Miller Dina Miller Ms.

Olding English 200 3 November 2013 Rhetorical Analysis When any artist or band composes a song there are many thoughts that go into it while

writing it. The lyrics, instrumentation, and vocals can say a lot about the artist itself, but also can say a lot about what he or she is trying to tell the audience. This goes for every artist out there. For example if one takes a glam artist, such as David Bowie, and then compares him with a nonglam artist such as Ellie Goulding, he or she will realize that even though there might be differences in the sound, lyrics, and meaning of the song, there are also many similarities from the composition of the song. One can see the similarities and differences of these two musicians through how he and she convey ethos, pathos, and logos throughout their songs. Well-known for his ever-changing persona and sound, glam artist David Bowie was born in London on January 8, 1947. When he first went out on his own he recorded an unsuccessful album and decided to exit the music world for a while. By 1969 Bowie was back at it. That summer he released his first single Space Oddity, which quickly became a huge hit to the public, and sparked during the coverage of Apollo 11. A year later Bowie came out with his next album The Man Who Sold the World, which consisted of a heavier rock sound. This album is comprised of two big hits including Hunky Dory, and Changes, which helped further his stardom and success. As his stardom was increasing, his desire to keep fans and critics guessing increased as well. After he came out and said he was gay, he introduced everyone to Ziggy Stardust. As time went on Bowie was seen producing album after album. Through each of his 26

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albums he carried a different sound and persona that both influenced glam itself, but also kept his audience intrigued throughout his career. In 1996 Bowie was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and more recently in 2006 he was the recipient of the Grammy Lifetime achievement award. (Biography.com) Like Bowie, British vocalist Ellie Goulding was also born in England. She was born in December of 1986, and started developing a love for folk music when she was just a teenager. Her style of music is much different than that of glam and Bowie though. It is a balance between electro-pop and indie folk. After Goulding traveled to the East Coast for college, she traveled back to London after just two years and started her career as an alternative singer/songwriter. In 2009 Goulding began attracting fans over the internet where her early track Starry Eyed was posted. Later that year she signed a major label deal with Polydor Records and began making preparations to release her debut album. The release of her album Bright Lights, featured 7 hits including the song Lights, which topped the UK charts during the first week and spun off a top five single. In the year 2012 Goulding released her second album Halcyon, which displaced an even more electro-pop infused sound and was also very successful. Even though she is extremely popular in the UK, she is also very favorable and loved in the US as well. (MTV.com) When one interprets a song by a musician such as David Bowie, he or she can decompose the song by looking at how he portrays ethos, pathos, and logos. In Bowies song Life on Mars? one is able to see these three aspects by both listening to the song, reading the lyrics, and looking at the structure. After listening to the song, one could say that Bowie is credible for this song, because he wrote the song himself and he feels passionate when he is singing it. He represents himself in a nearly distraught manner. He is singing about how life on Earth can be dreadful sometimes because things do not go as planned, and people can upset you along the

Miller way. This is the reason why he would want to see if there is life on mars, so he can get away from earth and the harmful society. He says, Take a look at the lawman beating up the wrong guy oh man, wonder if hell ever know hes in the best-selling show, is there life on mars(Bowie). This just reiterates how Bowie is tired of seeing the same things happen to innocent people over and over again. He is wondering if there is life on mars so he can escape this corrupt society. Bowie can be seen appealing to the audience by portraying his emotions through his vocals. His vocals and the instrumentation say a lot about the meaning and emotion of the song. He starts off slow in the beginning with a lower voice and soft piano. He then grabs the audiences attention by singing more passionately with a higher pitched voice and by adding louder instrumentation including the lower keys on the piano. This helps really get his point across to his audience, on how he gets irritated with life on earth. Bowie creates a very logical and organized structure to his song starting with the title. The title Life on Mars?, sets up for what the song is about, and what the audience should

understand from it after listening with vocals and instrumentation. The lyrics in the song support what Bowie is trying to get at because they portray real life examples of why he would want life on mars. He says, Sailors fighting in the dance hall, oh man! Look at those cavemen go, its the freakiest show(Bowie). This shows how he is over the corrupt society, and freaky people. The chorus is also repetitive and sung differently then the rest of the song, which adds to the importance of Bowies emotion and what he is trying to tell his audience. Like one can decompose a David Bowie song through ethos, pathos, and logos, he or she can decompose a song of any artist or genre the same way. In Ellie Gouldings song Burn one can use these three rhetorical appeals to better understand the meaning and origin of the song.

