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Matt D’Amico

Prof. Leonard

English 1201

9 February 2020

Pursuing the Wrong Happiness

One of the most powerful lines in Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness,” the third

song on his 2009 debut album, is “I’ll be fine once I get it,” which is repeated throughout

the song as an assurance to himself. This song, which became very popular when

released, has several remixes and multiple music video adaptations. The first video

stars Kid Cudi, who is surrounded by a large party as he raps about trying to find

happiness. The second, directed by Megaforce, shows Kid Cudi stuck in a vicious loop,

and as he keeps progressing forward to his goal, is taken back to where he started.

Both versions of Kid Cudi’s famous song appeal to different crowds, with the first being

towards a higher-end crowd who find themselves seeking approval, and the second to a

lower-class crowd who are struggling with a form of addiction, yet they have a similar

message. “Pursuit of Happiness” focuses on the struggles faced when constantly

searching for an artificial form of happiness that only roots from others.

The original version of “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi, MGMT, and Ratatat

debuted on Kid Cudi’s debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, which was

released on September 15th, 2009. The album was very popular, debuting at number

four on the US Billboard 200, and eventually becoming certified double platinum. The

music video for “Pursuit of Happiness” was released on December 8th, 2009, and is

currently near 200 million views on Youtube. The video follows Kid Cudi who is seated
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at the end of a long table. He is surrounded by a large group of well-dressed people, all

of whom are drinking champagne, laughing, and partying. When the song starts, the

partygoers around Kid Cudi slow down while he raps at a normal speed. He talks about

trying to find happiness, calling it a pursuit, and speaks about the sorrows he feels when

lonely. This, along with the video, imply that he is looking for happiness from the people

around him, and that he feels alone without them.

The second version, directed by Megaforce, also features Kid Cudi as the main

character. The video follows him as he tries to wake up from a couch, but as he

progresses throughout his day, he returns to his sleep and reawakens on the couch.

Finally, at the end of the video, Kid Cudi, is able to escape from this vicious loop, and is

seen walking through a party full of strangely-dressed people. However, he is not sober

enough to take into account his surroundings, and even exclaims “Oh my God/ Why did

I drink so much and smoke so much.” This scene is very powerful and conveys the

message of the song very well. Throughout the song, Kid Cudi is stuck in a seemingly

endless loop and rapping about finding happiness through artificial means. However,

once he gets this happiness, he exits the loop, but the world around him fades as he

immediately regrets his decisions.

Both music videos for Kid Cudi’s platinum-certified song have glaring differences

which cause the videos to appeal to different audiences. The first video is focused

towards a crowd of people who are searching for approval from others in order to find

meaning and happiness in their life. It showed Kid Cudi surrounding himself with people

who were affluent, as they partied in expensive clothes and drank and poured

champagne. The second video mainly takes place in Kid Cudi’s apartment, which is
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small, most likely to relate to the lower-class people the first video couldn’t appeal to.

The loop that Kid Cudi is stuck in acts as a synecdoche for his life without the drugs and

approval from others that cause his happiness. It demonstrates that he feels his life is

meaningless and he feels stuck without it, but as soon as he finds his happiness, he

escapes the loop, but is immediately filled with regret. Both video adaptations of “Pursuit

of Happiness” use Pathos, showing Kid Cudi as he is searching for happiness from

dangerous, outside sources. Once he receives it, Kid Cudi is seen struggling with his

decisions and regretting them, which ultimately causes a feeling of remorse for the

rapper from the audience.

As previously stated, one of the most powerful lines in Kid Cudi’s rap song is “I’ll

be fine once I get it.” This is because of how wrong the statement is, as seen at the end

of the song. Kid Cudi raps about how he is searching for happiness through outside

sources, including drugs and approval from others, which leads to him regretting the

decisions he made throughout the night. Though both of the videos have large

differences that tell different stories, the theme that finding happiness from outside and

artificial sources will only lead to regret and struggles stays the same.
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Works Cited

Kid Cudi- Pursuit of Happiness Ft. MGMT, Ratatat. GOOD Music, Motown Universal

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xzU9Qqdqww. Accessed 9 February 2020.

Kid Cudi- Pursuit of Happiness (Megaforce Version) Ft. MGMT, Ratatat. GOOD Music,

Motown Universal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z_Ys3BO_4M. Accessed 9 February 2020.

“Pursuit of Happiness (Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Feb. 2020,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pursuit_of_Happiness_(song). Accessed 9 February 2020.

“Man on the Moon: The End of Day.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Feb. 2020,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_on_the_Moon:_The_End_of_Day. Accessed 9 February

2020.