McCarren 1

Kylie McCarren

Professor Reynolds

ENG 1201

20 February 2022

Your Song

“And you can tell everybody this is your song” comes from “Your Song” written by Elton

John. This line presents a central meaning by expressing that the person John is writing about is

someone he loves and he wants to tell that person they can tell everybody that this song is written

for them. This song has been sung by many artists but the song made a special comeback in the

musical, Moulin Rouge, in 2001 where Ewan McGregor adds his own twist. Ewan McGregor’s

remake of “Your Song” brings a more upbeat and vibrant version compared to the more relaxed,

simplistic soft rock style that the original focused on. Even though both of these artists put their

own music style to the song and used their own rhetorical appeals to connect to their audience,

they both share the same claim, which is that the song is written about someone they love and the

wonderful, happy feeling it makes them have inside.

Elton John’s music video offers a simplistic, black and white video with John being the

main and only character. The background appears to be at a park, where there is nothing to focus

on except the lyrics and John himself. These lyrics describe the main claim of both songs, which

is about someone they love and the wonderful, happy feeling it makes them have inside. Ewan

McGregor’s music video shows him singing to the woman he loves, Nicole Kidman, through the

whole video. The video takes place in Paris, France and it is more bright and vibrant with color

than the original video. Towards the end of the music video, McGregor takes Kidman’s hand and

they start dancing, while McGregor’s tone becomes more expressive. There is also more
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expressive choreography with McGregor dancing around the city. There is a group of men

cheering McGregor and Kidman as they continue to dance, and at the end of the video

McGregor’s tone gets louder as he sings looking at Kidman. The video ends with McGregor

carrying out a long note and spinning Kidman around. This music video presents the same claim

as the original with McGregor expressing the love he feels towards Kidman.

The music videos and the lyrics provide explanations and evidence that support the claim.

In the original music video, by Elton John, it is all about the lyrics and what they mean. John

writes, ”It’s a little bit funny, this feeling inside / I’m not one of those who can easily hide” (line

1-2). He is expressing the funny feeling you get inside when you love somebody. John also

writes, “I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind / That I put down in words / How

wonderful life is while you’re in the world” (line 27-29). John is expressing his feelings through

the lyrics of the song and describes how wonderful life is because that person is in the world.

These lines from the lyrics support the main claim, giving examples of his feelings and how

wonderful life is because that person is in the world.

In the remake of the song, by Ewan McGregor, there is more evidence in the video that

supports the claim than the original provides. Ewan McGregor and the woman he loves and is

signing to, Nicole Kidman, are the main characters. McGregor is singing the lyrics of the song to

her, which supports the fact that he loves her. The choreography also gives evidence because it

shows McGregor and Kidman dancing and looking into each other’s eyes while McGregor sings.

The lyrics hold the same meaning as the original because McGregor does not change the lyrics.

The setting also takes place in Paris, France and Paris is made out to be a romantic city, which

leads to another point of view that supports the main claim.

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After watching both music videos by both artists it is clear that the audience will be

different. In the original music video John is the main and only character. He sings the lyrics in a

very soft and simplistic way that would be calming to his audience. Looking at these

characteristics would mean that the main audience would be people who are fans of Elton John,

people who like soft rock and simplistic music styles, and those who like or connect to the lyrics.

When McGregor sang the song he changed the music style, had a different setting, and had two

main characters. McGregor’s audience would include fans of McGregor and Kidman, people

who liked the original song and wanted to hear the remake, people who like an upbeat music

style, and those who like musicals. The audience plays an important role for the song because it

shows what kind of people connect to certain music types.

The rhetorical appeals used in the music videos are pathos and ethos. Pathos is used in

the original video because of the tone John sings his lyrics in. He connects to his audience,

making each line an emotional experience, along with the emotional facial expressions. In

McGregor’s remake he appeals to his audience’s emotions by the tone he sets with his upbeat

music style. The music video shows McGregor singing the lyrics to the woman he loves,

showing emotions towards her through facial expressions, and choreography. Ethos is presented

between the two music videos and artists by establishing credibility through the lyrics. Both

artists use the same lyrics which establishes credibility since the lyrics were written by John.

Elton John wrote this song to put how feels into words expressing what it feels like for

him to love the person he does. Ewan McGregor’s remake provides his audience with the same

idea but offers a different perspective. Despite their differences it is clear to the audience that

both artists kept the overall claim, which is that this song is for somebody they love and that the

lyrics express the wonderful, happy feeling that is felt inside.

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Works Cited

“Elton John - Your Song (1970 Original Video) (HD 720p).” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Mar. 2016,

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

“Ewan McGregor - Your Song.” YouTube, YouTube, 3 Dec. 2008,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68uvEHRLpcs.