Miller After listening to this song, one can say that Ellie Goulding is credible because she created it, and there might be a symbolic meaning from her life behind it. This song might be about Ellies love life. She says, We, we dont have to worry bout nothing, cause we got the fire, and were burning one hell of a something, they, they gonna see us from outer space, light it up like were

stars of the human race (Goulding). This could be Ellie talking about her love life. She is saying how she is going to let her love burn so bright that it would be seen from outer space. Based on the tone of Ellies voice, along with her unique sound one could say she represents herself in a very positive and cheerful manner. She is living her life, and not letting anything get in her way, or in other words she is letting her life burn. Ellies chill and unique vocals throughout this song can appeal to ones emotions in an optimistic way. The instruments used in this song also add to the uniqueness and chill tone, which also attract ones emotions. There is a synthesizer, keyboard, and other electronic instruments used throughout the song. They allow Ellie to really portray how she felt when she was writing the song. These instruments also create more inventive, and expressive sounds that can be more versatile and do more than a piano can. This allows for a more upbeat tone, and helps Ellie get her emotions across to her audience. Ellie sets up a logical and organized structure to her song. The title Burn corresponds with the rest of the song because that is the most repeated word throughout the lyrics. She picked this title because it sums up the song, and her positive outlook on life. She says, We can light it up, up, up so they can put it out, out, out (Goulding). After this is repeated two more times, it gives off a meaning that if our light in life goes out, the we can light it right back up and continue to keep doing so. This also shows her optimistic outlook on life. Lastly she also puts an emphasis on the chorus because it is repetitive throughout the song.

Miller Despite being from two different genres both David Bowie, and Ellie Goulding share similarities on how they present themselves, how they appeal to their audiences, and how they structure their song. Both Bowie and Goulding use ethos, pathos, and logos in a similar way. They use ethos similarly because they are both credible for their own song and music. Secondly they use pathos similarly because they both appeal to ones emotions through vocals, lyrics, and instrumentation. Bowie shares more of a gloomy emotion with his audience in which the piano

can be seen aiding with that; while Ellie shares more of an up beat and optimistic emotion where she uses electrical instruments such as a synthesizer, and keyboard. Lastly they use logos similarly because they both have a well-structured song. They both use titles that aid with the overall meaning of their songs, and they both have an emphasis on choral statement based on repetition. After watching a live performance of both Bowie, and Ellie one can say that they perform in a very similar manner. The attention is focused solely on themselves, and they do very little to almost no movement around the stage, which could be a similar emotional appeal they both use. Lastly both of these artists are from the UK, which bonds them in a different way and brings them together through their roots. Regardless of the similarities these two artists share there are also many differences that contrast them. Even though they have similar ethos and logos, they contrast in their emotional appeal. Bowie attracts his audience in a desolate way through instruments such as the low keys on the piano, and high-pitched emotional vocals. He is singing about his negative emotions toward earth, while Ellie is singing about her positive emotions about her life on earth. She is attracting her audience through her optimistic outlook on her life and her love life unlike Bowie. She uses different instruments such as the synthesizer, and keyboard and uses her unique highpitched voice to appeal to her audience. Even though they use similar rhetorical appeals they

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both present themselves in a different emotional manner to their audience. Lastly they both have a different style. Bowie is known for his ever- changing style and persona throughout each album and songs he creates, while Ellie is herself and sticks to her same persona throughout all of her songs and albums. When one analyze a song by an artist he or she can find similarities and differences based on how the artist chooses to structure the song, along with how the artist chooses to portray emotion. One can do this by using three rhetorical appeals known as ethos, pathos, and logos. David Bowie and Ellie Goulding is an examples of two completely different artists that share similarities along with differences seen through using these three appeals.

Miller Works Cited "About Ellie Goulding." MTV.com. Viacom International Inc., 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. "Burn Lyrics." MetroLyrics.com. CBS Interactive, 2013. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.

"David Bowie Biography." Biography.com. A+E Television Networks, 1996-2013. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. "Life on Mars? Lyrics." MetroLyrics.com. CBS Interactive, 2013. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.