"Mercy" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter

Shawn Mendes Shawn Peter Raul Mendes ( , ; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian singer. He gained a following in 2013 when he posted song covers on the video-sharing platform Vine (software), Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manage ...

. It was co-written by Mendes with

Ilsey Juber Ilsey Anna Juber (, ; born April 17, 1986) is a British American singer and professional songwriter from Los Angeles, California. Before releasing her debut album ''From the Valley'' in 2023, Juber co-wrote songs for popular artists such as Bey ...

, Danny Parker and

Teddy Geiger Teddy Geiger (born September 16, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer who first gained teen idol status with the song " For You I Will (Confidence)" in 2006. Geiger acted in the television series '' Love Monkey'' (2006) and ...

, with the latter handling the song's production with

Jake Gosling Jake Nathan Gosling is an English record producer and songwriter. Best known for his production work for English singer Ed Sheeran, he has also been credited on releases for acts including Lady Gaga, The Libertines, James Bay, Shawn Mendes, A ...

. It was released on August 18, 2016, through

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

as the third promotional single, and later as the second single on October 18, 2016, from his second studio album, ''

Illuminate Illuminate may refer to: Music Bands * Illuminate (2009), a 2009 E.P. by English Progressive Metal band Suns of the Tundra * Illuminate (band), a German gothic music band Albums and EPs * ''Illuminate'' (Joe Morris and Rob Brown album), 1995 ...

'' (2016).

Composition

"Mercy" is written in the key of

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: Changes need ...

with a

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

tempo of 144 to 152

beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...

. Mendes's vocals span from B₂ to A₄ in the song.

Music video

On September 21, 2016, a music video directed by Jay Martin was released. It features Mendes singing, switching between him drowning in a locked car in the ocean and him performing the song with instruments in a warehouse shot at TriBro Studios.

Cover versions

In October 2016, Muslim Nasheed artist Siedd released a cover version of 'Mercy' on YouTube. The song which has over 1 million views on YouTube features a modern style a capella arrangement with rewritten lyrics to reflect his Islamic faith.

Chart performance

In the United States, the song peaked at number 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was the second single from ''Illuminate'' to reach the top 20. It also peaked at number 13 in Australia, number 15 in the UK and number 23 in Canada.

Live performances

Mendes performed the song for the first time on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...

'' on September 22, 2016, backed by mallet drums, electric guitar, bass and piano. The singer later performed the song on ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

'' on September 23, ''

The Late Late Show with James Corden ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (also known simply as ''Late Late'') is an American late-night talk show that aired on CBS from 2015 to 2023. It is the fourth and final iteration of '' The Late Late Show'', and aired in the United Sta ...

'' on September 28, ''

The X Factor UK ''The X Factor'' is a British reality television music competition, and part of the global ''X Factor'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's British entertainment company, Thames (T ...

'' on October 23, and '' The X Factor Australia'' on October 31 as well as ''Saturday Night Live'' on December 3. Mendes performed the song live at the

Juno Awards of 2017 The Juno Awards of 2017, honouring Canadian music achievements, were presented in Ottawa, Ontario the weekend of 1–2 April 2017. The ceremonies were held at the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata and televised on CTV with Bryan Adams and Russell ...

; this version was subsequently released as a digital download. On May 27, 2018, Mendes and singer

James Bay James Bay (, ; ) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. It borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and is politically part of Nunavut. Its largest island is Akimiski Island. Numerous waterways of the ...

performed the song together at

BBC Music BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...

's Biggest Weekend.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2016 songs 2016 singles 2010s ballads Shawn Mendes songs Island Records singles Universal Music Group singles Rock ballads Torch songs Songs written by Ilsey Juber Songs written by Teddy Geiger Songs written by Danny Parker (songwriter) Songs written by Shawn Mendes