Saturday, January 30, 2010

The following link is a live performance of the song "Something in the
way she moves" by James Taylor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dnpY5unArc

The basic argument in this song is that James taylor feels fine. That is his claim. The reason for his claim is that he has been around "her." The implied statement, which he actually states in the song, is that anytime she's around him makes him feel fine.


Audience: The audience for this song is never mentioned directly by Mr. Taylor. It can be assumed that he is writing to someone he knows and who knows the "her" he refers to in the song. The formal audience he is addressing is probably very small. The larger audience is anyone who listens to james taylor's music.

Goal: James' goal is to express how this woman makes his life better by allowing him to feel fine when she is around.

How: A large part of the song is dedicated to describing the relationship he has with this woman. This leads to what i would call a logical argument of emotions. While his arguments make sense logically, they are more powerful because of the pathos they invoke.
The logical argument is based on evidence provided by Taylor from personal experience. Because the evidence is taken from his own relationship about which the song was written, they are clearly relevant to the argument.
The intimate nature of the song helps bring out the pathos. He describes how in his moments of weakness and self doubt, she is there to make him stronger and help him see the beauty of the world. As this is something that most everyone desires, the emotions it brings out help attach the audience to the song.

Effectiveness: I believe the song is effective in expressing his feelings about this woman. The argument is clear that she makes him feel fine, and the evidence is there to support it. The emotions it brings out are exactly what James Taylor wants his audience to feel.

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