Summers (West)1

Natasha Summers (West)

Professor Hellmers

ENG 1201

5 April 2020

Let Me Go Home

There is great power in a song that can touch an aching heart and comfort a soul, longing for

their loved ones.  That greatness is given in the two renditions of “Home”, by Michael Buble and

Blake Shelton.  With very similar musical stylings, each artist is able to tie this song together, all

while spinning their own meaning of the lyrics through their visual texts in the videos.  The

lyrics, “Let me go home,” are used throughout the chorus of the song and emphasize a true need

for home and their significant others.  While Buble’s original version of this song is very somber

and emotional, Shelton uses his video to create a more upbeat and positive outlook on missing

our loved ones with the joy of reconnecting with them one day.  

The original song by Michael Buble was written in 2005 when he was spending the

majority of his days on the road, while on tour, away from his fiancé.  His music video supports

his vocals and lyrics in “Home” with Buble’s character portraying to be in a very emotional,

hazy and stoic state.  Throughout the video Michael is shown in his dressing room, crying and

attempting over and over again to write to his fiancé, whom he is struggling to keep a

relationship with while being away.  The lyrics: 

Well I would send them but I know 

That it’s just not enough

My words were cold and flat

And you deserve more than that,

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showcase that Michael had acted selfishly in his previous letters and was feeling guilty about his

cold demeanor towards his fiance.  As humans, we are wired to be emotional.  To feel love, loss

and sadness. At times we do not react the way that we know we should when we are feeling

down.  This video is a series of clips showing Buble going about his life on the road, where he is

the greatness, all while being enveloped in a state of darkness and heartbreak.  Though the lyrics

at the end of the song state that he is coming home, there is no real definite answers to whether

he gets home to his love or not, as he is just seen getting on a bus in the last clip of the video.   

Blake Shelton uses his music video to put a positive swing on the deep lyrics that Bublé created. 

While the tempo and lyrics are pretty much the same for each artist, Blake uses brighter and

happier visual texts to create a more hopeful mood throughout his video. 

Like Bublé’s video, Shelton is filmed a few times alone in his hotel room reminiscing on

his loved one. However, there are snippets throughout the entire music video showing outside

characters rejoicing in their reconnections with their loved ones.  The entire video is filmed in a

much brighter and more colorful setting.  This version of “Home”, displays proof that even

though we may be temporarily separated from the people that we love, whether it is family or

significant others, we have the promise of seeing them again and being able to bask in joy when

we do.  This video shows soldiers reconnecting with family after deployment, families meeting

up after being apart at the airport, and the final scene is Blake is back together with his woman.  

Both artists strongly rely and lean on pathos appeals throughout their music videos to engage

their audiences and to capture their hearts and emotions.  Michael and Blake each have the

ability to reach a vast amount of varying audiences.  From heartbroken lovers, families that are

separated, to soldiers that are deployed, “Home” is an anthem for anyone who has ever felt

homesick, for their physical home, or their loved ones.  The emotional lyrics transcribed in this
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song create a plethora of outlooks as to who the audience targeted could be.  Really anyone in

the world could find comfort and hope in this song.  Whereas, the videos, do slightly narrow

down who could relate to this song.  

These artists can create different versions of the song by simply incorporating their own

styles of vocals and instrumentation.  Michael Bublé is a classic, yet soulful artist, with a jazz

twist to his voice and instrument pairings.  The piano is used in his original version of “Home”,

creating a soft performance of the song.   Whereas Blake Shelton is a country artist and he plays

an acoustic guitar throughout his rendition of the song, but he is still able to sing, and play softly

enough to keep the raw emotion alive.  The differentials in both Bublé and Shelton’s genres of

music creates a slight difference in each version of the song and allows the artists to stand out

and make “Home” their own. There is no differentiation in the lyrics sang by either of these

artists.  Blake Shelton kept his version true to Michael Bublé’s lyrical genius.  

As humans, we struggle with emotions daily, especially with all the uncertainty that we are

facing today.  Music is used by so many as an escape from their struggles or a way to express

what they are feeling through someone else’s words.  “Home” gives its audience just that.  This

song can be used as an outlet for just about anyone and with Bublé and Shelton both putting their

signature twists on it, the possibilities of comfort and hope through this song are unending.
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Works Cited

Michael Bublé. “Home.” It’s Time, 143 Reprise, 2005. YouTube. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbSOLBMUvIE

Blake Shelton. “Home.”. Pure BS. Warner Bros, 2008. YouTube. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkoT1nZOexY