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Christian Seidel

Dr. Adrienne Cassel

English 1201

2 May 2020

Careless Whisper

“I’m never gonna dance again, guilty feet have got no rhythm.” The room fills with

a beautiful melodious voice. “Careless Whisper” is the song that’s playing and I can’t

help but sing along. Written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, of the musical

duo Wham!, the song was released in 1984 on the band’s album Make It Big but

ultimately became George Michael’s first solo single. Many musical artists have covered

this beloved song but few have actually made new music videos to go along with their

rendition. Train is one band that did go the extra mile and create a new music video with

their cover of “Careless Whisper”. Though the music videos for “Careless Whisper” by

George Michael and Train both feature relationships, they differ in where the characters

are in those relationships. While George Michael’s version is a soulful reflection on the

repercussions of cheating on a partner, Train’s version is a light-hearted comedic spoof

on what some people will do to win back the affections of an ex-lover.

George Michael’s music video of “Careless Whisper” provides us with a visual

representation of guilt and morality. Michael is the main character in the video and we

see him singing alone in a dark room for most of this time. However, the video takes us

back through memories of a time spent with his fiance on what looks to be a vacation.

Their relationship looks to be perfect until we see Michael being intimate with another

woman who isn’t his fiance. When his fiance catches him with the other woman she
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leaves him. When he is left alone, we see him reflecting on the guilt caused by his

actions and the sorrow he feels from losing the woman he loves. The story told by this

video makes the viewer think about morality and how the truth always comes out

somehow.

Train’s version of the music video at it core seems to be a parody on romance. It

is portrayed as a television show in the video which shows us the lengths that some

people may go through to win back the affections of an ex-lover. In the video we see the

main character, who is the singer of the band Train, in a comedic show of bravado with

another man who is currently dating his ex-girlfriend and another man whom the young

lady has also dated in the past. The whole video takes place in a restaurant in which the

woman in question works as a waitress. In the end, all three men end up proposing to

the woman and she accepts all three proposals. This video seems reminiscent of

modern day reality television shows like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and it may

very well show that the whole concepts of these shows are ridiculous, however

entertaining.

Each version tells a different story about a relationship. The original tells the story

of a man who regrets his actions and ends up losing his fiance. The newer version tells

the story of a man who is trying to win back his ex-girlfriend with a grand gesture. I feel

that the original tells a story that goes along better with the song while the newer

version uses the song in the video instead of creating a video that portrays what the

song is saying.

In each video, we see Pathos being used to draw an audience. In George

Michael’s video it’s the soft somber tone of his voice, the story of a man who wronged
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the woman he loves and the sadness we see when he reflects on how things ended up

that evoke sadness and empathy within us. This video would speak to a certain

audience. I see the video itself appealing more to female viewers as they are typically

more emotional and are more likely to understand the message of the video. This video

and song may also appeal more to someone who has gone through the experience of

either making the mistake of cheating on a significant other or has been cheated on by

their significant other. Train’s video, on the other hand, evokes laughter and

amusement. This video would appeal to a slightly younger audience than the original

who enjoys simple comedy.

Though the two music videos are very different in their moods, I think both videos

could be enjoyed by someone who loves the song “Careless Whisper” as much as I do.

Train’s version teaches us that it is important to laugh and find humor in life and love

and not take things too seriously. While George Michael’s version teaches us that our

actions have consequences.

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Works Cited

Eames, Tom. “The Story of... 'Careless Whisper' by George Michael”. 23 July, 2019.

https://www.smoothradio.com/features/careless-whisper-george-michael-lyrics-

meaning/

Michael, George. “George Michael - Careless Whisper (Official Video)”. Youtube,

uploaded by georgemichael, 25 Oct. 2009, https://youtu.be/izGwDsrQ1eQ.

Train. “Train - Careless Whisper (Official Video) ft. Kenny G”. Youtube, uploaded by

Train, 9 Nov. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNrNHUCbRL0.