Crazy Form and Will Album: "World Z"
What we know so far: (See full recap in Ateez Storyline: Updated April 2023 and The World Ep.2: Outlaw).
Ateez's promotion this comeback was more confusing than usual because they were trying to give us clues to two very different things.
The theme of their title track's lyrics
The fact that this was going to be a full studio album
It all started with this:
This one little rabbit took Atiny by storm and instantly sent the majority straight to Wonderland. Me, however, not so much. I REALLY didn't think they would be reusing Wonderland. Ateez has never reused a theme before and I didn't think they were starting now.
But then things got even more confusing when they started to release their PCs images.
First HALA HALA:
Then Say My Name:
In the Jacket Making film they call this the "Desert" set.
And Wonderland:
In the Jacket Making film they call this the "Last Supper" set.
And then whatever this was:
In the Jacket Making film they call this the "Crazy Form" set.
So when we were all running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to decipher what all of these "ode to Treasure era images" mean, Ateez was trying to point us to none other than Wonderland and the Treasure era, but not in terms of theme/lore. They were trying to tell us we were about to get a studio album like the one from the Treasure era that Wonderland was on. Then they gave us Mito which DOES help us with theme/lore in terms of lyrics and brings us back to what I was looking at all the way back in October when the white rabbit was originally released.
Anyone else keep hearing the Trix commercial in their heads during this whole comeback season, "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids"? No, just me. Ok, then.
Anyways, after a round of Seonghwa doing an entire live where he just eats a hamburger (I have linked it for your reference and enjoyment).
And some Atiny researching the significance of hamburgers for us because everything means something:
We got a comeback spoiler from a QR code at a hamburger restaurant in Hongdae:
Then there was the instrumental tracklist release and things started to get really interesting:
We see the scenery start in Strictland (World Z), then a crescent moon followed by a full moon, and end in the warehouse the boys hung out in during the Fever Diary Film (World A). I circled the picture from the Diary Film hung on the warehouse wall for your reference. So at this point, we know three things:
After four years, we are getting another studio album (the last one was Treasure Ep. Fin in which the title track was Wonderland)
We are getting UNIT SONGS!!!
And Ateez will be leaving World Z and returning to World A
The World Ep. Fin: Will Trailer:
This trailer is a film noir style representative of the Crazy Form music video. It establishes the four roles Ateez members will play in Crazy Form and gives us more context to some of the locations and motivations of the members.
Film noir, French for "dark film", is a "style of filmmaking characterized by such elements as cynical heroes, stark lighting effects, frequent use of flashbacks, intricate plots, and an underlying existentialist philosophy." It was most prevalent in American post-WWII crime dramas with the darkness of the films representing the disenchantment, pessimism, and disillusionment of that time by creating corrupt and claustrophobic worlds that embodied people's fears. The shadowy noir lighting style can be traced to the German Expressionist cinema of the silent era used by German directors such as Fritz Lang (Metropolis, 1927). [Yes, people, our old friend Metropolis - see my post on Guerrilla for more context.] During the 1950s, film noir continued to deal with the disillusionment of the outsider, often presenting him as a confused member of a repressive society. This style beautifully captures the corrupt, claustrophobic, and repressive world of Strictland and Ateez's disillusionment in what is happening in that world.
Here you see the same building, Prestige Academy, in two very different cinematic styles:
In the trailer we get glimpses of Wooyoung and Yunho surveilling in an underground lab, Mingi waiting in a car, Jongho infiltrating a bar filled with governmental higher-ups, Yeosang in the streets, and San and Seonghwa in a location where people are being dragged away. All of these locations and purposes are later expanded on in the music video.
Hongjoong, on the other hand, is representative of what the Black Pirates are aiming to do for the citizens of Strictland, give people a choice, allowing them to follow their own will. In the trailer, you see him reaching out his hand to a female student at Prestige Academy to ask her to join him, and her choosing not to. Just by allowing this choice, he is giving her something that the government of Strictland would never do. The trailer ends, with Hongjoong's creepy smile, or should I say crazy.
