ENHYPEN Bad Desire (With Or Without You) Meaning and Review

A Nostalgic Yet Modern Sound

ENHYPEN continues to evolve with their latest English-language single, “Bad Desire (With Or Without You),” a standout track from their new album Desire : Unleash. The song plays like a dark, seductive anthem, wrapped in the familiar polish of early 2000s pop, reminiscent of Nsync with a modern K-pop twist. Driven by deep, atmospheric bass and shimmering synths, the production feels both nostalgic and contemporary. It walks the line between boyband theatrics and emotional vulnerability, creating a sonic landscape that perfectly supports the lyrical tension of desire and restraint.

Love, Danger, and Duality

Lyrically, “Bad Desire” explores the internal conflict between love and danger, innocence and temptation. Heeseung opens with a haunting admission: “What if I told ya I'm a monster? / Don’t come closer,” setting the emotional tone for the track. The recurring plea in the pre-chorus, “Don’t touch, don’t do it,” reflects a battle between wanting to protect the other person and giving in to overwhelming passion. The metaphor of “golden light” and “sacrifice” paints the narrator as both a threat and a martyr, suggesting a romance that feels inevitable but potentially destructive.

Addictive Chorus and Thematic Depth

The chorus is where ENHYPEN shines brightest, both vocally and thematically. Delivered by a rotating cast of members, the hook is addictive: “With or without you, I’m torn between a deeper desire.” There is a recurring fire motif that symbolizes both lust and chaos, a “beautiful fire” that the narrator cannot help but belong to. This duality frames desire as both a force of connection and destruction. The way the chorus builds and repeats evokes the feeling of spiraling deeper into obsession, amplified by sleek harmonies and polished production.

A Shift in Tone and Energy

NI-KI’s verse in the second half brings a fresh energy to the track, with a more confident and carnal tone. “Wanna write my name up on your skin, permanent like a tattoo.” This provides a sharp contrast to the fear and hesitation expressed in earlier verses, highlighting the complexity of the emotions at play. Meanwhile, the outro circles back to the song’s core, a craving for intimacy, even when it is messy and flawed. The repetition of “Tell me all your deepest, all your bad desires” feels like both a confession and an invitation.

Bad Desire (With Or Without You) Review 

“Bad Desire (With Or Without You)” is lowkey a banger, but also a layered, emotional piece of pop. ENHYPEN balances sensuality with sincerity, showing maturity in both their performance and storytelling. This is not just another love song. It is a narrative about temptation, self-awareness, and what it means to want someone even when you think you shouldn’t. The English version proves the group’s global appeal and musical ambition, making it a must-listen for fans of sleek, emotionally charged pop.

Listen to Enhypen Bad Desire (With Or Without You) English Version 

Enhypen Bad Desire (With Or Without You) Lyrics Meaning Explained 

The meaning of Bad Desire (With Or Without You) by ENHYPEN is a raw exploration of conflicted passion, inner darkness, and emotional self-awareness. At its core, the song captures the tension between yearning for connection and the fear of tainting something pure. Through vivid imagery and emotionally charged lyrics, ENHYPEN portrays a narrator who is deeply attracted to someone innocent and angelic, yet is tormented by his own perceived monstrosity and destructive desires. Rather than resisting this internal chaos, the song gradually embraces it, framing desire not as something to overcome, but as a defining, inescapable part of one's identity. This emotional push and pull is what gives the track its haunting power and lyrical depth.

Introduction and Opening Lines

ENHYPEN’s “Bad Desire (With or Without You)” dives deep into the emotional conflict between longing and restraint, guilt and surrender. The song opens with the repeated line, “With or without you / With or without you (ENHYPEN),” establishing the core emotional dilemma. The phrase captures a love or obsession so intense that it transcends presence or absence, suggesting the narrator is haunted by this connection regardless of whether it's reciprocated or even real. This line acts as a thematic anchor, reappearing throughout the song to emphasize the inescapability of these emotions.

Verse 1 and the Monster Metaphor

In the first verse, Heeseung asks, “What if I told ya that I want ya?” This moment of tentative confession immediately contrasts with the next line, “But I see your heart is pure.” It sets up the moral struggle: the narrator is aware of the innocence or virtue of the one they desire, and that awareness triggers a deep inner conflict. He continues with “What if I told ya I'm a monster? / Don't come closer,” revealing a sense of self-loathing and a fear of damaging the other person. The word “monster” carries the weight of a dark self-image, suggesting danger, corruption, and emotional instability. This tension between desire and self-perceived toxicity is the emotional engine of the song.

