Leyva 1

Evelyn Leyva

Professor Cassel

ENG 1201

1 May 2022

“Girl Crush”

“Girl Crush” by Little Big Town has been a huge hit since its release back in 2014 and

has had many artists cover the song. One of them being the cover done by Harry Styles, which

shares the same message and meaning as the original, however his version appeals more to a

younger audience considering his fan base.

“Girl Crush” was one of the most popular country songs back when it was released. This

song got a lot of attention during its release because many people thought it was a love song

from one woman to another. In fact, some listeners even called their country music radio stations

to complain about what they interpreted as a lesbian love story. However, the song is actually

about crushing jealousy. “Girl Crush” is simply about a woman who wants another woman’s

man so much that she basically wants to be her, to slip into her body. It is about the ache of

desire. It is, ultimately, about fantasizing.

Little Big Town first released “Girl Crush” back in 2014 and then the music video in

2015. From the start of the video, we see that it is in black and white with a strobe light circling

around the room. The music video opens up with the band, who are the main characters, standing

on stage with their musical instruments. It also seems like the band is dressed in all black. We

then see glimpses throughout the video of a couple slow dancing together. In this version of
 Leyva 2

“Girl Crush” it takes the meaning of the song and recreates it. The lead singer is singing about

her wanting to be the girl who is slow dancing with the man on the dancefloor. She can see them

dancing together, so she’s singing about this crushing jealousy she has. Seeing how the music

video is set up the band does a well job to appeal to pathos. The meaning of the song alone

appeals to pathos as well since it creates emotion about this jealousy. The listener or audience

can connect with the song through this rhetorical appeal if they themselves may be feeling this

crushing jealousy or just by understanding what the band is feeling and saying. With the way the

music video is set up you’re able to really focus more on the meaning of the song since there is

no visual media taking away from just the band telling the story themselves. With Little Big

Town’s version, it feels more like a classic and sentimental love song, so an older audience is

targeted. They are also a country band, so this version of the song can also target a country genre

audience.

Since the release of “Girl Crush”, there has been many artists who have covered the song,

one of these artists being Harry Styles. He performed this song back in November of 2017 at the

BBC during his own show. The music video opens up with the audience clapping and cheering

for Harry and his band. The lights then dim down as the performance begins. You have Harry

Styles, who is the main character, his band, and the musical instruments. The music video has a

rawer feel to it since it was performed live, so it was performed naturally and in the moment.

This version of the song has a more soulful feel especially with the way the instruments are

being played. With the way the lights are being lit up it also gives off a peaceful atmosphere.

Harry Styles has the same rhetorical appeal as Little Big Town, which is pathos. A lot of times

when seeing or hearing a performance live it creates more emotion. During live events the

listener and audience can connect more with the artist or band because they can feel the raw
 Leyva 3

emotion that is being presented during these shows. Like I said earlier, the meaning of the song

alone appeals to pathos but seeing it or hearing it performed live it adds more emotion and feel to

it. The same message is being conveyed just like Little Big Town’s version, except with this

version it is being conveyed through the lyrics and performance. With this version of “Girl

Crush” it is more targeted to a younger audience considering Harry Styles’ fanbase. Harry

Styles’ music has many different genres such as soft rock, Britpop, pop, and rock, which allows

for this version to target a wider range of an audience from each genre.

Both versions of the song “Girl Crush” convey the message in a simple and calm way.

There’s no visual media that takes away from the message. Both Little Big Town and Harry

Styles get the message across with just their band and musical instruments. However, Little Big

Town’s version is more hyper fixated on conveying the message and meaning of the lyrics while

Harry Styles’ version is more focused on performing the song in a way that connects with more

people. Although each artist may appeal to a different targeted audience, they both share the

same rhetorical strategy, pathos. Overall, both versions allow the listener to connect with the

song and the lyrics without having to do too much.

 Leyva 4

Work Cited

Little Big Town. (2015, April 8). Little Big Town - Girl Crush (Official Music Video). YouTube.

Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://youtu.be/JYZMT8otKdI

Styles, H. (2017, November 2). Harry Styles - Girl Crush (at the BBC). YouTube. Retrieved

February 12, 2022, from https://youtu.be/rroc2y9if_Q