Ateez MAMA Cinematic Stage:
I know I don't typically include performances in my blog posts, especially before the music video, but this was released prior to Crazy Form and has some lore connections. No lie. It took me like a week to realize that Chapter 2 just stood for night 2 of MAMA. I can't tell you how many searches I did for Ateez's Chapter 1 before figuring that out. Now that we have that figured out, let's dive in to what they are giving us with this performance. The VCR before the performance shows San using inception techniques to plant an idea in the mind of someone who is living a colorless life. This idea, in the form of a chili pepper, or what the newspaper calls "spicy stimuli", is something the man had to choose to digest, but once he did, he was released from his chains. Once San's mission is accomplished, the members choose their next target, a man "experiencing fatigue and lethargy in unaligned work" who "has no fun in life". This storyline continues between Bouncy and Crazy Form when this man is once again given the choice by San to eat a chili and he now "lives in a crazy form". This performance connects Bouncy to Crazy Form as Bouncy is when those in Prestige Academy were awoken and Crazy Form is how they will live after that awakening.
Diary Entries:
Y'all these diaries are just getting way too long. They are AMAZING and tell a beautiful story but WOW. I started by summarizing the diaries again, like I have been doing, but they made the post unbearably long. So I came to a decision. From now on, I am only going to post my "bullet point" summaries in my storyline posts in order to save everyone who has already read the diaries some scrolling time. BUT for those of you who cannot get your hands on your own copies of the diaries, I am going to make a separate post with the diaries in their entirety. This will actually be faster for me since it takes awhile for me to try to rewrite them as summaries and keep all of the important parts. I also made a section of my website that should directly link to each diary post so you don't have to scroll through all of my blog posts to get access to the diaries. Hopefully this is a good solution for all. I am going to start with this set of diaries and then work my way backwards until all of the diaries are posted. I won't go back to my old storyline posts to remove the summaries, I will just start without them here. Here. is the link to this set of diaries if you don't want to go searching for them.
Key Points:
The Intro and Outro take place in the 'present' and Ateez is not there
In the 'present' the Sense Offenders who are caught are executed on the spot and used as a cautionary symbol to others, however this does not have the desired effect
01-08 take place in the past and portray the events that happened right after Ateez infiltrated Prestige Academy
Seonghwa returns to the bunker with a map of the Disposal Site from the leader of Thunder and tells everyone they can save the boy who was taken because Thunder is a rebellion group and the leader put a GPS tracker in the boy's pocket before he was taken
The members infiltrated the Disposal Site and split into two groups: to save the boy and rescue the other prisoners held there by using the Cromer to send them back to the bunker
Z used the boy as bait and sent Guardians to both the bunker and the Disposal Site in an effort to capture Ateez and the Black Pirates in both locations
Thunder saves the members at the bunker and relocates the prisoners to a safe place
The bunker members use the Cromer to head back to the Disposal Site to help the members there and the Head Guardian threatens to kill the boy unless they surrender
Once they do the boy is released and they realize he was working with the Guardians the whole time
The boy's brother talks him into returning to the Black Pirates side and in that process, the boy's brother falls into the furnace and dies which causes the boy to sacrifice himself in order to kill the Head Guardian
Ateez used blue butterflies as both drones to explore the Disposal Site before entering and bombs to blow it up once they were ready to leave
They then met up with Thunder and Seonghwa learned more about their leader, the girl who looked like the one from his world with the 'Be Free' bracelet
Back in the 'present' she ends up graduating and infiltrating Z's workplace
Ah Ha Moments:
"Unable to identify the faces of all the individual criminals, but having detained the men in black fedoras, the government has moved beyond simply denouncing the Black Pirates as a terrorist group and encouraging people to turn them in..." Um...excuse me..."detained the men in black fedoras", detained, DETAINED. Not expunged, not extinguished, not executed, but DETAINED!! Does that mean they are still alive in that glass cell they have been in since the Fever era?!?
Prestige Academy was remodeled as a panopticon structure. I don't know what that is. I'll need to look that up.
Crazy Form Music Video
Making of Music Video, Countdown Live, Reaction to Crazy Form, Behind The Will Part 1, Behind The Will Part 2, [EN:Boxing] ATEEZ's 'Next Ambition' Reflected in 'Crazy Form': Making of ATEEZ's 2nd Full-Length Album 'The World Episode Final: Will' ① Music Version, and [EN:Boxing] The Meaning of the Red Full Moon in ATEEZ's 'Crazy Form' MV: Making of ATEEZ's 2nd Full-Length Album 'The World Episode Final: Will' ② Worldview:
I don't know if it is because this was a studio album or KQ just has more money now so they are able to do more, but we got more content on what was going on behind the scenes than EVER before. Yippee!! They talked about A LOT of things so instead of organizing their comments by where I heard them, I am going to do it based on song/theme/etc. I have linked all of the source material above in case you do want to see where they said what. Since they talk about the music video and the album as a whole, I am linking them before getting into my thoughts on anything. I am still going to talk about the title track first including any other symbolism found, before moving into the rest of the album. Ok, so here we go.
Crazy Form:
Before we get into the video, I want to talk about the title of the song. A reactor pair I watch, Handsome Sausages, explained the title best (in my opinion). "미친 폼, it doesn't really work in English the same way. For those who don't know, let's give you a brief context. If you just say 'the form is crazy' basically that's when you find something that's so sick you have to express it. Like, 'wow, that's crazy, that's so sick.' If you say, 'somebody has a crazy form' it means they are built different. They're special. They're at their prime. So the 'it's so sick' but for a person. It's a phrase people are using often nowadays in Korea." INTERESTING! In the article linked the author, Kim Soo-jeong, goes on to explain, "'Crazy Form', a meme used to refer to something very good or outstanding, is also an exciting and humorous song, but as the singer sings that he is "crazy form" and "just looks ahead," it shows a clearer sense of confidence." So Ateez is causing those they "wake up" to become special, outstanding, to live in their prime, to live in confidence.
Now back to the music video. Once again we get the members are broken up into four groups each with their own part to play. During the music video reaction, the members explained their roles:
Hongjoong: “I like the diverse scenes. All the members designated positions. And the mega group dance scene. I think each frame has something fun to look for.”
Seonghwa: “For San and me, we are musicians.”
Hongjoong: “It was our mission to make the pirate ship float. Each unit had a meaningful role. Musicians drew attention through music and dance, Wooyoung and Yunho were engineers, as for Yeosang and me, we were the street hooligans.”
Jongho: “Mingi and I were like a crime duo who entered enemy territory and took intel.”
Hongjoong: “If you know these things, I’m sure it’s more fun to watch.”
KQ said, "Yunho and Wooyoung formed the SF unit. The role given to the two was that of engineers who created a 'big ship' hologram for ATEEZ's another voyage. We had heated discussions with each other to create a better ship, and finally completed ATEEZ's own ship." In the Making Of video, Yunho stated, "I take the hologram boat and say, ‘Oh, well made!’ It’s as if I constructed the hologram. Tony Stark? I tried to be like him. When technology advances in the future, I already experienced it first hand so in the future our Atiny can check out the holograms and just ask me if they need help. It’s easy! Just do these actions [mimed moving his hands like he does in the MV]"
"The musician unit Seonghwa and San had the role of “singing freedom in front of people until the last moment in a world where singing and dancing were banned.” They quickly turned a tense situation into a dance party. The goal was to embody a 'witty' character. The point chosen by KQ was 'the two of them seemed to be enjoying this situation even though they were soon stopped and dragged away.'"
