relationship with the city he calls home. However, the song goes deeper. It often discusses Seoul, the capital of South Korea but also his own soul. It's upto your interpretation to sort out if he is using 'Seoul' or 'soul'.
I personally don't have a favourite between these two. But these 2 songs just show that while most people use music to distract them from their troubles, RM makes it a point to recognise, learn, and understand our demons before we can overcome them.