Carly Hoskins

Reynolds

Composition 11

February 18th 2022

God Only Knows Videos

The song I chose to do is “God Only Knows, by For King of Country”. The key

components in each of these videos is God only knows. Characters in both videos go through

difficulties and struggles that make them feel useless and alone. They are placed in situations in

which they believe no one understands what they are going through. Then there's the claim that

there's a kind of love that only God only knows and understands. That is to let people know that

they are not alone and that they are cherished.

The characters that were in the first original video were the main singers, a young lady,

including a friend at the end. The purpose of this video was to show that we are not alone. We

can be stronger and start over again. This version of the song was about a younger lady who felt

alone and not in a state of happiness. The video begins by starting the camera in her bedroom. It

shows the women with no motivation to get up and look hopeless. She then moves to her

bathroom to look and examine herself in the mirror. Seeing she looks depressed and not

confident she puts some makeup on. Allowing herself to feel somewhat confident. She then

leaves her house to run errands to find herself smiling, putting on a happy face. She then is in a

restaurant with a group of friends. You see her friends talking and laughing as she sits to herself

writing something. She then leaves to find herself on top of a bridge about to jump holding the

letter. What is interesting is that just as she is about to jump, the video takes a turn and rewinds to

the moment she was about to leave the restaurant. As she goes to leave the second time at the
restaurant you see her friend chase after her and embraces her with a hug. They then walk to the

bridge and look over it. To then find them then walking away from it, with their heads held up

high. During all of these different events you find the main characters walking the streets singing

the song.

This music video has shown a woman feeling alone and getting ready to give up, but at

the moment of desperation someone comes to let her know she can get through this and she is

not alone. The song states, “For the lonely, for the ashamed, The misunderstood, and the ones to

blame, What if we could start over, 'Cause there's a kind of love that God only knows.” This part

of the song allows the listener to understand they are not alone, that there is a kind of love that

God only knows. Saying this because of how the friends looked at her. The friend realizes that

she may be ashamed of how she is, or the friend considering her feeling alone. She looks at her

as if she needs someone. She hugs her and then walks with her in confidence away from the

bridge. We can see that the appeal of pathos is used to allow emotion to hit towards the main

character. Seeing her sad and alone, and feelings as if no one could understand. Using a dark and

gloomy background to relate to her depression throughout the video also demonstrates the

sadness trying to be conveyed. People who have felt as if no one understands relates to the

audience. To anyone who has ever felt defeated or ashamed of who they are. Because of

depression and allowing yourself to be in that frame of mind, I would say it is more geared

towards the middle generation. Due to teenagers seeing others and becoming ashamed of who

they are.

Dolly Parton and the original performers of the song are among the characters in this

remix. In this video, Dolly Parton and the other two singers have distinct roles to play. Dolly is a

prostitute in a hotel room as it appers, while the other vocalists are alone in a hospital bed, and an
alcoholic in his damaged bedroom. Each of the characters appear to be in a dark and cold room,

sitting alone and not sure of what to do. Something intriguing is that you can see the unhappy

character, but then you can see the same character singing to themselves as if the character is

attempting to deliver the message to them. They then begin to come together as one character

when the song talks about starting over. Allowing those characters to emerge stronger and more

united from their current situation. They all strolled out of their own rooms to find they are all in

a set. You can see them walking out of their mess to then find the characters together. They

emerge together holding hands and walking out in confidence together.

The purpose of this video is to show the audience that they can get out of their depressive

state, that they can get stronger, and that God loves them no matter what. You can see that each

character had to endure some things to come out stronger. You can see the darkness in the rooms,

the loneliness, the struggle, and the worthlessness. The song goes to say, “God only knows what

you've been through, God only knows what they say about you, God only knows the real you,

but there's a kind of love that God only knows”. Allowing the listener to understand no matter

what they are not alone. They will not run out of God’s love and he will love them no matter

what. I felt the appeal used was both ethos and pathos. Ethos is used because of Dolly Parton.

Allowing a celebrity to be shown as struggling and going through things we may go through. To

allow the watchers to understand everyone struggles, no matter who they are. Then for pathos

seeing them alone and feeling ashamed. The audience can then see that everyone struggles and

allows the audience to not feel ashamed. I felt the audience was more for ages around 20 to 40.

These ages go through the pressures of this world that cause them to want to go a different path.

They begin to feel the void of not knowing who can help. They surround themselves with things

until they understand God knows and still loves them.

 These videos I felt were very similar but also different. Characters and settings were

similar in a way of gloomy and depressing. While they were different because of using different

scenarios. Allowing people to understand there are all types of struggles, but God still

understands us.
 Work Cited

Media, S. I. (2019, January 23). For King & Country - 'god only knows' (official music

video). 95.9 The Fish. Retrieved February 21, 2022, from

https://thefishoc.com/content/music/for-king-country-god-only-knows-official-music-video

For king and country: God only knows (Dolly Parton version): Awesome christian music.

Awesome Christian Music: videos, lyrics, links and more. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21,

2022, from

https://awesomechristianmusic.com/for-king-and-country/god-only-knows-dolly-parton-ve

rsion