It's not every day that a megahit pop song wrestles with the meaning of life itself. But the previously little known Danish band Lukas Graham had a global chart-topper this year about life, mortality and purpose.
Lukas Forchhammer, the lead singer and lyricist, tells the story of his life in the song. Aged seven, he remembers his mother's advice to him to "go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely". The song goes on to explain some of his challenging childhood, experimenting with alcohol and drugs by the age of 11. Then the song documents the raw ambition of the singer, currently in his 20s: "I only see my goals, I don't believe in failure." From there he imagines the rest of his life until the age of 60. Beyond that he sees only death, as his own father died at the age of 61.
It would be easy to critique the song's view of relationships. Friends are there to stop you being lonely. The purpose of romance is also to prevent loneliness. The purpose of marriage is to acquire children. The purpose of children is for him to sing them songs and tell them stories. Friends and women and children are all seen to be a means to an end –acquisitions you make to protect you from social isolation. They are unnamed, with no personality of their own. There's no mention of what you are supposed to do for other people – your moral obligations to meet the needs of others and not just satisfy yourself.
Is this a description of his life? Or is it a critique? Either way the message comes across that life is pretty meaningless, underpinned by the nagging fear of loneliness and the question of whether his children will visit him when he is old.
I like the innovative story-telling style and unconventional structure – the song lacks the typical pop song verse and chorus delineation. The mixture of bravado and fear resonates with me. And I really like the questions the song raises about the point of relationships and the nature of success. Ironically, the song has been successful. It joins Lorde's 'Royals' as a song that critiques the status quo and yet made lots of money for its writer.
When he was about 30 years old, Jesus asked: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet forfeit his soul?" He told us to love God and love our neighbours. He drew the lonely to himself and spurned success on the world's terms. It was a counter-cultural way to live and called his disciples to follow his example for a truly meaningful life. It is a simple enough outlook on life for a seven-year-old to grasp, but profound enough that a 61-year-old can ponder.
Dr Krish Kandiah is the founding director of Home for Good and a contributing editor to Christian Today.
