Zach Hartley

Prof. Leonard

English Composition II

20 February 2022

“Your Song” by Elton John and Ewan McGregor

”My gift is my song, and this one’s for you and you can tell everybody this is your song.”

“Your Song” is a love song that discusses how a person can make your life wonderful when they

are present. They can claim this song as their own and it will remind them of how they have

made life wonderful for the song writer. This song was originally written by Elton John and his

friend, Bernie Taupin in 1970. It has been covered by many artists over the past 50 years. Elton

John’s first rendition of this aired in January of 1971 and helped him become well-known. One

of the covers was performed by Ewan McGregor in 2001 for the film Moulin Rouge. These

videos and depictions of the song are very different. Elton John’s video is simple and

entertaining, while Ewan McGregor’s version puts forth a very clear and detailed picture of the

meaning of the song.

In “Your Song” by Elton John, he is singing and playing the piano for his audience

throughout the performance, which is during a BBC television broadcast. This performance led

to this song being his first song on the UK singles chart. His emotion can be seen and felt during

his singing and playing the piano. There is no story or action being portrayed in the video. It is

just him playing the song. A contrast to this, is Ewan McGregor’s cover of this song. In the

music video, we see Ewan McGregor expressing his love for his significant other. This music

video begins with Ewan McGregor singing to the person that he is in love with. Then, they start

dancing and the video uses special effects to show how it feels magical when you are in love
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with somebody. To end the music video, they are both dancing together under the stars while

Ewan McGregor sings the last part of the song. This music video is more descriptive and more

emotional than Elton John’s performance at a piano because the video shows more clearly that

when the person that they love is with them their world completely changes for the better.

The intended audience for Elton John’s music video is his fans and people who enjoy

listening to classic music. It was broadcast on BBC television on the 70’s, during a tv program

for artists to perform their music live. The audience did not expect a movie to be played for

them. They just wanted to listen to music. The audience for Ewan McGregor’s version is

obviously people who watch Moulin Rouge. It is also for people to not only connect to the lyrics

but also for them to connect to the love story that is being portrayed throughout the entire movie.

While both music videos display the rhetorical appeal of pathos, Ewan McGregor’s

version is stronger and more emotional. In Elton John’s version of “Your Song,” we see an artist

performing to his audience. The use of pathos in his music video appeals to the viewers watching

this song being performed with passion and heart. The viewers also feel how gentle and genuine

Elton John performs this song. In Ewan McGregor’s version, we see him declaring his love to

someone face to face. His use of pathos is a lot more relatable for the viewers. The viewers can

even imagine themselves in the love story that is being portrayed in this music video. The use of

pathos in Ewan McGregor’s music video is significant because of how it makes the song more

relatable to the audience.

Ewan McGregor’s version of “Your Song” having a story to go along with the song adds

a lot to the video so someone can understand and feel the love story. The special effects used in

his music video show the viewers how love can give you a magical, wonderful feeling. Elton

John’s performance is very slow and calm. He gets the message across. Elton John uses pathos
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mostly with the gentle tone as he plays the piano and sings to his audience. Ewan McGregor uses

pathos throughout his whole music video. The viewers can see the way he looks at and dances

with the woman that he loves. Someone watching his video can also see and feel the emotion

Ewan McGregor has while singing to and about his love. McGregor’s cover and video lead the

viewer to a clearer and fuller understanding of the meaning of this song.

 Works Cited

John, Elton. “Your Song.” YouTube, 11 Nov. 2018,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlPlfCy1urI

Ewan, McGregor. “Your Song.” YouTube, uploaded by achrafovitch, 3 Dec. 2008,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=68uvEHRLpcs&list=RDGMEMQ1dJ7wXfLlqCjwV0xfSNbA&index=2