"Mingi and Jongho were part of the noir unit and played 'righteous villains'. KQ said, 'They invade the 'lounge', the private space of high-ranking executives, and engage in gunfights with rigid and authoritarian people. Regardless of social norms or common notions, they create their own rules and pioneer their own society. I thought it was a scene that could express ‘crazy form,’' he said...The ‘lounge’, a place featured prominently in the music video, is also meaningful. KQ said, 'In the ATEEZ worldview, the lounge is a private space for high-ranking executives where they can enjoy forbidden art, and it is a place where you can get a glimpse into the corrupt state of those who have ‘emotions’.' This is a possible setting because it is set in a society where art, music, and dance are prohibited and emotions are controlled."
"Lastly, Hongjoong and Yeosang, as a street unit, played 'a fearless, free and rough street gangster character.' Even while surrounded and restrained, Hongjoong appears to be enjoying himself as if he were on a stage with an audience, showing the appearance of a captain leading a cheerful revolution. Yeosang used art to symbolically express the identity and unpredictable attitude of free young people roaming the streets."
In addition to all of the "Treasure era" nods we got during comeback prep, the music video also gives us some easter eggs for past videos and real life controversies which are fun to spot. Here are the ones I saw:
San's one finger glove fiasco:
The ship from Illusion:
The car crashing into a gambling scene and the headbanger celebratory party from Don't Stop:
The speakers in Halazia:
The glass breaking shot of an Android Guardian and the Z graffiti in Bouncy:
And of course the ending pose of Wonderland:
The cookie of Crazy Form once again shows us a broken Cromer but this time a blue bird was flying away with a piece of it in its mouth.
The last time we saw a broken Cromer was at the end of Deja Vu when Yeosang sends the members back to World A, breaks the Cromer so the Android Guardians cannot follow them, and stays behind in World Z. I believe this cookie is showing us that Ateez used the Cromer and the full moon to go back to World A after fulfilling their mission and the blue bird broke it so that they could, again, not be followed. My hypothesis was confirmed in the reaction video when the following conversation occurred:
San: “Cromer broke.”
Yeosang: “Who broke it?”
Hongjoong: “The blue bird. Can you see the details. The moon changed from a crescent moon to a full moon.”
San: “Now we found freedom”
Hongjoong: “That’s going to be…it’ll be connected to the next one.”
The Moon
There are SO many different references to the moon in this comeback starting with Mito the moon rabbit I mentioned earlier in this post. So what is a moon rabbit, why do we care, and why name him Mito?
The legend of the moon rabbit, also referred to as Daltokki (달토끼), is a folktale stemming from Buddhist influence and is often told around the harvest time (Chuseok in South Korea). It is believed that the fullest and brightest moon appears during this time, symbolizing prosperity. "The story goes that the Rabbit once lived in a village along side a Fox and a Monkey. The three of them devoted themselves to Buddhism and spent most of their time studying and practicing. The Emperor of the Heavens asked them to bring him food to test their faith. The Fox decided to catch a fish and the Monkey decided to bring him fruits. The Rabbit on the other hand, could not find anything but grass so the Rabbit decided to jump into a fire to offer himself up. The Emperor was touched by this act of commitment so he appoint the Rabbit as the guardian of the moon." He is now seen as a rabbit sitting under a gyesu tree making rice cakes using a mortar. Symbolism in this tale include rabbits which are said to be symbols of fertility = a bountiful harvest; the gyesu tree known for its sturdiness and longevity of life and its bark is also used to make cinnamon, a spice that has long been used for medicinal purposes; and the rice cake, a Korean food staple or an “essence of life,” another theme of abundance of harvest.
