"Not Today" is a song recorded by South Korean boy bandBTS for their 2017 albumYou Never Walk Alone, a repackage of their secondKorean-language studio album,Wings (2016). The song was written by"Hitman" Bang,RM, Supreme Boi, June,Adora andPdogg, with the latter of the five also handling production. It was released on February 20, 2017, as the album's secondsingle byBig Hit Entertainment. AJapanese version of the song was recorded and issued on May 10, 2017, throughUniversal Music Japan, as aB-side of thesingle album that included tracks "Blood Sweat & Tears" (2016) and "Spring Day" (2017), both also in Japanese. It was subsequently included on the band's third Japanese-language studio album,Face Yourself (2018). "Not Today" is ahip hop andmoombahton song which relies onsynth-heavy instrumentation. The track's lyrics address themes of injustice, corruption andanti-establishment.
The song received generally favourable reviews from music critics, who praised its energetic sound and lyrical content. Commercially, "Not Today" peaked at number six on South Korea'sGaon Digital Chart and reached number one on the USBillboardWorld Digital Songs chart. The song also charted at number 23 on theBillboard Japan Hot 100 and number 77 on theCanadian Hot 100.
The music video for the song directed by Sung-wook Kim of GDW was released on February 20, 2017. Inspired by theLord of the Rings film series, it features the band performing "powerful" choreography with a group of black-clad back-up dancers in the backdrop of rocky valleys. A dance version of the video features close-up and wide-angled shots of the band performing choreography to the song. BTS promoted the song with televised live performances on various South Koreanmusic programs, includingM! Countdown,Music Bank, andInkigayo. It was also included on theset lists of the band'sThe Wings Tour (2017) andLove Yourself: Speak Yourself World Tour (2019).
BTS released their secondKorean-language studio album,Wings, in October 2016, which charted at number one on theGaon Album Chart and became the best-selling album of 2016 in South Korea.[1]Big Hit Entertainment announced in January 2017 that a sequel to the album, titledYou Never Walk Alone, would be served as areissue.[2]You Never Walk Alone yielded twosingles; the first one was "Spring Day", released on February 13, 2017, by Big Hit.[3] On February 12, "Not Today" was announced as another single from the album.[4] The song was written by"Hitman" Bang,RM, Supreme Boi, June, and its producer Pdogg. BTS recorded vocals for the track at Big Hit Studios,Seoul. It wasengineered by Pdogg and June, whilemixing was handled by James F. Reynolds at Schmuzik Studios.[5]
"Not Today" was released fordigital download andstreaming in various countries by Big Hit on February 20, 2017, as the second single fromYou Never Walk Alone.[6][7] AJapanese version of the song was recorded and issued digitally for purchase on May 10, 2017, byUniversal Music Japan as aB-side track of the band's seventh Japanese-languagesingle album. It also contains the Japanese versions of their Korean singles "Blood Sweat & Tears" and "Spring Day".[8][9] It was also released as a four-versionCD single in Japan on the same day, with a regular edition and three different limited editions: A, B and C.[10][11][12][13] All four editions contain Japanese versions of "Blood, Sweat & Tears" asA-side and "Not Today" as a B-side track, while the Japanese version of "Spring Day" is present exclusively on the regular edition. In addition, edition A includes aDVD containing music videos for the Korean and Japanese versions of "Blood, Sweat & Tears".[11] Edition B also comes with a DVD that contains behind the scenes footage of the music video for the Japanese version of "Blood, Sweat & Tears" and the making of album jacket photos, while edition C contains a 36-page photobook.[12][13] The lyrics for the Japanese version were written byKM-Markit.[14] It was subsequently included as the fifth track on the band's third Japanese-language studio album,Face Yourself (2018).[15]
A 23-second sample of the "vocal-centric" pre-chorus of "Not Today", ahip hop andmoombahton song, which utilises asynth-based production. The lyrics address themes of injustice, corruption andanti-establishment.[7][16][17]
"Not Today" is ahip hop andmoombahton song,[16][18] with a length of 3 minutes and 51 seconds.[19] In terms of musical notation, the song is composed in thekey ofG♯ major, with a moderatetempo of 110 beats per minute.[19] Instrumentation is provided bykeyboards andsynthesizer.[5] The song employs a synth-based production consisting of "pounding" beats, "intense" sound and heavy instrumentals.[16] It has more of an "aggro-pop" sound like that of their early songs, "Dope" (2015) and "Fire" (2016).[17] The track consists of "inconspicuous" verses that are primarily rap-driven, and use "explosive" and "combative" delivery.[16][20] The pre-chorus is "vocal-centric" which leads to a "bombastic" chorus, having a "klaxon-like sound."[17]
The lyrics of "Not Today" speak of overcoming obstacles and keep fighting, while instilling hope in oneself.[7][16] Speaking about the concept and meaning of the song, RM said, "I wrote the lyrics for BTS so we do not stay silent against social issues and injustice and continue to solve it and raise problem. We talk about social issues, read books and meet with experts and ponder together. We still have a long way to go, but we will think hard and embrace criticism."[16] In the opening lyrics, RM calls out to "all the underdogs in the world."[16] It discusses the theme ofanti-establishment that was featured in their previous singles "No More Dream" and "N.O.", through lines like, "A day may come when we lose/ But it is not today/ Today we fight!"[7] During the chorus, the band speak of rallying against injustice, corruption and irrationality; "Don’t kneel, don’t cry, raise your handsNot not today."[16] The line, "Break the glass ceiling that cages you" references the idea of breaking all invisible barriers that stop people from succeeding.[7][16][20][21] Tamar Herman ofBillboard believed that the lyrics addressed social and political issues.[7]
