“Rose Colored Boy” is a song off of Paramore‘s latest album “After Laughter.” Closely following the theme of the album, the music video is filled with cheesy fake smiles and, quote-unquote, “happy people.” The story is told through an ’80s news cast setting with retro graphics and big hair, but overall, the video remains fun and colorful throughout.
The upbeat pace of the song contrasts a lot with the lyrics in the beginning of the video. As it progresses, Hayley Williams begins to crack and lose her fake smile. This leads to a stop in the music at the three-minute mark. Hayley is confronted by her younger self on several television monitors. Her younger self causes her to question who she is and if she’s the person she wants to be. When the music returns, the video takes a drastic turn in tone, color, and style.
Throughout the video, the overall message tells us not to get lost in the the fake appearance of society pressuring you to be happy all of the time. Paramore tells us to break free of standards and to be ourselves and to show it off proudly. In other words, be the person your younger self always wanted to become. Check out Paramore’s latest music video for “Rose Colored Boy” and see for yourself!