The rabbit offered himself to the emperor as an act of commitment and became the guardian of the moon and a symbol of prosperity, longevity, and abundance. Ateez named their version of the moon rabbit, Mito which the Cambridge Dictionary defines as a myth, legend, dream, illusion and lists its synonym as utopia. Yes my friends, they named their moon rabbit for the myth/legend it is but also connected it to lore though the other definitions of dream, illusion, and utopia!! How do they do it!? Speaking of utopia, my favorite theorist, Tiny Bug Ink, just released a new video that goes along with this theme perfectly:
The moon and the moon rabbit are referenced in the lyrics and choreography of Crazy Form's chorus:
"Ninety-two-four, kick that drum; My ego's in this show; To the moon we go; Hey, this is some crazy form; Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah, just dance; My ego's in this show; Put 'em up, put 'em up, make 'em run; Now, that's crazy form."
There are also three different moons represented in the music video and the members pointed them out during their reaction video by saying:
Seonghwa: “What’s that in the back?”
Yeosang: “My proud neighborhood”
Hongjoong: “Oh in the back, the back, watch the back carefully”
I think this is the main reason Ateez referenced the moon so much during this comeback. They wanted to remind us of the importance of the moon in their lore and the usage of it.
In the second Naver article it states, "In the ATEEZ worldview, the crescent moon means ‘delivering messages through dreams’ and the full moon means ‘dimensional movement.’ Of course, the 'red full moon' that decorates the end of the music video also has symbolism. It is ‘overthrowing the system’. 'I wanted to talk about something that would make people all go crazy,' KQ said. 'Moon' was also used in the track list image. This is because each song included a moon whose shape changes with the passage of time. KQ said, '...We wanted to use the ‘moon’ to tell a narrative that marks the final story of the ‘The World’ series, which contains movement toward the world'."
A “blood moon” is an informal term for a total lunar eclipse. While some people believe that a blood moon is a warning that trouble is coming, others believe this is a period of evolution and self-discovery. In essence, the spiritual meaning of the blood moon is a period of rebirth/transformation. So while KQ is using the moon as a symbol for overthrowing the system, they are also showing us that in going back to World A, Ateez will be in a period of rebirth or transformation.
9024
"Ninety-two-four, kick that drum"
This lyric caused a bunch of buzz in the loretiny world when Crazy Form first came out. We later learned it was in reference to a drum beat in the first Naver article, "First of all, regarding '9024', KQ said, 'It is a code created with the 'drum beat' setting created for ATEEZ's 'crazy form'. It will be easier to understand if you think of the '808 bass drum', which is often mentioned in music.'"
So 9024 is actually 90 beats per minute on a 2/4 time signature. The 2/4 time signature features two beats per measure, with the quarter note getting one beat and the first beat of each bar being stressed. "It’s a lively time signature that’s particularly popular in polkas, marches, and other dance music genres. If you’ve ever danced to a catchy two-step beat, you’ve felt the pulse of the 2/4 time signature."
Even though this is what they were actually referring to, some of the loretiny's discoveries regarding 9024 are also fun:
A commenter on this post also noted that 9024 makes a Z (World Z).
The 9024 angel number centers around encouragement, enthusiasm, and taking action. It encourages positivity and motivation as you work toward your goals. 9024 signals that you are meant to achieve great things in life and that you should never give up on your dreams. Finally, 9024 is a message to go ahead and take action.
Panopticon Design
Like I said in my "Ah ha Moments" for the diaries, I needed to look up what panopticon design is. That is a strange thing to describe in the diaries, therefore it must mean something. So a quick google search found this, "The panopticon is a design of institutional building with an inbuilt system of control, originated by the English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the 18th century. The concept is to allow all prisoners of an institution to be observed by a single security guard, without the inmates knowing whether or not they are being watched. The architecture consists of a rotunda with an inspection house at its center." We actually see this in both the trailer and the music video.
This design could be used for hospitals, prisons, or schools but it is most often used for prisons. Critics believe the panopticon prison, was "a device of such monstrous efficiency that it left no room for humanity and accused Bentham of forgetting the dangers of unrestrained power and argued that "in his ardor for reform, Bentham prepared the way for what he feared". Others believe Bentham's philosophy has paved the way for totalitarian states so perfect for a design of a school in World Z since it is already a totalitarian state.
