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Catherine Davis

Dr. C

Eng. Comp. 1201.506

3 October 2021

Comparing Elton Johns’ “Your Song”

Elton John's original music video of "Your Song" in 1970, performed by Elton John, and

Taron Egerton’s version of the song from the movie “Rocketman” produced in 2019 provides

two different perspectives of the same song. The original was of Elton in a field with no

additional background features or people. While the newer clip from the movie shows more

detail such as the actual writing of the song and the emotions displayed by his partner, Bernie

Tauplin. This clip from the video shows that even Bernie Tauplin, the one who wrote the song,

was impressed by what Elton John did with the song. Both videos create different feelings from

the older version being sad, depressed, and calming to the newer version having more happy and

joyful emotions. "Your Song" by Elton John and "Your Song" performed by Taron Egerton from

"Rocketman" have very different approaches, but the version of the movie was more impactful

by showing how Elton made the song and how it related emotionally to others.

The original video only depicts one main person, Elton John. Though there are a few

people that walk through the video, there is no real added emotional connection to them. The

video is composed in all black and white with only trees, a street sign, and a field. The camera

follows Elton as he walks around and zooms in and out while he sings into a microphone. Elton

is not displaying much emotion in the song other than possibly deeply concentrating. The

audience that the video was trying to reach was much smaller since “Your Song” was one of his
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first songs and he was still a struggling singer and piano player. Since the video was released in

1970, it can be reasoned that he was gearing the video towards a younger audience with access to

music videos. As it was a younger audience and fifty years ago, they had fewer expectations for

entertainment quality. With a small audience, not much happening in the video, and only a focus

on Elton John, it is difficult to create a strong emotional response.

The clip of "Your Song" from the movie helps to bring out a more impactful

representation of the song. The audience after fifty years has grown to anyone who has access to

an electronic device to watch the movie. Since the video is from a musical it appealed to older

generations as well as people that grew up listening to Elton John. Today's culture demands more

flair from music videos and movies. Taron Egerton’s playing of Elton John in the video from the

movie shows Elton John in color at his home with his family and friend/songwriter and in the

studio with actual producers. With the addition of color, different settings, and more people the

video is more interesting to watch and more fun to listen to. At the beginning of the clip, you can

get a feeling of tension between Elton and his family while Bernie leaves the room and goes

upstairs. Next, Elton John sits down at the piano and starts to create the song as everyone gathers

around to hear him. They all seem almost mesmerized by the music. Then the clip cuts to Elton

John in the studio while Bernie and Elton's producers all watched, almost seeming in a trance

from the music. Having the family be so in love with the song shows lots of emotion but also

having the impact of a producer feeling that same emotion gives an even bigger feeling of love

from the song. All of this, compared to the first video with him just singing in a field, creates a

stronger reaction from the audience.

The audience gets a good representation of pathos from both videos even though they

show two different emotions. The older video almost seems gloomy or depressed. There is little
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emotion or interaction happening. All you see is him singing, but maybe the intent of the video

was to help people feel calm and enjoy simplicity. On the other hand, the newer video is cheerful

as his family and the producers watch him create such a beautiful song. You can see the reactions

of the others and they are smiling and looking joyful, which gives the audience a visual

representation of how happy it is in the room, causing the audience to feel the same. The video

is more upbeat creating a stronger emotional response for the audience. Both videos create

feelings, but the newer version does a better job of showing a wider view of the emotions trying

to be shown.

After watching and analyzing both videos, by creating a more detailed atmosphere

surrounding Elton John in the newer version, you can create a stronger emotional response. The

additional characters, scenery, and props in the movie video help to show how effective Elton's

songs were at changing people's moods and making them feel a certain way. The first video was

so simple and calming; the newer version is more effective in making the audience feel joyful

and happy.
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Works Cited

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

NVNCBL, March 30, 2016, accessed on September 24, 2021,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrznwpD-2tk

“Rocketman (2019) - Your Song Scene [HD]” YouTube, uploaded by SekesadaShorts,

July 4, 2019, accessed on September 24, 2021,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAePZ3OFJrE

SekesadaShorts