Song Analysis Example: "Freedom" by Pharrell Williams

Introduction

Music has always been an essential avenue for addressing the social challenges and injustices present in society. The song “Freedom” by Pharrell Williams continues that trend by using both lyrical and visual elements to shine a light on some of the social challenges in the modern world. The video contains images that depict issues ranging from the environment, politics, gender, and race, to science. The message seems straightforward, with the repeated mention of freedom. However, an analysis of the song will reveal rhetorical appeals to bring across the song's theme. Therefore, the artist uses ethical, emotional, and logical appeals to persuade the listeners and viewers to view modern slavery as a social problem.

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Ethos

The artist relied on his credibility to persuade the listeners and viewers that slavery is still a problem. Pharrell Williams is a credible spokesperson for the message because he underwent the struggle of seeking to control “his intellectual property” in a long dragged-out negotiation with Sony (Halperin and Helligar par.3). According to Halperin and Helligar, the music industry is built on the shameful history of exploiting black talent from all modern song genres that are derived (par.3). As an African American, Pharrell Williams has gotten to experience the impacts of America’s slavery past on people of color living in the modern US. It gets people to pay attention to the contemporary challenges faced by descendants of those slaves. Listeners need to hear the message right now in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement trying to raise awareness of racial discrimination in American society.

Pathos

The song’s lyrics are trying to appeal to the listeners by appealing to their sense of emotional connection. Williams says, “Hold on to me/ Don’t let me go” (Williams). The lyrics are designed to elicit feelings of connection between the artist and the listeners. It is about people coming together to share each other’s pain and carrying the weight that modern slavery has imposed on them. It is also strategically located at the start of the song to immediately immerse the listeners into the mood and get them to connect with the message.

Simultaneously, the video also has some images that seek to evoke feelings of pity from the viewers. The video shows some black people working at a mine in very harsh conditions (Williams). That part of the video lets the viewer pity the workers, especially when one of them starts struggling with a guard standing by. However, then heading towards the middle of the video, another image of a child working in the kitchen and another shot of another child in school (Williams 1:31-32). The video is trying to get the viewer to compare the child's situation in the kitchen with his counterpart in school. They are both children, but one is being subjected to child labor. That gets the viewer to pity the child subjected to slavery because of his financial situation.

Logos

The artist also uses logic to appeal to the listeners’ capacity to reason. Williams says, “Does it shock you to see/He left us the sun? /Atoms in the air/Organisms in the sea/The son and, yes, man/Are made of the same things” (par.5). The words refer to God’s creation that ranges from heavenly bodies to earthly organisms, including humans. All those things are made of the same elements, which means it is illogical for man to assume that they are superior to another man, or even the environment. That is part of William’s appeal to logic in that we are all made of the same elements. Everyone should receive equal treatment rather than others being mistreated and subjected to discrimination.

The video also contains the same appeal to logic with images of models and sweatshops. On the one hand, the video shows the artist standing in front of beautifully dressed women supposed to represent models (Williams 1:34). On the other hand, the video shows several women working at a sweatshop (Williams 1:55). The women in the second part of the video work in unfavorable and inhuman conditions so that the others on the first part would look beautiful and appealing. Those scenes attempt to appeal to the viewers’ logic on whether that situation is justified or even warranted. Furthermore, their effort and hard labor go to waste because the models end up getting rid of their accessories, which means they will need to work to produce more to meet the models' demand. The artist wants the viewer to logically analyze the situation and see sweatshops as a form of modern slavery. It subjects people to inhumane conditions to satisfy an insatiable demand.

Conclusion

Based on the music analysis, the artist has managed to communicate his message by using both lyrical and image artistry. The artist uses his credibility to try and convince the viewers that slavery is still a problem in the modern world. The artist also appeals to the listener's and viewers’ sense of emotional connection and pity to reinforce the message on slavery. Finally, he uses logic in both lyrical and video elements to show how slavery is a problem. Those three rhetorical appeals manage to bring out Pharrell William’s message of modern slavery.

Works Cited

Halperin, Shirley, and Helligar, Jeremy. The Big Payback: How Pharrell Williams Is Breaking the Chains of the Music Industry’s Troubled Past. Variety, 11 Aug. 2020, https://variety.com/2020/music/news/pharrell-williams-master-slave-industry-contracts-1234729237/. Accessed 19 September 2020.

Williams, Pharrell. “Freedom.” YouTube, uploaded by Pharrell Williams, 22 July 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlY90lG_Fuw&ab_channel=PharrellWilliamsVEVO.