If “Indigo,” BTS leader RM’s past album from 2022, describes him defining what it means to be human, RM’s newest album, “Right Place, Wrong Person,” tells the story of his raw experience putting that definition into practice. It is this experience of RM turning off the switch of TV friendly RM and diving deep into finding who the “real me” is, that expresses the true theme of his album, “Right Place, Wrong Person.” Each song that’s housed in this album sets a precedent of one’s freedom to be human, no matter how many people know their name or not.

As soon as one starts playing the first song, “Right People, Wrong Place,” they are whisked into the world of RM’s mind as electronic sounds mix with a breathy voice and an 80s style synthesizer. The listener is then introduced to the album’s theme right off the bat when different reiterations of “right and wrong” constantly repeat. While RM repeats those words, he reads out different phrases in the background of the song, representing the different opinions of the people who have criticized RM in the past. All these voices in this first song express the conflict that RM is having within himself; different voices, all his own, expressing different opinions: “… I’m making you right,” one voice says right before RM loudly proclaims that he’s “Feeling higher on a forest fire,” establishing his message that all the outside critics who tell him their opinion of what’s right and wrong only fuel him to figure it out for himself.

The transition from “Right People, Wrong Place” to “Nuts,” invites the listener to hear a switch from the psychedelic instrumental of the previous track. Instead of an electronic synthesizer, bongos introduce RM’s voice on the second track. This is when the listener is brought into RM’s external and internal conflict. First, he introduces a conflict between him and a past partner, one that brought both good and bad to the table; the bad specified by the line “best gaslighter.” He then describes another person, who could be a past partner or a former close friend who manipulated him, maybe for his money. The reason why this person RM is referring to could be either, is because he writes in the line after introducing the person, “When it comes to money, he could be a damn fighter,” losing the close mirror that the lyrics had in relation to the first section about a past partner:

She’s a pro rider, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, rider… (Line 1) / …He’s a pro rider, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, rider… (Line 9)
When it comes to love, she could be an all-nighter… (Line 3) / …When it comes to money, he could be a damn fighter (Line 11)

RM repeats a lot of the lines he said in the first section about the woman when referring to the man however I believe he changes it slightly according to his experiences with the different people.

Another interpretation of this second section of the first verse could be that he’s referring to himself. He writes “I go nuts, becoming a monster,” and other lines that might express how he felt he was acting during that relationship, a sort of self-criticism as the album is about his confusion of self-identity and what’s right or wrong. Just recently, RM did an album exchange with Jimin where he describes this theme as he made a choice where he had to turn off the switch of BTS RM and try and find himself underneath the lights and lines of what’s right or wrong.

He also described that for most of his twenties, on stage and off, he felt as if he was playing a character, not truly being himself. This is why I wonder if he’s both referring to a person and his past self; people who meant so much to him in his twenties but also hurt him deeply. Soon he can leave his former self in the past as he states in verse 2, “The monster hasn’t been me,” which might describe him coming to terms with his past or understanding that the person he was in a relationship with was at fault, not him.

Next, in “Nuts,” RM repeats the chorus with that bongo from earlier resting right beneath his voice. The lines most likely represent how RM might have been a person who put everyone’s needs above his and wanted to serve everyone their tomato soup while being a fork made for filet mignon. While he speaks, he harmonizes with himself as the pace picks up only to be dropped when he says, “lay back.”

This is when the listener falls into the sound of a beautiful electric guitar and cymbals that present this dreamy feeling of slight relief. This section of the song could also be representing the people described in verse 1, basically placating the past RM who knew them and bringing him to a place of comfort while they use him. It describes this speaker as someone who knows RM, knows his fears, and wants him to feel safe with them, while never wanting him to leave the relationship.

This chorus could also just be present RM speaking to his past self who experienced all these relationships and wanting to comfort him, knowing him best but not wanting him to leave completely; it’s a part of him. Soon, in the next verse we know that whoever the chorus is describing had to leave at some point as they were suffocating him.

