“Come back to me” Meets “No.2”: Making Peace with Our Choices
This piece contains personal and subjective interpretations of RM’s “Come back to me” (2024) and “No.2 (feat. Park Ji Yoon)" (2022).
When one thinks about music from RM, the expectation would be the genius use of wordplay and imagery in the lyrics. However, the layers of RM’s music does not only revolve on that, but rather includes the depth of the message that the song wishes to convey. RM’s music has often involved themes of self-reflection and discovery, of the shared human experience, it includes themes that delve deeply in introspection which has always been a strong point — and eventually a trademark to be expected from his artistry. Aside from the brilliance of the arrangement, to the rapport between the song and the visuals, the message and prevalent themes captured within the song has always been a focus of discussion among listeners.
RM has always been good at stimulating the listener’s thoughts with his releases — allowing listeners to theorize, bridge the visual and auditory elements, to arrive to the theme and message being presented in the song.
On May 10, 2024, RM released a pre-release track, “Come back to me”, from his anticipated second solo album “Right Place, Wrong Person”. If the song sounds familiar, it’s because RM himself has actually performed it almost a year prior to its release at Suga’s D-Day Concert in Seoul. The track features an indie-pop sound that looks into the contradictory emotions of people wanting to challenge something new but wants to be complacent in familiarity.
Rights and Wrongs — the concept
From the description of the track up to title of the album itself, the prevalent theme of the whole project revolves around the elements of right and wrong, that despite being in seemingly right situations, but still feeling disconnected from that rightness.
In the music video of “Come back to me”, RM is seen to be apathetic in the beginning, even confused as the plot of video progresses. He is seen crossing and walking out of different situations — of different doors. What’s interesting about the music video is the concept of different dimensions, different universes all with RM in different situations, and in all of these situations he is seen unhappy or confused with what’s happening.
It’s as if the RM in that particular universe did not know how he ended up in that situation, disconnected from the place and version of himself where he is in.
Is disconnection and confusion a product of our choices?
Throughout the video, RM is seen as trying to escape from one confusing and uncomfortable scenario to another one. When we experience such scenarios, the most probable course of action would be to distance ourselves from it, to seek momentary escape. But how much of these uncomfortable situations, the scenes that make us feel confused and disconnected can be alluded to ourselves and our choices.
The scenes and transitions throughout the majority of the music video was prompted by RM choosing to walk out of the room trying to escape the circumstances in each scene. In this, we see the different universes at play. As he escapes from one circumstance to another, he ends up in another life, another version of himself.
How many times have we made choices due to different internal and external expectations, and wishing we could distance ourselves from the circumstances caused by that choice? Isn’t it us who ultimately put ourselves in a situation that leads to us to feel disconnected, confused, and resorting to apathy because of our choices of our own “what ifs”?
The scenes where RM goes through the maze, trying to unlock different doors could be him trying to find himself — his true self amidst the different choices and circumstances that could have been brought up by stories of what he could or should have been. A common dilemma that many of us might relate to today.
Many of us are often stuck with our own expectations of what our life could or should be. This leads us to daydream of certain outcomes, to “live” different lives in our minds depending on our choices and decisions. But when we find that what we chose to do didn’t live up to the expectations we’ve set, the immediate response has been to mourn over our choices.
Kim Minha and the act of self-reflection
Kim Minha makes her appearance in the video as someone who is like RM, wandering, escaping. This prompts RM to look for her and eventually encounter her. Minha’s role in the video may be taken as RM finding and encountering his lost true self. To see someone who mirrors the same confusion as him allows RM to begin his self-reflection.
The talk that they have in the video could mean a deeper exploration of who he is, who he wants to be, in the form of talking or catching up with someone who seemingly understands the confusion he is going through throughout the video.
As RM in the video meets Minha and then becomes her, we see that the process of self-awareness and finding one’s true self has become possible through self-reflection. Sometimes we must see ourselves from a distance, to see ourselves reflected in another person to look within ourselves and understand who we are outside of our expectations and choices.
After that encounter with Minha, we see RM in the other lives he has gone through, this time happier, seemingly more content. This puts into perspective the theme of right and wrong, of choices, and expectations. As much as it is up to us to make our own choices and deal with its consequences, it is also us who makes our own possibilities. If we continue to box ourselves into mourning our own “what ifs” instead of looking within ourselves and remembering why we chose our decisions, then isn’t it easier to make peace with ourselves? To make ourselves the right person in the right place, shouldn’t we be at peace with our own choices?
