When You're Gone (Shawn Mendes song) explained

When You're Gone
Cover:Shane Mendes - When You're Gone.png
Type:single
Artist:Shawn Mendes
Genre:Pop rock
Length:2:52
Label:Island
Producer:
  • Mendes
  • Shy
Prev Title:It'll Be Okay
Prev Year:2021
Next Title:What the Hell Are We Dying For?
Next Year:2023

"When You're Gone" is a song by Canadian singer Shawn Mendes. It was released as a single through Island Records on March 31, 2022. The song was produced by Mendes himself and Jonah Shy and co-produced by Scott Harris, and the three wrote it together.

Background and promotion

Mendes debuted the song on March 19, 2022, performing it live for the first time at his South by Southwest (SXSW) performance in Austin, Texas.[1] He teased the song by posting snippets of the song to the video-sharing app TikTok the week before its announcement and announced the song and its complete details two days later.[2]

Composition and lyrics

"When You're Gone" is a pop-rock song that lyrically sees Mendes singing about the end of a relationship, similar to his previous single from late 2021, "It'll Be Okay". Transitioning from the first verse to the chorus, he sings: "It's hard for me to let go of you / So I'm trying to hold on, hold on / I don't wanna know what it's like when you're gone". Further, into the chorus, he croons: "I didn't know that loving you was the happiest I've ever been / So I'm just trying to hold on".[3] The song has also been described as "a dreamy love song with a punchy chorus".[4]

Critical reception

Before the release of "When You're Gone", Billboard Jason Lipshutz described the song as "a rollicking pop-rock track that sounds ready for radio play" and added that it "possess[es] a weight and polish that could make them staples of Mendes' set for years to come, and hint at promising new paths for his songwriting".[5] Khushboo Malhotra of CelebMix likewise stated that "[t]he song heralds a new musical era that appears promising and elevated while widening his aural and stylistic horizons", calling it a "heartbreakingly beautiful single".[6]

Music video

The official music video for "When You're Gone" premiered alongside the release of the song on March 31, 2022. It starts with a black-and-white resolution and sees Mendes recording the song in a studio and meeting up with fans. As the song shifts from him emotionally singing, it turns into full color when it turns into a sing-along.[7] Three days before its release, Mendes teased the video on the video-sharing app TikTok, which saw him dancing shirtless, with the caption: "this is unusual behavior".[8]

Credits and personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Croatia International (HRT)[9] 6
Greece International (IFPI)[10] 41
Iceland (Tónlistinn)[11] 28
Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)[12] 13
Lithuania (AGATA)[13] 32
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[14] 2
Singapore (RIAS)[15] 12
Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100)[16] 100

Year-end charts

Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[17] 68
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[18] 60
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[19] 108
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[20] 30
Germany (Official German Charts)[21] 83
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[22] 75
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 68
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[24] 30
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[25] 22
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[26] 36
US Radio Songs (Billboard)[27] 68
Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Position
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[28] 56

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatLabel
VariousMarch 31, 2022Island
United StatesApril 4, 2022Hot adult contemporary[29]
April 5, 2022Contemporary hit radio[30]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Watch Shawn Mendes unveil new song at SXSW, 'When You're Gone'. NME. Aubrey. Elizabeth. March 20, 2022. March 20, 2022.
  2. Web site: Watch Shawn Mendes unveil new song at SXSW, 'When You're Gone'. Dork. O'Connor. Siobhain. March 21, 2022. March 21, 2022.
  3. Watch Shawn Mendes Debut New Breakup Song 'When You're Gone' at SXSW. Rolling Stone. Chan. Tim. March 20, 2022. March 20, 2022.
  4. Shawn Mendes Returns With 'When You're Gone': Watch the Music Video. Billboard. Billboard Staff. March 31, 2022. March 31, 2022.
  5. Shawn Mendes Unveils New Song, Brings 'Wonder' on the Road in Billboard SXSW Showcase. Billboard. Lipshutz. Jason. March 20, 2022. March 20, 2022.
  6. News: Malhotra . Khushboo . Shawn Mendes Gives His Fans a Walkthrough of "When You're Gone" . CelebMix . April 11, 2022 . July 9, 2022.
  7. Shawn Mendes Gives Behind-the-Scenes Look at 'When You're Gone' in New Video. Rolling Stone. Legaspi. Althea. March 31, 2022. March 31, 2022.
  8. Shawn Mendes Teases New Single With a Shirtless Dance Video: 'This Is Unusual Behavior'. Billboard. Dailey. Hannah. March 29, 2022. March 31, 2022.
  9. Web site: HRT Airplay Radio Chart No. 1060 - Issue Date: January 2nd 2023. 8 January 2023. 3 January 2023. en. Hrvatska Radiotelevizija.
  10. Web site: 18 April 2022 . Official IFPI Charts Digital Singles Chart (International) . 18 April 2022 . IFPI.
  11. Web site: Tónlistinn – Lög. The Music – Songs. is. Plötutíðindi. May 8, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220409202119/https://plotutidindi.is/tonlistinn/. April 9, 2022.
  12. Web site: OLT20 - Combined Chart - Week of Sunday April 24th, 2022 . . May 2, 2022.
  13. Web site: 2022 14-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). AGATA. lt. April 8, 2022. April 8, 2022.
  14. Web site: NZ Hot Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. April 11, 2022. April 9, 2022.
  15. Web site: RIAS Top Charts Week 14 (1-7 Apr 2022). March 29, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220412041408/https://www.rias.org.sg/rias-top-charts/. April 12, 2022. April 12, 2022.
  16. Shawn Mendes Chart History (Billboard Vietnam Hot 100). Billboard. 16 April 2022.
  17. Web site: Ö3-Austria Top40 Single-Jahrescharts 2022. Ö3 Austria Top 40. January 2, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230102170841/https://oe3.orf.at/charts/stories/3010525/. January 2, 2023.
  18. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2022. Ultratop. nl. January 13, 2023.
  19. Web site: Rapports annuels 2022. Ultratop. fr. January 13, 2023.
  20. Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2022. Billboard. December 2, 2022.
  21. Web site: Jahrescharts 2022. GfK Entertainment charts. de. December 16, 2022.
  22. Web site: Rádiós Top 100 - hallgatottsági adatok alapján - 2022. Mahasz. hu. February 4, 2023. February 3, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230203044628/https://slagerlistak.hu/archivum/eves-osszesitett-listak/radios/2022. live.
  23. Web site: Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2022. Dutch Top 40. nl. January 3, 2023.
  24. Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2022. Billboard. December 2, 2022.
  25. Adult Pop Airplay Songs – Year-End 2022. Billboard. December 2, 2022.
  26. Pop Airplay Songs – Year-End 2022. Billboard. December 2, 2022.
  27. Radio Songs – Year-End 2022. Billboard. December 31, 2022.
  28. Web site: Rádiós Top 100 – hallgatottsági adatok alapján – 2023. MAHASZ. January 29, 2024. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125133848/https://slagerlistak.hu/archivum/eves-osszesitett-slagerlistak/radios/2023. January 25, 2024. hu.
  29. Web site: Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases. All Access. https://web.archive.org/web/20220405100149/https://www.allaccess.com/hot-modern-ac/future-releases. April 5, 2022. April 5, 2022.
  30. Web site: Top 40/M Future Releases. All Access. https://web.archive.org/web/20220405095603/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstram/future-releases. April 5, 2022. April 5, 2022.

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