Embedded Files
By: Victoria Autocunas
November 19, 2024
Shawn Mendes poster wall (Photo by Victoria Autocunas)
As a teenager in high school going through it all–relationships, making friends and losing them–I found Shawn Mendes’s music to be uplifting and inspiring at those times in my life when I was finding out who I was.
Got the World in “Stitches”
Shawn Mendes is a Canadian singer who started his career on Vine in 2014, making videos of himself singing covers of popular songs. He got a lot of attention and his three million followers loved him.
Soon enough, Mendes would win the hearts of a world of listeners with his music hit, “Life of the Party.” This song is about letting go and being yourself and not letting anything get in your way.
Later, his album, “Handwritten,” came out and he would become a worldwide sensation. This album touched on topics of hope, growing up, and falling in and out of love at a young age, which spoke to his primarily main teenage audience.
Mendes garnered more popularity with his second album, “Illuminate.” His 2018-2019 International Tour was a big stadium tour, which had sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden. There was a year break before he released “Wonder,” his fourth album. The most recent song Mendes released was in 2022, titled “WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DYING FOR?”
Most recently, on November 16, Mendes released his new self-titled album called “Shawn,” following a two-year break from the spotlight and music. I will be reviewing all 12 tracks on the album.
“Might lose my way/ But I’m gonna stay Rollin right along”
After re-listening to the song two days after, this might take the place of being number one for me on the album. My favorite part of this is that he is accepting that life is going to go on no matter what and, no matter what mistakes he makes, he is just going to roll with it and make his life better.
“Sometimes I still cry out for my mother/ Why why why?”
This was the first song I heard from the album, a total switch from “Wonder.” I was absolutely blown away. While “Wonder” was so emotionally charged by his relationship with Camila Cabello and utilized more instruments, such as drums, in this song, Mendes is asking why certain things in his life have happened, such as a breakup, the anxieties he’s faced, and fame. I feel like people growing up, especially in this generation with all the anxiety and depression adolescents feel, most can relate to it. We all wonder why things happen but as we get older we realize everything in life is a lesson.
“It’s never gonna change/ You can’t fight the truth”
In a whisper, Mendes confesses to his audience that the day he dies is the day that he loses someone very close to him. He feels like he is dead without them and has no reason to go on. I never heard anything that intimate and dark from Mendes.
This track is an obvious homage to the relationship he had with Camilla Cabello. He alludes to that relationship by saying “her” many times, which I love. The lyric I found that expresses this most is, “I could pretend I have another chance/ At another romance, but, honey in the end/ Even if I tried, I would be wastin’ my breath.”
Insanely brilliant!
“I know that space is supposed to help/ But I feel like a shadow of myself”
This is personally my favorite song on the album. You can tell the folk sound inspiration he got from Joni Mitchell, a 70’s folk singer. He has openly spoken about how he appreciates this era of music and how she inspired the instrumental track.
It starts with a soft drum beat, (then what?). This song, I feel, is the most honest. My favorite lyric from this is, “We know we give, but do we give enough?” This is a question many people ask themselves and I love how he is really considering his own feelings in his new music.
Pure honesty and heart.
“I’m tired of all these nights awake/ Carryin’ this weight”
There is a strong Bruce Springsteen influence on this track, especially in the guitar and lyrics. The chorus buildup has the “Badlands” vibes of Springsteen, as both start out with drums and then the instruments lead the lyrics. This is a brilliant way to go about a song, especially from Mendes. As he pays homage to Springsteen, it gives a whole new wave of fans to Shawn. I love his expression of the weight of not being able to let someone go, but, now, he can. He is reflecting and moving forward from that time in his life– a big emotional release.
“It’s been a while since I’ve thought of you”
This song is a great representation of when relationships die. He says he saw Camila had a heart of gold, and, being kids, they didn’t appreciate it. This song could also be about how people perceive him now. When Mendes says, “you had a heart of gold,” it sounds like he may be referring to an old version of himself and that he feels people might not see that side of him anymore as he grows up.
“Free is the day”
This track gives me Neil Young and summer song vibes. I like how it represents that time in his life and when he was writing it. He expresses how he still feels the same as he did when he did when he was seventeen– always changing. What he is really trying to say is if being human is enough. Shawn is like all of us; he never knows if he is good enough for a person or for the world, especially with the fame he does not feel like he deserves.
Really relatable.
“When the glitter is gold”
The song is massively powerful, the beat with the lyrics. When you listen to it, it starts with a slow strumming of guitar, but, when it goes into the chorus, it hits you with a punch of saying “Where does it go?” He is saying where does everything in life go when something important is over. The emphasis of his voice is my favorite. I can feel the chills in my bones.
Pure soul.
“I heard there was a secret chord”
I love Shawn’s rendition of the original song by Jeff Buckley. He adds his own lyrics and then adds the hallelujah at the end. That is my favorite part. He also uses some of the original lyrics which makes it more recognizable.
“I feel pressure from the ones I love and it hurts”
This track on the album really hooks you in. It speaks to the soul. What Shawn is trying to express is that he doesn’t understand who he is and he never did. I find his vulnerability so admirable, because telling the world such a big thing like not understanding yourself on an album is a show of strength, especially for a male artist. There is a stigma surrounding men’s mental health, especially in the music industry and he broke that.
Incredible!
“If I’m not all in; Then I’m all out”
I get total country vibes from this song. After reading the title, it is totally different than what I thought it would sound like. I imagined a “drum empowered” tune, but it is straight acoustic with his voice. He is comparing intimacy with emotions and physical touch. My favorite part of the song is that he keeps repeating, “Isn’t that enough?” the same way he does in the song with the same title. It makes me think as if it should come before “Isn’t That Enough” before “In Between” on the tracklist.
“The Mountain”
“You can say I’ve lost the plot”
The last song transitions into this one. What I like is the repetition of the lines in the beginning. They all start with “I.”
This moves me so, because he is so different from how he used to be. He has come so far and he is so much more honest. It makes me feel like I can be more, too.
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