In the Night (song)

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For other songs with the same title, see In the Night (disambiguation) § Music.
"In the Night"
Single by the Weeknd
from the album Beauty Behind the Madness
ReleasedNovember 17, 2015
Studio
Genre
Length3:55
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Max Martin
  • Ali Payami
  • The Weeknd (co.)
The Weeknd singles chronology
"Can't Feel My Face"
(2015) 		"In the Night" / "Acquainted"
(2015) 		"Might Not"
(2015)
Music video
"In The Night" on YouTube
"In The Night" (Short version) on YouTube

"In the Night" is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, from his second studio album, Beauty Behind the Madness (2015). The song was written by the Weeknd, Max Martin, Ali Payami, Savan Kotecha, Peter Svensson, and Belly. Martin and Payami produced the song with co-production from the Weeknd. The song was serviced to contemporary hit radio through XO and Republic Records on November 17, 2015, as the album's fourth single.[2]

Background and production[edit]

In 2013, the Weeknd released his debut studio album, Kiss Land. Although it received praise from critics, it underperformed commercially. Demotivated from this, the Weeknd went the head of urban A&R for Republic Records, Wendy Goldstein, for advice. Goldstein arranged for him to feature on the American singer Ariana Grande's 2014 song, "Love Me Harder", directing him to the Swedish producer Max Martin. After "Love Me Harder", the Weeknd wanted to secure Martin as a collaborator for his second studio album. Martin presented him with some pre-written material, which were all rejected. Writing songs from scratch, "In the Night" was the first song the two wrote.[3]

"In the Night" was written by the Weeknd, Belly, Martin, Savan Kotecha, Peter Svensson, and Ali Payami. Production was handled by Martin and Payami, with co-production from the Weeknd. Payami played live drums, synthesizers, keys, and bass, and provided programming for the song with additional contributions from Martin. At MXM Studios in Los Angeles, California, and Wolf Cousins Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, Sam Holland engineered the track with assistance from Cory Rice and Jeremy Lertola. It was mixed at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach by Serban Ghenea, with John Hanes serving as mixing engineer. The track was mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound in New York City.[4]

Composition and release[edit]

"In the Night" and two other songs by the Weeknd was leaked on May 26, 2015.[5] On August 4, the track list for Beauty Behind the Madness was revealed; "In the Night" appeared as the tenth track.[6] On October 17, Rolling Stone reported that the song would be the next single from Beauty Behind the Madness.[7] The song was serviced to contemporary hit radio on November 17, as the album's fourth single.[2] Nearly five years after its release, on April 6, 2020, it was serviced to hot and modern adult contemporary radio stations.[8]

"In the Night" is a disco track.[1] The song's sheet music shows a composition of A minor in compound meter at a moderate tempo of 112 beats per minute. The vocals span from E3 to D5.[9] Lyrically, "In the Night" details the story about a woman who is a victim of sexual abuse.[10]

Critical reception[edit]

The song was well received by critics. Like the Weeknd's previous collaboration with Max Martin, "Can't Feel My Face", it has been widely compared to works by Michael Jackson. Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone wrote "Sometimes, the album stirs up real drama. 'In the Night' could be just one more 'Dirty Diana'-style ode to a predatory babe — until we learn the woman in the song is the victim of abuse, 'dancing to relieve the pain.'"[11] Harley Brown of Spin wrote that the song "comes the closest to the wall-scaling studio and automobile airwave euphoria of 'Can't Feel My Face', ratcheting up to background synths on the scope of '80s spectacles like 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World.'" He adds, "The real star here is, as usual, his voice, tapping at the uppermost fragile glass of his register without quite breaking it".[12]

Music video[edit]

The song's music video, directed by BRTHR, was released on December 8, 2015,[13] and features the Weeknd's then-girlfriend, model Bella Hadid. It depicts Hadid as a waitress at a seedy nightclub of dancers frequented by dangerous gangsters. The leading gangster takes a particular liking to the waitress, as the Weeknd watches helplessly as she and the dancers are being taken advantage of by gangsters. The clip grows increasingly disorienting, building to a chaotic sequence in which the waitress and her fellow dancers finally kill off the gangsters. The leading gangster, however, tracks down the Weeknd in the final scene, placing a gun to his head — but is saved by who appears to be the waitress, who kills the gangster, before the two ride off on a motorcycle. The video ends with the dancers dragging a gangster's corpse into a sea, with shaky camera footage, as the screen goes to black. A shortened version of the video was released on February 14, 2016.

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[58] Platinum 70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[59] Platinum 60,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[60] 2× Platinum 160,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[61] Platinum 90,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[62] Gold 30,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[63] Gold 7,500*
Portugal (AFP)[64] Gold 10,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[65] Platinum 40,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[67] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡

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

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States November 17, 2015 Contemporary hit radio
[2]
April 6, 2020 Hot/Modern/AC [8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Ryce, Andrew (September 2, 2015). "The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015.
  3. ^ Caramanica, Jon (July 27, 2015). "Can the Weeknd Turn Himself Into the Biggest Pop Star in the World?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 27, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd (CD liner notes). Republic Records. 2015. 50330-5.
  5. ^ White, Caitlin (May 26, 2015). "The Weeknd – "I Can't Feel My Face" + "In The Night" + "In The '90s"". Stereogum. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  6. ^ Frydenlund, Zach (August 4, 2015). "Here's the Tracklist For The Weeknd's 'Beauty Behind the Madness' Album (Updated)". Complex. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  7. ^ Eells, Josh (October 17, 2015). "Sex, Drugs and R&B: Inside the Weeknd's Dark Twisted Fantasy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases". Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
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  61. ^ "Danish single certifications – The Weeknd – In the Night". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  62. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved October 6, 2021. Type The Weeknd in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and In the Night in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
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  67. ^ "American single certifications – The Weeknd – In the Night". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
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