Rhetorical Analysis for Song Lyrics

Deep Blue Something- "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

You'll say, we've got nothing in common
No common ground to start from
And we're falling apart
You'll say, the world has come between us
Our lives have come between us
Still I know you just don't care

And I said, "what about 'Breakfast at Tiffany's?'"
She said, "I think I remember the film
And as I recall, i think, we both kind of liked it"
And I said, "well that's, one thing we've got"

I see you, the only one who knew me
And now your eyes see through me
I guess I was wrong
So what now, it's plain to see we're over
And I hate when things are over
When so much is left undone

And I said, "what about 'Breakfast at Tiffany's?'"
She said, "I think I, remember the film
And, as I recall, I think, we both kind of liked it"
And I said, "well that's, one thing we gots"

You'll say, that we've got nothing in common
No common ground to start from
And we're falling apart
You'll say the world has come between us
Our lives have come between us
Still I know you just don't care

And I said, "what about 'Breakfast at Tiffany's?'"
She said, "I think I, remember that film
And, as I recall, I think, we both kind of liked it"
And I said, "well that's, one thing we gots"

1. The argument of these song lyrics is that the audience and the speaker should continue their relationship because they have common interests such as both liking the movie ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.

2. The audience includes a man or woman that is currently in a relationship with the speaker, but feels the relationship is falling apart, that he/she shares no common interests with the speaker, and is apathetic to the future of the relationship.

3. The goal of these song lyrics is to get the audience to recognize or remember the common interests he/she shares with the speaker so the relationship can be salvaged and continue.

4. The speaker tries to accomplish the goal of salvaging and continuing the relationship by using several elements of rhetoric.

Pathos- The speaker uses the element of pathos by provoking memories, and thus the emotions of love or interest that the audience previously had for the speaker. By bringing up the movie of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, the speaker is calling attention to emotions of enjoyment and pleasure that were most likely shared when both the audience and the speaker watched the movie.

Logos- The speaker also uses the element of logos in the attempt to salvage the relationship. The speaker brings up counterarguments that the audience is predicted to have such as “we’ve got nothing in common”, “we’re falling apart”, and “our lives have come between us”. The speaker uses logic by stating that because they both shared a common interest in the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, they have a common base to start from and logically, they will have enough similar interests to continue having a successful relationship.

Sufficient- Overall, these lyrics lack sufficient evidence to support the argument that the speaker and the audience should continue their relationship. The only argument the speaker makes is that they both share a common interest in one film, and therefore, that is a sufficient basis for a quality relationship. There is no rebuttal to the counterarguments of the audience that “the world has come between us” to explain how they could adjust their busy lives to make the relationship work. There is no counter to the argument that the audience just does not care, and it is doubtful that the mention of one film will remedy the apathy of the audience.

Relevant- The evidence produced by the speaker is not exactly relevant to several of the counterarguments made by the speaker. The statements of “the world has come between us, our lives have come between us, still I know you just don’t care” infer that the audience feels their lives are too busy or their lifestyles are just too different and the audience does not care enough to change that. The only response the speaker has is bringing up one film that they both shared a common interest in, irrelevant to the argument that they are both too busy. Also, the speaker in the second verse talks about how the audience used to “see” the speaker, but now the speaker realizes this is not the case anymore and their relationship is over. This is not evidence relevant to trying to persuade the audience to salvage the relationship, but rather just brings up past injustices.

5. Due to its insufficient and irrelevant evidence, these song lyrics are not effective in accomplishing the goal of salvaging and continuing the relationship between the audience and the speaker. Although there is an effective use of pathos in bringing up memories and emotions of love and pleasure with the mention of the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, this singular argument does not effectively counter the several arguments made by the audience, of different schedules, changing lifestyles, and overall apathy towards the relationship.