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Robert Monaco

Professor Nathan Hellmers

English 1201-503

14 June 2021

“What Is Love” Lyrical Analysis and Summary

“What Is Love” by Jaymes Young reframes Haddaway’s original lyrics in the context of

a breakup. While the dark visuals of the original are contrasted with an up-tempo dance beat, the

grayed-out visuals and musical storytelling of the remix show pain and loss in many ways. As a

result, the original has a target audience of people in active relationships, whereas the remix is

more targeted towards people who have left relationships.

The original by Haddaway is about uncommunicative relationships and the dangers of

being in them. A dark museum with gothic styling is the stage for this video, which sets a scary

and foreboding tone. As well as this, a variety of statues are interacted with in the video, which

represent the lack of communication from one side of the relationship. It can be likened to the

saying, "talking to a stone wall". The lack of communication between parties can cause a rift

between partners in many relationships. Preventing this lack of communication is a way to stop

relationships from dissolving (Lavner, Justin A., et al). The dangers of engaging in such a

relationship are represented by the risqué outfits the girlfriend wears, as they themselves express

a certain kind of dangerous allure. It also shows that most relationships of this type stay together

for material or carnal reasons.

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The supernatural and mystical themes, such as the vampire girlfriend, go to further

increase the appearance of danger. In one shot, the vampire woman leans over the man and goes

in for a bite. This represents the how an uncommunicative relationship can be physically taxing,

as it is implied that the woman is literally draining the man's blood. In contrast, the musical style

is upbeat and electronic, implying some sort of happiness with the relationship. Dancing with

each other signifies that there is hope for the relationship, as well as Haddaway’s offering of

flowers later in the video. On the other side of the relationship, the lady sings in response to the

main vocals, but without words, further affirming her uncommunicative stance. Ultimately, the

core question is never addressed in a way that Haddaway understands, which keeps the

relationship as shallow as it appears. It leaves the listener asking, “What exactly is love?”.

The Jaymes Young remix tells the tale of a man who has been through a breakup and

only seeks to reconcile his feelings in himself. The song does not have a music video, but it does

have a monochrome image of Jaymes Young with a sad expression. There is a visible scar on the

side of his face, which implies that his relationship has genuinely hurt him on a more physical

level than the original song. His tone and subdued singing tell that he is tired, and that he wants

to rest. The lyrics, “I can’t go on” and his expression are evidence of this. The monochrome

indicates a lack of color in his life because he can't find meaning in his relationship. Again, his

lyrics of “What else can I say? It’s up to you,” agree with this. Judging by his pained expression,

the meaning of this song is less rhetorical and more inwardly asking oneself, "What is love if all

it does is hurt me?".

The musical ideas expressed in the remix are simple as they are effective. The opening

guitar playing sad chords throughout the song is reminiscent of many breakup songs. Its presence

through the whole track also shows a perpetuating sadness. The buildup of reverb through the
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first verse serves to demonstrate how the fallout from broken relationships can feel like they take

a long time. This is because reverb is literally dragging a sound out over a long time. The

synthesized bass is low fidelity, and much like how the tone is warped and distorted, this shows

how his life has been negatively affected by the breakup. Near the end of the song, the

instrumentation becomes denser and somewhat uplifting. Through this, the track makes its case

that there is still hope. However, the repetition and buildup of various other elements show how

the damage can get worse over time. Even if one tries to find meaning in loss the sentiment will

remain.

While both songs appeal to overlapping audiences, the subdued nature of Jaymes’ remix

lends itself more towards an audience that has just left a relationship. The presentation of its

themes in a sad context is very relatable to those who have broken up. This relatability helps

them deal with their emotions, or at least put them into words. The timbre and tempo of

Haddaway’s version is much more suited for clubbing, and for people who go to clubs. These

kinds of people are ready to engage in a new relationship or just want to have fun, as opposed to

mulling over past trauma.

Works Cited

Dee Dee H., Junior T. “What Is Love.” The Album, Coconut, 1993, https://youtu.be/HEXWRTEbj1I
Accessed 14 June 2021.

Jaymes Y., “What is Love.” Dark Star, North Atlantic, 2013. https://youtu.be/WRP3Cqgpd6Q Accessed 14
June 2021.

Lavner, Justin A., et al. “Does Couples’ Communication Predict Marital Satisfaction, or Does Marital
Satisfaction Predict Communication?” Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 78, no. 3, 2016, pp. 680–94.
Crossref, doi:10.1111/jomf.12301. Accessed 14 June 2021.