Top 20 Best The Weeknd Songs

As the first single on The Weeknd’s much-anticipated second studio album “Beauty Behind the Madness,” “Often” had a lot to live up to. And it met those expectations, then exceeded them. “Often” is a beautiful bit of boasting, with Tesfaye touting his powers of seduction and fame status. But the song has depth beyond its flexing. There’s the intricate and intimate production, featuring a sample of Turkish artist Nükhet Duru, and also the arc of Tesfaye’s storytelling. He starts in the evening and ends in the morning, and he makes you feel like you’re right there with him. Just how frequently do we want to hear this song? Often.

In his music, the Weeknd has frequently projected an image of someone who has trouble dealing with their emotions and acknowledging the harm they’ve caused. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s stuck in place. While “Heartless,” the first single from “After Hours,” references Tesfaye’s many bad habits, he’s also aware of their negative effects. He sings of “trying to be a better man” but also the inner resistance that’s preventing that. With his wounded vocals over Metro Boomin’s powerful production, The Weeknd gives us a song about the importance of recognizing your faults before they consume you.

It didn’t take long for “Dawn FM” to become another celebrated album in the Weeknd’s catalog, and “Sacrifice” is one of its finest offerings. The beat, made with house music superstars Swedish House Mafia, is funky in the best way possible. And Tesfaye’s lyrics relate the coldness of his home city of Toronto to the coldness inside his heart. Everything about this song, from its rhythmic bassline to its confident vocals and addictive chorus, feels like it should be heard under a disco ball. In another lifetime, The Weeknd would’ve been the perfect musical act on “Soul Train.”

While many of The Weeknd songs are about courting, it’s hard to call them all love songs. “Wanderlust” off of his debut studio album, “Kiss Land,” is something of an anti-love song. Over a disco-infused beat full of pounding drums and stinging synths, Tesfaye addresses a potential one-night stand, telling her she’ll stop caring about him the next morning. He also dismisses the notion of true love in general, believing it to be a fantasy people buy into. You might not agree with his argument, but this song succeeds beyond its message. There’s also Tesfaye’s soaring voice, sounding like a certain white-gloved pop star, and a great use of the track “Precious Little Diamond” by Euro-disco act Fox the Fox.

The Weeknd wasn’t covering Peter Gabriel with this song, but “In Your Eyes” is another incredibly passionate song full of 80s flair. In this case, it's bright synths that take the lead, creating an atmosphere of utter infatuation. But while it might at first sound like a synth-pop fairytale, pay attention to the lyrics, and you'll see how much pain is present between Tesfaye and his partner. But listening to “In Your Eyes” is a total pleasure, especially with Tesfaye’s intense vocal performance and the excellent instrumentation. Once you hear that saxophone solo at the end, you know you’ve heard a great song.

“The Morning” starts off sounding like a blues-rock song being played in outer space, with its beaming synths for accompaniment. Then, the Weeknd brings us back down to the earth, first with his voice and then with an awesome beat drop. A standout from his debut mixtape, “House of Balloons,” “The Morning” has everything you’d expect from a Weekend song, with talk of sex, drugs, and money. But it’s all rendered with such precision and passion that it all sounds fresh. “The Morning” sounds like both the dawn of a legendary new artist and a revitalization of R&B as a whole.

Another gem from “House of Balloons” is one of the longest tracks in The Weeknd’s catalog. But it’s so good, you barely notice the length. With its gorgeous beat, partially centered around a sample from Beach House’s “Master of None,” and Tesfaye’s soothing vocals, “The Party & The After Party” is a song you just want to fall into. But while it might start off sounding like an amazing night out, the “after party” portion of the song highlights the costs of debauchery. It’s a haunting reminder that while partying is fun, the sun eventually comes up.

Early in his career, The Weeknd never seemed too big on genuine apologies, often treating his flaws as curses he can’t break. But his more recent work has revealed a new sense of maturity without appearing disingenuous. On “Save Your Tears,” he cops to hurting and abandoning people without understanding exactly why. But he wants his ex to know that he’s trying to change. The aching sincerity in Tesfaye’s voice and the fantastic synth production tug at your heartstrings while not obscuring the hurt at the song’s core. If there’s one thing all great musicians have in common, it’s honesty, and “Save Your Tears” finds The Weeknd sharing his truth, uncomfortable as it may be.

It’s only fitting that one of the Weeknd’s most braggadocious songs would be produced by Kanye West. “Tell Your Friends” moves at a fairly relaxed tempo, which lets Tesfaye’s lyrics really stand out. He boasts about his life of fame and fortune while also labeling himself as a villain. That might sound like too much to take in one song, but in the bridge, he goes into detail about his struggles before finding success. It’s clear he’s still overwhelmed by his achievements, and even if we can’t condone everything he sings about here, we also can’t help but feel proud of him.

The Weeknd and Daft Punk are a match made in musical heaven. The closing track on “Starboy,” “I Feel It Coming” ends things on an uplifting note, with Tesfaye singing to a partner about not being afraid of love. While it might lack the R-rated imagery of his earlier work, it’s anything but tepid. It’s also a perfect Daft Punk song, full of disco flair and robot voices. Would this song still be good if the Weeknd were singing or if Daft Punk weren’t producing? It’s possible, but with their combined talents, it became a new classic.

Another Beach House-sampling standout from “House of Balloons,” “Loft Music” is a very trippy tune. As he often does, Tesfaye sings of drugs and love. But merely talking about his experiences isn't enough; he also wants you to feel them. The back half of "Loft Music" is an ambient R&B passage that only grows more beautiful - and more haunting - with each listen. It might not be the kind of thing that gets played on the radio, but it shows Tesfaye is an artist of true ambition.

