Jump to content

The Hills (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Osh33m (talk | contribs) at 17:45, 24 June 2020 (these certifications can be for individual songs or entire projects). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"The Hills"
Single by The Weeknd
from the album Beauty Behind the Madness
ReleasedMay 27, 2015 (2015-05-27)
Recorded2014
StudioAbel's Crib in Trump Towers (Toronto, Ontario)[1]
Genre
Length
  • 4:04 (album and single version)
  • 3:55 (video version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Weeknd singles chronology
"Earned It"
(2014) 		"The Hills"
(2015) 		"Can't Feel My Face"
(2015)
Music video
"The Hills" on YouTube

"The Hills" is a song by Canadian singer The Weeknd. It was released on May 27, 2015 as the second single from his second studio album, Beauty Behind the Madness (2015).[2] "The Hills" was a critical success, appearing on several year-end lists. In the singer's native Canada, the song peaked at number one. In the United States it also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, replacing his own "Can't Feel My Face". The song also made the top 10 in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. It reached the top 20 in Denmark and Sweden while reaching the top 40 in The Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland. A music video for the song was released on May 27, 2015, directed by Grant Singer.

The song was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling more than ten million copies in May 2019, making it The Weeknd's first diamond-certified record.[3]

Composition

The song is written in the key of C minor in common time with a tempo of 113 beats per minute. The vocals in the song span from C3 to E♭5.[4]

Producer Illangelo stated "I'm very optimistic and positive with anything I put my energy towards, so for me, Abel's success now is what I imagined it always should have been. 'The Hills' was an opportunity for us to go back to the classical, original the Weeknd moments of our first mixtapes that I co–produced and mixed in their entirety, and then bringing that into a new context, with a pop arrangement and chords in a faster tempo. It's the perfect marriage of that."[5] While promoting After Hours, The Weeknd claimed to have recorded 67 versions of the song.[6]

Critical reception

That's probably the most important song in my career because it is the Weeknd and the irony being it was the most successful song that I had ever done.

— The Weeknd on "The Hills"[7]

"The Hills" received critical acclaim, with most reviewers praising The Weeknd's return to form after his pop-oriented direction with "Earned It". James Shotwell of Under the Gun wrote that the single fit well within Abel's prior output, but that "Abel's ability to create something altogether hypnotic regardless of production never ceases to amaze."[8] Brian Mansfield of USA Today noted that "when a song takes its hook from a horror film—Wes Craven's 1977 cult classic The Hills Have Eyes—you know there's bound to be trouble."[9]

In an analytical piece for Pitchfork, Hannah Giorgis called "The Hills" "a dark, almost discordant meditation on lust, drugs, and fame" while noting that "to those familiar with his repertoire, the only twist in 'The Hills' is how it ends: as the final chords fade, a woman's voice, syrupy and sedate, closes with a lullaby of sorts—not in English, but in Amharic, the primary language of Ethiopia and the Weeknd's own native tongue." She goes on to trace the song's melodic and lyrical origins to the Ethiopian diaspora. She continues, writing that "the familiarity of Tesfaye's strained vibrato makes him the inheritor of musical legacies that Abyssinia has birthed for generations..."[10] In a review for The New York Post, Hardeep Phull wrote that "The 'Fifty Shades of Grey' fans who were turned on to [The] Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) through his hit 'Earned It' are in for a shock, because he is in brilliantly sinister form on his new track." Continuing, Phull goes on to say that "When it comes to being a Don Juan with a dark side, this guy makes Christian Grey look like Ned Flanders."[11]

Rolling Stone ranked "The Hills" at number 11 on its year-end list to find the 50 best songs of 2015.[12] The same magazine also included "Earned It" and "Can't Feel My Face" on the same list. Billboard ranked "The Hills" at number 10 on its year-end list for 2015: "Number one hits aren't supposed to be this sonically adventurous and dark, but The Weeknd can do no wrong in 2015. There's barely a pop hook to speak of here—just a beguiling, harrowing soundscape that's impossible to forget."[13] Time named "The Hills" the fifth-best song of 2015.[14] The Village Voice ranked "The Hills" at number 22 on their annual year-end critic's poll; "Can't Feel My Face" was ranked at number three on the same poll.[15]

