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Taylor Hurte

Professor Riley

English 1201

02/13/2022

Demons

In our American society, personal struggles and inner demons are all too

common. Trauma and toxic behavior seem to permeate most households and is, unfortunately,

very relatable. Both Imagine Dragons’ and 2cellos’ music videos for the song “Demons” show

people dealing with their own personal struggles but by using different imagery, the two videos

can change the way we relate to the music and think of our own personal struggles.

The original music video shows Imagine Dragons preforming in a concert setting. There

is a crowd of people cheering for them with their arms in the air. One by one, some of the

audience members are featured and a small glimpse of their inner demons are shown. They

remain stoic on the outside while engaging at the concert and using music to help to cope.

In the beginning of the video by Imagine Dragons, a young woman is highlighted. The

video shows her among the crowd before it flashes back to her sitting in a funeral setting. She

is crying and holding photos of her parents. The lyrics sing, “but with the beast inside, there’s

nowhere we can hide,” before cutting back to her in the concert setting. This is showing the

lyrics in a literal way. There is nowhere to hide from yourself; in this crowd, only she knows of

her hardships, and she chooses to still engage at the concert. This same idea is highlighted

again with a taller, lanky man with body image issues, a young man who is being abused by his
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alcoholic father, and a combat veteran. The video ends zooming into the lead singer’s eyes,

signifying his demons are too kept deep inside and hidden away.

The 2cellos cover video is set in an isolated bunker in a Croatian forest. The bunker

itself is buried underground and is, therefore, darker inside. It appears to be far from any other

civilization and away from any interaction. The two artists, Stepjan and Luka, are the only two

people represented throughout the video. When they enter, they begin a long walk down a

narrow hallway. This represents the artists venturing deep into their own memories where their

demons are locked away.

The 2cellos version is an instrumental version, but the imagery paired with the original

lyrics provoke a more isolated feeling than the original. When the two men reach their

destination, they are met with only themselves inside a room. The other versions of themselves

are playing the cello very passionately, showing visible emotion and implying a hardship tied to

this memory. This happens in the music when they are playing what would be the lyrics, “don’t

get too close, it’s dark inside.” By remaining in the doorway and not approaching, this is

represented again. When thinking of our own struggles, we often wish we could impart

knowledge on our past selves or be a shoulder to cry on, but we must only look back with our

current view and move forward.

The 2cellos version ends with the two artists slowly walking in reverse out of the bunker

and eventually back to the outside world. They are leaving in reverse, showing a return to the

surface and their normal lives. They carry on, leaving their demons locked in the dark bunker

until they are ready to approach them again. They have successfully used their cello playing to

cope and work through their struggles, reiterating the theme of the original music video over

again.
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By using direct imagery of people’s daily struggles, Imagine Dragons uses pathos to

move the audience emotionally. The use of everyday people and relatable demons make the

audience for this video a very broad one. Anyone can look at this video and think of their own

struggles in life and a time they felt alone, even in a group setting. The 2cellos version also

uses pathos to engage with the viewer, but by using cold and isolating imagery, the audience is

made to feel much more alone. It evokes a different set of emotions, one that revolves around

our deepest memories and what we keep only to ourselves.

Both videos are best described with the lyric, “Don’t get too close, it’s dark inside, it’s

where my demons hide.” In the Imagine Dragons video, this is shown literally in images from

the audience and their struggles, and figuratively in the 2cellos version where the artists

intentionally isolate their inner demons as far away from anyone else that they can. In their

case, an underground bunker in Croatia. Both videos still share the same meaning, but a simple

change of setting can change the way we relate to the content of the lyrics.
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Works Cited

“2CELLOS - Demons [OFFICIAL VIDEO].” YouTube, 21 May 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?

v=J1JFt-db-0M.

“Imagine Dragons - Demons (Official Video).” YouTube, 7 May 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?

v=mWRsgZuwf_8.