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Shawn Mendes Honors Lost Loved Ones with ‘Heart of Gold’: Stream It Now

Written about a childhood friend who passed away from a drug overdose, "Heart of Gold" taps into the raw emotions of losing someone too soon.

Written about a childhood friend who passed away from a drug overdose, “Heart of Gold” taps into the raw emotions of losing someone too soon. In the song, Mendes opens up with lines reflecting the regrets of not being there when it mattered: “Honestly, it’s been a while since I thought of you / In the end, we didn’t talk much / I didn’t know what you were going through / I’m sorry that I wasn’t there.” Then, in the chorus, he celebrates his friend’s legacy: “You had a heart of gold, yeah / You had a heart of gold / You left too soon, it was out of your control.” Recently, Mendes gave “Heart of Gold” another layer of meaning by dedicating it to late One Direction member Liam Payne during a live show in NYC on Oct. 18.

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