
No band has grown so quickly and from such humble beginnings in the last few years quite like The Lumineers. In one of their more highly rated pieces, the band implemented a clear use of keys as a visual motif throughout the music video for “Angela”. The video followed a pregnant woman on a journey to find herself and her quest to find a sense of self-worth in her own life. The protagonist faces a moral problem that she feels she must deal with immediately in order to fulfill the life she feels like she deserves.  The two main instances where the motif occurs are both different when it comes to the mood of the scene. One is during a moment of remorse, while the next is represented in a positive tone. Yet, both work hand in hand to help develop the theme. The contrasting moods of both instances defines each half of the music video. The use of the visual motif of keys by The Lumineers throughout “Angela” helps to develop the overall theme of breaking social norms to focus on a more positive future.

To begin, the first instance of the visual motif of keys came at 1:25. This was the occasion that was put in a negative connotation. This scene depicts a pregnant woman grabbing her keys and leaving her husband in the middle of the night. There is a close-up shot of the keys hanging on a key hook, with just the hand of the protagonist being seen grabbing the keys. The scene is quick, as the protagonist is trying to leave as quick as she can, in order to leave her past behind. If it had been drawn out, then it would be less clear that the protagonist was notably trying to move on as fast as possible in order to focus on her future and the future of her child. 

This scene definitely is one of the saddest throughout the video. She is leaving behind all that she knows. As well, the protagonist is beginning to embrace the fear of the unknown. That lack of knowledge of the future is what may hold one back from making the decision to leave. The woman clearly has a regret about doing things wrong, and she recognizes the failures she has made along the way. She may be wishing that she can go back and change all the wrong decisions she has made throughout her life. Given the fact that she is pregnant, she may feel stuck in the way her life should proceed based on what society has deemed normal. This scene, especially its downtrodden nature, helps to set up the rest of the visual text, as the protagonist needs to go through the negative moment in order to move forward. This first instance of the keys is vital for the development of the theme because it shows the woman doing something one wouldn’t presume a soon-to-be mother to be doing. No one would expect someone to leave at a time like that when they are pregnant, but the woman has other ideas for her future than what society has to offer. This is the moment where she begins to take pride in her life, and where the tone of the video changes. From this point forward, there is no regret or remorse about the past, but only hope for what her future holds, and joy for her soon to be born child and its impact on her.

In another instance, the second use of the keys came at 5:05 into the music video of “Angela”. This scene shows the keys to the main character’s car and house left behind on the nightstand of the hotel in the foreground. The focus is on the keys in the close-up shot. Yet, in the background, one can see the protagonist leaving the hotel and getting into a taxicab. This scene is a much more positive one than the scene where the keys were first introduced into the video. This scene perfectly wraps up the visual text, as the viewer can make their own decision about the future of the protagonist, while having some idea as to what direction her future is headed. 

In this second scene, the protagonist seems to be embracing her pregnancy and embracing how she will break societal norms. At long last, the protagonist has a sense of freedom and liberation from her past. She no longer has anything holding her back, whether it be her husband, her family, or society in general. She has finally taken possession and authority of her life, and that creates a feeling of self-pride that is unmatched. That new-found power can only propel her forward into her life as an independent woman and future mother. This use of the keys as a visual motif clearly reiterates that the woman has accomplished her goal of focusing on the future and forgetting her past. 

The theme of the visual text comes to fruition in this scene. This scene was the perfect way for the music video to end. The woman had gone through all the trials and tribulations that one could think of. Yet, she had accomplished what she probably thought at one point was impossible. The combination of her future independence combined with the fact that she is bringing a child into the world creates a sense of happiness within her that has no bounds.

Thus, the use of the visual motif of keys throughout the music video of “Angela” allowed The Lumineers to develop their theme of breaking the social norms to focus on a more positive future perfectly. The visual text was expertly broken into two parts, each differing in tone, from negative to positive. Each scene was vital for the development of the theme. The first scene was necessary in order for the protagonist to face the wrongdoings of her past, and it led to her overcoming them in order to move on and focus on the future, as represented in the second scene. The fact that the woman was standing up and fighting against the way society wanted her to live her life, and doing something that not many other people would do is something that should be applauded, and that sense of a door opening up to the future is perfectly encapsulated by the motif of keys.