Our top 10 BTS songs list presents the music of a South Korean septet boy band hailed as the most successful acts of the decade so far. During its formation years, the band’s musical direction changed from hip-hop to a blend of EDM, pop, and K-pop. After a lengthy formation period, the band started making music in 2013, releasing its debut single album the same year. 2 Cool 4 Skool (2013) featured elements of 90s hip-hop and traces of K-pop.
While the album was not a global success, it served as a notification of a South Korean boy band ready to take the music scene by storm. The band was already winning awards in its motherland, including several New Artist of the Year awards. BTS first appeared on the Billboard World Albums Chart after the release of the EP Skool Luv Affair (2014). In the same year, the band issued the album Dark & Wild, after which its members embarked on tours.
BTS took a turn in its career by shifting from hip-hop to more diverse musical styles. This was marked by the band’s EP The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1 (2015). Thanks to the EP, BTS was able to explore its playful sides. The release of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2 (2019), marked the band’s first album to rise into the Billboard 200, peaking at number one hundred and seventy-one. Surprisingly, the EP reached number one on the Billboard World Albums Chart.
BTS rose to number one on the Japanese Hot 100, Gaon Digital Chart, and the Billboard World Digital Song Sales Charts after the release of “Blood Sweat & Tears.” Its album Wings (2016) broke the record of becoming the first album in South Korea to sell more than a million copies. The band purposed to hit the road for a world tour in 2017. Not only were tickets for the North American leg got sold out, but BTS made two additional shows due to the audience’s demand.
Amazingly, BTS became the first K-pop ensemble to sell out tickets in the United States. The boy band later won the Billboard Music Awards’ Top Social Artist. Again, no Korean act had reached such feats making BTS help popularize K-pop on a global platform. The boy band released its EP Love Yourself: Her (2017), which featured Steve Aoki’s remix of the song “Mic Drop” and the hit “DNA.” Love Yourself: Her (2017) was a commercial success, reaching new feats by debuting at number seven on the Billboard 200.
“DNA” was the band’s first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100. This was the second song in the Korean language to enter the chart after “Gangnam Style” by Psy. BTS broke another record when it became the first Korean group to obtain a Platinum-certified single in the US, credit to “Mic Drop.”
The band’s album Love Yourself: Tear (2018) rose to number one on the Billboard 200. It also became one of the band’s best-selling albums. In 2019, the boy band attended the Grammy Awards ceremony as award presenters proving how influential they had become. BTS collaborated with Charli XCX, Zara Larsson, and Juice Wrld during the same year. The band’s later releases saw many songs rise to the Billboard Hot 100. “Dynamite” saw the band receive its third consecutive number one on the Billboard Hot 100. This was just achieved in three months, faster than The Beatles’ record in 1964.
Unfortunately, the band has not had a successful run on the Grammy Awards. However, BTS has received multiple accolades from other music awards shows, including Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards. BTS has led other K-pop artists to succeed in the US, including Blackpink, Seventeen, Itzy, Wonder Girls, Big Bang, and Enhyphen. The band is estimated to add over three billion dollars to the South Korean economy. BTS’ biggest competitor in the K-pop scene is the girl band Blackpink, which has the highest number of subscribers on YouTube. However, Blackpink still has a long way to go to outshine BTS. Here are the top 10 best BTS songs.
#10 – Fire
Opening up ur the top 10 BTS songs is the rip-roaring hit “Fire.” The song is featured on the band’s album Youth (2016). It also appears on the band’s compilation album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever (2016). “Fire” features a blend of awe-inspiring synths sounds and percussion spiced up with the group’s chants. While the song only sold a hundred thousand album copies, “Fire” was a success in South Korea, selling close to a million copies.
#9- Dope
“Dope” is one of the best BTS songs that carry some of the best memories for the band. The song was the first release by BTS to reach the hundred million views mark. However, the band saw other songs surpass its performance in terms of views and streaming. Currently, the song has almost seven hundred million views on YouTube. “Dope” is featured on the band’s EP The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Part 1 (2015).
#8- Blood Sweat & Tears
Coming in at number eight on our top 10 BTS songs is the hit “Blood Sweat & Tears.” The song was released as the lead single to the album Wings (2016). Like most of the songs on the album, “Blood Sweat & Tears” features some eerie and evocative soundscape. BTS spices the song up with an awe-inspiring vocal delivery. Many have compared the song’s invigorating sound to musical styles by reputable artists, including Justin Bieber and Major Lazer.
#7- Butter
“Butter” is a catchy dance-pop hit released in May 2021. The song scored the best-selling hit in 2021, being the only release to sell over a million copies in the US in 2021. While “Butter” sold almost two million copies, the number two song on the best-selling digital songs didn’t even make it to five hundred thousand sales.
Number two on the list was “Fancy Like” by Walker Hayes, followed closely by another BTS song, “Permission to Dance.” “Butter” rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been nominated for the forthcoming Grammy Awards for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Other songs nominated for the award include “Higher Power” by Coldplay, “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat featuring SZA, “Lonely” by Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco, and “I Get a Kick Out of You” by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.
#6- Fake Love
Number six on our top 10 BTS songs is the dazzling hit “Fake Love.” The song is the lead single to BTS’ album Love Yourself: Tear (2018). “Fake Love” alludes to realizing that love one believed to be a lifelong deal was just fake. The song blends hip-hop elements with trap and rock guitar tunes. “Fake Love” rose to number ten on the Billboard Hot 100.
#5- Idol
Coming in at number five is the ravishing hit “Idol.” The song is featured as the lead single to the band’s album Love Yourself: Answer (2018). BTS has also released an alternative version of “Idol” featuring the hip-hop queen Nicki Minaj. The song debuted at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100, generating over twenty million streams in its first week of release.
#4- Mic Drop
“Mic Drop” is one of the songs that BTS recorded in Japanese and Korean languages. The Korean version was the original song released on the band’s EP Love Yourself: Her (2017). Steve Aoki would later release a remix of the song featuring the rapper Desiigner. The remix added some EDM feel to the original song’s melody. RM of BTS revealed that “Mic Drop” was inspired by Barack Obama’s mic drop in 2016 after a short speech.
#3- DNA
After Psy’s “Gangnam Style” hit more than a billion views on YouTube, Korean artists have strived to match up to the feat. With over one billion four hundred views on YouTube, “DNA” is one of the most-streamed K-pop songs of all time. The song is featured on BTS’ EP Love Yourself: Her (2017).
“DNA” might not have been a monster on the Billboard Hot 100, only reaching number sixty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the song was the band’s first song to enter the chart. The song surpassed the record (highest-charting K-pop song by a group) put by “Nobody” by Wonder Girls in 2009.
#2- Boy with Luv ft. Halsey
Among K-pop hits with a vital impact on BTS’ career, “Boy with Luv” cannot be discounted. The band teams up with Halsey for the release of this song as the lead single to the EP Map of the Soul: Persona (2019). “Boy with Luv” was the South Korean hit with the most wins since 2000. The stats don’t lie, having the song garner over seventy million views within a day after its release. “Boy with Luv” rose to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.
#1- Dynamite
Number one on our top 10 BTS songs list is the hit “Dynamite.” The song was released with the intention of comforting masses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to its catchy vibe and appealing disco-pop sound, fans and critics received the song positively. The song saw BTS receive their first Grammy Award nomination for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. However, the band lost to “Rain on Me” by Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande.
Photo: Silvia Elizabeth Pangaro
Top 10 BTS Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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