Herrmann 1

Allie Herrmann

ENG 1201

Dr. C

14 Feb. 2022

Rhetorical Analysis of “What is Love” Music Videos

What is love? This complex question never seems to be answered. All throughout time

people have struggled to find love, and understand it. Love can bring people joy, bring people

home, and even bring people pain. The song “What is Love” by Haddaway is about a man who

loves a woman who doesn’t love him back, unpacking the pain and frustration that comes with

the helplessness of the situation. Jaymes Young’s take on this song paints a similar, but much

sadder picture. This slower version of “What is Love” is about the struggle of a man who

tragically loses his beloved wife in a car accident. Both of these videos show us the pain of

longing for someone you love, but in entirely contrasting situations.

The original version of “What is Love '' was released in 1993, the music video stars

singer Haddaway. The video begins with Haddaway standing in a huge castle singing the

opening lyrics “What is love? Oh baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more” What's interesting

about this version and music video is how the upbeat tempo of the song contrasts so sharply with

the painful lyrics and dark castle setting. As the video progresses we see that Haddaway is

accompanied by three women in this castle, dressed promiscuously and dancing. There are

numerous lighting strikes present outside which I think represents Haddaway’s fear of being hurt
 Herrmann 2

when he gives into love. One of the women in particular is a vampire and seemingly pursues

Haddaway throughout the video, he is hesitant to reciprocate because he doesn’t know if he can

trust and believe in her intentions. The dark scary setting reflects how Haddaway feels about love

and the pain that comes from falling for someone who doesn’t feel the same way. In one scene

we can see the lady vampire bite Haddaway’s neck and run off, I think this scene represents how

Haddaway feels about this woman only using him, her love is not genuine like his. The lyrics “I

give you my love, but you don’t care” allow us to know that’s how he’s feeling. This video

definitely uses pathos to appeal to its audience. Anyone who has been used before can relate to

these lyrics and scenes and really resonate with that pain. It’s nice to see this situation

represented and it lets people know that they are not alone in their struggle to find genuine love.

We can’t make someone love us and we begin to question what love is, and if it’s even possible

for someone to love us as abundantly as we love them. These lyrics can resonate with anybody

who has experience with rejection or heartbreak, and the video itself should be enjoyed by a

more mature audience.

In the remastered version of “What is Love” James Young created a more melancholic

mood with his slow tempo take on the song. This version's music video was released in 2019 and

shows the story of a man who loses his wife in a fatal car accident within the first few seconds of

watching. The video follows the husband for the rest of the video starting with him waking up in

the hospital, and going on to flashback between the present and the past. The flashbacks recall

the life the couple shared between their wedding and life at home and all the love they shared for

each other. When it flashes back to the present you see the husband alone in their house crying

and grieving over the loss of his love. The dark and empty house symbolizes how sad and empty
 Herrmann 3

his life is without love, and this scene contrasts with the light happy scenes of his wedding day,

and days spent on the beach with his wife. This video uses pathos heavily, seeing the crash take

place and watching the story of this couple feels extremely real. Knowing that such a strong love

can be lost in a matter of seconds is heartbreaking and emotional for many people to see

portrayed. The theme of this video is that love can hurt, more specifically longing for a love you

can’t have. What creates this much sadder mood is the difference between the stories, in Young’s

version a man possesses a great love and loses it in the blink of an eye. However, in the original

version by Haddaway a man is without love but only because the one he loves doesn't want to be

with him. He didn’t get to experience the shared love before having it ripped away which makes

it all the more painful. This video would be for anyone who has experience with loss of a loved

one, more specifically a spouse.

In conclusion we can see how painful it is to be without someone you love. Both artists

were able to use the same lyrics to display the absence of love in different lights. They also take

on different audiences, some will resonate with Haddaway’s experience, while others resonate

with Young’s interpretation of the song. While Haddaway longs for a love that dismisses and

uses him, Young’s version shows the pain of a loved one lost, we are able to see their

commonality in their shared pain and loneliness.

 Herrmann 4

Works Cited

“Haddaway - What is Love [Official].” YouTube, uploaded by CoconutMusicGermay, 14 June 2014,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEXWRTEbj1I. Accessed 30 Jan. 2022

“What is Love-Jaymes Young (Cinematic Video).” YouTube, uploaded by bonD, 28 April 2019,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIvvHKp0JNI. Accessed 30 Jan. 2022