The song was also the subject of copyright infringement, as Cutting Edge Music alleged that the bassline was featured in the score for The Machine.[16]

Commercial performance

In the United States, "The Hills" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 20 for the chart dated June 13, 2015; it was the week's highest debut.[17] Its debut was overwhelmingly powered by first-week digital download sales of 109,000 copies and 5.2 million domestic streams, aided by the simultaneous premiere of its music video on the single's release date.[18] The following week, the single declined by one position but earned the largest gain in streams on the chart.[19] It has since become The Weeknd's second number-one single in the United States on the issue dated October 3, 2015, replacing the singer's own "Can't Feel My Face", becoming the first artist since Taylor Swift to replace themselves at the top spot.[20] "The Hills" spent six consecutive weeks at number one before being replaced by Adele's "Hello" on the issue dated of November 14, 2015. It remained in the chart's top ten for twenty-one consecutive weeks before finally dropping out on January 16, 2016 and also ending The Weeknd's 45-consecutive weeks in the top 10.[citation needed] As of June 2016, "The Hills" has sold 2,946,000 copies in the country.[21]

In the UK, "The Hills" entered the UK Singles Chart at 51, for the week ending June 6, 2015. The following week, it went to 30. The following week, it fell to 35. Three weeks later, it had fallen out of the top 40, but the following week it re-entered at 35 and spent 7 more weeks hovering without going higher than 31. For the week ending September 10, 2015, it climbed from 35 to 29. For 5 more weeks, it climbed, reaching 23, before rocketing to number 5 the week later. On the week ending October 29, 2015, it reached number 3 on its 20th week, being held off by Perfect by One Direction (at number 2) and Turn the Music Louder (Rumble) by KDA (at number 1). It spent 7 weeks altogether in the top 10 and 12 in the top 20. It managed to spend longer a lot longer in the top 40 (39 weeks) and 57 in the top 100. It spent 51 weeks in the top 100 in its first run. It was number 25 on the end of year chart.

Music video

The music video for "The Hills" was directed by Grant Singer. It was uploaded to YouTube on May 27, 2015. As of June 2020, the video has been viewed over 1.5 billion times, placing it in the 100 most viewed YouTube videos. The video begins showing a wrecked car that has flipped over, and the reason it flipped is unknown. The Weeknd is seen crawling out of the car before helping two women to get out. As the song progresses, The Weeknd is seen walking by himself down South June Street in Los Angeles,[22] and at the beginning of the second chorus, the wrecked car explodes behind him.[23] He occasionally is pushed repeatedly by one of the women from the car. At the end of the song, he enters an abandoned mansion, and goes upstairs to a room illuminated with red light. A man holding an apple sits waiting for him, next to two other women, and the video cuts to black.

The man from inside the mansion is Rick Wilder, who also appears in both the "Can't Feel My Face" and "Tell Your Friends" music videos.[24]

Another music video was filmed for the Eminem remix in collaboration with GoPro and United Realities, is a 360-degree virtual reality video in which The Weeknd is seen leaving a venue and heading to his limo (taking him to the afterparty featured in an Apple Music commercial, with John Travolta as his driver).[25][26][27] As the viewer changes the angles, it's shown that comets are raining down and the raining debris causing fiery explosions around the area. The car that's flipped over in the original music video is also in view. As he approaches his limousine, a fiery explosion consumes him.

