Song: What a Life
Artist: Scarlet Pleasure
Film: Another Round (2020)
Don’t wanna worry ’bout a thing
But it makes me terrified
To be on the other side
How long before I go insane?
At first listen, the simplest way to talk about the What a Life song is that it is about freedom. It feels like a moment when you let yourself go and simply enjoy being alive. You appreciate whatever place you have reached in your life, and for that one moment, you feel totally free.
The Deeper Meaning of the What a Life Song in Another Round
But the song is not that straightforward, especially if you have seen the movie Another Round. It plays at a very heavy time. Martin’s (Mads Mikkelsen) marriage is falling apart, a close friend from his drinking group has died, and his dull life has crashed back down around him. The fun alcohol experiment he tried with his friends did not last long.
So, my different take is this: no matter what you do, life will always have its downs. The happy moments will pass, and the boring, dull life will return. That “wow” moment is always going to fade away. But I have to accept it. I can at least choose to enjoy this one beautiful moment, even if the life waiting for me tomorrow is not as fun as I wish it could be.
A Perfect “Sad Banger”
This is the first and only track I have heard from the band Scarlet Pleasure, with Emil Goll as the main vocalist. The chorus is incredibly catchy, and the whole musical composition works perfectly.
What makes the What a Life song so special technically is the contrast. It has an upbeat, indie-pop beat that makes you want to jump up and dance, but the lyrics are actually full of worry and fear. It is the perfect “sad banger”… a happy-sounding song hiding a very deep, emotional reality. The upbeat music perfectly captures that feeling of trying to escape your problems.
Mads Mikkelsen’s Unforgettable Dance
The famous dance sequence at the end of Another Round ends on an open note. It lets you decide what Martin’s future will look like and whether he will fall back into his bad habits.
During this scene, Mads Mikkelsen literally dances his heart out. So many different emotions flow together, especially in the final 30 seconds when he totally lets himself fly. It is completely up to us how we want to interpret that ending. But looking at the lyrics alone, they clearly speak of finding an escape before reality hits back.
Whenever I listen to the What a Life song, it is always going to remind me of Mads Mikkelsen’s final dance. He is simply too good.
If you love discovering the deeper meaning behind movie soundtracks, check out my previous breakdown of the Hunger Games song.
