IU and BTS’ Suga Address Loss and Letting Go in ‘Eight’
Forward, forward — filled with hope.
IU and Suga’s Eight has been one of the most anticipated collaborations since Winter Flower by Younha featuring RM. IU and Suga worked together on the composing, arrangement, as well as the lyrics.
In introducing ‘Eight’, IU shares: “While I’m not sure whether it’s from my personal emotion or from the overall atmosphere of our society that is amidst hard times, my 28th year would be remembered by the recurring feeling of lethargy and longing for the ‘orange island’ where there is no sadness and we are able to be free.”
The track felt heavy despite its cheery tune. This piqued my interest, hence, this is my personal analysis and exploration of Eight.
So are you happy now, Finally happy now are you? IU’s first lyric felt gentle, yet haunting. Who was she speaking to? Was she speaking to her friends that she had lost? Was she speaking to those who would pick on others on social media?
IU, answering her own question, sings Huh I’m still the same, I feel like I have lost everything. Upon first listen, I just had a gut feeling that the lyrics, though I have yet to search them up, were much deeper than what its cheerful tone connotes. Bookish Theories summarised that the themes of Eight include memory, sorrow, and longing.
Everything comes as it pleases and leaves without a goodbye. Mental health still remains as a taboo topic in Asia. In these few years, it has been especially worrying when it comes to the mental health of idols in the industry. In just a few years, we have tragically lost SHINee’s Kim Jong-hyun, Sulli, and Goo Hara. With the loss of every young star, it still comes off as a shock regardless of whether we ‘should have known’ or if we had seen the signs.
At this state, I don’t want to love more than anything. I think this lyric was what made me battle my tears, as I felt the weight of the pain it carried. The struggle of losing someone we love was perfectly expressed. This lyric seems to be her musing if we should even love at all if the pain of loss is this unbearable. IU sings, I travel in the tattered memories. Though memories pale in comparison to having our loved ones right in front of us, having these memories do still provide us comfort. Learning to embrace both the positive and negative memories is vital in our healing process.
We are beneath the orange sun
When I heard the term ‘orange sun’, it gave me a very warm, uplifting feeling. Orange is often associated with joy, happiness, and enthusiasm. Watching the sun — whether it is rising or setting — is something I have since learned to appreciate. During those moments, I bask in the light and the stillness I feel — even if it is just for a while. Without a shadow, dancing together. Watching the sun has made me learn to appreciate the little things. I interpreted ‘shadow’ in this context to be the bad things: things that are not pleasant, struggles, and hardships. For those few moments we are celebrating that we can be together — rather than the worries we may face during our youth.
There’s no such thing as an arranged goodbye. Let’s add this to the ‘lines that made me battle my tears’ list. I think what IU and Suga expressed with Eight is important in reminding us how fleeting life can be — that we should live to our fullest and appreciate our loved ones while we still can.
Meet in that beautiful memory, Forever young
This lyric reminded me of a saying that through a writer’s words, one will continue to live on. In the same way, the people we love and experiences we have are stored in our memories. Though we may not be like we were before or we may not be able to recreate the exact same memories, these live on in our hearts. The lyric Forever young made me think of two things. Firstly, the loss of some of IU’s closest friends — who we will always remember as talented young stars. Secondly, it made me think of BTS’ song that had a similar phrase as its title: Young Forever. A contributor for the Bulletproof publication shared on how that album was a reminder that “it’s okay to fall, to let go, and to wish for something new.” Young Forever ties in Eight, with its manifesto of “how our youth truly never ends.”
Suga is also featured on this track, coming in for a rap verse.
Island yea here is an island, a small island built by each other. I wondered if this ‘island’ is a metaphor for having our own individual friendship or relationship we have with someone.
Yea forever young, eternity is a sandcastle. This lyric had me quite confused when I first read it. What did Suga mean by this? A contributor for Asian Junkie put into perspective what this imagery could mean. They explained that the ‘sandcastle’ seems to represent something that can crumble in an instant — which is interestingly unlike the notion of forever that is communicated throughout this track.
A farewell is like a disaster warning/emergency message. Suga’s lyric relates back to IU’s lyric there’s no such thing as an arranged goodbye. These both remind us of how fleeting life can be. There are times when we might feel that we are just going through the motions. We take many people, opportunities, and things for granted.
The morning, that we meet together with longing
Together passing through this eternity
What was prominent throughout Eight is the togetherness it expresses. It felt as though IU and Suga invited us along this journey of healing with them: in reminiscing the memories, processing loss, and being hopeful for the future. On the Zach Sang Show, Suga shared that there is no growth without pain — and this rings true in the process of letting go.
Certainly let’s meet again on this island. The last line of Suga’s verse felt very assuring. It is a promise that we will reunite with the people that we love.
IU brings up another important perspective in this track: Just like the saying from someone who used to comfort me, Forgetting even only a handful of memories is not easy.
Almost 2 years ago, I lost a beloved college lecturer. He was not just a lecturer — but also our competition coach, an almost parent-like figure, and a friend. I received this news when I had just started the first day of my post-graduate course. I was trying to slap on as much concealer as I could to hopefully distract everyone from my swollen eyes. Processing grief can be a rollercoaster ride. From crying in disbelief in the shower, trying to be hyper-productive and distract myself by helping to coordinate students to contribute to a memorial booklet, many more tears, to finally being able to look at a group picture of us with acceptance and love.
Does experiencing grief makes the next experience less painful? No, as each experience of grief is different. It’s easy to say ‘you have to let go’ or ‘you have to move on’, but it is different when it comes to executing it.
Even as time passes, Forever at the place that has me in its grip. Grief is an interesting concept. How long should we grieve? Is there a time limit? Do we all go through similar emotions? Does time truly heal? Eventually, we will have to take steps for ourselves to move forward. However, their love and impact on us will still remain. Our memories with our loved ones will always be a part of us.
We lie down next to each other, And share stories that aren’t sorrowful. This lyric makes me think of a verse from Revelations 21:4, which reads: ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ While I am uncertain what IU and Suga meant by ‘forever’ in this track, it paints a very beautiful picture that we will no longer be feeling pain or sadness when we reunite.
There is no depressing ending, Forever I will meet you in this memory. We will carry with us the love that we felt, the laughter we shared, the memories we will treasure forever.
Forward, forward — filled with hope.
Translation Credits:
Twitter users @starryparkjimin, @haruharu_w_bts, and @ktaebwi
