Jacob Early

Professor Cassel

English Composition II

3 October 2021

A Celebration of Love

This paper will analyze two music videos of the same song, that song being “Your

Song”, originally created by Elton John in 1970, and then sung by Ewan McGregor in the

move Moulin Rouge! in 2001. Both versions depict helpless lovers, with nothing to give but a

song, yet both seem to appeal to different audiences through their use of setting, plot, and

rhetorical appeals.

Written by Bernie Taupin, “Your Song” was originally released by Elton John in 1970,

and quickly became John’s first big hit. Unlike much of John’s music later in his career, this

song is rather simple, accompanied by an even simpler music video. The music video depicts

Elton John in nature, most likely a field of some sort. It is also important to note that the video

is in black and white. The scenery is stagnant, as John is standing in place for the duration of

the video. Other than two passersby’s, John is the only character in this music video.

The main claim of this song is clear. Elton John sings “How wonderful life is, when

you’re in the world”. Yet even though he feels this way, all he can offer is a song. The artist

says that he doesn’t have much money, and that he doesn’t have some fancy profession.

However, he clearly lays out that if he did, he would do anything for the one he loves. But all
he can do, is give her a song, which he does. He wants his lover to be proud of the song, and

boast of it by telling everybody.

The second video, also “Your Song”, is sung by Ewan McGregor in the movie Moulin

Rouge!. In this video, there are two characters, Christian, played by Ewan McGregor, and

Satine, played by Nicole Kidman. To fully comprehend the meaning of the song in this scene,

the viewer must understand the context of the movie. Satine is a courtesan (basically a

glorified prostitute in the 1900’s) working for the Moulin Rouge, which is a prestigious night

club in Paris. The Moulin Rouge is putting on a play, and they need investors. Satine is

promised to a duke by the Moulin Rouge in an attempt to lure him into investing. However,

Satine gets confused and mistakes Christian, who is a poet writing the play, for the duke.

Enchanted by her beauty, Christian follows along with the affair. As Christian begins to fall in

love, he realizes that he must reveal his true identity. This is where he sings her Elton John’s

“Your Song”.

The setting of this video greatly contrasts Elton John’s video. The scene takes place in

a fancy room located at the Moulin Rouge. The room is decorated with ornate golden

chandeliers and velvet furniture. Christian and Satine are dressed sumptuously, with

Christian’s cumber bun and Satine’s bright lipstick complimenting the velvet accessories in

the room. Halfway through the song, the couple vanishes from the room and journeys above

the clouds. Above the clouds one can see the Paris skyline, along with the Eiffel Tower, and

even a smiling moon. As the couple dance on the clouds, their facial expressions strongly

convey the love they have for each other. At the end of the song, they find themselves back in

the room, as if the moon scene had all been a dream.

 This scene proves to be a perfect representation of the song. All along, Satine had

mistaken this mere poet for a duke. But Christian loved her very much, and he proclaimed that

all he had to give her was a song, and he was very proud of that. Satine didn’t really seem to

care that Christian hadn’t revealed his true identity until then, at that moment she knew he

loved her, and that was enough. The cloud scene really brought it all together, it was a

fantasy, like the one they had been living. But even though some parts of their relationship

had been misunderstood, the love they had was real, and that was enough.

Both of these videos use strong rhetorical appeals to reach their audiences. Elton

John’s video used a very slow and endearing approach. He utilized the rhetorical appeal of

pathos to convey the power of his lyrics to his audience. The song holds a steady tempo, never

getting extremely fast or slow, and it never really hits a true climax. This shows the sort of

limitation that the author is feeling. He wants the woman to be proud of his gift, the song, but

he is held back because he knows that the song is the best he can do. This is the greatest use

of rhetorical appeal in the song. The use of black and white is also used to emphasize this

point. Colored graphics had been out for almost 20 years at this point. This technique may

have been used to appeal to an older audience, perhaps those who prefer to convey their

feelings more quietly and genuinely.

While Ewan’s rendition also strongly utilizes the rhetorical appeal of pathos, it is one

of power and pride. The tempo of this song is quick and upbeat. McGregor hits many high

notes in this song that prove to be powerful climaxes. McGregor appears to be overjoyed

throughout the song, which is clearly displayed by his facial expressions and movements . He

is practically yelling during most of the song instead of singing, and he shows his excitement

by dancing around the whole cloud scene. Because of the use of props and a fast and exciting
tempo, it makes sense that this song is intended for a younger audience. Whether they have

experienced love or not, the audience can be hopeful of true love by watching Christian and

Satine interact in this video. For this reason, the intended audience of this video is most likely

a younger audience.

These two videos, while portraying the same main claim, are intended for different

audiences by displaying two different ways of expressing genuine feelings. The first video

obviously doesn’t have much depth, but I think that reflects the fact that there is power in

simplicity and authenticity. It is a sort of melancholic rhapsody, with neither many highs nor

lows. The second video is more of a celebration of love. It begins very slow, and almost

heartbroken. But then the main characters realize what they share is true love, and the song

hits a climax, with a symphony and harmonies that are enough to send shivers down your

spine. This type of love scene is very attractive to certain younger audiences that love being

reminded that love is possible, regardless of the situation. Whichever audience you fall into,

these videos are a great reminder that it doesn’t matter how you choose to display your

emotions, as long as you let those around you know that they are loved.
 Works Cited

MoHMoHMoHMoooH, moH NYC. “Your Song - Moulin Rouge [hd1080i & Subtitles].”

YouTube, YouTube, 17 Sept. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9soYPNDlq4.

Accessed 21 September 2021.

VINCENTDICRESCE. “Elton John - Your Song (1970 Original Video) (HD 720p).” YouTube,

YouTube, 30 Mar. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrznwpD-2tk. Accessed 21

September 2021.