“When You’re Gone” by Shawn Mendes 

As you who are reading this post likely already know, Shawn Mendes broke up with fellow-celebrity singer Camila Cabello in late 2021. In this case we don’t have to speculate whether the song is actually based on that relationship. And why? This is because Shawn has already stated forthrightly that it is. 

At the time the two of them were actually together, some gossip sites speculated that their romance was more Hollywood than real. But as time progresses post-breakup, to some extent it has appeared more and more as if there were some actual feelings involved.

For instance, Shawn recently admitted that he’s having a difficult time adjusting to being alone, without Camila. Such is basically what the sentiment behind “When You’re Gone” is based on, i.e. the vocalist now having to actually deal with the reality of the woman he loves no longer being in his life. As revealed in the bridge, further adding to the vocalist’s sense of dissatisfaction is the fact that the addressee seems to be doing okay without him. 

So if this song is really and truly to be taken as a message to Cabello, then it would appear that Shawn didn’t really know what he was getting into by agreeing to part ways with her.

So generally speaking, these lyrics seem to reflect the feelings of someone who perhaps is dealing with romantic heartbreak for the first time in his life. Initially, the vocalist seems to have been under the impression that he was going to be able to ride out breaking up with his sweetheart in style. But now, he no longer wants to deal with her being “gone”.

Facts about “When You’re Gone”

Being released on 31 March 2022, “When You’re Gone” marks Shawn Mendes’s first single of said year. This is a track which Mendes, a Canadian singer who is concurrently 23 years old, co-wrote and co-produced with Scott Harris and Jonah Sky.

The official music video to this track was directed by one Jay Martin and shot in both Toronto and Texas.  In the latter regard, it was filmed at the Moody Amphitheater in Austin, when Shawn Mendes debuted “When You’re Gone” about a week before its release at an entertainment festival known as SXSW.

This track was put out by Island Records, the label which Shawn Mendes, tracing his professional origins to being a child singing star, signed with back in 2014.

According to Mendes, he composed this song about a month after he and Camilla went their separate ways.