Lukas Graham releases “7 Years”

7 Years Lukas Graham

Writer(s): Lukas Forchammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten Ristorp, Morten Pilegaard (see lyrics here) Released: September 18, 2015 First Charted: February 6, 2016 Peak: 2 US, 14 BA, 13 DG, 13 AC, 13 A40, 17 AAA, 26 MR, 15 UK, 14 CN, 18 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 7.0 US, 1.71 UK, 10.4 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1201.4 video, 1612.03 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Despite the implication, Lukas Graham is not an individual but the name of a Danish soul-pop band. They were quite successful in their native Denmark, releasing two #1 singles and two more top-five hits from their debut album. However, they pretty much weren’t making a dent anywhere else. It was looking like they would experience the same fate with their second album – they’d released two songs which hit #1 in Denmark, but didn’t make a dent on the international market. However, their fate would change with the third single from their second album. “7 Years” was an introspective song inspired by lead singer Lukas Forchhammer’s experiences growing up in a Copenhagen commune, smoking weed for the first time when he was 12, and dealing with his father’s death in 2012. SF The “piano-led, mid-tempo track” follows the progression of a lifetime, from age 7 to 60. SF Forchammer described the song as being “about his life so far and what he hopes to achieve in the future.” WK He told Radio.com that “the song’s basically just about becoming a good father and being such a good father that your children would want to come and visit you when you’re an old, boring man. I had a really, really cool father, so that’s what I wanna be too.” SF Forchammer believed people connected with the song because, as he told ABC Radio, “I’m being blatantly honest about the mistakes I’ve made in my life.” SF The song topped the charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. WK It was the highest-charting song in the U.S. by a Danish act since 1961’s “Apache” by Jørgen Ingmann. WK It was the best-selling song in the UK in 2016. WK It was nominated for Grammys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Lukas Graham SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Last updated 7/21/2023.