The sound jarringly switches from the soft electric guitar to a mechanical sound that was originally introduced in the first song, “Right People, Wrong Place.” Dissonant sounds, like a chair screeching on a floor, play around with a loud type of electronic percussion, expressing RM’s final attention-grabbing thoughts with strength and enticing the listener with its unfamiliarity. He speaks about his present mindset, happy to leave the people who hurt him in the first verse; a partner, friend, or past self. RM desperately wishes he could change what happened back then as it seems that he and the other party knew it was doomed from the start. However, what’s done is done. He then instead mixes his regret with final kind words towards those past people, reflecting his true character of still being kind despite everything. This is one of the things that his album, “Indigo,” described as what makes a person human; the pursuit to becoming a better person.

The heavy distorted mechanical sound of “Nuts” perfectly transitions into “Out of Love,” the third track on the album where the words, “My life is out of love,” repeats six times. With the intense sounds of electronic dissonance, RM lays out his opinions as raw as the instrumentals, describing his understanding of the world and his opinion that he has the right to be human. Whether it is to do something that leads to harmful results or not, it is his choice to decide what he wants, not some third-party onlooker.

This song might be referring to a period in 2022-2023 where RM was the face of many different arguments about actions he had the freedom of taking. It was a time that he mentions in his album exchange with Jimin, describing it as one of his hardest. This could also be referencing all the critiques RM had to shoulder during his time of being active in front of the spotlight. Critics would evaluate and judge every single action he took not remembering the human behind it all.

RM establishes his opinion of having the choice to evaluate his life choices with credibility through the line, “Smoking kills, I know / It’s my… business.” He’s describing that he knows the choices he makes have consequences but it’s his choice to make them, not a third party. He’s only human, a third party has no right to judge him as it is his business, not theirs.

The chorus, hidden by ominous sounds of vocal harmonization and electronic sounds, describes RM’s annoyance with all the critics who didn’t even know him but keep hating and judging him harshly, not realizing that he’s human and it’s his first-time living life just like the rest of them. This then leads into verse 2 where he strongly expresses this sentiment, not hidden by ominous vocalizations anymore. This switch could represent how in the past, RM might have felt like he could only slightly vent about the things that occurred to him, however now, in the present he feels free to loudly voice his humanity, no filter, just RM expressing his path to truthfully representing his identity of being the “real me.” He raps that he’s realized that people can’t seem to understand his honesty and instead persecute him for being a human. He also establishes his limits by describing that he’s used to his money being exploited and doesn’t care much about it. However, when his time is being exploited, he draws the line.

The two final lines of “Out of Love” are powerful, explicitly raw lyrics that embody the entire theme and message of this song and album. He describes with continued distorted electronic instrumentals that the people who critique him and hate him can try to mess up his body, possibly referring to his outer image and personal brand, but should know and understand that they will never be able to mess up his mind. The critics have no power over his thoughts and actions, and he will make sure that they know he will never give it to them.

After that powerful statement, the song “Domodachi” begins with a sound, different from the sounds we heard before. It starts with a piercing saxophone, reminding me of the clarinet in the beginning of the piece, “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin. That jazzy classical piece houses one of the most iconic classical melodies ever, “Apart from the first four notes of Beethoven’s Fifth,” writes Jim Beckerman for NorthJersey .com. “The piece, a mixture of jazz and classical music was controversial in its receiving as it was so jarringly different from the day but then incredibly similar to the jazz music that came before it to the point that its listeners had drastically differing reactions” (Beckerman). It’s a piece that started conversations and made statements through melodies that changed the music scene. This aspect of the piece might be why it reminds me of “Domodachi,” as both melodies have a jarringly dissonant wind instrument start it off, followed by music which evokes many different powerful feelings, through instrumentals and lyrics.