“House of Balloons” closes out with “The Knowing,” which samples legendary dream-pop act Cocteau Twins. It also concludes things on a heart-stopping note. Tesfaye sings about a romantic encounter with a partner who he knows has been unfaithful. But he’s not too torn up about it, because he’s also been sneaking around. With its buzzing guitars and choir-like vocals, it’s both tense and beautiful. Anyone who was hoping that “House of Balloons” might end on a thematically lighter note might have been disappointed by this conclusion. But we applaud Tesfaye for not taking the easy way out, instead creating compelling songs about complicated characters.

To mark the next major step in his career, The Weeknd crafted a simple but sinister anthem for himself. The song’s quiet pianos let Tesfaye dominate the track, as he touts his rise from quirky, indie hero to chart-topping superstar. Daft Punk’s stellar production expands this sound to match Abel’s themes, up until the chorus explodes with mind-blowing synths. While Daft Punk brought more fun, vintage energy to “I Feel It Coming”, “Starboy” was Tesfaye’s futuristic theme song. The Weeknd also highlighted his range of passions with inventive wordplay that crossed Rolls Royces with “Star Trek.” All this blended into a multi-platinum hit with so much depth that we got more out of it with each listen.

From its opening chords, “Can’t Feel My Face” has an instantly memorable sound, and crisp vocals. It’s in its amazing beat drop that the tune really takes off, and transforms into a track that everyone can dance to. It’s the most infectious bass groove from any Weeknd song, enough to make anyone go [“OOO!”] Whether you relate to its romantic narrative, allusions to addiction or a mix of the two, the song subtly forces you to think about dependency in a new light. “Can’t Feel My Face” pulls the best parts of disco and the music of Michael Jackson, and wonderfully injects Tesfaye’s own dark themes. As many people’s intro to The Weeknd, this track distilled his stellar voice and artistic chops into an accessible package.

Few songs show off The Weeknd’s voice quite like the slow-moving “King of the Fall.” Between a lot of sparse keyboards and booming bass notes, the tune is a dream-like reflection on his life. Tesfaye recalls his mixtapes to highlight how impressive his move to stadiums and labels really is. The filtered sounds enhance the surreal tone of the lyrics, leaving it sounding as demented as his stories. Despite some of the less glamorous lyrics in the mix, Tesfaye’s silky vocals give it all a seductive feeling. “King of the Fall” paints The Weeknd as both a villain and a hero, and it does it with a sound that we still can’t get out of our heads.

The “Fifty Shades” movies aren’t exactly cinematic masterpieces, but they did do one thing right: giving us a great Weeknd song. “Earned It,” which also appears on “Beauty Behind the Madness,” put all the sensuality that “Fifty Shades of Grey” was trying for into one four-minute song. Over tense strings and delicate piano, Tesfaye sings about his devotion to a lover with an intensity bordering on frightening. His first single to reach the Billboard Hot 100’s top five, as well as his first to be nominated for an Oscar, every moment of this song is fueled by passion. Tesfaye was given an amazing reception with this song, and there’s no question that he earned it.

Why does ‘80s pop music still sound so good today? There's obviously the production, but there’s also the unmistakable passion emanating from the performers. The Weeknd understands this, and “Take My Breath” is a track that hearkens back to an earlier era without sounding dated. The first single from “Dawn FM” sent our already-high levels of excitement through the roof. The beat is immediately intoxicating, with every thump of the drums and swirl of the synths. Then, Tesfaye sings like he’s addressing you directly. Although he talks about his infatuation, we can’t help but to fall in love with this song in all of its retro-futuristic glory. He took our breath away, and we don’t care about getting it back.

Illicit affairs drive the story of “The Hills,” where The Weeknd drops another career-defining chorus. Through ringing bells and solemn verses, Tesfaye argues for his casual love, and shockingly reveals he’s his most natural under the influence. The screeching, heavily distorted chorus is a jarring wake-up call that contrasts the quiet verses, and matches the actual emotional content of the track. Additional remixes highlight the natural pop power of his vocals, while the original maintains an ugliness that feels distinct from much Top 40 of the time. Tesfaye’s nod to Wes Craven also serves as a poetic comparison of the high life to a horror film. An iconic track, is it any wonder it bumped off Abel’s “Can’t Feel My Face” as the number one song on the Billboard Top 100?

For his debut single, The Weeknd stuck to a rock-riff sound to illuminate music fans about doomed relationships. The deceptively simple guitars colored “Wicked Games” as an equally sensual and disturbed tale. Tesfaye described a romance largely informed by pain and escape, which nevertheless felt good. The relatable story and straightforward sound grabbed listeners on all sides, as The Weeknd asserted he could bring heavy topics to radio-ready music. And as firmly stripped down as “Wicked Games” was, it allowed Tesfaye’s great harmonies and subject matter to shine through. The track laid out many concepts The Weeknd would become famous for, and started him on a road to success.

A retro melody and futuristic electronica combine into the modern gem that is “Blinding Lights.” In a summation of his self-destructive themes of pleasure-seeking and fame, the track sees him utterly transfixed by his vices. A surprising lover appears as his only way out, which gives the tune the hope that most of Tesfaye’s songs lack. The rushing beats and a punchy hook are impossible to keep still to, and the larger-than-life synths easily capture the entire aesthetic of “After Hours”. Lyrically, the song also leaves fans to decide whether the lights represent his vices, romantic partners or, well, the lights themselves. With enough fun energy to spawn a TikTok trend, “Blinding Lights” is Tesfaye’s argument that one’s later work can be even greater than their earlier efforts.