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The Hills (song)

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"The Hills"
Song

"The Hills" is a song by Canadian PBR&B recording artist The Weeknd. The track was released on May 27, 2015 as the lead single from his second studio album, Beauty Behind the Madness (2015).[1]

Critical reception

Critical reception to "The Hills" was positive, with most critics lauding it as a return-to-form for the Weeknd, whose previous single "Earned It" marked a more pop-oriented direction. 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."[2] 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."[3] In an analytical piece for Pitchfork Media, 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..."[4] 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."[5]

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.[6] 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.[7] The following week, the single declined by one position but earned the largest gain in streams on the chart.[8] It has since peaked at number 4, becoming The Weeknd's fourth top-10 single. By reaching number 4, The Weeknd is the first solo male (as a lead on both tracks) with two concurrent top five Hot 100 entries ("The Hills" and "Can't Feel My Face") in more than five years, after B.o.B. in 2010.[9] As of August 2015, "The Hills" has sold 1,013,000 copies in the country.[10]

Music video

The video begins showing a wrecked car that has flipped over. Abel is seen crawling out of the car before helping two other women get out. As the song progresses, Abel is seen walking by himself down a dark street, and around the middle of the song, the wrecked car explodes behind him. 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, symbolizing the fact that he went to Hell for how he treats women in his songs. A man holding an apple sits waiting for him, next to the two women from the car, and the video cuts to black.

The man from inside the mansion is the same man from the "Can't Feel My Face" video in the crowd that sets him on fire.

Track listing

Digital download[1]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Hills"
4:02

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[11] 33
Australian Urban (ARIA)[12] 5
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[13] 55
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[14] 70
Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[15] 25
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[16] 14
Denmark (Tracklisten)[17] 21
France (SNEP)[18] 67
Invalid chart entered Germany2 53
Ireland (IRMA)[19] 21
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 57
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21] 16
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 30
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 42
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[24] 5
UK Singles (OCC)[25] 30
US Billboard Hot 100[9] 4
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[26] 3
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[27] 22
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[28] 4

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[29] Gold 7,500*
United States (RIAA)[30] 2× Platinum† 1,013,000[10]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

† Since May 2013 RIAA certifications for digital singles include on-demand audio and/or video song streams in addition to downloads.[31]

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Canada May 26, 2015[1] Digital download

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Hills - Single by The Weeknd". iTunes (US). Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ [2]
  4. ^ [3]
  5. ^ [4]
  6. ^ "The Hot 100: The Week of June 13, 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "The Hot 100: The Week of June 20, 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  9. ^ a b "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Mansell, Henry (August 29, 2015). "Hip Hop Single Sales: The Weeknd, Silentó & Fetty Wap". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  11. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  12. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 40 Urban Singles Chart". ARIA Charts. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  13. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved August 55, 2015.
  14. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  15. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  16. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  17. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills". Tracklisten. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  18. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  19. ^ "Chart Track: Week 36, 2015". Irish Singles Chart.
  20. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  21. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  22. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  23. ^ "The Weeknd – The Hills". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  24. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  25. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  26. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  27. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  28. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  29. ^ "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  30. ^ "American single certifications – The Weeknd – The Hills". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  31. ^ "RIAA Adds Digital Streams To Historic Gold & Platinum Awards". Recording Industry Association of America. May 9, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
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