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Bailey Marsh

Prof. Echols

English Composition 1102-02

13 February 2022

Both versions of Adele’s song “Hello” are about reconnecting, but Adele’s version is

about reconnecting with someone from the past, and Marshmello’s version is about reconnecting

with himself. Adele first released this song in 2015, singing it in a serious, yet powerful way that

allows the listener to understand the strong emotion Adele was going through. When Marshmello

remixed the song in 2017, it was still Adele singing the song, but instead of piano music as the

background, this time it was hip hop music. Remaking the song in this way not only modernized

it, but also made the song more appealing to its listeners. Instead of being slow and serious, it

was now fast paced and exciting for the listener. The main idea of this music video is about

reconnecting with someone from the past.

In Adele's version of "Hello" the music video tells the story of a relationship that started

off wonderfully but ended in a breakup. After Adele and her ex-boyfriend separated, she still

tries to call him and be in contact with him, but he wants quite the opposite. Even after calling

him multiple times, he still does not answer, but the only thing Adele wants is to apologize to

him. Adele sings, “I must’ve called a thousand times, to tell you I’m sorry for everything that

I've done,” to convey the idea that she is determined to reconnect and fix the problems she has

had with this man in the past. She portrays this throughout the music video with clips of her

crying, clips of an unanswered phone, and clips of the man walking away without caring to listen

to what Adele has to say to him.

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In Marshmello's version of "Hello" the music video tells the story of a successful young

DJ and the difference between being on stage with large crowds and being alone at other times.

The video shows multiple clips of Marshmello before his fans arrive just wandering by himself

and then it switches to a different clip of him greeting and entertaining his fans. The lyrics, “I’m

in California dreaming about who we used to be, when we were younger and free, I’ve forgotten

how it felt before the world fell at our feet,” portrays the idea that Marshmello used to be a whole

different person before he became famous, and he is trying to reconnect with who that person

was. When he is on stage preforming, he is much more excited and energetic than when he is by

himself. The video also shows several clips of Marshmello interacting with his fans and the

effect that he has on them. The main idea of the song and video is a bit different as it is about

Marshmello staying connected with himself while also staying connected with his fans.

Both music videos display the use of pathos. In Adele’s music video it is very gray and

serious to portray the sadness and loneliness that she is feeling. There are also only two people

throughout the entire music video, Adele, and her ex-boyfriend. In Marshmello’s music video it

is quite the opposite, with lots of color and excitement throughout the entire video. There are

crowds of people cheering and singing, but then it switches to Marshmello wandering by himself

reflecting on the past. This is the main difference between the two music videos and creates

different ideas for reconnecting.

The intended audience for Adele’s version of the song is for those who wish they could

apologize to a loved one or for those who wish to change something that happened in the past.

She does this through her music video by giving several instances of her trying to reach out to

him to reconnect and apologize, but every time she is ignored. The intended audience for

Marshmello’s version of the song is anyone that feels they are having trouble staying true to
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themselves or anyone that enjoys listening to hip hop music. To express this there are many clips

of him entertaining a crowd of people, but then it will switch to a clip of him wandering off by

himself.

Although the main idea of both videos is to reconnect, one is about reconnecting with a

person from the past and the other is about reconnecting with an older version of oneself.

Adele’s version was a lot slower paced and serious, while Marshmello’s version was faster paced

and exciting. Even though the lyrics were the same, Adele’s version received two billion views,

while Marshmello’s version only received one million views. This is due to the idea that by the

time Marshmello made his remix, so many other people had already heard the song and knew it

by heart so when it changed, they were not ready for that change.
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Works Cited

Adkins, Adele. “Adele - Hello - YouTube.” YouTube, 2015,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQHsXMglC9A.
Comstock, Christopher. “Marshmello Ft Adele Hello Official Music Video - YouTube.”
YouTube, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYagnUEoRAI.