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Nora Harsh

Professor Hellmers

English Composition 1201.512

17 February 2022

Time

“If you fall I will catch you”, a quote from the song “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper

which was recreated by singer Abel. This lyric sets up the theme of the song which is loyalty.

The song by Cyndi Lauper was sung in 1983 and the recreation was done by Abel in 2016. These

two songs were written in very different periods and each of them has its meaning based on the

time. Cyndi Lauper sings "Time After Time" a song about a struggling relationship with a

message of encouragement, the song uses pathos to be encouraging to the listeners and viewers.

Similarly, Abel's version uses pathos, however, the message of her video is one of loyalty

towards the younger generation.

Lauper’s version of the song follows a girl and a guy in their relationship. This connects

to the song because it shows a change and a relationship potentially falling apart. This connects

to the lyrics because the guy runs from the girl but the girl still has feelings for the guy and is

willing to do anything for him. The video is set in a flashback of the relationship, while the two

are in a camper/mobile home. The genre of this song is soft rock because of the guitar and

keyboard that make it seem like rock but it also has soft tones to it. Abel’s version of the song is

a stripped-back acoustic version. This video doesn't have any props, it is just the artist and their

guitar which adds to the overall style because if this version had a lot of props and story it would

take away from the simplicity of the song. The setting of this song is in a music studio, where it
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is just the singer, this makes the emphasis of the point stronger because it is most of the time

easier to connect with the slower versions with less going on in the video.

Both of these songs have different meanings. Lauper's version is about a relationship, and

Abel’s version is about loyalty. Both songs however use pathos to try to convey their message to

the viewers. Cyndi Lauper's music video follows a girl and a guy in a relationship, the song goes

into a flashback and shows a time when the relationship wasn’t necessarily as good as it is in the

present. This shows the pathos appeal because many people can relate to this struggle, a lot of

people, male or female, have been through a difficult time with their relationship and they can

therefore relate to the message of this song. Lauper was strategic in using this type of video

because the lyrics match up with the song in stating that the girl will be there for her partner all

the time.

Abel’s version of the song also uses the pathos appeal through the simplicity of the song.

In this version, the singer is sitting in her studio and is singing with just her and her guitar. This

is a pathos appeal because people can connect with the artist if they know that they are relatable.

The relatability of this song is shown through the simplicity, when there are a lot of props and

extra things in a video it is harder to focus on exactly what the singer is trying to say. Through

the simplicity of this version, Abel shows that she can connect with the people and that she

knows the struggles that her viewers could be going through. This is different from Lauper's

approach because Lauper uses something in her video that people would relate to;a struggling

relationship while on the other hand Abel directly connects with her viewers through her song

and the style that she is singing in.

While both songs have the same style of appeal, Lauper’s song and Abel’s song differ in

their audiences. Lauper’s song is mostly focused on people who are in a struggling relationship. I
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think the video showing times when things weren’t so smooth but they were able to recover and

be in a strong relationship encourages the people watching. This makes the message of the song

encouraging to those who are watching. The general story of this song with the lyrics of “Time

After Time” shows the encouragement, and that relationships can continue even through

struggles. Abel's song has a different audience because she focuses on the loyalty aspect. In the

video the singer forms a connection with the audience, this allows her to be vulnerable and

allows the audience to see into her story. She uses simplicity to show the theme of loyalty, and

this would connect with the younger generation who needs to hear the story of loyalty. This

differs from Lauper's version because instead of focussing on the struggles and overcoming

them, Abel focuses on loyalty throughout any circumstance.

Overall, the two versions of the songs have the same lyrics and rhetorical appeal,

however, Lauper’s 1983 version has an audience of people who are in a struggling relationship,

while Abel’s version is one of encouragement. These two songs use the repetition of “time after

time” to show their meaning, Lauper's through the storyline and Abel’s through the simplicity of

her video. Both songs use the pathos appeal to connect to the past experiences and emotions of

the audience. Overall, both songs are similar in their appeals, but they differ in the audiences that

they present to.

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Works Cited

“Time After Time ♡ - (Live Cover of Cyndi Lauper's Original).” YouTube, 23 Feb. 2016,

https://youtu.be/d7WXqnxmJvw. Accessed 11 Feb. 2022.

“Time After Time.” YouTube, 25 Oct. 2009, https://youtu.be/VdQY7BusJNU. Accessed 11 Feb.

2022.