Remixes and media use

On October 10, 2015, two remixes of the song were released online. One featured American rapper Eminem and the other featured Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj.[28] The remix by Minaj was performed on Saturday Night Live along with The Weeknd. A virtual music video was made for the Eminem remix.[29] American rapper Lil Wayne remixed the song for his mixtape No Ceilings 2.[30] The song was also featured in Life in Pieces season 1, episode 21 and in a commercial to advertise Yves Saint Laurent's Black Opium perfume, featuring Zoe Kravitz.[31]

On August 9, 2016, another remix has also been released by the Belgian DJ duo, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, as one of the free downloads of their "Summer of Madness" tracks.[32]

Track listing

  • Digital download
  1. "The Hills" (The Weeknd only) – 3:55
  • Digital download – remixes[33]
  1. "The Hills" (featuring Eminem) – 4:23
  2. "The Hills" (featuring Nicki Minaj) – 4:02
  • Digital download – remixes
  1. "The Hills" (RL Grime Remix) – 4:31
  2. "The Hills" (Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Remix) – 5:55

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[99] 3× Platinum 210,000‡
Belgium (BEA)[100] Gold 10,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[101] 8× Platinum 640,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[102] 2× Platinum 180,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[103] 3× Gold 600,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[104] Platinum 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[105] 2× Platinum 30,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[106] Gold 20,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[107] 3× Platinum 60,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[108] Gold 20,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[109] 3× Platinum 120,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[111] 2× Platinum 402,281[110]
United States (RIAA)[112] 11× Platinum 11,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Canada May 26, 2015[2] Digital download

