So lets start with ALL the observations of past references, because there's actually quite ALOT, more that you'd think. They're in order of their appearance in the unveil <3 Firstly, hyunjins hair is similar to thunderous hyunjin -Old posters - I.n touches the mirror like he did in "Mirror" - Theatre like in "Skzflix" - Elevator obviously from "Hellevator" - Compass like in: double knot, levanter, (& alot more) - "Miroh" clips in the unveil - Changbin in the dark with smoke, like in "Lonely St" - Changbin & Hyunjin inside "Grow up" bus - Wings from "Blueprint" (or spread my wings) - hyunjin taking a pic like seungmin in "All in" - Running out of "Hellevator" elevator into "District 9" (instead of lavender fields) - Bus crashing from "District 9" - Running through a tunnel "My Pace" scene - Blue blindfold from "Blueprint" - (full view of the wings i described earlier) - Changbin standing on the bus (like in "Grow up") - Minho taking "Double knot/Levanter" key and putting it in the "Hellevator" keyhole - (Minho is also the only one with eyes open) Now to analyze the lyrics Skz lyrics are saying "we're gonna go our way to places still unknown" + "we made it on our own" + "skz still gonna rock the hellevator yeah we head to the top" and ofc "there is no last step out, yeah we'll never stop" Analysis: Skz are saying they're still gonna continue to make amazing music, that they're not done and will still explore new things with music together by saying "theres no last step out" & "to places still unknown", they'll make it to different types of music, places, successes, achievements, etc. To continue their journey because they tried hard. "Rock the Hellevator" Implies that they have tried hard to get to where they are (since hellevator is basically hell-evator) like a journey full of struggles, it's also used as a portal, since elevators in skzverse are used as portals to different universes, so skz going on the hellevator in the last scene could be "a start to a new universe, new era" When they're saying they'll head to the top of the "Hellevator" it means that they'll climb high, that they're continuing to make music as SKZ (since hellevator is also one of their first and most impactful songs, it was referenced alot). Also to think more deeply into it, an elevator takes you to different levels, so if you think that way, the top of the "hellEVATOR" will be the highest floor, the highest of all their older music, the result of all their struggles and efforts because they made it here on their own (writing, arranging, composing, recording, monitoring, editing, made their logo & name, they're all-rounders, more than 300 song creds), skz will reach to their high, with each album, or each "level" (or in a simpler way, they'll reach higher successes each time, and now they're going to climb all the way to the top) where they were trying to reach. The huge amount of references to their older music, is a way to show how they got here to where they are now, how they're heading to the top because of THEIR successes, that they got here on their own, (and with stay) as you can see cheers and lightsticks in the crowds of the unveil. In other words, skz are heading to the top of their musical journey because they struggled, but will continue it, that they won't stop until reaching to where they want, after going to where they want to be "places still unknown" to them. Check notes and creds for the m/v analysis. | V
M/v analysis: First im back with elevator theories ahem: Everytime skz on an elevator & go to a low floor, it leads to something negative. While higher floors are better (original Han in hellevator from 4th to 5th floor, reached to where he wanted) while in yellow wood, they went many floors down, & it led to a trick. Also in levanter trailer, seungmin was in an elevator going up. When chan set the elevator floor to “a pyramid” which was a trick & not the right path/universe skz should go on. THE ELEVATOR WENT DOWNNN. So elevators go UP when it’s a good universe, & DOWN when it’s horrible. Ok so the “hellevator” elevator either takes you to where u wish to be (since in HELLEVATOR m/v han went to where he wanted, into a fake universe & skz went to grow up which was what their path) or the hellevator is a journey to either “heaven or hell” since skz went into district 9 (which was bad) & han went to a fantasy world. Okay so anyway, in the “Stray kids unveil” the lyrics obviously talk about skz continuing as idols right? Now in the last clip, they go on the same “hellevator” & they go UPP. This shows they are moving up, moving higher. And this time they won’t be put in a bad universe. Because they are being themselves (basically part of the lyrics like “I don’t give a what” show they’re js being whatev they want) (also being themselves in levanter made universes collide into 1 which made them find the sun/light or hope). The obvious hellevator reference in their lyrics “we’re gonna rock the hellevator” means they will succeed and rock their journey (help rockstar reference ig?). I said this before too but: An elevator takes you to different levels, the top of the "hellEVATOR" will be the highest floor, the highest of all their older music, also their newest & the result of all their struggles and efforts. Cuz ATE is the start of something new. In the start of the m/v. Han looks at the hellevator and remembers when he left original skz to go to another universe in HELLEVATOR M/V, he says “the conflicts that erupted from the crater of my younger self, the efforts that fell apart by the time my eyes closed” while showing the scene from HELLEVATOR when he destroyed their memories because he wanted to stay in a universe where he doesn’t have to face the reality of the real world. The elevator level shows as “8” and he pushes his older self to go down. He pushes the image of being alone without skz away to another universe (the lower the floor, the worse the universe, or also the older it is in the past) han pushes the thought somewhere low because he doesn’t want to think of it, taking it to another world, away from him. Also keeping it in the past. He takes it lower than the “level 8” away from the 8 members of skz. Then all of skz join him on the hellevator, they stay together as 8, han has changed and wants to continue with them no matter what, unlike how he used to be at the start and in HELLEVATOR M/V. You see skz run out the hellevator on the FIRST floor, the beginning, (higher floors also means going up, going higher into the future). They enter the 1st floor and run into the district 9, the beginning of facing the world to be idols (u see the bus and old clip of them in the clothes), they also watch miroh on 4th floor, also miroh is an m/v that talks about the world being a jungle/maze that they chose to be in, and they run into it with the skz confidence ykykyk, like the confidence they had in the miroh m/v (I sound stupid but iykykyyk). They’re using the hellevator to go back to different parts of their past and ACCEPT them. They remember their past together as it’s part of them & their journey, and the lyrics show that too. “The time we spent will be remembered forever” “this is who we are”, “so proud of myself never doubt”. In the end of the m/v, you see them go up the hellevator, the highest level is level “8”, & Han is seen with them going higher too. Bc that is their “top”. They are best, when they are together as 8. Also maybe cuz this album is “ATE” and yeah, the hellevator did take them to different past eras, so them reaching 8th floor, the highest and most recent should also mean ATE. (a notice is also that the stray kids m/v uses the same hellevator, but original hellevator had 6 floors in the HELLEVATOR m/v, but it’s 8 in here). They use the side effects/double knot key and put it in the keyhole, this key was used in side effects and took them LOWW at that time & trapped them, but this time, with their trust for eachother they go to where they want. skz trust they’ll go higher, since they’re on the highest floor as EIGHT. they then casually get out the elevator with their mics, to continue like on a stage, because that is their floor. That is their world (since elevators r portals thro time/universes in skzverse). WAITTT- I figured this will sound so stupid to someone that doesn’t know skz or their interesting lore help. I can imagine someone seeing this & finding me dumb.
