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Taylor Heckman

English 1201

Prof. Leonard

February 16, 2020

Landslide

“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, and The Dixie Chicks are both amazing songs to listen

to. Fleetwood Mac sings by herself while the Dixie Chicks is a group of three women who sing

together. They use the same lyrics for each song but have two different music videos that portray

the same message of the song in different ways through the visuals used throughout the videos.

Fleetwood Mac’s version came out in 1975, while the Dixie Chicks version came out in 2002.

They both focus on the thought of a bond being broken and not knowing how to live with the

change of that bond being broken. Although the songs have a similar theme, one audience

appeals to women and the other appeals to people who have a close relationship with their father.

In the music video for “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, she is sitting in a dark place with

just a few lights shining on her, performing with her guitarist. She begins by saying, “This is for

you daddy” representing that she is singing the song for her dad or that it was written for her dad.

She sings about climbing a mountain then turning around to see her face in the snow-covered hill

then says, “Til the landslide brought me down,” representing that her life was beautiful until

something had changed and she was falling apart trying to live with that change. Later in the

song, she asks, “Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my

life?” Fleetwood Mac is expressing that here that she is curious if she can live on through big

changes in her life like losing her father. She then talks about how she has been afraid of

changing because she has grown up building her life around someone. She is trying to figure out
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if she can handle having to live without someone so important that she has grown up around and

done everything for.

In the video for “Landslide” by the Dixie Chicks, there are three women who are all in

different locations. The first woman it shows is in a deserted area with trees that have no leaves

on them and a waterfall. The second woman is lying in a bright green yard while she is pregnant

with a guitar lying next to her. There is also a house behind her that grows roots throughout the

song. These roots represent that she has been there for a while and that it would be hard having

to leave a home you grew up in. The third woman is walking around in an empty city where it

had been raining based on the small puddles of water all over the streets. They use the same

lyrics as Fleetwood Mac except they express the meaning in a different way using these visuals

in the video and by rephrasing some lyrics slightly. The video switches back and forth while

showing each woman in a different place representing changes in their life, for example how one

woman being pregnant. Towards the end of the video is shows one woman climbing stairs while

the other two are walking to a red door that leads them all to the same place. They end the song

by standing on rocks in a body of water singing together. The final lyrics of the song are them

rephrasing Fleetwood Mac’s lyrics and saying, “So, take this love and take it down. Yeah, and if

you climb a mountain and ya turn around. And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered

hills. Well the landslide brought me down.” This video portrays change in other ways and does

not focus on one person like Fleetwood Mac’s version.

These songs have the same message and are about having bonds with someone and not

knowing how to live with big lifestyle changes like losing someone important or having a child

for the first time. This is made very clear by using the same lyrics. Although they have the same

meaning and lyrics, they are portrayed towards different audiences. Fleetwood Mac’s version is
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directed towards anyone who has a father-daughter relationship or may be trying to get through a

similar situation like losing a parent. This is made clear when she says, “This is for you daddy”

at the beginning of the video before she starts performing. This version comes off as sad due to

her soft-spoken voice and the dark room that she is performing in. The audience also stays very

quiet while she performs. This makes it seem like a song that people just sit, listen, and really

vibe to due to the relatable lyrics. The Dixie Chicks version seems to be directed towards a

women audience based on the use of women in the video. It also seemed to be relating to

experiences that women go through and lifestyle changes that they must get used to like being

pregnant and becoming a parent for the first time or even heartbreaks. It could also be directed

towards anyone who is feeling alone. The video shows the women alone throughout the video

until the end when they come together. This shows that women should come together more, and

we should all be there for each other through big changes in our lives. This version is not as soft-

spoken and is more upbeat.

Both versions of “Landslide” appeal to the use of pathos, showing emotion to get the

point of the song across. Fleetwood Mac’s version uses pathos by beginning her performance

with “This is for you daddy.” This can immediately make anyone who has a bond with their

father feel like they can relate to this song or even anyone who has lost their father and does not

know how to live on with that change in their life. The Dixie Chicks version appeals to pathos by

going back and forth between three different women who are alone and experiencing change.

Hearing these lyrics while watching the video can be relatable for someone who fears to be a

parent for the first time or anyone who has had to let go of someone recently and is feeling alone.

Each version of “Landslide” was a hit that was loved by many people and shared a

similar theme. They were released almost thirty years apart and each reached out to different
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audiences with the use of visuals in the music videos. They also each used a different tone of

voice to express the lyrics, making them relatable to different audiences. “Landslide” appeals to

the emotions of change around us no matter which video you decide to watch and listen to.
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Works Cited

Dixie Chicks. Landslide. Youtube.com, 27 Sep. 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=J4_wXPZ1Bnk. 16 February 2020

Fleetwood Mac. Landslide. Youtube.com, 26 Oct. 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=WM7-PYtXtJM. 16 February 2020