Music Video Analysis

Wiz Khalifia ft Charlie Puth - See You Again

Meaning

This song is about Paul Walker who died in a car accident in 2013 while the filming of Fast and Furious & was underway. The lyrics are very emotional and listeners can really connect with the song and relate to the lyrics if they have experienced a loss in their lives.

"I know we loved to hit the road and laugh, but something told me that it wouldnt last"

Cars were their passion that they shared together, and where they had their best times and made memories. It is reminiscing on their experiences together where they probably built their friendship.

"How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?"

This implies that they were more than friends and thought of each other more like brothers. They will never forget him and will always think of him by their side when racing in the cars.

"A friendship turn to a bond, and that bond will never be broken, and the love will never get lost"

This supports the theory that they thought of each other more like brothers than friends which shows that they had such a strong bond. They turned to each other for any advice in their lives. Even though Paul Walker is no longer with them, they will never losse the love they had for him and will forever remeber him.

The opening sequence is 10 seconds long, with only two shots involved. The first shot is a wide shot that shows the sea and the sunset that is filmed from a cliff which aims to set the scene. The second shot is another wide shot that involves Wiz Khalifia walking along the road in the same sunset as the first shot which shows continuity thoughout. The shot with Wiz Khalifa involves panning and the camera moves up above his head line. The pace of the shots in the opening sequence are slow which matches with the pace of the song, it forces the viewer to feel more connected to the song that is about to play.

Lyrics:

[Charlie Puth:]
It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again
(Hey)

[Wiz Khalifa:]
Damn, who knew?
All the planes we flew
Good things we've been through
That I'll be standing right here talking to you
'Bout another path
I know we loved to hit the road and laugh
But something told me that it wouldn't last
Had to switch up
Look at things different, see the bigger picture
Those were the days
Hard work forever pays
Now I see you in a better place (see you in a better place)

Uh
How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side
And now you gon' be with me for the last ride

[Charlie Puth:]
It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again (I see you again)
We've come a long way (yeah, we came a long way) from where we began (you know we started)
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again (let me tell you)
When I see you again

(Aah oh, aah oh
Wooooh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Yeah

[Wiz Khalifa:]
First you both go out your way
And the vibe is feeling strong
And what's small turn to a friendship
A friendship turn to a bond
And that bond will never be broken
The love will never get lost (and the love will never get lost)
And when brotherhood come first
Then the line will never be crossed
Established it on our own
When that line had to be drawn
And that line is what we reach
So remember me when I'm gone (remember me when I'm gone)

How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side
And now you gon' be with me for the last ride

[Charlie Puth:]
So let the light guide your way, yeah
Hold every memory as you go
And every road you take, will always lead you home, home

It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again

(Aah oh)
(Uh)
(Aah oh)
(Yeah)
(Wooooh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Ya, ya)
When I see you again
(Uh)
See you again
(Wooooh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Yeah, yeah, uh-huh)
When I see you again

The second sequence is of Charlie Puth who is playing the piano. In the first shot it shows a car behind him which highlights how important cars were in Paul Walkers life. The second shot is of a close up of Charlie Puth which helps to portray the expression on his face, and helps the viewer to gain an insight to the emotions of the song. The camera pans around his face very slowly to show the cars behind him while he is still playing the piano, this reinforces the love for cars that Paul Walker had and that the song is all about him.

Mise En Scene

At the beginning of the video, we see a blue sky and a blue sea which represents tranquility and calmness which relates to the video as it paying respect and tribute to the late Paul Walker.

Throughout the rest of the video, there are clips of Paul Walker in the Fast and Furious films with his friends. This further highlights the fact that the song is about him and dedicated to him. It forces the viewer to realise that the people he has left behind were major people in his life and he has left a big hole in their lives. In between the clips of Paul Walker and his friends; Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth are singing and the camera shows close ups of their expressions.

This particular part of the video i think is probably one of the most powerful parts. This is because the cars around Wiz Khalifa shows that they are either about to race or are at an expedition which was Paul's passion. It also shows that Fast and Furious is where he belonged and he will never be forgotten. The expedition or race may even be in memory of him.

At the end of the video, it shows him playing on the beach with his family which really touches the viewers. After this, for the final chorus; it shows Paul and his best friend side by side in the car smiling at each other which again, moves the viewers because this is something they loved and shared together. They drive off together into separate directions which is extremely powerful but the whole song highlights that he will never be forgotten.

This blue theme is maintained throughout the video, as we can see blue is worn by both Charlie Puth and the car behind him is blue. Wiz Khalifa is also see to be wearing a white top and a blue jacket. Later on in the video, he is wearing black and white. Black is seen as a respectful colour as it is worn at funerals, and white is seen also a respectful colour which is why they are wearing them as the lyrics and the song is all about the tribute being payed to Paul Walker.