Will Album "World Z"
Since this album is split in World Z and World A with Crescent Part 2 as the song that allows us to travel between them, I will be doing the same. Before I get to the specific songs, lets discuss the point of the album as a whole.
When asked what message they were trying to send with this album, Yuhno stated, "The name of the album, The World Ep.Fin: WILL. It’s our studio album because it contains the word “Fin” it feels like it’s the end but it also contains the word “Will” that has multiple meanings. So after this episode Ateez’s own stories and the universes will be revealed. I hope Atiny stays tuned for all of that as well." During the countdown live, Hongjoong stated, "Our album is about traces we left in the Z dimension."
KQ reported, "It was a project we had been preparing since the 'TREASURE' series. During the shutdown of daily life, we also continued to worry and discuss the direction of production. In a time when everyone is going through a difficult time, we thought that what we need is hope and courage, and 'ZERO: Fever' contains these contents. The 'ZERO: FEVER' series was launched first as a prequel to the 'Treasure' series in the ATEEZ worldview...We decided that it would not be appropriate to release a full-length album in a prequel story, so we finally released a new full-length album for the first time in about four years at the end of the ‘The World’ series." KQ said, "The 'The World' series attempted to raise the topic of 'freedom' against the backdrop of a tragic society where humans are oppressed and controlled by the science and technology that humans have developed on their own,"
Episode 1: Movement: "we talked about 'freedom' in the form of liberation from oppression"
Episode 2: Outlaw: "we tried to explain 'freedom' in the form of breaking away from the established framework"
Episode Fin: Will: "[We] wanted to convey that the ultimate meaning of 'freedom' can vary depending on the individual, and that the attitude of accepting and respecting it depends on 'will.' The universal idea of 'liberation from oppression' is It may not be a success story of a 'revolution'...it was planned with the hope that the freedom to 'not' be released from oppression would also allow more diverse stories to be shared through stories of self-selection."
We Know
When discussing We Know, Hongjoong stated, “This is the first track and it is connected to our universe and the lyrics show that. We edited the lyrics so many times.” Seonghwa continued, "Our first song, We Know, it’s a gun shot that starts us off. It’s very grand and very powerful at the same time." Hongjoong replied, "The lyrics and the melodies seem very calm, yet still has some power in the music." Yunho added, "It feels like this song has some weight to it." I agree with the members that the song has weight to it. I like knowing how much thought was put into the lyrics. With lines like these:
"Hidden behind a mask; I've noticed a mean smile; Still believing you can deceive me; In a dream, hold your breath and push through it; I know (I know); I'm chasing after you (I know); Coming after you."
and
"You better run, hide and seek; Coming close on you, then I got ya; You better run, hide and seek; Coming close on you, then I got ya; Unleash me from the chain of lies; That ties me up, oh; Put everything back in place; Woah."
Y'all they aren't being fooled anymore. They can see through the masks, through the deceptions that are being sold to the world and they are coming after those who are selling them. In terms of lore, while most of their songs are aimed towards the citizens of Strictland, trying to wake them up and then supporting them as they are dealing with new emotions, this one is sung to the people in power. In terms of the music industry, I think Ateez knows that they are often overlooked and there are people against their continued success. It feels like they have to fight for everything they achieve as opposed to other groups who have more opportunities based on what company they are coming from. This song is to those who are trying to keep them down in the industry. It is a message that they will not be chained down.
"Be careful, my mic is on"
Ouch!
Emergency
When asked what they think of Emergency, someone (who I think was Wooyoung) said, "It was very hip." Hongjoong replied, "That type of mood and an impressive hook." and Wooyoung continued, "The hook is very addicting." I LOVE the lyrics from the first verse,
"La vida loca engraved in my body. Born crooked, get it? Everything in the world is boring; I'll ruin it all, hope everyone enjoys it. Start by turning up the volume, fire, this choir of troublemakers; Turning your empire upside down. No tolerance for blocking the stars at anytime; Open up the ball of chaos."
