WHALIEN 52

[LYRICS]

In the middle of the vast ocean

One whale speaks softly and lonelily

The fact that no matter how much they shout, it won’t reach

Makes them so gravely lonely that they quietly shut their mouths

Of course I don’t care what‘s the matter or what I’ve now become

When loneliness is the only thing that stays by my side

In 2015, BTS released Whalien 52, a song about the world’s loneliest whale. The title ‘Whalien 52’ embraces the metaphor applied in this song. The name is made up of two words: “whale” and “alien.” The 52-hertz whale was thought to be the world’s lone whale that sang at a frequency of 52 Hertz, a decibel considerably higher than any ordinary whale could ever hear. 

Since the late 1980s, the whale has been discovered in a variety of locations around the world, and it appears to be the only species capable of producing such a high frequency. The “world’s loneliest whale” sings on its own accord, despite the fact that it is never heard and never understood. 

What is the significance of the term “alien”? When we hear the word alien, we immediately think of science fiction or anything remarkable that is out of this world, but it also connotes something foreign that is beyond the majority’s intellect. It is simultaneously being the loneliest whale in the world that sings too high to be heard and being an alien — Whalien 52.

BTS used Whalien 52 as a metaphor for their own artistry, loneliness, and the sense of speaking but not being heard, of being questioned but never understood. It is also a metaphor for the isolation one feels while growing, the anxiety of being judged, and the agony of never being understood or heard. It’s the realisation that saying something is pointless if your words are spoken but never understood by someone with the same frequency. You may feel invisible right now, but that won’t last because your cries will be heard above the noise of others. Continue to try until someone hears you. Those are the times when we are most isolated. But just because the rest of the world chose to abandon us doesn’t mean we can’t have our voices heard. Just as the song says, we must believe in the ’52 hertz’ call that we raise. For one day, it will definitely be heard

In Whalien 52, a lyric goes, “An endless signal will reach someday everywhere, even to the other side of the earth.” Even if our songs are not understood, they will be heard. In this lonely abyss, our voices will be heard and echoed. Perhaps we are not as isolated as we believe. Maybe there are a few more of us. Perhaps our words and music need to be said and performed, even if no one is around to witness them.