Throughout life, it is easy for an individual to reach their goals and still look back on their journey with regrets. Sometimes, dreams differ immensely from the reality one is actually seeking. However, regardless of how far one goes to the ends of the earth to get what they want, an individual can always change their story if they find themselves stuck or unhappy. In Lukas Graham’s music video, “7 years” the viewer learns it’s never too late to change who you are and your path to find the happiness one desires.  Lukas Graham uses a journal filled with written papers in his music video to symbolize accomplishments he has made throughout his life, and how ultimately letting go of these leads to his rebirth as an individual nearing the end of the song. 

In the first scene (1:12-1:32), Graham burns a torn piece of journal paper in front of his father’s grave to convey the message that he is destroying his previous accomplishments. This is visible with a long shot in which the setting in its entirety is visible in the picture. Through the shot, it is recognizable that the leaves on the ground and the strong wind blowing indicate the ending of a season. For Graham, this reflects a symbolic end of a chapter in his life when he discards of the paper. It is also evident that this scene, as well as the entire video, has a black and white color scheme. This use of a monochromatic sequence helps to emphasize the depressing atmosphere this panel portrays, creating a solemn tone and reflecting the ending of an era for Graham. Graham then goes on to sing, “Something about that glory just always seemed to bore me / 'Cause only those I really love will ever really know me” (1:18-1:25) indicating that fame, fortune, and other materialistic things that come along with his career are not what interest him as well as the fact that he does not like the facade he shows the world. When he sings this line, a close up shot on his face is used to show the viewer the regret his expression conveys in which his eyes reflect a sense of remorsefulness.  Earlier in his life, Graham thought this was his chosen path, however, when he burns the paper, he indicates that this life he strove for is not what he wants anymore and his accomplishments no longer hold any importance to him. The burning of the page is shown from a bird's-eye-view from the perspective of the statue of the Blessed Mother. The Blessed Mother symbolizes purity in the eyes of the catholic church, for she represents the purest form of human excellence. Through Graham’s burning of the page, he is purifying himself by letting go of the previous accomplishments that have weighed him down. By doing this in front of the Blessed Mother, Graham is being baptized again as he begins his new journey. This birds-eye-view shot is done to make the audience aware that Graham is the one who is lighting the flame and setting the page on fire, as well. In this image, it is clear that the grass Graham is standing on is very dark in color and is dying due to the change of seasons. This not only helps to aid in the dark mood of the scene, but also reflects Grahams rebirth as an individual. The specific use of fire to discard of the paper represents his desire to renew his life. When something is burned, it is a chemical change of a material state that cannot be undone. The use of a close up shot of the flame helps to emphasize how permanent Graham wants this change in his life to be. Graham does this in front of his father’s grave in the presence of the blessed mother as a symbolic way of showing that he wants to move on from the previous life he has created.

 In the second scene (2:45-3:08), Graham throws his journal in its entirety in the air and it explodes into ashes to signify his rebirth as a person. A longshot is used to show Graham himself getting rid of the journal, and the setting as a whole is much brighter than in the previous scene (1:12-1:34). He follows this by saying, “Remember life and then your life becomes a / better one” (2:40-2:53) as the scene grows dark again and a medium shot is used to reveal Graham staring at his father’s grave. This use of life and death in the cemetery emphasizes the idea that the true purpose in life is to create real memories rather than striving solely for accomplishments. In the end, the only things that matters are the people who are truly there for you. The close up shot of his facial expression when he sings this verse shows a greater sense of relief, rather than remorse found in the previous scene (1:17).  A longshot is then used to flash forward to show the journal traveling through the air after Graham threw it, as a single page tears out and lingers by itself when the journal falls out of the shot. The shadows visible on the book indicate that, although the color scheme is still black and white, the sun is now out in the sky. This helps to relieve the negative mood apparent throughout the video, and the brightness helps to create a more uplifting one. The next shot (3:00) is a close up of the journal falling onto the pavement, and then immediately changes into a massive explosion shown in a long shot (3:02). These two different shots are used close together to help the viewer indicate that as soon as the journal is out of his hands and into the atmosphere, a change transpires. The huge explosion and ashes of paper shown in the video are his ultimate way of portraying his fresh start. He’s destroying all of his previous accomplishments to focus on the intangible joys of life. This is visible through his eye contact with the viewer, which indicates confidence in his decision. The brightness of this instance (3:02) in contrast to the dark coloring of the ashes and background (3:04) reflect the birth of his new life through the explosion in relation to the death of his old life and his previous accomplishments shown through the darkness. The significance of the close up in which the ashes are disintegrated in the air (3:05) represent the everlasting change Graham is making in his life.

In the music video, “7 Years” Lukas Graham uses a journal filled with written papers to symbolize accomplishments throughout his life, and how his change in perspective leads up to his revival as a new individual nearing the end of the song.  The journal of papers with his lyrics written on it are a significant aspect in getting his message across that there is more to life than accomplishing your goals. The burning of his journal, along with the papers filled with lyrics inside it help to emphasize his idea that the important things in life are the small moments along with those who make life worth living. The accomplishments he creates are meaningless if he does not have people he loves to share them with. He shares this message through the use of longshots to help identify setting and tone, along with close up shots of the papers to reveal specific actions, indicating to the viewer that they are significant. His facial expressions along with the way he looks into the camera help to portray his emotions in which the viewer would otherwise miss without the visuals of this piece.  Graham uses a lack of color to show how meaningless his accomplishments are if he has no one to share them with. The use of journals filled with written lyrics on each page to symbolize accomplishments throughout his life and the discarding of these further on in the music video help to portray the message to the viewer to focus on the important things in life, before your hourglass runs out.
