Wagers 1

Mitchell Wagers

Professor Cassel

ENG 1201

05 November 2021

Analyzing Visual Text

The original version of "Only One" by Ye, formally known as Kanye West and the cover

by Conor Maynard may be very different in appearances, but both songs have one thing in

common: it carries the sentiment of the singer. Music is an art and free to interpretation, and

Conor is interpreting the song in his own way, it may mean something personal to him as Ye’s

meant to him. The songs are both reflective of the personal feelings of the singers. This essay

will discuss what makes them unique and different in some respects.

While Conor’s versions background may be simpler since it is a cover, Ye’s background

for the song is a bit more complex. “Only One” is a song written and played by not just Ye, but

collaborator Paul McCartney, who also tragically lost his mother. Paul and Ye have written

songs about their mother, before and after passing. So, the collaboration seems fitting given that

fact. Ye’s Mother, Dr. Donda West died due to surgical complications in 2007, and this was a

major point in Ye’s life that would change his sound, mental stability, and life forever. Ye stated,

“It was like losing an arm and a leg and trying to walk through that.” His mother had been a very

key part of his life, and this song illustrates not just his love for her but his love for what he has

been given.
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“I talked to God about you, he said he sent you an angel

And look at all that he gave you

You asked for one and you got two” – Ye

This quote from early in Ye’s version of the song is very important. I feel it is the most

key thing that makes his song unique from the cover. The quote is from the perspective of him

mother, who is in heaven. She says that she spoke to God for him, and he sent him two angels,

his wife and his daughter. This shows the relation ship Ye shares with his mother, even after her

death. He counts his blessings as on behalf of her, and he uses this song to appreciate not just her

in what he has lost, but what he sees as she is continuing to give him.

While the first half of the cover is straight forward, Conor does shift into covering two

other songs in his version. While this is a very distinct difference, it also reflects a similarity

between the two videos. This version, while not exploring family and death, explores a topic they

both share: personal meaning and relevance. While it is up to interpret what Conor takes from

Michael Jackson, Ye, and Ed Sheeran, they all seem to reflect a personal feeling that the original

song evokes in Conor.

The audiences of each video are vastly different. For Ye, it is his core group of fans and

listeners. While backed by one of the members of one of the most popular musical groups of all

times, many do not know the song is played by Paul McCartney. On top of that, this song is very

different from not just a lot of Ye’s work, but especially his work at the time. The audience for

this video is therefore a bit smaller and tighter nit than a typical Ye sing release. The people that

listen to Ye are very vast and different, from poor to rich and young to middle aged. From all

over the world, due to his popularity as an artist throughout several generations of people.
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For the video by Conor Maynard, the audience is similar in that it is his own core group

of fans, but different in that they are not similar groups of fans. Conor is a very popular cover

artist, so the people that listen to him are either there for him, or there for the cover specifically.

The latter is a smaller group, so the core audience for Conor is those that heavily listen to his

videos and music covers on the regular. Typically younger, American middle-class people that

frequent YouTube.

The emotion portrayed by Ye is that of pathos. He appeals to the listeners emotion in

relation of family, by way of showing his daughter and singing about his mother. Conor,

however, appeals to pathos but from a different perspective. He sings in an emotional way by

respect to the original song. The personal touch he adds can also appeal to the listeners emotions

if they are fans of Conor, Ye, or the other two artists he has mixed into the songs.

Both Conor and Ye by performing the song “Only One” reflect their own personal

feelings and what the words mean to them. The artists perform these songs uniquely and with

different audiences, but with similar intents. While it is very clear the meaning of Ye’s version

is, the importance of Conor’s lies in what it means to him. The songs are both reflective of the

personal feelings of the singers.

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Works Cited

Conor Maynard Covers | Kanye West - Only One - Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=K-Lg8c1mW6s.

Kanye West - Only One Ft. Paul McCartney - YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=WibQR0tQ0P8.