Critics praised "Dionysus" as BTS's boldest release, with Billboard dubbing it as the group's most audacious track, while NME highlighted Jin's falsetto as a standout moment. The song was heavily promoted in Korea and received dynamic performances at various music awards shows.
Big Hit Entertainment teased the song title when they posted a short description of Dionysus on their official website. Upon doing so it trended on Twitter worldwide.[1] The song was announced to be on their album tracklist Map of the Soul: Persona a few days before the scheduled release of April 12, 2019. The track was also hinted at when teaser pictures of the members holding grapes were released.[2]
In a press release RM described the song as, "the joy and pain of creating something” and “an honest track".[3] It is named after the Greek god of the same name, known for debauchery and excess. It is in the genre of rap-rock, synth-pop, and hip-hop and consist of multi-part hooks, a trap breakdown, an ending chorus that has double-time drums and features Jin's 'rocking adlibs' throughout the song.[3][4]
Lyrically, the song talks about their stardom, legacy, and artistic integrity. Some of the nuances may be difficult to understand because of the word play that gets lost in translation. On the surface it may seem like a party song with the group shouting “Drink, drink, drink!” at different intervals, but in reality, the lyrics call for getting drunk on art, in the creative process. While "alcohol" in Korean is "술", "art" in Korean is "예술". Also, looking deeper into the lyrics, it shows self reflection such as when Suga raps, “What does it matter if I’m an idol or an artist?”[4] It links back to their previous song "Idol" that asked the same reflective questions."[5]
Jason Lipshutz of Billboard called the song, "the most outlandish song BTS has ever released" and a "harbinger".[4] Jess Lau from The 405 called "Dionysus" the "real stand out single" and "full of attitude and confidence",[6] while Salvatore Maicki from Fader called it a "booze-filled rager".[7] In the review of "The 50 best albums of 2019", NME hailed “Jin’s spine-tingling falsetto wails during the final headbang-worthy section of ‘Dionysus’” as the "Best Moment" from the album.[8]
^Kim, Bo-ra (April 19, 2019). "'뮤직뱅크' 방탄소년단, 컴백과 동시에 1위 "우리 아미 감사해"[종합]" ['Music Bank' BTS, first place at the same time as making their comeback... "We are thankful to our ARMYs"]. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved April 23, 2019.
^"'SBS 가요대전', 방탄소년단 퍼포먼스 돋보였지만...레드벨벳 웬디 부상에 '빈축'[MK이슈]" ['SBS Gayo Daejeon', BTS performance was outstanding, but ... 'Valentine' due to red velvet Wendy injury [MK Issue]]. Star Today (in Korean). December 26, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
^Park, Ha Na (December 27, 2019). "[2019 가요대축제] 방탄소년단, 콘서트 방불케 한 역대급 무대의 향연" [[2019 Music Festival] BTS celebrates concert-like stages]. News1 Korea (in Korean). Retrieved January 3, 2020.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201916 into search. Retrieved April 24, 2019.