Going back to RM’s song, “Domodachi,” after that saxophone introduction, we are met with a snare drum introducing RM’s slightly relaxed rap that is laced with sarcasm as he describes people that he encountered; possibly referencing the type of people who want a free ride off his status and money. After not modulating his voice and maintaining that sarcastic rap style, the song picks up with an electric guitar added to the mix as the drums get louder. RM describes his lifestyle, expressing sarcastic remarks against friends who are only there for what he can offer, not himself. RM might be describing his past self who indulged in their whims. This smooth rap is occasionally interrupted by his own adlibs yelling what might be his current self, talking to his past who went with what these “friends,” wanted. It then shifts to RM describing a conflict of staying true to himself while still having that choice of following those “friends,” who drain him. His yelling near the end of that shift in verse 1, warning him, might describe that conflict.

The song then surprisingly shifts into a slower chorus that clashes with the previous fast pace of the song. A voice starts singing in Japanese with a sound almost similar to a sea shanty or drinking song, describing one’s wish to dance with friends. The sound is incredibly dissonant and even tired, perhaps expressing RM’s weariness of having to go along with the whims of his “friends.” In a previous review of Jungkook’s album, “Golden,” I refer to his song, “Too Sad to Dance,” as a song that describes the songwriter’s sadness reaching a point where, “…he can’t enjoy life like he used to. He can’t face things optimistically like before, he can’t ‘dance’ around his problems.” I believe the use of “dance,” presented in Jungkook’s song can also be applied to “Domodachi.” The weariness of RM’s singing those Japanese lyrics is describing his past of dancing around the problems he has with his friends; he’s just “diving in randomly.”

RM then introduces the British rapper Little Simz to the song, after rapping a similar reiteration of the first two lines of the song, with the lyrics, “free soul, you betta come up with it.” This could describe RM finally leaving the toxic friendships and moving onto real ones, becoming free through another party’s introduction. I think the choice of having three featuring artists on this album shows that although the album’s theme is the idea that a person has the freedom to decide what they want for their life, another party’s input shouldn’t be fully excluded.

What matters is whether they truly respect and know the person they’re giving their opinion to or if they, “know my name but…do not know me.” While Little Simz raps beautifully, she is supported by a garage drumbeat which speeds up as she continues. This progress is dropped once again as the sarcastic Japanese chorus repeats continuously, slightly unsettling the listener and representing the human cycle of dancing around one’s friend problems.

The listener is then brought to “? (Interlude),” a smooth, jazzy, R&B interlude where RM addresses the people of the previous three songs who brought him inner conflict and turmoil. Soft, relaxing jazz embraces the ear and deep, sad lyrics such as, “I just hope you remember me / The best grave in your cemetery,” depict RM’s true feelings of conflict between wanting the person who hurt him, whether it’s his past lover, friend, or his past self, to not forget him, but also not forget what they did to him.

He also might be referencing the song, “Best of Me,” by BTS in his next line as he says, “You know you got the best of me.” In the song “Best of Me,” the songwriter expresses his hope of his partner or friend knowing that they met the songwriter at their best, but don’t want them to look at their past faults and shadows. This meaning could be applied to the song, “? (Interlude),” and expresses RM’s feelings that whoever he was with in the past received someone that wasn’t the real him, just surface level. It also could mean that back then, the person RM is referring to took what he perceives as his “best,” and left him dry. Soon he has a wish to that person by reminding them, “What goes around, comes around,” describing that their actions won’t go without consequences. The song closes with the whimsical jazz sound of featuring artists, DOMi & JD BECK, smoothly transitioning into the next song, “Groin.”

The song, “Groin,” starts by feeding off the smooth instrumentals of the previous song until about 37 seconds in where it switches to funk. Continuing the themes described in the previous songs, RM again addresses the issues of the expectations that outsiders have placed on him; expectations that if they were placed on those critics, they too would feel the ridiculous pressure.

