What Is Love?

“What Is Love?” A question that is asked frequently by people of all ages and backgrounds. The

question does not have a simple, universal answer. The famous song and music video What Is Love by

Haddaway depicts love in a sexual form with its flashy style, characters, and dress attire of the

characters in the video. The song and video were remade by Jaymes Young, taking an entirely different

stance on the concept of “What Is Love”. Young’s version of the song is slowed down and accompanied

by a music video depicting a tragic love story. Jaymes Young's cover of "What Is Love" demonstrates a

more romantic love theme than the original song and video, and therefore appeals to an audience that

prefers emotional media.

The original song and music video of “What Is Love”, produced by artist Haddaway, is drastically

different than Young’s remake. The song and music video were released in 1993 and instantly became

hits, with the song reaching the top 20 charts in many countries, including the United States. This was

attributed to the catchy and upbeat rhythm of the song, which proved to be a popular dance hit during

the 90s dance craze. The music video is equally, if not more, flashy as the song. The video depicts

Haddaway in a dark castle, singing and dancing to the beat of the song. Several women appear at

different points in the video, with Haddaway and the various women making sexually suggestive body

language towards one another.

Jaymes Young’s remake of the song and music video are vastly different than the originals,

providing a different theme. In Young’s remake, the song is slowed down considerably. The new rhythm

matches a typical song of sadness or deep emotion. The song also draws out the lyrics “baby don’t hurt

me no more” The music video matches the tone of the song excellently. The video begins by showing a

man losing his significant other in a car accident. The video then goes on to show flashbacks of the good

times between the man and his significant other, showing scenes of them smiling and laughing together.
It also shows clips of the man staring off into the distance, having mental breakdowns, and his overall

distraught state from losing his loved one.

Now that some background has been provided on the songs and their respective videos, the

concepts and meaning of them can be examined. Haddaway’s version of What Is Love is flashy and

sexually suggestive. The outfits worn by the characters in the video are revealing, and the interactions

between Haddaway and the women are frisky. The upbeat tempo of the song also contributes to the

flashiness of the video. Reviewing these attributes of the original song and video lead to a conclusion

that they follow a physical, or lust, love theme. Young’s version of the song and video has a vastly

different theme than the original. The emotional connections shown between the man and his

significant other reveal a deep bond that was constructed over time together. An emotional bond built

over time is a much deeper connection than the strictly physical bond depicted by Haddaway. For these

reasons, the love theme demonstrated in Young’s remake of What Is Love is a more romantic love

theme than Haddaway’s.

Haddaway and Young’s versions of What Is Love target two different types of audiences due to

their different portrayal of love. The shallow, physical nature of Haddaway’s song and video does not

appeal to audiences who prefer a deep, emotional love theme from a song and video like Young did.

Romance in media tends to provoke emotions more than showing just physical scenes. The romanticism

and connection shown in Young’s video, along with his slowed down song create high emotions, greatly

appealing to an audience that prefers media that is emotional. An audience that prefers emotional

media will be old enough to understand a love story but can be from all different backgrounds.

“What Is Love?” Love can be many different things at once. It can be physical, as demonstrated

in Haddaway’s version of the song and video, or it can be emotional and romantic, as demonstrated in

Jaymes Young’s version of the song and video. The aspect of love examined by the different versions

make them appeal to different audiences.

Works Cited

“What Is Love [Official].” Youtube, 18 June 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEXWRTEbj1I.

“What Is Love - Jaymes Young (Cinematic Video).” Youtube, 28 Apr. 2019,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIvvHKp0JNI.