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Pankhuri Saxena

Professor Hellmers

English Composition II

3 April 2022

Rhetorical Analysis Between Same Song from Two Artists

A song sung by a famous singer, who was at the peak of his music career during the

1970’s is no other than Elton John. The song I picked to compare, and contrast is “I’m Still

Standing” originally sang by Elton John and remixed version sung by Taron Egerton. The songs

use visual elements and the song's lyrics to make a connection with the audiences. It uses

emotions to take over the listener while listening to the song. “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John

and Taron Egerton has a comparable way to appeal to their audience which is through its use of

setting, characters, emotions, and backstory.

The original version was written by Elton John in 1983. The song is based through the

uses of various settings. In the original version sang by Elton John the setting is in France and

the location includes the Carlton beach and a few hotels. The dancers in the background make

the listeners feel free and joyful. However, this may be portrayed by the visual texts the same

cannot be interpreted by the lyrics. The lyrics describe a moment in Elton John’s life. The lyrics

describe the feeling we went through after successfully overcoming a breakup. The lyrics read as

follows:

I got a taste of love in a simple way

And if you need to know while I'm still standing you just fade away
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This lyric shows how he recovered and moved on to live a better and happier life. Elton uses

appeals like ethos and pathos. There are many emotions being expressed in this song. The song is

about heartbreak, and it goes on by telling how Elton felt powerful after getting back up and

fighting through his hurt feelings. It goes on by saying how he is better than he used to be these

shows a moment of realization and relief. Elton John uses ethos to show this credibility. He does

it as he has been through a heartbreak which validates his feelings and gives the audience a

firsthand experience. This shows his quality of being trusted and believed in. The tempo of the

song is faster than the remix version, that is because Egerton wants the listener to encapsulate the

meaning of the lyrics and the emotions the writer is going through. The audience who would be

attracted to this song would be people of all ages above 15 as there may be some content that can

be inappropriate.

The song “I’m Still Standing” was also written by Taron Egerton in 2016. This song was

featured in the movie “Sing.” The song focuses on a character named Johnny. The song takes

place in a concert where Johnny is trying to overcome the feelings and responsibilities he has. He

is seen trying to prove his worth and overcome his issue with his dad who is in jail. When

Johnny sings this song, his father is relieved to see him and rushes to show his support towards

his son. The singer does an awesome job of expressing emotions and appealing to the audience.

One of lines which expresses the emotions and compares the characters to his earlier self reads:

And there's a cold lonely light that shines from you

You'll wind up like a wreck you hide behind that mask you use

These lyrics compare Johnny from the movie “Sing” to how he developed as a character. In the

start of the film, Johnny can be seen as a getaway driver for a robbery which can interpreted as
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Johnny hiding behind a façade to not reveal his true self. His true self from the beginning was

that he wanted to be a singer, but that was not possible due to his dad’s expectations. The songs

make the audience feel various emotions; it makes the listener feel powerful and determined. The

audience for the song will be for kids as the song was in an animated kids' movie. However, it is

not limited to kids, anyone can listen to the song.

The two songs with different artists share similar lyrics but the backstory shows a

completely different story. The original song focuses on Elton John’s heartbreak and the remix is

about discovering oneself. The songs may have the same lyrics, but other factors influence the

way a listener interprets the song. The interpretation can be changed by setting, characters,

emotions, and backstory.

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Works Cited

Egerton, Taron, director. SING song I'm Still Standing. 2016. YouTube,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHZneOidj9A.

John, Elton, director. I'm Still Standing. 1983. YouTube,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwVBirqD2s.