We just got "Ricky Martin"ed as they are "Livin' la vida loca" (living the crazy life). They are going to set the boring world on fire. When I think about this song, I picture the scene in the Outlaw diaries when they turned Prestige Academy into a party with music, dance, balls of light, art, etc.
"Don't stop, tonight is ours; Fill the whole world with the sound of our cheers; Yeah, one more, don't rest anymore, quickly go on; Yeah, one ball more, roll it mercilessly (Whole world); A wish I've fervently desired from the beginning of the explosion; To see the light I've longed for; Drink up, one more, drink up, get more."
Crazy Form
I've already talked about Crazy Form quite a bit but I wanted to add Hongjoong's comments about the meaning behind some of the lyrics. "To be honest the word “Form” has various meanings. The word “Form” itself, to talk about it more comfortably, everyone has their own form. That could mean appearance and that could mean personality. All these things that this person shows is a little different. It may seem a bit odd but it all needs to be respected. That’s the society we wish to see; that would make our lives much cooler. That was on our mind as well while we prepared for this album."
"Crazy boys are getting crazier, when I show up, crash; Just partial destruction everywhere; I have no ground, I just look ahead and go; Already crazy with passion, ambition and tension are to that world; One that'd mysterious (One that'd mysterious); One that you've never seen before (One that you've never seen before); One that's been all around the globe (Hoo); I'll make you scream, when I go"
Hongjoong stated, "The lyrics for this verse is for a mad man. It’s just crazy. From the beginning I start by saying ‘Crazy boys are getting crazier’. Whether I’m crazy on stage I just tried to express someone who’s crazy about something. I never lose my smile. I never lose my smile no matter what. I choose to have this craziness. I’m filming for a cool action scene right now. I’m hit by the car but I still remain crazy."
Arriba
When discussing Arriba, Hongjoong stated, “It is like a prequel for Crazy Form. Crazy Form was decided since a long time ago, and it was chosen as the title first. If this song came to us earlier, I thought that things might have changed.” Wooyoung stated, "This song is quite addicting as well." Hongjoong replied, "The concept is very certain and it’s very bouncy."
Arriba was the song I was most excited about. As someone born and raised in Texas, La Cucaracha was a staple of my upbringing. I'm pretty sure it is a part of the elementary school music curriculum, honestly. Ateez has been giving nods to Spanish/Latino culture (e.g., "Gracias" in Thanxx and Hongjoong's rap lines in Awakening of Summer) for awhile but this was their first song with such a strong reference.
"La cucaracha, step by step; Dance the final dance; The moment feels like eternity; Dance in madness; Let go of reason for a moment and dive in; The hurricane of indulgence; Light up the stage to the applause; Like a night's opera (Arriba)"
La Cucaracha became popular during the Mexican revolution and is about a cockroach that has lost one of its six legs and struggles to walk with the remaining five. Some historians claim the origins of the song were a way to mock dictator Victoriano Huerta after he allegedly assassinated their popular president Francisco Madero. Other historians claim it describes Mexican women during the revolution who followed their male family members in the war. Either way it is a "song of the people" with ties to a revolution. Arriba took this theme on for itself.
"Moving all over the place, that's Picasso; Shoulder to shoulder with Salvador; Blood, blood spreading up and down; Vamos, amigo buena onda"
Picasso's and Dali's organizations describe them as the following: "Pablo Picasso was born in Spain in 1881, and was raised there before going on to spend most of his adult life working as an artist in France. Throughout the long course of his career, he created more than 20,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics and other items such as costumes and theater sets. Picasso's impact on art is tremendous. No one has achieved the same degree of widespread fame or displayed such incredible versatility as Pablo Picasso has in art history. Picasso's free spirit, his eccentric style, and his complete disregard for what others thought of his work and creative style, made him a catalyst for artists to follow." "Salvador Dalí is one of the most celebrated artists of all time. His fiercely technical yet highly unusual paintings, sculptures and visionary explorations in film and life-size interactive art ushered in a new generation of imaginative expression. From his personal life to his professional endeavors, he always took great risks and proved how rich the world can be when you dare to embrace pure, boundless creativity."
