Rhetorical Appeals Essay - Landslide 1

Delaynie Tate
English Composition II
Dr. Cassel
September 25th, 2021
Rhetorical Appeals Essay: “Landslide” By Fleetwood Mac and The Chicks
“Landslide” by The Chicks was released 27 years after Fleetwood Mac’s original
version of the song. “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac and “Landslide” by The Chicks share
the same idea of how life is always changing and there will always be different
challenges, however, they both appeal to two different audiences that were present at
the time of the release of the songs, and the settings of one of the videos provide a
much deeper meaning. Both the songs provide the same lyrics but in different ways with
different music styles. Throughout the song, Stevie Nicks and The Chicks are both
singing about the ups and downs, challenges, and changes people face throughout their
life. When singing about the challenges people face in life the song is appealing to
people’s emotions. Both women’s versions have the exact same lyrics but have a
couple of key differences. One of these differences includes the style of the music.
Stevie Nicks’s/Fleetwood Macs version was a folk-rock song and was seems to be
slower than The Chicks version. The Chicks version is a little bit faster and is a country
song.
Like I said before, Fleetwood Mac’s music style for their version of the song is
folk-rock. At the time of the song’s release, the most popular music was folk which made
this song be a huge hit at the time. Since the song was folk music it appealed to most
audiences who liked folk music and people who wanted to hear about how the
challenges of life are like a landslide. Unlike Fleetwood Macs version The Chicks
version is a country, which was a very popular music style at the time of its release in
2002. The audience for The Chicks version were also people who wanted to hear about
the challenges of like, but the song was also directed and appealed to those who
enjoyed country music. Both versions of the song appealed to the audience’s emotions
and were both meant to pull the audience in through their feelings.
Another difference between the two is in their settings in the music videos. In
Fleetwood Mac’s version of the song, the video just shows Stevie Nicks singing the
song on stage with different transitions and angles. In The Chicks version of the song, it
takes place in three different settings. In one setting it is one of the women in a sunny,
wooded area with a house in the distance, while another woman is in the city on a rainy
day, and one other woman is in this magical place, that looks kind of like what I picture
to be like mars with a fountain and a floating staircase. As the video goes on in each
setting things are slowly changing like in the song. In the video the house in the wooded
setting grows roots over time, in the city buildings become larger and the city is
expanding, and in the magical place, things begin being covered in water. These
changes that are slowly happening over time are meant to symbolize the changes and
challenges people face and how life is always changing around you and time never
seems to stop.
One other difference is the instruments and vocals in the songs. In Stevie
Nicks/Fleetwood Macs version of the song the instruments used were a guitar and mild
violin which appealed to people who enjoy folk music. In The Chicks version of the song
the instruments used many different instruments rather than just two, two of those
instruments were a mandolin and a banjo. By using these instruments it made the song
appeal to those who enjoy the southern music style displayed in this song. Also, the
vocals were different in each of the versions of the song. In Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood
Macs version of the song, Nicks was the only person singing which made the song be
very isolated and give Nicks more of a solo effect. While in The Chicks version of the
song it includes the band itself along with background vocalists. The background
vocalists join in at different times throughout the song which makes this a key difference
between the two songs themselves.
Although both versions of the song “Landslide” were popular at the time they
were released they were both intended for different audiences, and the setting in each
video provided a deeper meaning to each video. By changing the music style from folk
to country and adding a different beat it updated the song and made The Chicks version
just as popular as when it was first released by Fleetwood Mac.
Works Cited:
Fleetwood Mac. “Landslide.” Fleetwood Mac, Reprise, 1975,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM7-PYtXtJM
The Chicks. “Landslide.” The Chicks, Open Wide Monument Columbia Records, 2002,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4_wXPZ1Bnk

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Delaynie Tate

September 25th, 2021

Rhetorical Appeals Essay: “Landslide” By Fleetwood Mac and The Chicks

between the two songs themselves.

just as popular as when it was first released by Fleetwood Mac.

Fleetwood Mac. “Landslide.” Fleetwood Mac, Reprise, 1975,

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