Ella Bostick

Dr. Cassel

English 1201.506

26 September 2021

“Hope you, hope you don’t look back, always do what you decide” are the lyrics in the

song “Am I Wrong,” by Nico and Vinz. This line describes the main claim of the song, that you

should always go for what you want in life and never look back. The original video from 2013

and the video from the movie, Cinderella, both show the characters pursuing what they want and

not giving up. The first version shows two men, Nico & Vinz, traveling on a long journey to find

each other. The version from Cinderella shows Cinderella sticking with her dream of designing

dresses, even though people want her to focus on other things. “Am I Wrong”, by Nico & Vinz

and by the cast of Cinderella have the same message, but it is evolved more in Cinderella to

focus on women empowerment. The music stylings of the two songs are also different which

brings a variety of audiences to appreciate the song.

“Am I Wrong” is a song that everyone should hear. It is a song that encourages people to

follow their dreams and pursue what they genuinely want to do in life. The song explains that

you must not let others determine what path you take. The lyrics are created from the artists' own

experiences. They followed their dreams of pursuing music even though others told them they

should have a backup plan. The purpose of this song in Cinderella is to illustrate this same

message but hopes to attract the attention of more women.

The original version of “Am I Wrong” is from a man’s perspective, while the version in

Cinderella is from a women’s perspective. The original version follows the journey of two men
on a mission to find each other. They travel separately all over Africa through towns, roads,

deserts, and bodies of water. They meet people along the way and have many different

experiences that pressure them to give up. The video from Cinderella focuses on her path to

further her dream of being a designer. It starts with her trying to sketch the dress and shows her

facing challenges that urge her to give up. For example, her stepmother wants her to marry the

prince so they will be rich, and she does not have to work. She never gives up and at the end she

designs the perfect dress. This newer version pushes towards female empowerment which relates

to the present day. Therefore, the second version of the song centers around encouraging women

to follow their own path while the original version centers around men.

In addition, a major difference between the two music videos is the musical stylings of

the song. The first video has a nice beat and electronic rhythm to it. This sound is incredibly fun

and brings the song to life. The video shows many people dancing because the rhythm is so

contagious. The second video starts with just the characters' voices singing. About 40 seconds

into the song, it develops a similar beat to the original version. This beat is people clapping and

then there are instruments added in. The video shows the prince playing the guitar, and there is a

lady playing a flute in the background. The second version is like an acoustic version of the

original song. These different musical stylings to the songs bring different audiences to them

which makes the song more popular.

The first video uses rhetorical appeal pathos. The first video shows kids smiling and

playing. This makes the audience feel warm and happy. The main characters, Nico and Vinz,

show anger and frustration on their faces and by their actions when they can’t find each other.

This can make the audience feel bad or sad for them. At the end, when they finally find each

other, they show relief and happiness on their faces. They hug and celebrate. This brings
happiness to the audience. The video appeals to young children because it shows children

playing and doing what they like. It also appeals to men as it focuses on two men and their

adventures. Also, people that like electronic sounding music would be drawn to this video and

version of the song. This video takes place in Africa so people of African culture might enjoy

this video as well.

Pathos is used a lot in the Cinderella version of the song as well. The very beginning

shows Cinderella with frustration on her face because she cannot get the drawings of her dress

right. She is sketching on paper and crumbles up one after another. You can see that she is

unsure and questioning if she should give up. This makes the audience intrigued to see what will

happen. Cinderella realizes that she should never give up and finishes her dress at the end. She

smiles and you can tell she is so relieved and happy that she has proven everyone wrong. This

makes the audience feel excited for her. This video appeals to women since it is focused on a

woman and her struggles. Also, this video would appeal to people who like acoustic music over

electronic. Additionally, young girls who look up to Disney princesses would like this video.

Finally, the lyrics, “Fight for yours and don’t let go, don’t let them compare you no”

explain that you should do what you desire in life and don’t let people compare you to someone

you’re not. This is the main claim of the videos. “Am I Wrong”, by Nico & Vinz and by the cast

of Cinderella have two types of musical stylings that bring diverse audiences to enjoy the song.

The videos have the same message, but the message is adapted in Cinderella to focus more on

female empowerment. The music stylings of the two songs also contrast which brings a variety

of audiences to enjoy the song.

Works Cited

Cannon, Kay, director. Cinderella. YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, 2021,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUeUD6EjVtM. Accessed 26 Sept. 2021.
Singh, Kavar, director. Am I Wrong. YouTube, YouTube, 20 June 2013,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg1sT4ILG0w. Accessed 26 Sept. 2021.