Tinnitus (Wanna Be A Rock)
Updated: 2 days ago
⋆ Genre: Afropop
⋆ Producing Credits: Daniel "JUNE NAWAKII" Celestin, Supreme Boi
⋆ Writing/Composing Credits: Ebby, Dystinkt Beats, Smash David, David Cabral, Taehyun, Jeon Jieun, Yeonjun, Lee Seu Ran, Stella Jang, Cho Yoon Kyung, danke, January 8th
CONTEXT: Tinnitus is a medical condition characterized by the perception of sounds such as ringing or buzzing without an external source. It can become particularly noticeable in quiet surroundings, making it an effective metaphor for the uncomfortable noise that remains when everything else falls silent.
ABOUT/MEANING: “Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock)” captures the emptiness that emerges when excitement fades and the boys are left questioning who they really are. The ringing of tinnitus evokes what remains once the surrounding noise, attention and exhilaration disappear: in the resulting quiet, they are confronted by the fear that there may be nothing particularly special about them underneath it all.
The song plays with the difference between wanting to be a “rock star” and wanting to be simply a “rock.” The former represents the desire to become someone exceptional - to have recognition, meaning and a clear sense of purpose. But as the boy begins questioning whether he possesses the talent, story or innate “specialness” he associates with that dream, the ambition collapses into something much smaller. Rather than struggling to become a star and continually questioning whether he is good enough, perhaps it would be easier to become an insignificant rock - something that can simply exist without needing to prove what it is.
Within TEMPTATION, this reveals another side of Neverland’s appeal. The temptation is no longer simply pleasure or carefree freedom, but the possibility of abandoning the pressure to become someone. Growing up requires the boys to confront questions about their identity, ambitions and place in the world; remaining still offers an escape from having to answer them.
Following the carefree avoidance of “Happy Fools,” “Tinnitus” therefore allows unease to surface beneath the fantasy. Escaping the future may temporarily relieve the pressure to find a direction, but it cannot give the boys the identity or purpose they are searching for.
LYRICS - ENGLISH TRANSLATION (translations by @translatingTXT)
Yeah yeah, buzzing sound
윙
TRANSLATION NOTE: 윙 (wing) is Korean onomatopoeia for a buzzing, whirring or ringing-like sound. Here, it imitates the persistent noise associated with tinnitus. Because English has no single natural equivalent that reproduces both the sound and effect of 윙, it is left untranslated.
Baby I just wanted to be
Wanted to be hot stuff (you know?)
Party every day like the weekend
Like a fish that met water, raise the volume higher
CONTEXT/EXPLANATION: The Korean expression “like a fish that met water” describes someone who has found an environment in which they naturally thrive - similar to being “in your element.” The song later transforms that image into being “trapped inside a fishbowl.” What initially feels like the perfect environment for excitement and self-expression ultimately becomes enclosed and isolating once the noise dies down.
At the end of the day, feed is a disaster,
Last night was overflowing with filters (ah)
A sigh slips out for a moment
I know that I can’t be a rockstar (rockstar)
Even if I block my ears,
The daze, it only gets louder
The empty noise, it’s deafening
As if trapped inside a fishbowl
Daze, my tinnitus fills it up
In the empty noise, feel so lonely
Take ‘star’ out of "rockstar"
Just a rock, okay?
CONNECTION: “Take ‘star’ out of rockstar / Just a rock” may resonates with TXT's long-running use of stars as symbols of dreams, hope and something to move towards. Here, the boy deliberately removes the “star” from what he wants to become, reducing the ambitious “rockstar” to an ordinary “rock" - the image fittingly reflects his desire to abandon the pressure of having a dream or destination at all.
I dreamed without knowing anything (oh, yeah)
The dawn was noisy
But at the end it was nothing but silence
Tinnitus fills my ears
I’m trapped in it, it feels deafening
Yeah I want it, want it, want it,
Want it, want it, want it yeah
I’m just lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely yeah
Just a rock
I don’t have that kind of talent, a deep story
I admit, I’m not a ‘born to be’
CONNECTION: “I'm not a ‘born to be’” echoes the repeated “Born to be a Thursday's child” of “Thursday's Child Has Far To Go.” There, being “born to be” something accompanies renewed optimism about the long future ahead; here, the phrase is stripped of that confidence as the boy questions whether he possesses any special talent, story or destiny at all.
Even when I look at myself I know there's nothing special about me
My dream that used to shine bright
Has been cut off long ago
Wasting every second, no
I just wanna be a rock
After the party ends,
The daze, it only gets louder
The empty noise, my ears feel blocked
As if trapped inside a fishbowl
Daze, my tinnitus fills it up
In the empty noise, I feel so lonely
I want to live a new life
But I’m a bit lazy
What is my existence?
Give me an answer
I think being a rock would be nice
Just rolling around
My own kind of rock ‘n’ roll
Yeah I want it, want it, want it
Want it, want it, want it yeah
I’m just rollin’, rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ yeah
Just a rock
Want it, want it, want it, want it, want it yeah
I’m just rollin’, rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ yeah
Just a rock
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