RM’s No.2 and the concept of moving forward with self acceptance
No.2 featuring Park Ji Yoon is the final track in RM’s first solo album Indigo. It’s a song that talks about self-empowerment, self-acceptance, and moving on. The song is most notable for the repetitive lyrics of “no looking back”, telling the listener that they did their best, there is no need to dwell on the past anymore.
The track is an inspiring song, motivational at its core, advocating the listener to move forward and the importance of not giving up, and just being your best self. No.2 invites the listener to look forward to the future instead, understanding that the listener has done their best in whatever situation they may be dwelling on, and that the best course of action was to give themself a pat on the back and move on.
With lyrics that emphasize trusting ourselves to overcome any obstacle and being determined, No.2 almost mirrors the message of everythingoes in the same way that it suggests to its listener that no problem is there to stay, to forgive oneself, and the simple words of “you did okay” — no looking back, keep going.
No.2 works well as a transition in between Indigo and Right Place, Wrong Person
In his Magazine film for Indigo, RM explains that he designated the title №2 as it represents a transition into RM’s second chapter. As Indigo represents RM’s 20’s, ideally a part of his “first chapter”, No.2 begins his second chapter, the chapter that begins after his 20’s. Meaning, the song acts as a send off, from the project that documents RM’s 20’s to the following chapter, the following project that deals with RM’s new introspection.
The theme of the track as mentioned revolves around self-acceptance, of making peace with our short givings and moving forward. From the title of RM’s upcoming solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person it can be deduced that the prevalent theme of introspection and self-acceptance will still be evident.
From the pre-released track, Come back to me, that talks about self-awareness, to the acceptance and self-forgiveness evident in №2, both songs become a good follow up to one another, with №2 setting a good precedent on the themes to be explored in the next project.
No.2 and Come back to me mirror each other — the desire to break away from expectations
Both songs already capture the idea of self-acceptance. It is the most prevalent theme on these two songs. Although Come back to me have more direct visuals to help the listener udnerstand the theme and concept, No.2 does it directly with its lyrics.
In No.2, RM asks “Can I just go with the flow”, putting into perspective how we can interpret some parts of the music video of Come back to me as RM being thrust into a world (or different worlds) of expectations and becoming unhappy as a result. Then in the next line he asks again, “Can I belong to a place where I didn’t want to?” giving a nod the title of Right Place, Wrong Person as well as the music video showing his seeming disassociation with the different circumstances he has been walking in and out of.
Notable lyrics in the new song, “you don’t have to be anything you see, try not to be that something in the sea”, once tackle the idea of expectations others and sometimes ourselves impose on our person. This mirrors No.2’s “after all this time, there is only one thing I’ve learned I’ll be forever me”, the desire to break away from the expectations the we and others set on ourselves. Through these texts we realize that the expectations we have on ourselves and the expectations of others that we choose to achieve are ultimately what causes us to lose ourselves, we let our true selves take a back seat in order to give way to someone — a new version of ourselves, that we and others deem is more ideal.
The concept of “what ifs” is closely studied in the video of Come back to me through the different circumstances RM experiences. These what ifs sometimes become detrimental to us as they cause us to doubt ourselves. What ifs caused by overthinking choices, choices made out of different expectations placed upon us inevitably make us forget the importance of choosing our own happiness and allowing our true selves to show. This concept is also evident in No.2 through the following lyrics:
“even if those countless ‘what if’s torment you.”
“Left behind these memories mixed up so vividly
will be these remaining lives like extras.”
All those unhappy circumstances in the video were upturned through RM’s self-acceptance and self-awareness. Once he has made peace with himself, he was able to go through those different lives and live them happily.
Ultimately, both songs strive to tell the listeners about self-acceptance, the importance of self-reflection, of making peace with the choices that we’ve made. No.2 talks about acceptance that one must not dwell on the what ifs, mirrored with Come back to me’s self reflection on what it means for us to be the right person in where we are atm, not minding external expectations.
On Self-Reflection and Acceptance
RM’s songs have always had a way of making us think and look inside of ourselves. Come back to me gives us an idea on the importance of accepting our true selves, knowing ourselves, and working towards making ourselves comfortable in where we are right now. No.2 tells us the importance of accepting ourselves and moving forward, it tells us that we have always done what we know is best, that it is ideally only us who knows the extent of what our “best” is and that is enough.
Ultimately, both songs emphasize how self-acceptance is the key to moving forward in our lives. It is in introspection that we are able to know ourselves fully, to live with ourselves. And as usual, it is RM who makes us realize these things through his art.
Come back to me serves as a fitting first glance on the concept of Right Place, Wrong Person providing us with an insight into the notion of self-discovery and the shared human experience.
RM’s Right Place, Wrong Person comes out on May 24.
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