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Sarah Toth

Barnes

CCP English Comp 2

25 Sept. 2020

Music Video Analysis

In 1973, a singer named Dobie Gray sang a song titled “Drift Away.” Later, in 2003,

Uncle Kracker covered the song and made a music video. In the music video from Dobie Gray, it

shows him walking around a grassy, open area just singing the song. He is the only one shown

throughout the entire video. The music video from Uncle Kracker is completely different. His

video consisted of him and his friends partying and drinking. While this song was portrayed very

differently by Uncle Kracker, the sound was kept the same. However, because both men took

different routes, the meaning of “Drift Away,” was changed.

In Uncle Kracker’s version, the claim is different than what Dobie Gray first intended. In

Gray’s music video, the claim is that you need to just relax and try and enjoy life. You should

not take anything too seriously because life does not last forever. While Uncle Kracker’s music

video also claims that his listeners should enjoy life, he goes about it a different way. He makes

it seem like partying and hanging out with friends will get you there. There is a possibility that

method will work for some people, but not all. Another claim he makes is that you only have

one life, so just go out and have fun. He wants his viewers to enjoy the one life they get and do

what makes them happy. In the song, Uncle Kracker and Dobie Gray sing, “Oh, give me the beat

boys, and free my soul I want to get lost in your rock and roll, and drift away.” This lyric is

showing that
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both men just want to feel free and let go. The final claim of each video is similar, but they each

add their own twist to it.

One element that was changed after being covered by Uncle Kracker was the audience. In

the Dobie Gray video, it is very calm and laid-back. It is just him walking around singing. It

seems like it could be aimed at anyone, but younger listeners would be able to watch and enjoy

because of the nature of the video. Uncle Kracker’s video was the opposite. Throughout the

video, it showed him hanging out with his friends and working on cars. They were also singing

and performing on a stage in the bar. The biggest change between the videos is that there was

drinking and partying. As a result of this, the audience changes. It is no longer aimed at younger

people because of that element. While they can still watch and enjoy, it was not made for them.

Another big difference between the two videos is the props, main characters, and camera

angles. In Dobie Gray’s music video, he is the main character. In Uncle Kracker’s version of the

“Drift Away,” music video, he is the main character, but there are also a lot of smaller,

supporting characters. Some of these include his friends and brothers and they are in the video at

random points. Dobie Gray also did not use any props in his video. The only thing around him

are trees and nature. In the video made by Uncle Kracker, there were props used in every scene.

There were cars being used, cups filled with alcohol, and instruments used throughout. As stated

earlier, Uncle Kracker went on stage and performed the song with other people. They were all

playing different instruments and jumping around. Finally, the camera work was very different

between the two videos. Dobie Gray kept his distance from the camera throughout the entire

video. The only thing that really changed in his video was the angle. It showed him from the

front, back, and sides, but nothing special was done with the camera work. Uncle Kracker’s
music video on the other hand, was shot from crazy and different angles. There were high angles,

really low angles, and everything

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in between. You can tell that they had a lot of fun shooting this video. His video also had a lot of

different settings that add to the fun vibe of his take on the song. One last difference between

Dobie Gray’s and Uncle Kracker’s version is the category it is placed under. Dobie Gray’s is just

considered rock, but Uncle Kracker’s version is considered rock and country. Gray’s song got to

position number five on Billboard’s Hot 100. Uncle Kracker’s cover of “Drift Away,” got to spot

number one on Billboard’s U.S. Adult Contemporary Chart. Both songs did really well, and even

though the videos are very different, there is not much difference in their success.

These two videos made for the song “Drift Away,” use the same type of appeal to get the

audiences’ attention. Both videos use pathos because they appeal to the viewers emotions and it

makes them feel something while watching. In Dobie Gray’s music video, he keeps it nice and

calm, and that gives viewers a feeling of relief and relaxation. This also adds to his claim of the

song, which was just to relax and enjoy the little things. Uncle Kracker used pathos in a different

way. He made his video fun and enjoyable to watch which gave viewers a sense of happiness. It

makes them want to get up and dance and just have fun. That also supports the claim that he

made in his video. While both videos are extremely different, they kept the same sound and

made viewers feel something while watching.

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Works Cited

Dobie Gray. “Drift Away,” Dobie Gray. 2004.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIuyDWzctgY. Accessed Oct. 4, 2020.

Uncle Kracker. “Drift Away,” Atlantic Records. Oct. 26, 2009.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A69BertdSt4. Accessed Oct. 4, 2020.