Shawn Mendes released his new single “Heart of Gold” on Friday, Nov. 1. After being on a hiatus from his career for two years due to his mental health, Mendes is making a comeback by releasing several popular singles like “Why Why Why” and “Nobody Knows.”
Mendes, in an interview with Rolling Stone, said that the song is “about grieving those we miss with tears and it’s also about celebrating them and who they were and what they left in this world.” This song comes a month after Liam Payne’s passing where Mendes first performed the song. He explained he wanted to give a moment to Payne and dedicated the live performance of the song to him and his family.
“Heart of Gold” is an emotional ballad that has heart-wrenching lyrics that fit in well with the emotional pop genre he has designed for himself. Throughout his career, Shawn has produced emotionally strong songs that captivate audiences and made him hit No.1 on Billboard’s Pop Songs chart three times.
Mendes speaks to his theme of loss and grieving through lines like “I didn’t know what you were goin’ through / You left too soon, it was outta your control / I didn’t even feel the pain / And then it hit me all at once.”
Lines that have been popular on social media are, “When we were young / We didn’t care / We shot for the stars / I’ll see you up there.” People use the lines to talk about their own experiences with loss, their grieving process and their reflection.
The song ends with the repeated line “You had a heart of gold,” which was used to demonstrate the regrets of not being there when it mattered.
This song is one of the best that Shawn has released. It is beautifully raw and open and allows people to connect with it in their own lives to get through their own grief. Mendes has done it once again and I cannot wait to listen to his new album “Shawn.”
5/5 stars
rbleich@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @shawnmendes, Instagram