References

  1. ^ "The Hills liner notes". August 28, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "The Hills - Single by The Weeknd". iTunes (US). Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  3. ^ "The Weeknd's 'The Hills' Certified Diamond: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  4. ^ "The Hills". www.musicnotes.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  5. ^ Tingen, Paul. "Inside Track: The Weeknd". Soundonsound. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  6. ^ "The Weeknd Goes Track-by-Track (Almost) on 'After Hours'". Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  7. ^ "How the Weeknd got his revenge and became one of the biggest pop stars". LA Times. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  8. ^ "The Weeknd Drops 'The Hills'". Under the Gun Review. Archived from the original on July 23, 2017.
  9. ^ "Song of the Week: The Weeknd's 'The Hills'". USA TODAY. June 2, 2015.
  10. ^ "The Weeknd's East African Roots". Pitchfork.
  11. ^ "The Weeknd gets sinister and more music reviews". New York Post.
  12. ^ "50 Best Songs of 2015". Billboard.com.
  13. ^ "Billboard 25 Best Songs of 2015: Critics' Picks". Billboard.com.
  14. ^ "Best Songs of 2015". Time. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  15. ^ "Pazz & Jop Statistics". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  16. ^ "THE WEEKND SUED OVER 'THE HILLS'". Tmz. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  17. ^ "The Hot 100: The Week of June 13, 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  18. ^ Mendizabal, Amaya (June 4, 2015). "The Weeknd's 'The Hills' Makes Top 10 Debut on Hot R&B Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  19. ^ "The Hot 100: The Week of June 20, 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  20. ^ "The Weeknd replaces himself at No. 1 with 'The Hills'". Billboard.com.
  21. ^ "Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 06/06/2016" (PDF). Nielsen SoundScan. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2016.
  22. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills Filming Location". Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  23. ^ Locations, Global Film (April 24, 2017). "The Weeknd – The Hills Filming Location". globalfilmlocations.net.
  24. ^ Ducker, Eric. "How This Glam Rock OG Became the Weeknd's Video Muse". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  25. ^ "WATCH JOHN TRAVOLTA PLAY THE WEEKND'S DRIVER IN NEW APPLE MUSIC AD". Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  26. ^ "Apple Music - TV Ad 1 - Afterparty with "The Weeknd"". Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  27. ^ "Apple Music - TV Ad 2 - Afterparty with "The Weeknd"". Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  28. ^ "Listen To Both Eminem & Nicki Minaj's Remixes Of The Weeknd's "The Hills"". hotnewhiphop. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  29. ^ "The Weeknd - The Hills remix feat. Eminem ( A Virtual Reality Experience) - YouTube".
  30. ^ "Lil Wayne's "No Ceilings 2" Tracklist Revealed". hotnewhiphop. November 26, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  31. ^ "Black Opium advert girl and song explained - 2020 Yves Saint Laurent commercial is a hit!". Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  32. ^ ""SUMMER OF MADNESS" by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike".
  33. ^ "iTunes - Music - The Hills (Remixes) - Single by The Weeknd". iTunes Store (GB).
  34. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  35. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 40 Urban Singles Chart". ARIA Charts. Archived from the original on August 23, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  36. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  37. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  38. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  39. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  40. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  41. ^ The Weeknd — The Hills. TopHit.
  42. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 51. týden 2015 in the date selector.
  43. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 42. týden 2015 in the date selector. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  44. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills". Tracklisten. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  45. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  46. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  47. ^ "Chart Track: Week 43, 2015". Irish Singles Chart.
  48. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills". Top Digital Download. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  49. ^ "The Official Lebanese Top 20". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  50. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  51. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  52. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills". VG-lista. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  53. ^ "Russia Airplay Chart for 2016-07-11." TopHit.
  54. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  55. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201549 into search. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  56. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201552,53 into search. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  57. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  58. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills". Singles Top 100. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  59. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  60. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  61. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  62. ^ "Ukraine Airplay Chart for 2016-06-13." TopHit.
  63. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  64. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  65. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  66. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  67. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  68. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  69. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  70. ^ Zellner, Xander (October 17, 2018). "LSD's 'Thunderclouds' Rules Top TV Commercials Chart for September 2018". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  71. ^ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  72. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Urban Singles 2015". ARIA. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  73. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  74. ^ "Track Top-100 2015" (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  75. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  76. ^ "Jaaroverzichten - Single 2015" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  77. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 2015". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  78. ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 2015" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  79. ^ "The Official Top 40 Biggest Songs of 2015 revealed". Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  80. ^ "Hot 100: Year End 2015". Billboard. billboard.com. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  81. ^ "Year-end - US Hot R&B/Hop-hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  82. ^ "Hot R&B Singles: Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  83. ^ "Pop Songs Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  84. ^ "Rhythmic Songs Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  85. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Urban Singles 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  86. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  87. ^ "CIS Year-End Radio Hits (2016)". Tophit. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  88. ^ "Top Singles Annuel (physique + téléchargement + streaming) – 2016" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  89. ^ "Russian Top Year-End Radio Hits (2016)". Tophit. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  90. ^ "Ukrainian Top Year-End Radio Hits (2016)". Tophit. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  91. ^ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2016". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  92. ^ "Hot 100 Songs - Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  93. ^ "Year-end - US Hot R&B/Hop-hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  94. ^ "Hot R&B Singles: Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  95. ^ Copsey, Rob (December 11, 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest songs of the decade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  96. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  97. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  98. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  99. ^ Ryan, Gavin (March 12, 2016). "ARIA Singles: Lukas Graham Spends 4th Week at No 1". Noise11. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  100. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2016". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  101. ^ "Canadian single certifications – The Weeknd – The Hills". Music Canada. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  102. ^ "Danish single certifications – The Weeknd – The Hills". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  103. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Weeknd; 'The Hills')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  104. ^ "Italian single certifications – The Weeknd – The Hills" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "2016" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "The Hills" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  105. ^ "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 27, 2015.[dead link‍]
  106. ^ "Norwegian single certifications – The Weeknd – The Hills" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  107. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2016 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  108. ^ "Spanish single certifications – The Weeknd – The Hills". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  109. ^ "The Weeknd - The Hills" (in Swedish). Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  110. ^ Copsey, Rob (September 20, 2017). "The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  111. ^ "British single certifications – The Weeknd – The Hills". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 27, 2017. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type The Hills in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  112. ^ "American single certifications – The Weeknd – The Hills". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Hills_(song)&oldid=964296013"