Global pop-superstar and BTS member Jungkook released his solo debut album Golden November, 2nd 2023. Consisting of eleven songs, the album showcases the theme and stages of emotions from love to heartbreak. Starting with upbeat tracks, 3D (ft. Jack Harlow), Closer to You (ft. Major Lazer), Seven (ft. Latto), Standing Next to You, and Yes or No, Jungkook conveys the complex desires and emotions one faces when experiencing love and romance.
These first five tracks were enjoyable and light hearted, I had a hard time choosing a favorite. I’d have to say choosing Standing Next to You as the main track was perfect. It was definitely the song that had the most energy, with a music video and choreography that paired perfectly to it. This album is Jungkook’s debut and transition from K-Pop star to Pop-star. Expanding his skills and fan base from K-pop to Pop Music in general. Through each song, music video, and choreo, Golden highlights Jungkook’s strengths and diverse abilities in dancing, singing, and overall ability to perform with various styles. The diversity of the album and performances do not only show Jungkook’s abilities, but provide entertainment for a broad audience. The remaining tracks Please Don’t Change, Hate You, Somebody, Too Sad to Dance, and Shot Glass of Tears, transition from love to heart break. Taking on a slower tempo to each song, with more sentimental lyrics, Jungkook brings his audience a sorrowful and depressing perspective on love and heartbreak.
The most heart-wrenching song is definitely Hate You. The raw emotion and sadness in each note and lyric almost brings me to tears each time I listen to it. You can probably find me playing it on loop during depression season (AKA finals week). I really recommend giving it a listen. If you don’t listen to the whole album, (you’re definitely missing out) you should at least listen to Yes or No, Hate You, and Standing Next to You.
The music videos for Seven, 3D, and Standing Next to You are as good as the songs, although I really can’t choose a favorite. I do have some comments on each.
Starting off with Seven ft. Latto, it was the first song to be released as a solo back in June. It had a strong start, marking its place at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as the Billboard Global 200, the music video currently holding 247 million views on Youtube since it released three months ago. It has since been awarded as Billboard’s 2023 Global Song of the Summer. The music video and song were cute, I enjoyed the story-like sequence the video followed to the song, showing how far he’d got to be with his crush, and ending with a wholesome scene. Seven gave Jungkook’s fans a more mature perspective of not only him but the overall theme of his music. With both a clean and explicit version of Seven, it gained a lot of attention online early on. As for the choreography to Seven, it quickly became the hottest new dance trend on all social media platforms. I would have liked to partake in this trend but I care about my ankles and am very clumsy, so I decided not to. Being the most popular song of the album, Seven is the most successful, winning countless awards globally, it was a perfect start to Jungkook’s release of Golden.
The second song Jungkook released, previous to his album, was 3D featuring Jack Harlow. This song and music video took on more of a 2000’s vibe, once again catching the attention of dancers online, the choreography soon became a trend online. I’d have to admit it looked like even more fun than the choreo from Seven. The music video was certainly different from the Seven MV(music video) but just as, if not more, enjoyable than Seven. Upon my first watch, I was excited and pleasantly surprised with how different it was to any other MV I had seen from Jungkook in his solo or BTS career. From his outfit to his backup dancers, 3D was filled with a nostalgic 2000’s style I favored to his previous performances. If there is one MV you watch from this album it should absolutely be this one. Personally my favorite part is right at the 2:25 mark. As for the song, many people did not care for Jack Harlow’s verses, but I didn’t mind them too much. One thing I didn’t like was the fact that Jack had the last line in the song. I really liked it, but having it end without Jungkook’s voice just felt wrong, other than that I had no complaints about 3D.
Finally, the main track. Standing Next to You is a masterpiece. The MV was beautiful, the cinematography reminding me of a movie. The style having such elegance and beauty made quite the impact on me. I can assure you I went home the day this video dropped, ran to my room, and watched this video for the rest of the day. I loved it so much. The scene at the 2:35 mark is by far my favorite clip, watch it and figure out why. There isn’t a single part of the song I’d want to skip over. The very next day at school I listened to it repeatedly for about two to three hours straight, I’m not even exaggerating. It perfectly resembles the album, one of the first scenes being Jungkook illuminated by a golden light, a picture as angelic as his voice. The lyrics being a statement of his dedication and strength in his love, the amazing music video, and complex choreography, Standing Next To You is definitely in my list of all time favorite pop songs.
Overall I am elated to say I thoroughly enjoyed Jungkook’s album Golden. Although I only went in depth on a few songs for the sake of space, each song was amazing to listen to and made up a beautifully diverse album. Having waited several months for it to drop I was more than satisfied. Being the extreme fan girl that I am, I pre-ordered the physical album. Ironically it arrived today, perfectly timed for this review. Coincidentally I wore my Calvin Klein denim jacket today as well, for those of you who don’t know Jungkook is also the Calvin Klein Global Ambassador. Although there were mostly squeals and screams of excitement, I will summarize my thoughts into comprehensible terms.
The general presentation and packaging of the album were pleasing to my eyes. It matched the elegance and theme of the main track. Included were two post cards, one poster, a viewbook consisting of the lyrics and credits of each song as well as an array of pictures from Jungkook’s photoshoot for the album, three photo cards (one of which was a pre-order exclusive), three stickers, and of course the CD. I was happy with each item I received, the poster and cards being the versions that I had hoped for but I was a little disappointed with the quality and protective packaging. This being my first album I’ve ordered I didn’t know what to expect, but I was underwhelmed in some ways. The poster specifically. I had expected it to be larger, and with a glossy finish or more durable material. Instead it looks to be made of normal paper, and is matte. The picture itself is a bit faded but I feel that might be a style choice. I was pretty excited about this poster and seeing it was made of material cheaper than I thought, I must admit I was a little sad. I’ll still hang it on my wall to admire, but I expected more for the price I paid. As for the photocards, I was excited to see I had gotten ones I really wanted. Only to discover it was a bit damaged in the packaging. It seemed to have been shoved into the edge of the envelope it came in, peeling a bit of the corner on the backside of the card. It was disappointing to see there was no protective packaging for each card of other photos in the envelope, aside from a layer of bubble wrap on the outside of the album there was no extra packaging to protect it. I’d give it a solid 8/10.
Aside from these minor inconveniences I was happy with Golden being the start to my collection of albums. I hope you enjoyed my thorough review on Golden as much as I did. It is a beautiful album with film-like cinematography, meaningful lyrics, complex choreography, and is going to be replayed constantly in my day-to-day life.