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Griffin Nelson

Professor Hughes

English Comp 2

2/20/2022

“Graduation” Music Video Analysis (Rough Draft)

“As our lives change from whatever, will we still be friends forever?” is a question both

music videos explore. Graduation by Vitamin C was originally released in 1999 off her self-titled

debut album, then reimagined exactly one day before its twenty-year anniversary by the late

Juice WRLD and his cocreator Benny Blanco. Both tracks deal with the nostalgia of moving on

from one’s high school life. Stressing about the pressures that may involve their adult paths are

included in both records as well. While each song attacks the same suggest, the 2019 version

fluctuates from the original due to the change in school normalcy over the past twenty years.

While both versions of "Graduation" offer a nostalgic view on high school, Juice WRLD creates

a modern interpretation of Vitamin C's original hit by exemplifying a standard 2019 school

setting, following short “where are they now” for each different social class, as well as including

an interesting subplot.

Schools and student behavior changes over time however Juice WRLD and Vitamin C

prove that the feeling of nostalgia is common throughout almost everybody. Their interpretation

of the standard school experience, on the other hand, is fairly contrasting. For instance, the ’99

original captures high schoolers playing hacky sack in the lawn, wearing early 2000s tank-tops

and crimped hair, and falling in love. Meanwhile, the popular rapper tells his high school

experience through rather pessimistic lens, using real celebrities as actors and actresses. From

snotty, self-concerned, popular girls to bathroom weed smokers, this is definitely told from the
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perspective of someone who didn’t love high school, with lyrics to match. “f--- the teacher that

was always talking on the intercom, f--- the student that we always thought was ‘gon bring in a

bomb” are just a few of the less-than-joyful memories he shares, none of which Vitamin C brings

up in her music video.

Perhaps more intriguing than following a high schoolers experience is asking the

questing, where are they now? Both artists discuss this subject contrastingly. Juice WRLD

decides to answer the query in a very literal sense, providing little summaries about how the

characters have either grown out of, or continued, with their high school reputations. These

summaries can span from a whole paragraph to as little as three words, and each have about a

three or four second clip from the students’ teen years. Examples include a boy getting escorted

out of school by the police, with the caption “Dom returned all the printers. He lives in Tucson”.

Likewise, a girl vomiting in a toilet, attached with the short statement “Jenny still drinks, but

less”. Circling back to the 90s hit, featured in movies ‘21 Jump Street’ and ‘Scary Movie’,

Vitamin C approaches the topic with mystery and questioning, never truly revealing the future of

her peers. “Where (are) we going to be when we turn twenty-five? I keep thinking times will

never change; keep on thinking things will always be the same” is a quote that sums up her

thought process throughout the song. The use of Pathos in both music videos are substantial.

There is an argument to be made that the instrumental to each of these songs can be attributed to

the success of both records, but the lyricism and topics covered are both key reasons why these

videos have millions of views.

There is an interesting element to Juice WRLD and Benny Blanco’s rendition of

‘Graduation’ that Vitamin C doesn’t include, and that’s the “robotic war” storyline. Mixed in

with student’s future selves, some of the characters were given storylines about their contribution
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to a robotic war, mentioned a considerable amount throughout the video. While it’s never been

truly confirmed, a little research will verify that the creative director implemented this story as a

prequel to Hailee Seinfeld’s movie, “Bumblebee”. The evidence is strong here due to all the

music video facts matching with the movie’s canon, as well as the fact that Hailee Seinfeld

herself is the one who “ended the robotic war” in the music video. While this plotline is

somewhat off topic with the actual song, it is a notable factor seperating the reimagination from

the original.

Overall, these two music videos tell the same story in two opposing ways, using school

setting, before and after, and an interesting subplot to reflect the artists’ opposing school

experience. Juice WRLD illustrates the high school he remembers through detailed lyrics and

entertaining visuals, while Vitamin C uses a slower beat to cast a sentimental view. The young

rapper’s passing just three or four months after Graduation was released definitely contributed to

this track’s success, but that shouldn’t take away from the intriguing storytelling he provides

throughout the song. “As our lives change from whatever, will we still be friends forever?” will

stay unsolved, likely a testament to the lack of knowledge that we have for our futures.
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Works Cited:

“Vitamin C – Graduation (Friends Forever) [Official Music Video]”, YouTube, uploaded by

RHINO, date accessed 13 FEB. 2022, https://youtu.be/tz_NxOF7RB4

“benny blanco, Juice WRLD – Graduation (Official Music Video)”, YouTube, uploaded by
benny blanco, date accessed 13 FEB. 2022, https://youtu.be/M3N06KyK3s0