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Aiden Frantz

Professor Porter

English 1201-516

20 February 2022

Comparing Elton and Ewans, “Your Song”

The song “Your Song” is one of the most romantic yet innocent songs that exist

today. The original song was sung by the popularly known artist Elton John. The remix

of “Your Song” can be found in the movie Moulin Rouge. This remix version was sung

by the well known actor Ewan McGregor. Both versions were seen as very dramatic and

romantic songs. Elton John's original music video was portrayed to be a more mellow

and romantic song, whereas Ewan Mcgregor's version was more upbeat and intimate.

This is because of the way each artist portrayed the song. The two versions created

different tones and feelings while listening to the song. Mcgregor’s version made you

feel like singing the song with every source of energy you had, while Elton’s version

made you feel like slow dancing with your significant other.

“Your Song” was originally written and produced by Elton John and Bernie Taupin

in 1970. Their goal was to portray the romantic thoughts of an innocent individual. It was

also the inspiration for the song “We Fall In Love Sometimes” in John’s album, Captain

Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, from 1975. Ewan Mcgregor was then chosen to

do a remix on John’s original song for the movie Moulin Rouge in 2001. In the movie,

Mcgregor was seen with his female co-star, Nicole Kidman, to highlight their love for

one another.
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In Elton John's version of “Your Song”, there was a subtle and calming feeling

created by the artist. Throughout the music video John was seen singing in a field

alone. The camera panned on him through the entirety of the video and showed people

in the background ignoring his presence. The instruments in this original version are

slowed. Because of this, the audience gets a calmer, more romantic feel from the song.

It is considered a soft song. The setting and characters also make the audience feel for

John. He creates a mood throughout the video. He is singing a romantic song about

love with no significant other while others around him aren’t acknowledging him.

In the remix by Ewan McGregor, an upbeat ecstatic feeling is made. Mcgregor

plays as Christian in the movie Moulin Rouge and shows the strong feelings he has

between him and his female significant other. The characters are seen jumping and

dancing in the video. This and the instruments create upbeat background music and

create a sense of happiness throughout the video. The characters also appear to be

walking along the clouds on top of the city or town. This could symbolize them as on top

of the world and happy. This remix of the original song starts out slow and smooth but

gradually becomes more upbeat. This gives the song the love at first sight vibe to it.

The lyrics in each video are the same, but are portrayed differently. In Elton

John’s version, the music video you feel all these different ways about someone. It

shows how rare and intimate a relationship can be and is. Elton John did a very good

job at portraying this type of feeling with the video and his lyrics. The way he is alone in

the field helps set the mood of the entire video as well. In the Ewan McGregor version, it

shows how much love one has for another. Ewan, a.k.a. Christrian jumps off into clouds

with his significant other also known as Satine as he dances with her and sings to her. It
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shows the joy and happiness of a relationship where one feels like their heart is going to

explode. This makes the audience feel like they are experiencing what the first stages of

love are and how it can be so exciting yet so frightening.

Both videos used pathos to appeal to the audience. They used the lyrics, setting,

props, and background music to create different feelings for each of their audiences.

Elton John’s version was melancholic and emotional. This made the audience feel for

Elton as they could sense how much Elton had cared and felt for this person. Ewan

Mcgregor appealed to pathos by expressing his love to his significant other. He was

confessing his feelings to her which made such an intimate and dramatic moment

between both characters. It showed the audience how subtle a relationship between two

people can be before they fall in love and when they do fall in love. Both versions also

target close but different audiences. Obviously, both versions target everyone that feels

and loves in a relationship, but some could find the target audience to be slightly

different. In Elton John’s version, the audience could be targeted as everyone that has

been in love or was once in love. Elton’s version gives off a reminiscent vibe to the

audience. Ewan Mcgregor’s version is mainly meant for those who are falling in love or

are already in love. It is an upbeat song that creates a sense of happiness, while John’s

version could be seen as sad.

Overall, both versions of “Your Song” are portrayed differently to create a

different tone. The way the artist portrays the lyrics constitutes how a person interprets

music and makes them feel a certain way. Even though both versions use the same

lyrics, they create different target audiences and feelings. Elton John created a slow
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version of “Your Song” and created a simplistic feeling while Mcgregor created an

upbeat version creating happiness.

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Work Cited

John, Elton. “Your Song.” YouTube, INVNCBL, 2016,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrznwpD-2tk, Accessed 17 Feb. 2022.

McGregor, Ewan. “Your Song.” YouTube, Moulin Rouge, 2001

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h9EM3MaFQI, Accessed 17 Feb. 2022.