Pre-Chorus and the Sacrifice Theme

In the pre-chorus, Jake furthers this theme with vivid metaphors. “Innocent girl, don't touch, don't do it / Don't wanna take your golden light” highlights the contrast between the purity of the girl and the darkness within the narrator. “Golden light” symbolizes purity, innocence, and perhaps hope, which he does not want to extinguish. “Out in the world, you're just an angel / But here in the dark, my sacrifice” paints a duality between how the girl is perceived externally and how her involvement with him demands a personal cost. He sees her presence in his world as a “sacrifice” as if loving him would inherently cause her to lose that light.

Chorus and the Allure of the “Beautiful Fire”

The chorus intensifies the internal struggle: “With or without you / Yeah, I'm torn between a deeper desire.” This line reveals a battle between moral restraint and overwhelming longing. “There's a flame, and baby, it's getting brighter” implies that the temptation is only growing stronger, and despite the danger, the passion becomes more irresistible. The line “I belong here in the beautiful fire / It's all my bad desire” is both tragic and romantic. “Beautiful fire” evokes something destructive yet enchanting, and the confession of it being a “bad desire” shows that the narrator is aware of its consequences. Yet he doesn’t turn away. Instead, he embraces it as his identity.

Verse 2 and the Shared Temptation

The second verse, delivered by NI-KI and Jungwon, shifts the focus slightly. “I got desires, baby girl, you got desires too” suggests that the dynamic may not be so one-sided. There is an implication of mutual attraction or temptation, and that makes the situation more complicated. The next line, “Wanna write my name up on your skin, permanent like a tattoo,” is both romantic and possessive, indicating a desire for lasting impact, emotional or physical. “You pull me close and say forever / Ain’t enough for you” reflects a craving for something even deeper than permanence — a hunger that cannot be satisfied by traditional forms of love or commitment. Still, the pre-chorus returns with the same warnings, indicating that the narrator is clinging to the belief that this love is dangerous and perhaps doomed.

Outro and Final Acceptance

In the outro, the lyrics become more confessional and intense. “Tell me all your deepest / All your bad desires” creates a moment of vulnerability and shared darkness. There is an invitation to surrender completely, not just to love, but to everything forbidden, flawed, and intense. The repetition of “With or without you / I belong here in the beautiful fire / It's all my bad desire” closes the song by fully embracing the “beautiful fire” of desire. It is no longer something to fight or fear but something to live within, even if it burns. The final message is clear: the narrator accepts that desire is a part of him, one that defines his relationship with love and loss, purity and ruin.

Enhypen Bad Desire (With Or Without You) English Lyrics 

[Intro: Sunghoon, Jay]

With or without you

With or without you (ENHYPEN)

[Verse 1: Heeseung]

What if I told ya that I want ya?

But I see your heart is pure

What if I told ya I'm a monster?

Don't come closer

[Pre-Chorus: Jake]

Innocent girl, don't touch, don't do it

Don't wanna take your golden light

Out in the world, you're just an angel

But here in the dark, my sacrifice

[Chorus: Jay, Sunoo, Heeseung, Jungwon]

With or without you

Yeah, I'm torn between a deeper desire

With or without you

There's a flame, and baby, it's getting brighter

Yeah, you got that

Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

With or without you

I belong here in the beautiful fire

It's all my bad desire

[Verse 2: NI-KI, Jungwon]

I got desires, baby girl, you got desires too

Wanna write my name up on your skin, permanent like a tattoo

You pull me close and say forever

Ain't enough for you, oh

[Pre-Chorus: Sunghoon, Sunoo]

Innocent girl, don't touch, don't do it

Don't wanna take your golden light

Out in the world, you're just an angel

But here in the dark, my sacrifice

[Chorus: Jake, Jay, Heeseung, Sunghoon]

With or without you

Yeah, I'm torn between a deeper desire

With or without you

There's a flame, and baby, it's getting brighter

Yeah, you got that

Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

With or without you

I belong here in the beautiful fire

It's all my bad desire

[Outro: NI-KI, Heeseung, Jay, Sunghoon]

Tell me all your deepest

All your bad desires

Tell me all your deepest

All your bad desires

Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

With or without you

I belong here in the beautiful fire

It's all my bad desire