He writes a raw rap expressing this, filled with many different expectations that were placed upon him by outsiders which most likely stemmed from the times that he was fulfilling his duties as BTS’ leader. First, before naming those specific expectations, RM establishes his mindset, a pattern seen similarly in “Indigo” where he first establishes his argument of what it means to be human in the beginning song, Yun, before expressing that argument with evidence. His mindset reiterated in “Groin” is this:

There are so many unlucky bastards in the world
So what? Just keep going your own way
There are so many incomprehensible bastards in the world
If I feel like I’ll crash into them, I’ll just step on it harder (Verse 1)

The final line of this excerpt is a reference to the song, “INTRO: Never Mind,” written by Suga of BTS for BTS’ “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2” series. In that song, Suga writes, “If you feel like you’re going to crash then accelerate more, you idiot,” describing the sentiment that if one feels as if they’re going to fail or if life gets too much, it only makes sense to keep going. If you give up, that means definite failure but if you continue, that could result in a better outcome. The lines in “INTRO: Never Mind” and “Groin” slightly differ though as with Suga’s version, he writes to make sure the listener does not crash whereas in RM’s version, he writes with the sentiment that if there are people who hate him, it’s best to “crash into them,” and show that his mindset will come out on top of their hateful words.

After establishing his mindset, RM expresses his humanity that at times he may fall and mess up but that’s just a part of being human. No one should fault him for something that every single person on earth experiences. He describes that he’s not a monk or a diplomat, he is just himself, a person in Korea going through life like everyone else. He also expresses his anger with the people who expect perfection from him, since the path he chooses in life is to just be RM, the “Real Me,” not the “me” others perceive.

He then repeats raw lyrics describing how he wants those haters and critics to leave him alone and stop trying to hover over everything he does and judge his every action. After expressing his anger through lyrics and strong groovy funk mixed with synths, he then reestablishes that he’s human and may mess things up but he’s still trying to be a better person; he’s not above any laws or morals, he’s just tired of the rules that people set with no accreditation but their own opinion.

The funky upbeat sound that “Groin” presented switches to the softer sound of “Heaven,” although he repeats the same sentiment that he had in the song before. It’s RM’s sadder and more solemn tone of voice that captures the listener’s attention and heart, reestablishing his message in a different format. He writes in this song that the people who criticize him can try and take what they deem as his “heaven,” his safe space, because what they think they’re ruining doesn’t affect him at all; his “peace is unbreakable.”

This constant repetition of his mindset and ideas throughout the album might represent how RM had to keep telling himself these words; he had to constantly remind himself to not fall under the weight of expectations and pressures placed by people who don’t even know him.

Contrasting the comforting melancholy sound of “Heaven” the title track of RM’s album, “LOST!” breathes a breath of life into the album with it’s upbeat tempo. When the track begins, the listener is greeted with a record scratch, most likely representing the sound switch up, and is then led to vocals harmonizing while repeating a few lines, all supported by a piano which picks up in tempo as the intro continues. The melody is comforting, light and almost peaceful. Although the song describes different conflicts that RM feels, the light sound supports his further lyrics when he learns to just let go even if he feels lost.

Afterward, the song picks up with the piano getting louder until the sound switches to that 80s synth sound we heard earlier. The sound then moves from the 80s synth to a guitar supported by RM describing his feelings regarding growing up and noticing that although he may feel lost in the chorus before this verse, he can still see a silver lining.

In the refrain of “LOST!” RM writes, “Dump it on the ground / Pick it up, throw it in the trunk,” addressing the past trauma and anger he wrote about in the previous songs and telling himself to move on and just keep going. These lines can be reminiscent of RM’s final track of his debut album, “Indigo,” the song “No. 2,” where he writes to himself, “No lookin’ back,” over 10 times.

