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Scott Peterson
Christina Olding
English 200
Rhetorical Analysis
Similar Bands Separated by Time: A Rhetorical Analysis
A music artist’s work must be analyzed in the proper and thorough way. In order to do this, one
must understand ethos, pathos, and logos. The ethos of a speaker asks the question are they ethical. Pathos
is the emotional appeal the speaker has on the audience. And logos asks if the speaker is logical. The
bands Queen and Fun have great examples of all three of these criteria. Once you see an artist through
these rhetorical lenses, you will truly respect them for their work. The songs that will be analyzed are
“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen and “Some Nights” by Fun.
Queen was a band that formed in 1970. Brian May and Roger Taylor started the band. Brian May
played the guitar and Roger Taylor played the drums. Originally, they had teamed up with a lead singer
named Tim Staffell. This original band didn’t stay together very long because Tim went on to pursue a
solo career. This was for the best because they found a man who would bring them fame. This man was
Farookh Bulsara, also known as Freddie Mercury. They would eventually create their first album, which
was self-entitled. Their first hit was on this album. Queen would eventually reach great success, with
many notable hits. Queens’s most notable song was “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a very complex song. It is significantly more intricate than many other
rock songs of that time. Freddie Mercury does show ethos in the way he represents himself. He is a rock
icon and he knows it. He works the audience and feeds off their energy. He also dresses in a way that
pleases him. He didn’t care about what people thought of him. His appearance truly represents his
individuality.
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Freddie Mercury shows his credibility and authority through the fact that he is a songwriter. No
one can be more credible than the songwriter. Freddie also studied music at the Ealing College of Art.
This adds to the credibility of a master musician.
Using pathos to analyze this song is difficult because there are so many emotions portrayed in this
song. The song starts out slow and appeals to the sadder emotions. You first hear the slow melody of the
piano. Freddie’s voice contributes to the overall feeling of misery and sadness. The lyrics spend a lot of
time talking about his fear of death and his mother’s disappointment. He is basically stating that at this
point in his life, he doesn’t care what happens to him. “Anyway the wind blows doesn’t really matter to
me”. (Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen) Then, suddenly in the middle of the song, the emotions change form
sadness to anger. The speaker suddenly feels anger towards any person that has put him down in his life.
“So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye. So you think you can love me and leave me to die.
Oh baby- can’t do this to me, baby.” (Bohemian Rhapsody)
He bases his arguments of anger off the
sadness he has felt in his life. Freddie doesn’t assume you agree with these values because this is more of
a narrative song. He is simply telling a story through music. He doesn’t care if we agree or not. He just
wants us to enjoy the emotional journey.
The song does show logos by providing evidence for why the speaker is angry by the end of the
song. For example, the relationship the speaker has with his mom. The song structure is not logical. The
verses don’t lead into a refrain that is repeated over the whole song. The only phrase that is repeated for
emphasis is “ Anyway the wind blows, doesn’t really matter to me” (Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen). This
would be the main claim that Freddie wanted the audiences to understand.
Nate Ruess created the band Fun. He was originally part of a band called the Format. This band
split up, leaving Nate Ruess in search for another band. Nate met Jack Antonoff from a band called Steel
Train. The third member of the band Fun was Andrew Dost from a band called Anathallo. The three of
them had troubles naming their band. They had come up with the name Fun, so they searched the Internet
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to see if there have been previous bands using that name. There was one Scandinavian band named Fun.
To avoid lawsuits, Nate Ruess added a period after the name Fun. The band Fun. was born. This band
has reached great success with the songs “We Are Young” and “Some Nights”.
Nate Ruess shows ethos in the song “Some Nights” because he is the authority figure. The band
wrote the song. They are also credible because they are a very successful band. They have a very distinct
sense of style. It may look odd to some but they don’t care what other people think. The musicians do
connect with the audience in this song. The band does this by having a catchy refrain. This creates a better
listening experience because it allows the audience to sing along creating a connection with the artist.
The emotion that this song brings out is excitement. This song is the epitome of a power ballad. It
starts off with a lot of intensity and it builds and builds until it pumps up the audience as much as
possible. The song’s beat adds to the intensity. The beat becomes faster as the song picks up, and slows
down during the more emotional moments. When you read the lyrics to this song, you realize that it
brings an emotion of inspiration. The singer talks about how he wants to better himself. He says that his
life isn’t what he wants it to be. “ Some nights I stay up cashing in my bad luck” (Some Nights, Fun). His
bad luck comes from a relationship that didn’t work out. He comes to the realization that it’s better for
them to be apart. “ It’s for the best you didn’t listen. It’s for the best we get our distance.” (Some Nights,
Fun)
This song shows logos in its organization. The song is organized well with a couple verses in
between the same refrain. The only evidence that the speaker gives is that his bad luck is due to his bad
relationships. The speaker does not give any other evidence to the claims he makes in the song. The
musicians’ claim is that moving forward in life is the best choice sometimes, even in difficult times.
Queen and Fun are very similar bands. “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Some Nights” show
similarities in ethos and pathos. They both show ethos because they have authority and credibility. Both
bands wrote the songs they are performing. They also have their own distinct style.
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They show similarities in pathos because both songs start out with a sad emotion, and then build
into an exciting inspiration. For example, “Bohemian Rhapsody” talks about how the speaker is
disappointed with his life. He uses this as motivation to change and turn his life around. This is similar to
the subject matter in “Some Nights”. Fun sings about being upset over a relationship. The negativity is
thrown away in order to better oneself.
Another way these bands are similar is that they often use harmonies in their songs. These
harmonies can be used to emphasize the message the speaker is trying to convey in the song. Using
harmonies well also shows a true understanding of music.
These bands are different under the idea of logos. “Bohemian Rhapsody” did not have a logical
structure. “Some Nights” has a logical structure in which there is a verse or two then a refrain. “Bohemian
Rhapsody” is unpredictable, because there really isn’t such a common refrain. Another difference
between the two bands is that Queen had more theatrics. They had a light show that went along with the
song. On the other hand, Fun is completely dependent on the stage presence of Nate Ruess.
A lot can be learned about a music artist if you look at their songs through the lenses of ethos,
pathos, and logos. This viewpoint can reveal hidden emotions, logical reasoning, and authority of the
band. These factors show how music has changed over time but similarities can also be seen between
bands that have been separated by time.