Alex McCarty

Dr. Cassel

English 1201

7 November 2019

Love

“What is love?” This is the very question that many individuals are faced with when such an

emotion is present. The meaning can be unknown and confusing. This is the very feeling of singers,

Jaymes Young and Alexander Haddaway, as they ask this very question in their songs “What is Love”.

Haddaway’s version was published in 1993, while Young’s version was published in 2018. "What is Love"

by Haddaway and Jaymes Young share similar view on how love affects an individual both emotionally

and mentally. The version of Jaymes Young is more serious and deeper, while Haddaway's version is a

fun, shake it off version of the lyrics.

To begin, the reason for the song “What is Love” is to explain the meaning of love. Alexander

said, “The meaning of love is unique and individual. Love is what you make it as and what you want out

of love” (Mapes 2015). Throughout the song Haddaway askes, “what is love” showing the confusion of

the true meaning of love. He is lost to the meaning and goes on, and on trying to figure out the solution.

This version was published in 1993 where love may very well be different from love today. The targeted

audience for this song is anyone that is going through hard times of love, or that is experiencing love for

the first time. The song questions the audience to really find what you are looking for in love to make

this complex topic simpler. Through the up-tempo music, it can be very easy to dance to the song and

not even listen to the true meaning of the lyrics. The genre of this song would probably be classified as
pop, so that creates a more laid-back message than a more serious genre. This helps soften the harsh

question of “what is love?”

On the other hand, Jaymes Young takes a different path to question the essential question. The

purpose of publishing the song is different than Haddaway’s. He states, “It's made me who I am. I don't

see myself as one of those sad romantics, but love is the most important thing in the world and the only

way we get anything done” (Warner Chappell). Through his song, he slows the song down and really

searches for the meaning of love. This shows how powerful love is and it is who we are. Understanding

love is so important in our world and through his song he helps asks the right questions you need to ask

yourself about love. This creates a deeper meaning and changes the purpose of the lyrics. In the

beginning of the song Young asks, “What is right, and what is wrong?” This shows the mental effect of

the confusing of love. It starts to cause the individual to question other aspects of life, and whether they

are doing something right or wrong. This is a large problem mentally if love causes you to question other

than what love is. Mental health in our society is a huge concern and love plays a part in this concern.

Having the song published in 2018, this can be more relatable to children today. The audience for this

song is really anyone that is confused about love and that is lost due to love. It is very powerful, and this

song can relate to many individuals. By using a slow-paced flow, it forces the audience to truly listen to

the message and allows many others relate to the message.

Rhetorical appeal is a big piece in determining whether it’s effective or not. In both versions by

Jaymes Young, and Alexander Haddaway there are large amounts of examples of pathos, or emotional

appeals. In Alexander’s version uses a large amount of pathos appeal to persuade the audience into

listening. The sad and depressing lyrics create a sadness in the audience and draws the audience into

listen to more. He sings, “don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more”. This also shows the physical and

mental pain that love can give individuals that are still confused on what they see love as. This is very
comparable to the pathos used in Young’s version. Pathos is the most useful and effective rhetorical

appeal because many people can relate to the feeling of being lost or confused due to love.

In conclusion, love can be very hard to understand and harsh depending on the other person.

“What else can I say, it’s up to you”. This shows that even when you love someone dearly and give them

everything, they may not give that love back. This again shows the challenge to determine, “what is

love?”
 Works Cited

Mapes, Jillian. “We Asked Haddaway, ‘What Is Love?" Here's What He Said.” Flavorwire, 12 Feb. 2015,

https://www.flavorwire.com/504266/we-asked-haddaway-what-is-love-heres-what-he-said.

Haddaway, Alexander. “What is Love” You Tube, You Tube, 23 May 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3Cw6-xRHdg. 7 Nov. 2019.

Young, Jaymes. “What is Love” YouTube, You Tube. 2 Mar. 2018,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRP3Cqgpd6Q. 7 Nov. 2019.

“Jaymes Young.” Warnerchappell.com, Warner Chappell Music,

https://www.warnerchappell.com/artist-details/789.