"Heartless" is a song by Canadian singer The Weeknd from his fourth studio albumAfter Hours. The song was released by XO and Republic Records on November 27, 2019, as the album's lead single. The Weeknd co-wrote the song with its producers Metro Boomin, Illangelo, and Dre Moon. The song reached number one in its second week on the US Billboard Hot 100, on December 14, 2019, becoming The Weeknd's fourth US number-one single. A Vapor Wave remix of the song featuring American rapper Lil Uzi Vert was released alongside the deluxe edition of its parent album on March 23, 2020. On April 3, 2020, an extended and normal-pitched version of the Lil Uzi Vert remix was released alongside the parent album's accompanying remix EP.
Background and release
The Weeknd first teased that he was working on a new album in November 2018, via a performance in which he told the crowd that "Chapter VI was coming soon." Following a trio of collaborative singles throughout 2019, on August 6, he further reassured fans that he was working on his fourth studio album. Then after a period of silence, on November 24 the single "Blinding Lights" was revealed through a Mercedes-Benztelevision commercial, with reports of "Heartless" surfacing a day later, along with its leaked cover art. It then premiered on the seventh episode of The Weeknd's Memento MoriBeats 1 radio show on November 27, 2019. In an interview with CR Men, Tesfaye confirmed that "Heartless" was the first song that he wrote for After Hours after the release of his 2018 EP My Dear Melancholy.
Lyrics
The lyrics of the song references the ex-girlfriends of The Weeknd, at the time, Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez. Throughout the first part of the single, Tesfaye sings about returning back to his playboy lifestyle after breaking up with both of them. In the second half of the song, he then proceeds to sing about his on-and-off relationship with Hadid.
Critical reception
The song was well received by music critics, who praised it for the production, its catchiness and The Weeknd's vocals. It was ranked as the 39th best song of 2019 by Complex. On a statement discussing the single's position on the list, Jessica McKinney complimented the song's production and its unique vibe. On March 6, 2020, Entertainment Weekly named "Heartless" The Weeknd's 11th best single, stating that "everything about the song is colossal".
Commercial performance
"Heartless" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 32 on the issue dated December 7, 2019, becoming the highest-debuting single of the week. The following week, it jumped 31 positions to the number one position on the chart, becoming The Weeknd's fourth number-one single in the United States. However, on the issue dated December 21, 2019, "Heartless" fell sixteen places out of the top ten to number 17, becoming the biggest drop from the number-one spot in the chart's 61-year history until 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj's "Trollz" in 2020. The song later returned to the top ten after the release of After Hours on the issue dated April 4, 2020, its first week in the top ten since December 2019. On the Rolling StoneTop 100 Songs chart, the song debuted at number fourteen, lodging 11.1 million streams after two days of tracking. In its second week, The song ascended at number one, becoming The Weeknd's first number-one song on the chart. In the singer's native Canada, "Heartless" reached number three on the Canadian Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number ten, becoming The Weeknd's seventh top-10 hit in the country.
Music videos
An official vertical lyric video for the song was released on December 2, 2019. The video was shot in the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The official music video for "Heartless" was released on December 3, 2019. The clip was also shot in Las Vegas, and stars The Weeknd and Metro Boomin. The video follows the two as they drunkenly explore casinos and parties, later hallucinating after licking a frog. The video ends with The Weeknd running down Fremont Street and vomiting. It was directed by Anton Tammi and inspired by the cult filmFear and Loathing in Las Vegas. An official music for the Lil Uzi Vert remix of the song was released on April 14, 2020, and it featured a montage of warped FHS footage and an anime version of The Weeknd throughout the visual.
Live performances
The debut live performance for "Heartless" occurred on December 5, 2019, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The performance saw The Weeknd descend into the backstage corridors of the Ed Sullivan theatre as the walls of the building bend and shift around him. A performance of "Blinding Lights" occurred the day after on the same show.
Remix
The song's first official remix features rapper Lil Uzi Vert and is titled "Heartless ". The Weeknd's vocals are chopped and screwed on the remix, while Lil Uzi's high-pitched vocals are also distorted. Complex's Jessica McKinney said of the collaboration, "After dropping two of the biggest albums of the year so far, it's clear both the Weeknd and Lil Uzi Vert are on a winning streak." A second non-vaporwave and extended version of the remix was released on April 3, 2020, alongside the remix EP After Hours .
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from The Weeknd's official website and Tidal.
The Weeknd – vocals, songwriting, production, programming, keyboards
Metro Boomin – songwriting, production, programming, keyboards
