
Death is a subject that fuels much thought and is the source of countless paintings, poems, movies, songs and many other forms of media. Everyone has probably contemplated death and the afterlife at some point. Death and life after death form many religions’ core beliefs. Christians believe in heaven and hell. Hinduism declares that one is reborn after death. The end of one’s life can influence how that person decides to live their present life; the thought of passing away makes people want to live their lives without regret. This is often the inspiration behind bucket lists or lists of fun activities people want to complete before their time on earth is finished. While humans wish they could know what life after death really is, no one really knows for sure. Countless artists and poets explore the idea of death in their works. The Band Perry’s music video for their song “If I Die Young” also considers death, but from the viewpoint of someone whose life was taken before their time. Society considers young peoples’ deaths as tragedies because they missed out on so many things life has to offer. The Band Perry uses imagery to give the viewer an idea of a young person’s death and also provide an interpretation of death.

The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young” music video shows a very powerful shot of their lead singer laying in a boat. The scene depicts an old wooden boat with the lead singer of the band laying down in it. There is a bouquet of flowers at her feet, and she is wearing a pretty pink and white dress with a gold necklace. She represents a corpse. The way she is positioned would suggest that she is deceased. Her pretty pink dress is an attempt to preserve the beauty and innocence of youth. This dress also appears to draw the reader to the idea of a Sunday church outfit. The reader can assume that the music video is placed in the south from the scenery and clothes the woman is wearing. The south houses many Christians, so the idea that she is dressed in church clothes gives the idea that she will go to heaven. When an elderly person perishes, they are usually dressed formally and not in bright colors. The woman is dressed in a white dress with pink flowers on it. This forces the viewer to question the differences between a funeral for an elderly person and a funeral for a young person. An elderly person’s funeral celebrates the wonderful life they lived while a young person’s funeral cannot focus as much on the great life that person lived; instead, they must focus on the beauty and innocence and liveliness of the youth.

The imagery in this scene pictures the woman in a boat rather than a coffin. Historically, some cultures would place their dead in a boat and send them out to see as a sort of funeral service. The idea of a young person being put in a coffin in the ground is quite morbid and depressing. The boat gives a much more gentle and soothing depiction of death. Rather than decaying in a coffin, the young woman is simply released into the river. Flowers are commonly used in funerals. They bring a sense of life and happiness to offset the sadness that has just occurred. The flowers by the woman’s feet appear to not only represent funeral flowers but also a wedding bouquet. The song and video make other references to love and marriage, so this bouquet is a symbol of the lost opportunity for the woman to get married. The next piece of imagery in this scene is the water. The woman’s boat is placed in a river, yet the water is calm and not moving. This is an example of pathetic fallacy. The woman is dead and still so nature mimics her. In this case, the water is still and quiet and peaceful. The time of day appears to be dawn which is significant because it symbolizes the beginning of a new day. The woman is sent off at dawn to symbolize that she is starting her time in the afterlife. Dawn also ties in to the idea of a young person’s death because it symbolizes rebirth and renewal. A young person is just beginning their own independent life, and dawn is the beginning of the day.

The aspects of the scene create individual meanings for the viewer, but the scene as a whole is an allusion to Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott.” This poem tells the story of a woman who lives alone, and “a curse is on her, if she stay her weaving, either night or day to look down to Camelot” (Tennyson 39-41). The character of this poem has a curse that confines her to weaving, and she will be cursed if she looks down to the city of Camelot. She catches glimpses of the world “thro’a mirror clear” and sees a knight ride by (Tennyson 46). She triggers her curse by looking at the knight, so she went down to the river and got in a boat to sail to Camelot. “Singing in her song she died,” so the Lady of Shalott died before she reached Camelot (Tennyson 152). The scene in The Band Perry’s music video is a visual representation of the Lady of Shalott floating in the boat to Camelot. The Lady of Shalott was not able to truly live her life due to her curse, so the music video illustrates this scene and connects it to dying young. Viewers can draw individual meaning from each symbol in this scene, but the scene put together represents a completely different reference. 

The Band Perry uses many visual symbols to convey thoughts and feelings with the viewer. The visual representations used create an overall tranquil impression on the subject of “premature death.” The Band Perry uses this music video to explore the idea of death and the afterlife. This specific scene makes death appear peaceful and beautiful; it makes the reader feel as if death rejoins man with nature. Rather than being afraid of death, this music video suggests that death is a restful end to a tiring life.

