“It’ll Be Okay” by Shawn Mendes

A few years back, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello dropped a love song together entitled “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. Both of them were in their late teens at the time, and people were like ‘aw, wouldn’t it be sweet if they were actually together’. And on the surface they did seem like a good match as, in the process of working together, it looked as if the pair developed a genuine friendship.

But sometimes it’s better to let platonic friends just remain friends, even if there is flirting or whatever going on. And truth be told, from the time Mendes and Cabello first hooked up romantically in 2019, some analysts felt it was more of a media-inspired thing than true love. For instance, the two of them became lovey-dovey around the same time they dropped a second collaboration entitled “Senorita“. 

“It’ll Be Okay”

Now, not even two weeks after having broken up in late 2021, Shawn has in fact released a breakup song, i.e. this track we’re studying today. So it’s like if nothing else, at least it can be said that at the end of the day celebrities, unlike most of us, are actually in a position to directly profit not only from establishing a romance but also one that goes awry.

That said, of course there aren’t any direct references to Camila in the lyrics. It’s sorta like that recent Olivia Rodrigo / Joshua Basset / Sabrina Carpenter media circus. It’s like no name is actually dropped, but given the timing of the song’s release and the nature of the subject matter, listeners can’t help but to conclude that said tracks are based on real life relationships that the public is familiar with.

And it’s funny because at the onset of this piece, Mendes actually sounds a lot like those critics who felt like his romance with Cabello was fake from the start. Or put more simply, the vocalist seems to be under the impression that he and the addressee simply aren’t compatible. Or more specifically, after dealing with her in such a capacity for some time, that’s the conclusion that he has come to.

Does the Narrator regret being in a relationship with his ex?

Now as subsequently revealed in the pre-chorus, the aforementioned conclusion is not to imply that he regrets dealing with her altogether. Or explained differently, the vocalist seems to be happy that he and the addressee have struck up a friendship. But as far as actually being lovers go, things simply aren’t working out. 

So now he’s telling her that even though they’re parting ways, “it’ll be okay”. Or put differently, he wants to make their transition to a non-couple as smooth as possible. And interesting to note is that if this is in fact about Mendes and Cabello, then the implication is it was her idea to call things off.

The other notable part of the song is the bridge. Here, the vocalist is asserting that he will continue to love the addressee post-breakup. And again, even without the Mendes-Cabello backdrop, this narrative still reads a lot it centers on a couple of lovers who have an established friendship outside of the realm of romance.

Takeaway

So not trying to be preachy or anything, but sometimes it’s best for a friends to remain so, even if the entire world is pressuring them to become a couple. Previously Shawn and Camila had a working relationship which, by both of their accounts, was very pleasurable. 

And if they hadn’t hooked up, perhaps we would be looking forward to more tunes like “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Senorita”. And who knows? Maybe their friendship will endure this ordeal, and they’ll get to re-collaborating some time in the future. But as it currently stands, it wouldn’t be surprising if Cabello came out with a breakup song soon herself.

Release of “It’ll Be Okay”

As of the release of this track on 1 December 2021, Shawn Mendes is 23 years old. He got his start earlier on as a teenage pop icon, not quite on the level of fellow Canadian singer Justin Bieber but proving quite successful nonetheless. And accordingly it is speculated that this track may be featured on his fifth studio album.

At the time of the time Shawn released this tune, the titles of the said project is unknown.

Writing Credits

Shawn served as both a writer and producer of “It’ll Be Okay”, as did the following:

• Scott Harris
• Mike Sabath 

And Eddie Benjamin acted as an additional songwriter.

FYI

The aforementioned Shawn/Camila collaborations, “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and Senorita, were respectively released in 2015 and 2019. The first was a multi-notable platinum hit. However, the latter can be classified as one of the biggest songs of the entirety of 2019.