The entire song continuously describes RM’s mixture of feeling lost but a good kind of lost; he’s lost in finding himself which makes him feel peaceful as he’s finally able to understand the type of human he is behind the stage lights and expectations placed upon him by everyone else. He’s free to explore his own way of being human, able to put into practice the ideas that he wrote about in his previous album, “Indigo.”

In verse two, “LOST!” addresses the constant struggle and pain that RM goes through. It is after he describes it that he realizes although the night may be dark and the issues from the day before can be heavy, joy does come in the morning. He also continues to express his mentality through the song’s lyrics as he describes that whenever he feels pain, he wants to make sure to never share those ideas from a place of pain as it would be, “lightless.” I think this might describe that after writing all these songs, RM is feeling stronger coming from a place of healing. The struggle may not be over yet, but he’s much better than he was before; he can see the silver lining behind his dark clouds. That section of the song reintroduces the vocal chorus from the beginning of the song which could express that RM’s not alone in his struggles, and neither is his listener. Being human is a constant tangle of struggle and strength. However, if we understand that we are all going through this, a weight is lifted. The chorus repeats after these lines with a contrasting dissonant synth reminiscent of the first three songs until it morphs into a sort of celebratory sound where clapping and an upbeat piano intertwine. The upbeat instrumental supports many repetitions of the line, “I got temptation,” which could reiterate RM’s message of the album; his message that he’s only human and struggles with things, but to be better, he has to accept it and move on. He learns to give himself grace for all his rage.

The listener is then lulled back into the smooth feeling and sound that the album introduced before in songs like “Heaven” and “? (Interlude),” when the track switches from “LOST!” to “Around the World in a Day.” The song begins with collaborating artist, Moses Sumney’s comforting vocals that mix with RM’s soft voice describing his final idea that all the trauma he felt before, all his confusion of what’s right and wrong, will be sorted out as time goes on. This is reminiscent of both BTS’s song “Life Goes On” and “Everythingoes,” RM’s song from his album, “Mono.” In both songs, the ideas that despite the hurt and pain that are a part of life, time will still move and eventually it will all make sense in the end. Sometimes one cannot see the purpose of different things which occur in their life at the time in which they occur. It is only afterwards that a person can understand why; sometimes understanding that what happened helped them grow. With a slight switch up in sounds, RM wants to stop hiding underneath the pain of his past traumas as well as the weight of expectations that others put upon him. Instead, he wants to march to the beat of his own drum, leading his parade down his own path, not controlled by anyone else. These sentiments are then followed by a loud electric guitar which soon is replaced by slightly dissonant horns. This instrumental is laid underneath RM’s voice where he describes himself watching the world while pondering his own mindset.

The pace picks up again and RM vents for the last time about the different conflicts introduced earlier in the album. He addresses the past partners, friends, and self, expressing his struggle and pain but also describes that, “After losing my way, the scenery is more beautiful.” He intertwines his feelings of hurt with his resolve that he won’t care anymore what people think of him and what the past put him through. After most of RM’s verse, he ends it with a comforting word to the people who may feel lost with him; like how he addressed his listeners in his song, “Moonchild,” comforting those who are pained while experiencing the cruel world. RM says, “We who are lost don’t look so pitiful,” describing that there is hope if they take control of their life and ignore the third-party voices that attempt to dim their light and control them. He then expresses that he will just keep continuing his journey of finding himself, “My appearance like a lost item hoping to be found,” and finds love for himself while he feels broken, “I like myself broken.” This last line reminds me of the song, “Beautiful & Broken,” by bôa where it says:

I wish that I was stronger
I wish that I was better
But I think there’s something beautiful
In the broken (Chorus)

I feel as if those lines can describe RM’s feelings throughout the entire album of “Right Place, Wrong Person,” as he expresses his pain and suffering, due to past relationships and critics, but still learns that it all forms the beautiful human that he is. Every mistake, every moment of pain, every moment of joy, it all adds up to what makes him; what makes the “Real Me.” He accepts his humanity and screams out his acceptance to the world. He loudly proclaims to everyone that he’s happy where the pain is, as it is only when one knows pain can they know how to heal.

