Charlie Puth and BTS’s Jungkook’s Left and Right is the breezy summer anthem we deserve – Score Global Music
Left and Right was released on June 24 and was accompanied by a music video that was released later that day. The collaborative single is Jungkook’s first official solo music project (without any of his band members). As of 7 a.m. KST on June 25, “Left and Right” had already hit No. 1 on iTunes Top Songs charts in at least 93 different regions, including the United States, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, and France. The single will likely appear on Puth’s third studio album, eponymously titled Charlie, set to be released later this year . An official release date has not been announced yet.
However, this is not the first performance between American singer-songwriter and producer Charlie Puth and South Korean singer-songwriter and producer Jeon Jungkook. In 2018, The duo performed Puth’s much acclaimed track “We don’t talk anymore” at the MGA Awards in Incheon, Korea.
Charlie excitedly told fans on twitter : “When you listen to left and right make sure you listen with headphones to get the full effect.” The song is an easy listen and opens with the chorus with the vocals panning. “Memories follow me left and right / I can feel you over here/ I can feel you over here / You take up every corner of my mind.” The use of hi-hats, the electric and the acoustic guitar and the snare drums is very characteristic of a Charlie Puth production. Indian musician Armaan Malik has said about the song on twitter: “The snare drum caught my attention almost immediately. That intentional tear and saturation on the snare is epic!”
Puth has alluded to being inspired by the Beatles’s “Yellow Submarine” while he was working on this track. The high calibre production makes both Puth and Jungkook’s voices stand out. The juxtaposition of the heartbreaking lyrics with a peppy and light-hearted tune is a laudable artistic choice.
The music video, too, is quirky and fun. Puth cannot seem to get over his significant other and enlists the help of a wizened, distinguished looking gentleman purported to be a psychiatrist or “Love Doctor”. Jungkook seems to be a figment of Charlie’s imagination- perhaps his subconscious mind. If Charlie is representative of a social self, Jungkook seems to represent the individual self. As Charlie (and Jungkook) navigate their emotions and visit the doctor, Chaos and hilarity ensues. The colour palette and the vivid imagery of the video is also very pleasing.
When Charlie wears green, Jungkook wears pink. When they are alone, Charlie wears white (perhaps symbolising a hospital robe) while Jungkook wears black (to maybe symbolise the darkness in Charlie’s mind?). A particularly endearing moment in the video is when Jungkook tragically sings : “How much more do I gotta drink for the pain?” only for viewers to notice that he has been drinking gallons of water!This single follows the release of BTS’s anthology album Proof and after “That That”, SUGA’s collaboration with PSY.
This single follows the release of BTS’s anthology album Proof and after “That That”, SUGA’s collaboration with PSY. During BTS Festa, BTS has announced that it will take an extended break as a group, to focus on their solo careers for the time being. However, all ARMY know that BTS is not disbanding, and are excited to see the progression of the septet’s careers, individually and together.
