Bangtan Soneyondan, popularly known as BTS, released their third and final album of the ‘School Trilogy’, Skool Luv Affair, in the year 2014. As hinted by the title, ‘Skool Luv Affair’, the albums main theme is the love that blossoms during the school days. In this project, they worked on the most interesting topics to teens of their own age, dreams, love and happiness.
Such penetrating insight into the hearts and minds of the youngsters led to the huge support that BTS are receiving from the fans of their age. The members directly participated into making of the songs, vowing to ensure that their songs reflect the reality of their generation. Spine Breaker is the 8th song in that album which is co-written by some of the members of the band along with a few others from their label.
“Spine Breaker” is all about those trendy but expensive clothes that so many teenagers around the world want and that so many teenagers around the world would “die” for. Parents are persuaded to empty their wallets for these items and why shouldn’t they? After all their children desperately think that they need to own them. A children’s wish is a parent’s command. The song is all about those expensive and trendy ‘padded jackets’ which are worn by teenagers and children while going to school in winters.
Back in 2009, North Face Inc., an American company which manufactures outerwear, coats, jackets, shirts, footwear and equipment like backpacks, tents and sleeping bags. Their main target audience were teenagers, hikers, mountaineers and endurance athletes. The North Face jackets rose into popularity and became no1 due to the fact that they provide never ending warmth and excellent quality during winters.
Eventually, these puffy outdoor jackets not only became a fashion statement but also a symbol of class division thus supporting peer pressure, bullying and violence in Korean schools. The problem was that all the North Face jackets had a slightly different appearance for different prices. This made the teenagers start competing among themselves that who would buy the more expensive jackets.
And so, jackets that were meant to be a product for obtaining warmth pitifully became on the one hand a status symbol but also one the other hand a so-called “uniform” for the students as well. BTS reacted to it by saying in their lyrics that ” You’re not going to freeze, just because you’re not wearing that padded jacket. Before you fill the jacket with goose down. Fill your head with some common decency, before it’s too late.”
They also added that ” You’re the spine breaker. Your parents’ spine breaker. Someday you’ll regret it. The damned spine breaker”. Which means that instead of breaking your parents spines and becoming a burden to them, make your own money and buy those expensive clothes. They termed all the children who torture their parents for making them buy expensive clothes and jackets as ‘Spine Breakers’, thus the title of this song.
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