Remember that social media video app Vine? I miss Vine.

And it was Vine that helped propel Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes to superstardom (screw you, record companies!). That was way back in 2013, when we still listened to the radio and watched game shows on black and white TVs.

No? Ok, whatever. But for Mendes in 2020, it was all about the record companies and churning out hit songs like “Wonder,” which will surely be played at somebody’s future wedding, especially if the bride has anything to say about that First Dance.

Released in October of 2020, “Wonder” is the lead single off Mendes’ latest album, also called Wonder. Peaking at No. 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100, it was equally popular around the world – scoring top-ten status in Canada, Hungary, and Singapore, all during a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime pandemic that has us all wondering when it will end. Midway through February 2021, it’s a wonder we’re still sane.

With a slow-burn buildup to a soaring chorus, Mendes belts out “I wonder what it’s like to be loved by you,” much to the delight of romantics across the globe. Certainly a modern power ballad, “Wonder” is apparently about “imagined scenarios,” as well as “stepping foot into his friend’s shoes,” according to what I read online. So, if he wonders “what it’s like to be loved by you,” does that mean he’s creepin’ on his buddy’s woman? After all, one of the lyrics is, “I never said I was a saint.” But I’m giving Shawn the benefit of the doubt here; it’s up to YOU, listener, to interpret the lyrics as you see fit.

In the first verse, Mendes wonders: “Wouldn’t it be nice to live inside a world that isn’t black and white?”

It’s a nice sentiment, and sadly, one that seems more distant with each passing day.