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Peggy Cottrell

English Composition II

Carter

24 September 2020

“What is Love?”

“What is Love” by Jaymes Young is a different spin on the upbeat, dance/electronic

version Haddaway released in 1993. Haddaway’s upbeat version has the same lyrics of the sad

love story of Jaymes Young’s version. It is interesting to see how two people can interpret the

same lyrics so differently. Let’s take a look at both videos.

Haddaway originally sang the song written by Dee Dee Halligan and Junior Torello

[ CITATION son20 \l 1033 ]. The song was released in the United States in October 1993. This song

has some disturbing lyrics that do not match the upbeat music. The video of the song has

Haddaway in what appears to be a mansion with girls dancing to the electric music. The main

characters are Haddaway and a woman scantily clad with a cape. She appears to be a vampire by

her actions. At one point she is trying to bite his neck. I think this is to reiterate that he is “trying

to love a girl who won’t love him back”[ CITATION son20 \l 1033 ]. Vampires are dark creatures

probably incapable of love itself. He pleads with her in the song, “Baby don’t hurt me, don’t

hurt me, no more”. The words in the song can be relatable for all genders, race or even

socioeconomic status. Most everyone has been or will be in a relationship at some point in their

lives. The song itself definitely appeals to the emotional side. Everyone loves and no one wants

to be hurt by the one they love.

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Jaymes Young had a different take on the music of the song “What is Love?” This

version was released in 2013, two decades from the original. The music is much slower

completely different tempo. The genre for the song is pop however in my mind that doesn’t fit. I

would almost say contemporary or even alternative would be a better fit. Although the words are

the same, the video had a completely different feel as well.

The main characters in the video are a young married couple but focusing on the man. In

the beginning of the video, the two are in a car going somewhere talking. She looks at him for a

reaction and then you see glass going everywhere. There was a car crash. She did not make it. It,

then shows him in the hospital and him at her grave site. It shows him remembering her and the

love they shared. The wedding, a trip on the beach, etc. But after each memory, it flashes back to

him trying to deal with the loss of his love. It shows his anger and frustration at the situation. It

shows his difference if ranges of emotions, for example, he is crying, he is just sitting there

dumbfounded and smashing things. For him the words of the song are having him ask another

question besides what is love, how am I to love again or ever now that you are gone? The video

is relatable to young married couples of every age, gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Like

I mentioned before, everyone loves and no one wants to be hurt by the ones they love. Even if, it

is beyond your control, i.e. death, sickness, etc.

Even though these two songs vary in styles, the message is very similar. Haddaway has

an upbeat rhythm to “What is Love?” that appeals to a different type of audience. I feel it would

appeal to a younger generation who likes this style. The video in a sense is silly compared to the

actual words of the song. It is making light of an otherwise difficult situation. It was used in a

parody on SNL [ CITATION son20 \l 1033 ], which made the song even more popular later in the

nineties. Jaymes Young took a more serious approach to the song. It seemed to play more to the
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heartstrings of those whom have lost a love. This version, in the video had a tragic turn of events.

No one is beyond being hurt by love, in one form or another. This statement I feel is what ties

these two songs together. Everyone deals with love loss, pain, hurt in different ways. Each of

these versions speak to someone in that capacity.

Works Cited

songfacts. www.songfacts.com. n.d. 23 September 2020.

<https://www.songfacts.com/facts/haddaway/what-is-love>.

Torello, Dee Dee Halligan and Junior. youtube.com. n.d. 21 September 2020.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEXWRTEbj1I>.

Youtube.com. 2013. 21 September 2020. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIvvHKp0JNI>