Rhetorical Analysis

“Everybody” grabs the audience’s attention immediately by stirring emotions with the first line. Keith Urban opens with “So here you are now, nowhere to turn… just the same old yesterday. You made a promise to yourself that you were never gonna be this way.” This line uses the rhetorical appeal of pathos to initially provoke listeners to relate with their own experiences and feelings of loneliness. This content is paralleled in the video, as individuals walk alone through the dim light. By each person’s expression, we can see that they too are experiencing loneliness. Urban connects with the audience in this way. Everyone has likely felt lonely and a sense of despair at some point in their lifetime; this opening line brings to the surface those emotions.

After the opening verse the song changes tone a bit; our emotions are still tugged at but in a slightly different manner. Urban advises “don’t give up now, you’re so close to a brand new day.” While our emotions and feelings of loneliness are on the line, this line assures us that no tough time is permanent, and with persistence and optimism feelings of despair can be overcome. Listeners are likely relating these words to their own experiences, and this truth that “everybody needs somebody” instills a sense of hope and assurance in the audience. At this point, the individuals in the video are coming together and we see that although they may experience hard times, they do have somewhere to turn. As they begin to play, we no longer see the emotions of loneliness and sadness; instead they are content being in each others’ company. This visual and audio convinces the audience to not let their emotions kill them; to be strong and reach out. Feelings of needing someone are no false need; as humans we do, in fact, need somebody. By the conclusion of the video the audience feels that although tough times will inevitably happen, others will be there if we allow them to.

Reflective

“Everybody” reflects on the idea that everybody does indeed need somebody. The song initially stirs emotions of loneliness and despair; the empty feeling of having no one to turn to is all too familiar for most of us. Everyone experiences tough times, yet many of us feel we have nowhere to turn when we do experience pain. This is no individual fault; society may put pressure on everyone to hide emotion, to be “tough,” and therefore we feel it is deviant to reach out for assistance or to give it away ourselves. Our individual pride may keep us from reaching out to others, but society only emphasizes this notion with the “tough guy” appeal that so many of us strive for.

Before the chorus, these are the only feelings the song and video convey. However, as the tone of the video changes, so does the emotion felt by the audience. As soon as Urban confirms that “everybody needs somebody sometimes,” we feel that it is indeed okay and normal to feel we need somewhere to turn, to want a hand to hold or an ear to listen to us. In fact, needing someone is part of our lives; without others we would be hopeless. This is where despair turns to hope, and we feel that perhaps there will always be someone there for us. As the band comes together, this feeling of hope grows; those empty feelings that were initially brought to the surface are replaced with optimism. Certainly no one wants to feel alone, and the conclusion that everybody needs somebody is an obvious but valuable idea. Perhaps those of society who value the “tough guy” appearance do not matter; what matters is that we as individuals have somewhere to turn to in tough times. Keith Urban’s “Everybody” persuades his audience of this point, and makes us want to reach out.

Observation

Keith Urban - "Everybody"

Keith Urban’s “Everybody” video begins with gloomy clips of very different individual characters. First, we see Urban himself walking slowly down a dark corridor. The scene quickly flashes to a bald man walking alone along a building, and then to a larger man riding alone in a taxi. Each man seems to be feeling a sense of loneliness, as none are smiling and each appears to be completely by themselves. A fourth individual also walks alone, this one next to a graffiti-covered wall. A biker slowly rides away down an empty street. As Urban begins to sing, clips of each individual flash again; this time they are each singing the words we hear. Still, they are all alone in dark settings. The first verse of the song confirms that these individuals are, indeed, lonely: “Here you are now, nowhere to turn… just the same old yesterday.” From each character we feel a sense of despair; the dim lighting with only gray and off-white coloring gives the impression that times are tough for each of these people.

As Urban continues to walk in the darkness, he acknowledges that “everybody needs somebody.” After this statement, one by one the characters step onto a stage in a still dim setting. However, as Urban advises to not give up, the characters come together on the stage. Finally, Urban himself steps onto the stage and the band prepares to play as one. As soon as the tone of the music changes, color fills the screen and the individuals are no longer alone: they are part of something bigger, something stronger. The brightness and cohesiveness conveys a new message of hope, rather than despair. The remainder of the video shows the band as a group who stands together: “ You’ve got to have someone beside you,” Urban concludes.