Returning to my look at a recent edition of the Billboard Hot 100, today’s track is a collaboration between The Weeknd and Ariana Grande that sits at #6.
‘Die For You’ is a perfect example of how TikTok has reshaped the music industry. This song first appeared on The Weeknd’s 2016 album Starboy and was released as that album’s sixth single. It peaked at #43 on this chart back then and had seemingly run its course.
‘Creepin’,’ from Metro Boomin’s 2022 album Heroes & Villains, sits at #5 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100, down from its peak at #3. This is the song’s 17th week on the chart.
‘Creepin” features The Weeknd on lead vocals and a rap break by 21 Savage. This is a remake of the 2004 song ‘I Don’t Wanna Know‘ by Mario Winans, which featured P. Diddy. Winans shows up on the bridge of this version and Diddy performs on a recent remix, so it’s nice to see Metro Boomin giving some love to the song’s originators.
The 30th top-charting song of 2022 comes courtesy of Post Malone, who also showed up at #26. That single found him paired up with Doja Cat, while this one partners him with The Weeknd.
This is a catchy synth-pop song about a truly toxic relationship, fueled by infidelity and sexual revenge. Kudos to Post Malone and The Weeknd for making such icky subject matter go down so easy, thanks to the 80s production influence The Weeknd has mined so well on recent releases.
It’s that time of year when critics start rolling out their “best of” lists, with albums usually first out of the gate. Unlike movies, you don’t see a ton of new music releases in December, so it’s safe to lock in your favorites.
Seeing those lists pop up made me realize how little new music I’ve discovered this year. That’s been the case for awhile now, actually, in contrast to years when I’ve had a couple of dozen new releases to consider. I think there are two main reasons for the change.
I last posted an installment of my ‘What the Kids Are Listening To’ series more than a year ago, before the coronavirus had even reached U.S. soil. The final song back then was The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights,’ sitting at #15 prior to the release of his album After Hours.
‘Blinding Lights’ is at #11 now, after setting a record by becoming the first song in history to spend a full year in Billboard’s Top 10. It holds the record for the most weeks spent in the Top 5, Top 10, Top 20 and Top 40. If only the rest of the world could have had as rewarding a year as that song.
Meet Me In Montauk 