A definitive timeline of Seventeen’s AL1 story
Don’t know why I’m starting this past 9pm when I have school tomorrow but due to an anxious bout (which has lasted for about two months) I’ve learnt that when inspiration hits, I just got to run with it, or should I say bat with it, amirite? (we’ll get to that later on) LETS BEGIN.
Firstly we have to understand the vague points of time the music videos have taken place in. At first I thought that from Adore U to Boom Boom, all of the comebacks were on an alternate timeline to don’t wanna cry, however seventeen has stated that we are in fact wrong and that this all in the same timeline.
‘Adore U’ (is a funky pop song-) shows a crush a boy has on someone, but is inexperienced and marks it down to adoration rather than affection, as to not confront their own feelings. In this we can see an innocent fear of not knowing what to really say to someone and knowing the right words to express what you’re feeling. ‘Mansae’ is a bit different, although the schoolboy concept would have fit the song adore u, the lyrics are a bit different. It’s almost as if the boy has accepted the crush as what it is , liking someone, however instead of confessing they act immature (like schoolboys) and are jealous instead. ‘Pretty U’ is a bit different and shows some development. It has a musical theatre style and shows some development, they’ve actually confessed their feelings. Here’s when things get a bit rocky. ‘Very Nice’ is probably one of the most impactful songs ‘I’ve heard from seventeen. Although the lyrics describe a first date, the music video is a bit different. Whenever one of the boys starts to feel something for the girl, their heart explodes. It’s almost as though they can’t actually handle it . This is later reinforced in ‘Boom Boom’ where they claim that everything is because of the love interest . Up until this point the songs seem pretty normal, light hearted and tells the story of someone’s first romance. Although it seems unrequited and unresponsive, the main character seems happy, even with the the one-sidedness of it all.
You see, this is what makes me suspicious. Back in their seventeen project days, they said quite a few times how they didn’t want to be regular idols and they wanted to be artists instead, ones who worked very closely with the production of the songs and choreography. This is what makes everything seem off to me. We’ll come back to this later on.
After Boom Boom is when I think things get really weird. At this point in time is where Seventeen as a group itself gains momentum and popularity, being put to such a high standard of even getting to be put in ‘EBS’ with Exo and Bts. This almost seems to pressure them even more. It was hard enough coming from a company which didn’t have a lot of money, but now that they were quite popular, it was even harder being able to maintain that. This is when I think chapter 0.5 happens, just before don’t wanna cry. As we’ve seen in the unit songs, this is a side of seventeen we’ve never seen before.Â
Although change up is upbeat and catchy, the lyrics seem quite desperate. It’s almost as though the leaders are trying to prove themselves, saying that others wouldn’t understand what they had been doing and how had it is. Change up actually means a pitch in baseball, where the pitcher moves fast but the ball is significantly slower to confuse the batter.Furthermore, in ‘trauma’ the hip hop unit all speak about the mental blocks they’ve had, all one individual room only to realise they’re all facing it together. Lilli Yabbay could actually be symbolic of death as it’s used in funerals for many cultures. In the music video, we can see how the music had brought them to life, but as soon as it ended they were on the floor, much like everyone around.This could refer to people sleeping on the performance unit, or more logically, the fear of having people be dissatisfied or not being able to truly express what they want to say before their fans part with them.Â
BEFORE EVERYONE LEAVES THIS POST BECAUSE THEY GET BORED, LEMME JUST SUMMARISE BEFORE THE VOCAL UNIT SONG DROPS.
I feel like this entire time we’ve though about this boy falls in love story as a basic romance and nothing more. The closer you look, maybe it could refer to their dream. Back when they looked adoringly at their favourite singers up on that stage. Back in their school days, holding a trainee title but no guarantees. Pretty U could be when they realised that they knew debut was the only option for them . Aju Nice is their debut, a point of excitement, we can see their change from mansae in the use of their female leads. Before they would get discouraged with the lack of response from the girl (which could be the lack of attention from the public) but when in very nice we can see how they continue to work for her attention and to see some emotion, running towards her at the end even after their metaphorical downfalls. Boom Boom is when they realise that hard work does pay off, but their B-side Fast Pace shows us how they miss the freedom they had before people really knew who they were.
Gonna continue this when I catch wind of the vocal unit. This took me an hour and 11 minutes, gosh I’m slow. GoodnightÂ
Part One | Part Two coming soon
