Photo: Christopher Polk (Getty Images)
Regardless of how high you’re on The Weeknd’s new album Starboy, there’s no arguing that it’s the appropriate name as the Canadian singer has become arguably the biggest working male solo artist. From his body of work, you couldn’t guess that he is on the scene for just a couple of years, as he is the most productive successful vocal musician out there. That’s why choosing just 15 best The Weeknd songs and ranking them falls into the category of sweet troubles.
And although you can make the case that the crazy-haircut Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (which is his real name) was the best, The Weeknd new songs are also great and this list boasts tracks from all his four studio albums.
The Best The Weeknd Songs Ranked
15. A Lonely Night (Starboy 2016)
The most popish song on this list, and possibly of The Weeknd’s career, yet it still sounds fresh when the “guy with the hair” does it, even though he doesn’t have the hair anymore. But The Weeknd goes the opposite way of a normal pop star who is usually trying to please, seduce the girl implying that she’s the one, and basically lets her off with style, as the trademark beat goes on. Drake would never do that.
14. Life Of The Party (Trilogy 2012)
The track that undoubtedly helped The Weeknd achieve the cool factor as while you’re listening to his drawn out voice and the simple, primal instrumental you’ll automatically direct a gritty black and white video in your head. It’s a step up in tempo and one of his first tracks that was an underground club anthem thanks to the aggressive hook beat.
13. True Colors (Starboy 2016)
While the album Starboy is the most mainstream-sounding The Weeknd had, and even this track starts in a Bieberish manner, it quickly transitions to a signature alternative R&B sound which made The Weeknd stand out. It’s the flow of singing that makes this track special, while the relatable topic makes us think True Colors will be a late hit bloomer.
12. The Morning (Trilogy 2012)
It’s with this song that The Weeknd managed to paint a picture of his living, reminding us that male R&B musicians can be really hard. Beyond brining street cred to the genre and being highly sexual, The Morning displayed the sophistication of The Weeknd’s voice as the beat is simplistic and manages to put the singer in the spotlight.
11. Adaptation (Kiss Land 2013)
Haunting back vocals from The Police pull you into the song right away when The Weeknd starts his storytelling from which most rappers could a learn a lot. Changing between sliding high-pitched singing and the broken down cascading second verse shows originality, and this might be one of few The Weeknd tracks where more respect is due to the producers, but Abel did that as well, accompanied by DannyBoyStyles and Quenneville.
10. Often (Beauty Behind the Madness 2015)
The hype up anthem for guys everywhere trying to score, it brought the drug-using, sex-obsessed The Weeknd to broader masses, as Beauty Behind the Madness gained far bigger popularity than his previous work. A perverse song without going too overboard and staying in simple vulgarity despite the cuss words and the key to accomplishing that was Abel’s calm voice.
9. Tell Your Friends (Beauty Behind the Madness 2015)
There are some tracks that should always be listened back to back, and Often and Tell Your Friends fall into that category. Similarly topical, it’s main focus is on the girls he spends his nights with, employing them to spread the word of his… work. Another track where The Weeknd utilizes his ability to cut out the phrases in the verses without making them lose any smoothness as a whole.
