The Weeknd has nearly a decade of chart success under his belt, yet he still seems to be getting warmed up. With Blinding Lights, he eventually landed his first Number 1 on the Official UK Singles Chart in 2020, following multiple close calls, and his Super Bowl halftime show, upcoming album, and year-long world tour in 2022 appear ready to drive him to even greater heights.
In the United Kingdom, the Canadian singer-songwriter has amassed over 27.1 million chart sales – including a whopping 2.7 billion streaming – over his 52 Top 100 hits. Save Your Tears, The Weeknd’s most recent addition to his all-time Top 10, has rapidly cemented itself in his hall of fame.
The song is one of the most pop-oriented from The Weeknd’s After Hours album, despite its heavy dose of gloomy sorrow. The Hills (whose hook is a reference to Wes Craven’s iconic film The Hills Have Eyes) is a heartbreaking yet sonically experimental reflection on fame, passion, and narcotics.
Starboy: The album’s title track incorporates typical Weeknd cliches about the dark side of fame and notoriety, countered by Daft Punk’s stuttering electropop production. It’s easy to forget that Blinding Lights didn’t start as a smash hit; it debuted at No. 12 and climbed to No. 1 nine weeks later, becoming his first UK chart-topper.