"Not Today" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Rhian Daly ofNME listed it as one of the best songs of BTS and praised the track's lyrical content stating that it is "a fiery, fierce track on which they encourage their fans to live their best lives."[20] Sungmi Ahn fromThe Korea Herald acclaimed the song for staying "true to BTS’ hip-hop driven roots" which she felt "is what the band excels at." She further deemed the track as "exhilarating" and added that it "pumps up listeners."[16] Dam-young Hong, also ofThe Korea Herald, dubbed the song a "pulsating banger."[22] Writing forBillboard, Monique Melendez praised the song's message and sound labelling it as "equal parts social commentary and floor-shaking thrills."[17] ForDigital Music News, Paul Resnikoff called the track "high energy" and "explosive" with "an elaborate dance and multiple backdrops."[23] Allison Franks fromConsequence of Sound enjoyed the track and deemed it as an "explosive rap-based anthem", while Markos Papadatos ofDigital Journal regarded it as an "upbeat and spitfire" single.[24][25]
"Not Today" debuted and peaked at number six on theGaon Digital Chart for the chart issue dated February 12–18, 2017.[26] It also peaked at number four on the componentDownload Chart, selling 100,482 digital units in its first week.[27] "Not Today" was the 32nd-best-performing song of the February 2017 issue of theGaon Monthly Digital Chart based on digital sales, streaming, and background music (instrumental track) downloads.[28] As of December 2017, it has sold 258,206 digital units in the country.[29] The song debuted at number two on the USBillboardWorld Digital Songs Chart for the issue date of March 4, 2017, selling 12,000 digital downloads in its first week.[30][31] The following week, it climbed to the top spot, giving BTS their fourth number one on the chart following "Fire", "Blood Sweat & Tears" and "Spring Day".[32] Additionally, it peaked at number 23 on theBillboard Japan Hot 100, and number 77 on theCanadian Hot 100.[33][34]
A music video for "Not Today", directed by Sung-wook Kim of GDW, was uploaded on Big Hit'sYouTube channel on February 20, 2017, at 00:00KST; it was preceded by a teaser released on the same platform on February 10.[35][36][37][38] It was choreographed by Keone Madrid.[37] The video is five minutes long and was inspired by theLord of the Rings film series.[39] The video commences with a shot of the seven members being chased by a crowd clad in black, before switching to show the title of the song.[37][39] It then transitions to show RM inside a factory, walking into the frame.[37] He is then joined by the rest of the members as they start performing "powerful" choreography, similar to that of their "beat-heavy" singles "Dope" and "Fire".[39] The band members are surrounded by a group of 30 back-up dancers who are dressed in black, ninja-inspired outfits.[7] The clip is interspersed with scenes which depict the band in the backdrop of rocky valleys, where they perform "rapid-fire" dances propelled by the "stomping" move in the choreography.[39] In other scenes, they are either being chased or shot at.[7] At one point, the back-up dancers throw off their "restricting" garments, seemingly "to protest in military-style formations."[7] The video concludes with a shot of the song's title displayed in black against a white background.[37] The music video was an instant success on YouTube, garnering over 13 million views in 24 hours, becoming the fastest K-pop video to surpass 10 million views at the time.[40][41] It was the third most viewed K-pop music video of 2017 on YouTube.[42] As of May 2020, the video has over 400 million views.[43] A choreography version of the video was released on February 27, 2017.[44] The eight-minute clip features close-up and wide-angled shots of the band performing powerful choreography to the song.[40]
^2017년 02월 Digital Chart [Gaon Digital Chart: 2017.02] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. RetrievedAugust 9, 2020.
"2017년 02월 Download Chart" [Download Chart – February 2017] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. RetrievedJanuary 9, 2019.
"2017년 03월 Download Chart" [Download Chart – March 2017] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. RetrievedJanuary 9, 2019.
"2017년 18주차 Download Chart (Domestic)" [Download Chart – Week 18 of 2017 (Domestic)] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.Archived from the original on July 25, 2017. RetrievedOctober 24, 2018.
^BTS (방탄소년단) 'Not Today' Official Teaser (Online video) (in Korean). South Korea: Big Hit. February 10, 2017.Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. RetrievedJuly 25, 2020 – via YouTube.
^Lee, A-young (February 23, 2017).'엠카' 방탄소년단, '봄날'·'낫투데이' 최초 공개…상반된 매력 ['M-Countdown' BTS,'Spring Day' and'Not Today' first released... Contradictory charm].Xports News (in Korean).Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. RetrievedAugust 9, 2020 – via Naver.
^Yoo, Chan-hee (February 24, 2017).방탄소년단, 카리스마와 감성의 조화 '봄날+낫투데이' [BTS,'Spring Day + Not Today', a harmony of charisma and emotion].Ten Asia (in Korean).Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. RetrievedAugust 9, 2020 – via Naver.
^Jeon, Hyojin (February 21, 2017).방탄소년단, ‘봄날’ ‘낫투데이’ 中 주간차트 1위 [BTS,'Spring Day' and'Not Today' ranked #1 on the weekly chart].Sports Donga (in Korean).Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. RetrievedAugust 9, 2020 – via Naver.
^Cha, Yujin (December 29, 2017).'봄날'부터 'DNA'까지…'가요대축제' 압도한 방탄소년단 클래스 [From 'Spring Day' to 'DNA'... 'Music Festival' overwhelmed by BTS's class].Hankook Ilbo (in Korean).Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. RetrievedAugust 9, 2020.
^Lee, Eunho (January 10, 2018).[2018 골든디스크] 아이유부터 윤종신까지…多 장르 수상 (종합) [To [2018 Golden Disk] From IU Yoon Jong Shin ... Multi-genre award (Comprehensive)].Etoday (in Korean).Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. RetrievedAugust 9, 2020.
