Softly Judgmental Motivation | “Do It” by Stray Kids

Years ago, I watched some random YouTube video and learned one of my favorite phrases: Massive imperfect action. I honestly don’t remember what the video was about, couldn’t tell you who the creator was. But that phrase stuck with me. I had it on a post it note on my laptop for ages until the paper started to discolor. “Do It” feels like that phrase from the perspective of someone who “did it” – did their own thing, put themselves and their music into the world, were imperfect but persistent – and saw that it works. And, of course, in classic Stray Kids fashion, they did it in a catchy, slightly sexy way.

Disclaimer: I don’t speak Korean. I am using my Stray Kids knowledge and the English translations from the official YouTube video captions, Genius, or Google Translate. These are my own thoughts based on those translations and not meant to be a definitive interpretation.

Let’s look at some of these lyrics more closely:

“Another name for the failure process ‘flawless’”: This is just brilliant. Failure isn’t just part of the process. It is the process. And it’s flawless, because something that isn’t done yet can’t be flawed.

“No safety net, but I hack it with guts and rep”: Again, massive imperfect action. Just do it.

“Feel the rhythm of our bodies moving, baby”: Here is where SKZ shines.  Double meanings. Triple meanings. This is cheeky, a little *wink wink* moment. And also – trust your instincts, trust your gut. If something feels bad in your body, maybe listen to it. Echoed a bit later with “there ain’t no time for thinking” and “come feel the rush.” Don’t overthink it. Feel it. Does it feel right?

“There ain’t no time for thinking”: Just wanted to point out the use of the word “ain’t” here. This probably came down to a rhythm thing. “Ain’t” fit and flowed better than “isn’t” or “there’s no,” etc. But it also lends to the laid back vibe of the whole song.

“Who else can do what I was going to do in my place”: This is such a hard place to get to. I speak from experience. Even just putting this together, putting my thoughts out there, I think “Well, someone else could do it better or is probably already doing it!” And that may be true. But only I can share MY thoughts on these songs and what they mean to ME. That goes with a lot of things. Only YOU can write a book or paint a painting a certain way. Only YOU can connect with people the way YOU connect with them. That’s powerful.

“I do as I do, just as I did yesterday, as I do today and as I’ll do tomorrow”: Diligence. Consistency. They’ve found what works for them and they’re going to stick to it. Day after day. This is something I aspire to.

The concept shows up tonally and musically, too, of course. Like I said before, this feels like SKZ speaking from their experiences. “We did it. It worked. Just do it.” It’s motivating in a very laid back and sort of annoyed/side eye/soft judgement way, if that makes sense. In the intro video, Chan coaches Lee Know on the “do it” part in the chorus, and he says to sound “annoyed.” And it comes across that way.

Something I love about the do its is that you have to use your tongue it a very specific way to get the sound. There’s probably a term for this linguistically/ musically, but when I’m singing along to the chorus, I press my tongue to the back of my top teeth. I use my whole mouth. When I just say “do it” normally, my tongue touches the roof of my mouth. It’s a different physical experience as well as a very interesting effect on the sound of the song.

The basic beat is consistent throughout, echoing the lyrics from earlier “I do as I do, just as I did yesterday, as I do today and as I’ll do tomorrow.” And then other, more unique sounds are layered on top – the high pitched sounds at the very beginning, little ra-tatas during transitions. Consistent and unique.

During the bridge, they mix it up a bit, highlighting the lyrics there. The beat changes slightly with just Han and Hyunjin’s voices at first. I.N and Chan’s parts have a few more layers of sounds. This is a climax of sorts. They’re really hammering home to do it. Stop overthinking. Do it and do it confidently. And it drops right into the resolution of the chorus and the clean stop ending.

The choreography is a really interesting mix of sharp and smooth moves. The chorus move is iconic. I find it absolutely captivating to watch. And it goes right along with this laid back, borderline sensual, confident vibe they have going on in the music.

The music video has so much going on and nothing going on the same time. The background pieces really caught my eye. I tried to make out as many objects as I could in the MV and the making film. What I think I see is: stacked washer/dryers, ovens (kitchen), paint, grocery shelves and carts, video games, gas pump, and a desk. This really fascinating and hilarious mix of things we have to or want to do – laundry and gas and shopping (have to) vs. painting or writing or video games (want to). And things somewhere in the middle like cooking/baking.

And then the overall concept/through line is really on point for the concept of the album as a whole. SKZ are these “divine, powerful beings” coming down and fixing the world, telling us to just do it the way we want to and we’ll be happier. Flying broomsticks. Wings. Supernatural/magical effects (purple cracks, flowing magic, unnatural eye colors). The world, the background dancers, and SKZ themselves start out desolate and in black and white and slowly gain color and light. And by the end, they’re dressed in pink and dancing in full, almost unnatural, light with bright pink banners and confetti raining down.

What a way to open the album.