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Lindsey Zehring

Prof. Barnes

English 1201

February 21 2021

Dancing on My Own

In 2015, Calum Scott wowed the judges of Britain's Got Talent with a stripped down

version of "Dancing on My Own" originally by Robyn in which he later produced a cover of.

Both of them made a music video to go along with their versions that told a story. The lyrics

remain the exact same, yet seem to hold an entirely different meaning in Calum’s rendition.

Although they are very similar, the videos also hold many differences when it comes to the

audience and claims.

In the video for “Dancing on my Own” by Robyn, Robyn is watching the guy she loves

dance with another girl at a club, but he doesn’t know she is there. She is coming to terms with

the fact that he has moved on and it is now time for her to move on as well. The claim that this

video makes is that you need to learn when it is time to finally let go in order to live a better life.

This is most clearly represented in the song when she sings “You don’t see me standing here, I

just came to say goodbye.” These lyrics show that the man Robyn onced loved is so blinded by a

new woman that he doesn’t even realize she is there, and that was all Robyn needed to see in

order to get over him. As the song goes on you can see her start to pour that love into herself as

she sings “I’m giving it my all but I’m not the girl you’re taking home, I keep dancing on my

own.” She has come to terms with a chapter of her life ending and is accepting that she needs to

dedicate time to herself. The audience for this video is people who have been through a breakup

and can relate to the idea of your ex moving on forcing you to officially let go of what you once
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had. It is meant to be empowering and has even made its way to the club circuit because of the

upbeat tone. Robyn is telling her listeners to accept what is in front of you and turn it into

something positive for yourself. This has made her really popular in the LGBT community, she

is considered an icon.

“Dancing on my Own” by Calum Scott is a whole new perspective of this song. His

video tells a story about a guy and a girl seeing each other across a room packed with people in

matching outfits that seem to be in some sort of dystopian society. The two people come

together after pushing through people and even falling on the way and end up in each other’s

arms, while Calum Scott is left alone still. This story makes the viewer think about other couples

finding each other through the most dense crowds and under difficult conditions but still not

receiving the love you desire. The sad tone of Calum’s version shows the pain and sorrow of

having no one to love. At one point in the video, Calum is looking up into a light which seems

to provide hope that there is someone out there for him; he just hasn’t met the one yet. This

interesting take on the song allows it to appeal to a different audience. It’s for those people who

see couples that are in love all around them and feel like they are missing out, but in reality they

just haven’t found their true love yet.

When it comes to comparing and contrasting these two videos, there is a lot to talk about.

These videos have a hint of ethos. They tell a story about first-hand experiences of the artists

which leads the audience to take a look at their own. In addition, both of them are heavy on the

usage of pathos. Robyn and Calum are both singing with a lot of passion that allows the listener

to really connect to the music and message they are trying to relay even if you aren’t in a similar

situation to the two of them. Robyn’s song is upbeat and motivational, a sort of single person’s

anthem if you will, while Calum’s is slower and sappy more of a get you in your feels type of
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song. No matter the difference, they both carry a lot of emotion which is why they appeal to

pathos. The emotional aspect of this song is what heavily impacts the kind of audience in which

each version is directed toward. Robyn’s is about learning to love yourself, but Calum’s is about

longing for that person that will fill that empty feeling in your heart. Robyn is choosing to dance

on her own, while Calum has no other choice but to dance by himself.
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Works Cited

Robyn. Robyn - Dancing on My Own (Official Video). YouTube, 28 May 2010,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcNo07Xp8aQ. Accessed 21 February 2021.

Scott, Calum. Calum Scott - Dancing on My Own. Youtube, 15 June 2016,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q31tGyBJhRY. Accessed 21 February 2021.