The portrayal of men and women, and their relationship, is very interesting in the song “Only Learned Bad Things” by B1A4. The song depicts the story of a couple, in which the man has the main point of view. The persona is struggling to be good enough for, and to, his lady. He tries to make up for his bad actions, while he himself knows that, “Because [he’s] still immature, a deep love is hard” (11). It seems as though the girl would like a lot more from the persona, than the persona knows he can give her. He understands that even if he does feel very strongly for her, “For a young person like [him], the word “love”/ is too awkward to say often” (34-35). The persona also talks about how he always apologizes and “reflects on [his] actions” (6). He constantly is trying to change who he is, so that he can be better suited to his girlfriend. He wants to impress her and be good to her. The persona sees his girlfriend as a pure woman, and to him, “[she is] a queen” (18). He knows that he has not been the best boyfriend in the past, and is trying to make up for his mistakes. He talks about how “[He] wants to do good, but [he] can’t” (8). The persona believes that, “At the end of [his] efforts and [her] trust, there’s only happiness” (40). His honest effort reveals how important love must be to his society. He places so much value on happiness through love. In order to reclaim, the love is had slowly started to love, he promises to put lots of work to, “Learn good words, good action, and be like [her] to/ Become an amazing boyfriend” (45-46). The girl in the relationship seems to only have a limited description.  The persona hints at how she is a pure and good person. The song presents a very stereotypical male-female relationship: the sweet girl changes the bad boy for the better. The persona and his girlfriend, represent classic “men” and “women.” The man is cast as the type of person who tries hard after they realize they are not good enough for the one they love.  The woman in the song is very feminine and weak. The persona even says to her, “People are looking so wipe your tears and lift your chin up” (1). She presents herself as the girlfriend who needs to be protected by her man, which also, was a part of the persona’s reasoning for his shift in personality. The couple in the song shows a very commonly shown view of the gender roles both es play, and the role they play in the relationship. 

               The song, “Only Learned Bad Things” does not have a clear reflection of reality.  Love is definitely real, but the changing of oneself for another, is highly unlikely. If the couple in the song were truly happy, then the man would not have to change, and the girl would not be upset and crying. This song loses a bit of realistic appeal, when you realize that the persona is claiming to his love that he will change just to make her happy. While, he should try hard to be a better a person, there is no way he can just turn off his old personality like a faucet, and instantly become a better man. I think the portrayal of men and woman in this song, is restricting. The light cast on both of the characters is, for both people, is a little unpleasant because they are the normal stereotypes for those genders. I think it would be okay for people to listen to this song, if they wanted to be encouraged to make adjustments, and grow more mature, with the help of their lover. But if young people want to be trapped in the innocent shell of a young woman, or the fickle bad boy, then they should listen. I believe that interpreting and understanding the meaning of this song will be able to help understand the power of love, but also how to break free of expectations.