What Is This Thing Called Love

Song Meaning

This song captures the disorienting whiplash of falling in love and then having it abruptly vanish. The narrator describes a life previously marked by mundane routine, a "hum-drum person" whose existence is suddenly enlivened when "love flew in through my window wide." This initial phase is depicted as pure joy, a quickening of the heart that transforms their world into an "enchanted dream." However, this idyllic period is fleeting. The core tension arises from the sudden departure of this love, leaving the narrator bewildered and questioning the very nature of this powerful emotion. The lyrics pivot from ecstatic description to profound confusion, asking "What is this thing called love?" The narrator feels foolish, their heart tossed aside, leading to a desperate plea for understanding directed "to the Lawd in Heaven above." The most striking aspect is the contrast between the initial bliss and the subsequent devastation, amplified by the simple, almost childlike phrasing. The image of love flying in and out like a bird through a window is poignant, highlighting its unpredictable and uncontrollable nature. This gentle imagery makes the subsequent pain feel even more jarring, as the narrator grapples with the inexplicable shift from "days of sunshine" to feeling the "winter's chill" when "somebody else came near." Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics lies in their raw, unvarnished portrayal of emotional whiplash. The narrator’s persistent questioning and lingering affection – "Why I love you still?" – after being so carelessly treated underscores the irrational, persistent power of love. It’s this honest bewilderment, the inability to reconcile the joy experienced with the pain inflicted, that makes the song resonate.