Shawn Mendes, Heart of Gold | Song Review 🎵

On “Heart of Gold,” Grammy-nominated pop singer/songwriter Shawn Mendes shares a thoughtful song regarding grieving a deceased friend.

Yes, he is incredibly handsome.  Now that that’s out of my system – and I’m just saying what everybody has said about him – I’ll focus on the musical talent of Shawn Mendes.  Shawn marks the Canadian heartthrob’s first album in nearly four years.  Think back – we were in a global pandemic! Following the release of three enjoyable singles (“Why Why Why”, “Isn’t That Enough”, and “Nobody Knows”), Mendes unveils a fourth, “Heart of Gold”.

“You had a heart of gold,” Mendes sings in the chorus, adding, “You left too soon, it was out of your control / Underneath your skin and bone / You had a heart of gold.” In “Heart of Gold,” Mendes has lost a friend, which he memorializes and shares his reaction.  The verses provide context. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there / To hug your mama at the funeral,” he sings in the first verse, confirming the unfortunate ending.   In the second verse, Shawn asserts, “I didn’t even cry / I didn’t even feel the pain / And then it hit me all at once / When we talked about you yesterday.” As he has throughout the Shawn album cycle, Mendes is transparent about what he’s been experiencing in life.  Losing a friend is never easy, and it seems that Shawn didn’t fully process the loss of this person.  Grief hits everyone differently.  As always, Mendes sings beautifully – his voice is a gift.  The songwriting is also well-rounded, penned by Mendes, Mike Sabath, Eddie Benjamin, and Scott Harris.  The sound is folksy, singer/songwriter pop, which may not ignite the Billboard Hot 100 but works well for Mendes.  He and Sabath produced this thoughtful track.   “Heart of Gold” marks another well-rounded addition to his catalog.

Shawn Mendes // Shawn // Island // 11.1.24

Shawn Mendes, Heart of Gold [📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Island; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Królestwo Nauki, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pete Linforth, Tumisu from Pixabay]