Shawn Mendes Is Getting Twitter Backlash for His New Song "What The Hell Are We Dying For" - Yahoo Life
Why Shawn Mendes Is Getting Backlash for "What The Hell Are We Dying For"
Shawn Mendes hopped on Twitter and Instagram last night to announce that he was dropping a new song at midnight. And the single art was probably a pretty familiar image to those of us on the east coast: New York City's skyline, covered in smoke from the devastating wildfires in Canada.
Shawn revealed that he wrote the song, titled "What The Hell Are We Dying For" on Wednesday, explaining "Started writing this song yesterday morning with my friends in upstate Newyork & finished it only a few hours ago..felt so important to me to share with you guys in real time."
He also included a link to the Canadian Red Cross, and revealed he'll be donating money to them.
While climate change is a subject Shawn has been consistently vocal about—many fans feel like he's using the fires to promote his music:
Still more people wondered if the lyrics (which you can read in full below) were actually just about Camila Cabello, who he reportedly just broke up with:
Check out the full lyrics, courtesy of Genius:
[Verse 1]
Smoke in the air, the city's burning down
I wanna speak, but I don't make a sound
Locked in my mind, you're all I think about (Mm)
I wanna save us but I don't know how
[Chorus]
If we don't love like we used to
If we don't care like we used to
What the hell are we dying for?
If it doesn't cut like it used to
If you're not mine and I'm not yours
What the hell are we dying for?
[Verse 2]
I see it in the news, I see it in your eyes, ooh
I try to let you go, then I choke, I change my mind
(Change my mind, ooh)
Let's face thе truth, I'm terrified (Ooh, ooh)
[Chorus]
If we don't lovе like we used to
If we don't care like we used to
What the hell are we dying for?
If it doesn't cut like it used to
If you're not mine and I'm not yours
What the hell are we dying for?
[Bridge]
Living without you
Is not living at all
[Chorus]
If we don't love like we used to
And we don't care like we used to
What the hell are we dying for?
If it doesn't cut like it used to (Doesn't cut)
If you're not mine and I'm not yours (I'm not yours)
What the hell are we dying for?
[Outro]
Living without you
Is not living at all
Living without you (Baby)
Is not living at all
So what the hell are we dying for?
Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm, She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”