BTS celebrate ditching masks, shout out Elton John in new video & song “Permission to Dance”

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What do you get when Ed Sheeran teams up with BTS? An insanely catchy song and memorable video.

BTS is out with their new single, “Permission to Dance,” co-written by Ed, his frequent collaborators Steve Mac and Johnny McDaid, and Jenna Andrews, who co-wrote “Butter.”  It celebrates the joys of dancing your troubles away, with the group singing, “We don’t need to worry/’Cause when we fall, we know how to land
Don’t need to talk the talk, just walk the walk tonight/’Cause we don’t need permission to dance.”

In the first verse, the group sings, “When it all seems like it’s wrong/Just sing along to Elton John.”  It’s not clear who wrote that line, but it’s worth noting that Ed is friendly with Elton John, was once managed by Elton’s company, and mentioned Elton’s song “Tiny Dancer” in his own hit, “Castle on the Hill.”

As for the video, it features BTS performing in several different buildings in the middle of a desert, intercut with people dancing in different situations — in an office, a school, a diner.   They’re all wearing masks, but at the end of the video they all pull their masks off with a flourish and continue to dance.

The clip ends with a huge choreographed number as the guys, joined by dozens of dancers wearing white, all dance as the sky fills with balloons. There are also some outtakes at the end worth watching.

“Permission to Dance” is on BTS’ new Butter CD single.  It was released today, July 9, to mark the eight-year anniversary of the naming of their fan group, ARMY.  BTS has also put together a special playlist for the occasion, featuring a solo track by each member.

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