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Laura Gibson

Professor Dean Leonard

ENG 1201

21 February 2021

A Difference in Presenting Love Between Two Versions of “Your Song”

“And you can tell everybody, that this is your song” is a quote from the famous song

“Your Song”, by Elton John. This quote summarizes the song itself because the song is a

message to the person that the song was written for. Elton John was not the only person to create

a version of his song “Your Song”. There is also a separate version performed by Ewan

McGregor. These two music videos differ because Elton John’s video is more of a simple

message to the person that the song was written for where he explains that although he may not

have much, he did write a song for them, whereas Ewan McGregor’s video is him singing the

same song to a woman, but proving that the song is true by taking her to extravagant places.

The Elton John video is a message video to the person that he wrote the song for. The

intended audience is the person the song is written about, considering the video is ultimately a

message video directly to the person. The video proves the lyrics of the song “I know it's not

much but it's the best I can do. My gift is my song and this one's for you” because the setting is

very simple. Elton John is in a park simply singing to the camera. The quality of the video is not

very professional, emphasizing the fact that Elton John may not have much, but he can offer this

song that he wrote for the person he loves. The genre of the song is a soft and simple pop, also

contributing to the fact that Elton John doesn’t have a lot to offer, but he can offer the song he

wrote. Elton John’s video surrounds more around the fact that he does not have a lot to offer the
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person that he loves, but he can offer a song that he wrote for them about how much they mean

to him.

Ewan McGregor’s version of “Your Song” is a grandiose performance for a woman to

show her how much that she means to him. Ewan McGregor uses the song to explain how much

he loves the woman, but it is more of a simple addition to the extravagant trip in which he takes

the woman on to prove his love for her. Ewan McGregor takes the woman to the clouds and

dances with her, has other men sing with him to her, and also the video takes place in a setting

with romantic lighting and heart shaped doorways. The song does have the same lyrics, but it is

sung in a fancy, upbeat opera style, with backup singers. The exciting and upbeat style of the

song emphasizes how the man has so much to offer the woman on top of the song written for her.

The intended audience is not necessarily the woman that the song is written for, but for anyone

who is looking to be entertained by a love story. The Ewan McGregor video is more of an

extravagant show put on to impress the woman he loves, as he sings a song that is written about

her.

Both videos differ much in their claims and execution. The Elton John version differs

from the Ewan McGregor video in many ways. Elton John’s video is simpler where the filming

quality appears to be unprofessional, and the music style is a soft, simple pop. Elton John also is

not doing anything flashy in the video, he is only singing to the camera, to the person he wrote

the song for. These simple elements emphasize how Elton John does not have much but he does

has the song to offer in which he wrote for the person he loves. Whereas Ewan McGregor’s

version appears to be filmed professionally and rather than singing to the woman, he takes her on

an extravagant trip making the video not simple unlike the Elton John video. The Ewan

McGregor video is portrayed as quite the opposite through its fanciful and intense opera music
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style including backup singers. Ewan McGregor’s video also has a setting with heart-shaped

doorways, romantic lights, and both Ewan McGregor and the woman he loves in the sky

together. These elements emphasize how Ewan McGregor has way more to offer than just a

song, and that he is only using this song as simply an addition to the magical trip he takes the

woman on to prove his love for her. The intended audiences also differ where Elton John’s

intended audience is the person he wrote the song for, and the intended audience for Ewan

McGregor’s video is anyone who is interested in viewing a love story. The videos differ on the

levels of simplicity, as well as the intended audience, and the execution of the messages.

Both videos use rhetorical appeals to get across their claims. The Elton John video uses

Pathos, striking emotions regarding love through his description of his love for the person he

wrote the song about. Elton John’s description of how he doesn’t have a lot to offer except for

the song he wrote, strikes emotions for those who watch the video, using Pathos. The Ewan

McGregor video uses not only Pathos as a rhetorical appeal, but Ethos as well. This video uses

Pathos by showing images of love between the man and the woman, as well as the lyrics of the

song being about love, striking emotions of love and passion among the audience to get the point

across that he loves this woman. The video also uses Ethos by the extravagant setting and

magical trip that Ewan McGregor takes the woman on. These elements give Ewan McGregor’s

claim of how much he loves this woman credibility because they are used to prove his love for

her. Both videos use these rhetorical appeals to communicate their claims.

The Elton John video and the Ewan McGregor video are both based on love for another

person. Both videos do differ though in their execution of their claims, as well as some elements

of their claims themselves. The Elton John video is a simple message to the person he loves that

he may not have much, but he does have a song to offer. The video’s simple aspects help to
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emphasize this fact. In contrast, the Ewan McGregor video is not simple, and is an extravagant

show for the woman he loves to prove his love for her. This video shows that Ewan McGregor in

fact does have a lot to offer the woman, not just a song. Both videos use rhetorical appeals to

communicate their claims. The Elton John video uses Pathos, while the Ewan McGregor video

uses not only Pathos, but Ethos as well as rhetorical appeals. While both videos may be based on

the love between two people, they both differ in claims, as well as the execution of those claims.
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Works Cited

Elton John - Your Song (1970 Original Video) (HD 720p), 1970, www.youtube.com/watch?
v=CrznwpD-2tk. Accessed 11 February 2021

Ewan McGregor Your Song with Lyrics from Moulin Rouge, Chan Joseph, 2014,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkxj-FBEH1w. Accessed 11 February 2021