With the 3/4 or 6/8 time signature Arriba just makes you want to dance. So Arriba is a love story to Latantinys as a Mexican revolutionary song that highlights some of Spain's most famous artists and creative innovators while making you want to dance. By highlighting art, dance, and revolution it also connects to lore.
Silver Light
Jongho called Silver Light the second Cyberpunk. Hongjoong said, "The song Silver Light is great to listen to and it makes us imagine while we listen to it." Yunho continued, "I think the melody is very trendy for this song." KQ marketed Silver Light as a night time song from the title but also with how they introduced us to it in the instrumental trailer. They were right. If you haven't already, please listen to Silver Light while driving around at night, preferably in a city so you can see the lights of the buildings. You will not be disappointed.
"Through the rainstorm, through the darkness; Fly away into the daylight; Getting close to paradise; Into that light, beyond that light; Fly, follow that light up there; My salvation found at the end of despair; Light up brighter, we go higher; Light up brighter; We go, heading towards the light; Flying into the sky"
They have gone through the darkness and the rainstorm, through despair and are now flying towards the light towards paradise.
Sofia K, one of my readers, commented on this post with some extra information about Silver Light that I got permission to share. "In color psychology, silver-colored light '...helps with the cleansing and releasing of mental, physical, and emotional issues and blockages as it opens new doors and lights the way of the future.' Silver is also referred to as the metal of emotions, healing, and love." Pretty cool huh? Thanks, Sofia K for that additional bit of information that makes even more sense out of Silver Light!
Crescent Part 2
Hongjoong said, "this is our second Crescent...listen to our album in order. From Crescent Part 2 the vibe of the album changes. There are two different vibes so it will be fun to listen to.” The first Crescent Hongjoong is referring to is found in Treasure Ep. 3: One to All between Illusion and Wave and we learned later on that it was symbolizing Ateez waking up from an illusion using the Cromer. Crescent Part 2 is being used in a similar way. It is the song symbolizing Ateez using the Cromer to move back to World A from World Z. It includes the sound of waves and a ship's horn which ties back to the Treasure series.
Final Thoughts
The World Ep. Fin: Will teaches use that 'freedom' can vary depending on the individual, and that the attitude of accepting and respecting it depends on 'will.' We see the fall out of Ateez's Prestige Academy mission with so many new people who have access to their emotions and the government's response to just start killing them when they capture them but those people's will to continue down their path even in spite of their possible death. We see the boy betraying Ateez but then regretting his decision, and the Thunder girl's will to find Z as a way to help the revolution.
We see Ateez announcing, "We Know who you truly are. We've got your number. We are going to set the boring world on fire (Emergency) and build a world were differences are respected (Crazy Form). We will celebrate art, song, and dance (Arriba) and after going through the darkness of despair, we will come back into the light (Silver Light) before returning to our world (Crescent Part 2)." We see that they have reflected on their time in World Z. They had met the men in the black fedoras, come to this world, and ended up carrying on the mission they left behind. Ironically, in the heavily restricted World Z, they remembered the dreams and emotions that, under the pressure of reality, they had begun to forget back in World A. Through many performances, they realized just how much impact their songs and dances, which they had considered insignificant, had on people. Now they are going back to World A. I hope this revelation changes how they live their lives in their world.
This is the end of Part 1. I will release Part 2, which covers the songs meant to be in World A including the four unit music videos we will be gifted soon. I'm so excited!!