“When the credits roll, do you hang tight?” asks RM as the second to last song begins, completely breaking the fourth wall. This song, “ㅠㅠ (Credit Roll),” the only song titled in Korean, addresses the listener directly and wonders if they leave after they embark on the journey that is his album or if they stay, pondering it and wanting to uncover everything it has to offer. The song begins with a mellow electronic melody that switches to an electric guitar playing a mix of staccato notes intertwining with RM’s staccato-like spoken word. He then makes sure to thank his listeners for staying with him the entire time, listening to his thoughts about the world and his experiences.

The listener receives a gift if they decide to “…hang tight,” as the sound switches to smooth vocalization accompanied by an acoustic guitar and smooth whistling. The final track of the album, “Come Back to Me,” takes the stage and the listener has truly finished their journey traversing RM’s mind, learning that to be human is to return to oneself after experiencing both triumph and tribulation. Inside each line, it seems as if RM is addressing himself, trying to return to his true self.

He might be addressing his past self who struggled with understanding who he was; BTS RM or just the rapper, RM. He also might be addressing the RM that started writing about all his troubles and stressful moments, reminding him that it’s okay to vent and release all the pressure that has been building up inside him, but he should also remember to return to himself; be in the present knowing that he made it through all the hard times and reached the place he is today. A message that more specifically might refer to his past self can be the line in the pre-chorus, “You don’t have to be the anything you see…/ Tryin’ not to be that something in this sea,” describing that his RM stage self doesn’t have to live with all the expectations placed upon him; he should live freely as himself.

He also writes, “Spring’s always been here,” which could be a reference to the BTS song, “Spring Day,” a song about longing for a lost loved one and awaiting spring to replace the cold winter without them. In the context of RM’s song, this could be his message to himself that there was no need to await his own spring, he had always been in the right place to begin his journey of healing regardless of the situation.

The sound switches from the smooth acoustic guitar, reminiscent of his song, “No. 2,” from his past album, “Indigo,” to a slightly louder melody arrangement mixing the vocalizations heard at the beginning of the song with an electric guitar and drums. He then repeats the lines, “You are my pain, divine, divine,” 16 times in the outro, ending the song with the oxymoron of one’s pain being divine.

I think it is incredibly important for the entire album “Right Place, Wrong Person” to end on an oxymoron as the entirety of the album expresses different contradictions such as, in RM’s critic’s eyes, the contradiction of a famous person who has so much, being just as human as everyone else.

Another contradiction expressed in “Right Place, Wrong Person” is that although RM has experienced so many different hardships and is lost, he feels great because he’s lost in the aftermath of coming into his own. He is lost in the rubble of coming back to himself.

Overall, BTS leader RM’s album, “Right Place, Wrong Person,” is an incredible musical masterpiece, filled with raw gritty lyrics that lay RM’s soul bare for the entire world to see and notice. Musically, it is stuffed to the brim with talented musicians and instrumentals that push the limits of anything anyone has seen before. Lyrically, it is filled with RM’s screams on a rooftop, yelling his ideals and philosophy through his megaphone of prose. He stands strong while expressing his thoughts, strengthening his argument by acknowledging different sides, but through it all, remaining true to himself.

In this album, RM proclaims his humanity, walking the path that his past mixtapes and albums, “Rap Monster,” “Mono,” and “Indigo” forged before him. He comes to the realization that everything he’s experienced, past and present, whether the actions he took were right or not, created who he is; even though his past has pained him, he has allowed himself to notice its divinity.

NOTE: I accessed the RPWP Genius English Translations, the RPWP Genius Album Transcription, and any other song translations or transcriptions hyperlinked in this article on May 29th, 2024 in order to assist in writing this article. Special thanks to Genius for their accessible translations.