Upside Down Kiss

beomiebear
Jul 24
5 min read

Updated: Jul 28

⋆ Genre [Source: Naver/Big Hit]: Pop (Hip hop & New Jack Swing influence)

⋆ Producing Credits: FnZ, Slush Puppy, Slow Rabbit, "hitman bang"

⋆ Writing/Composing Credits: Slow Rabbit, "hitman" bang, Anthony Watts, Feli Ferraro, FNZ, Gino The Ghost, JBACH, Marcus Lomax, Slush Puppy, Misha, danke, BHM, Yeonjun, sokodomo, Zaya, YIYIJIN, Lee Eun Hwa, Lee Aeng Du, Kim Chae Ah, Ellie Suh, Choi Bo Ra

ABOUT/MEANING: 'Upside Down Kiss' uses surreal imagery to explore what it means to trust someone so completely that even chaos feels like home. As the world turns upside down, the reversed kiss becomes a symbol of love as an anchoring force - an act of surrender not to confusion, but to connection. Where earlier chapters saw chaos tear the boys* apart, here it draws them closer: the shared kiss in an inverted world reframes connection not as escape, but as something steady and grounding. It’s a bold opening that recasts devotion not as passive longing, but as an active, deliberate choice - a promise that the bond built in SANCTUARY can withstand even the most unpredictable turns.

*For further context on the song check out 'The Star Chapter: TOGETHER' album summary

LYRICS - ENGLISH TRANSLATION (translations by @translatingTXT)

In your gaze my face reflects upside down

Keep your eyes on my (ah-ah-ah)

Baby don't freeze

SELF-REFERENCE: This lyric calls back to the emotional and psychological state explored in The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE, where the boys were metaphorically frozen - paralyzed by fear, isolation, or emotional overwhelm in a world that felt hostile and unfamiliar. The phrase line therefore can be seen as a plea or encouragement, urging the other not to fall back into that state of numbness or emotional disconnection.

Something completely opposite

My instincts instantly knew

Heated skin (ah-ah-ah)

No on but you, shh

(Uh) Our two feet

Even if they're tied to different worlds and can't meet

That's what I like

A difficult game

SELF-REFERENCE: This line contrasts with 'What If I Had Been That PUMA?', where the balance game felt so overwhelming and difficult - so much so that the boys longed to skip it altogether: "Jaded by this endless game

Feeling a headache now / Whatever the result, I don’t care / I just wanna skip it." Here, however, the tone shifts. The speaker embraces the challenge: the "difficult game" of staying connected across time, distance, or fate is no longer something to escape but something they want. Despite being bound to different worlds, the emotional stakes make it worth playing. This evolution shows growth - not just in resilience, but in the willingness to face hardship for the sake of love, memory, and chosen connection.

Defying the orbit

SELF REFERENCE: This line stands in contrast to the imagery in 'Dear Sputnik,' where the meeting of two beings is described as fated and miraculous: “Our orbits have finally crossed paths / We’ve met like a miracle.” In Upside Down Kiss, however, the idea of defying the orbit suggests that staying together is no longer the result of cosmic coincidence or destiny - it’s a conscious, perhaps even rebellious, choice. The relationship has moved beyond fate into agency; despite the difficulty, they choose to resist the forces pulling them apart. It marks a shift from wonder at connection to determination to preserve it.

I don't give a shit

Baby girl let's get freaky

Laughing at gravity

Our lips just shy of touching

We're freer than ever

Baby I'll make it easy

Just as it's flipped

My lower lip

Meets your upper lip (our lips)

Upside down, upside down (Kiss kiss)

Hey, hey

Your lips overlapping mine (Your lips!)

On top of that, swing groove (Groovin'!)

Like North and South poles (Like that!)

We're perfectly stuck

Can't pull away

SELF REFERENCE & EXPLANATION: 'Blue Orangeade': "We’re like S and N magnets / We are only complete when I exist by your side." A magnet has two ends known as poles: the North (N) and the South (S). According to the basic law of magnetism, opposite poles attract each other, while like poles repel each other.

Our bodies just go with the flow

All five senses filled with you

Is that why everything we do feels unlike the rest?

Sip it like an affogato

That's who we crave each other, yeah

(Uh) It feels like a movie

Two people under different gravities

Just a more dramatic twist

It's no surprise

Don't need no changes

I'll kiss you the way I am

Baby girl let's get freaky

Laughing at gravity

Our lips just shy of touching

We're freer than ever

Baby I'll make it easy

Just as it's flipped

My lower lip

Meets your upper lip (our lips)

Upside down, upside down (Kiss kiss)

Helpful Context (Album Summary): The Star Chapter: TOGETHER is the emotional culmination of TXT’s discography-long narrative: a final chapter that doesn’t just celebrate reunion, but explores what it means to sustain it. Where SANCTUARY marked healing and return, TOGETHER captures what follows: the strength to walk forward, side by side. The boys*, once fractured by fear, time, and uncertainty, now choose each other again - not as the same people they once were, but as those who have grown, endured, and found their way back. Each track explores a different facet of what it means to be together, showing how relationships deepen and evolve when nurtured over time. Through these stories, the album revisits the magical realism of earlier eras, now filtered through emotional maturity; the fantasy isn’t gone - it’s simply grown up. The stars that once symbolized distant dreams now light the way toward a future built on trust, belief, and a promise kept. Here, love is no longer just comfort - it’s resistance: a quiet act of defiance against isolation, fear, and the passing of time. After seasons of separation and longing, “tomorrow” is no longer a far-off dream you wait for - it’s something you choose, again and again, with the people who matter. And after everything, the five boys have arrived at tomorrow, together.

Helpful Context (Album Series Summary): 'The Star Chapters' continue TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s discography-spanning storyline, reconnecting with themes first introduced in their debut EP, 'The Dream Chapter: STAR'. In their debut, TXT embarked on a journey united by a shared dream, finding solace and strength in each other as they imagined a brighter tomorrow. This narrative laid the foundation for their exploration of youth, friendship, and the pursuit of dreams. The Star Chapters revisit this unity but shift the focus toward a more mature understanding of relationships, echoing the promises of reunion made in 'Nap of a Star.' This new chapter emphasizes how youthful dreams evolve into deeper emotional bonds, portraying how the boys’* shared journey transforms as they face adulthood and arrive at 'tomorrow.' Through themes of reunion, love, and resilience, 'The Star Chapters' underscore the enduring strength of togetherness. This series reflects TXT’s growth as storytellers, blending personal introspection with universal themes of hope and belonging. [*Within TXT's discography-based narrative the 'boys/boy' can be interpreted as representing the TXT members, but they also serve as generalized protagonists used to convey the broader experiences of youth.]

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