"Save Your Tears" is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd from his fourth studio album, After Hours (2020). It was released to Dutch contemporary hit radio on August 9, 2020, as the album's fifth and final single. The song was written and produced by the Weeknd, Max Martin, and Oscar Holter, with Belly and DaHeala receiving additional writing credits.
In the United States, the solo version peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100. A remix with American singer Ariana Grande was released on April 23, 2021, and propelled the song to number one on the Hot 100, marking both artists' sixth number-one single on the chart. This also made After Hours the first album since Drake's Scorpion in 2018 to have three singles from the same album to reach number one. The song has since been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
"Save Your Tears" was the best-selling global single of 2021, earning 2.15 billion subscription streams equivalents globally according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). "Save Your Tears" and its remix with Grande peaked at number one in 18 countries and reached the top ten in 33 others. In the Weeknd's native country Canada, the remix peaked at number one on the Canadian Hot 100, where it became both the Weeknd and Grande's sixth chart-topper. The remix also peaked at number one on the Billboard Global 200, becoming the Weeknd's first number-one single on the chart and Grande's second.
Lyrics and composition This song was composed of C Major with an Allegro moderato tempo of 118 beats per minute. The vocals span from the low note of G3 to the high note of A4.
Complexs Joyce Ng summarized the song's production as "an array of bright synths and ominous melodies." The song's lyrics explore themes of heartbreak, the Weeknd acknowledging he broke someone's heart "like someone did to [his]".
Critical reception Billboard hailed the song as the best track on After Hours, stating: "Although 'Save Your Tears' is one of the most pop-driven songs on the album, the Weeknd doesn't hold back when it comes to the rather cold nature he usually finds himself adopting when it comes to his lovers. The production remains upbeat and steady the entire time, thanks to work from Max Martin, Oscar Holter, DaHeala, and The Weeknd himself, combining the best of his old content and some newer, more mainstream-driven sounds". Craig Jenkins of Vulture raved, "The Weeknd perfects the kitschy '80s genre experiment with 'Save Your Tears', a gutting breakup tune gorgeous and simple enough to stand alongside peak '80s pop like the Cars' 'You Might Think' (and slick enough to swipe a bit of melody from Wham!'s 'Everything She Wants' in the chorus). The piece concocts sound informed by both trap and dance music, encased in dense atmospherics, and heavy on crisp, bright keys". "'Save Your Tears' has both tonal echoes of Depeche Mode's melancholy and a nod to 'Everything She Wants' by Wham!, exhibiting shimmery mid-80s luxuriance", praised The New York Times editor Jon Caramanica.
Slant columnist Seth Wilson observed, "'Save Your Tears' revels in spite, flaunting how over-it Tesfaye is in front of his ex while teasing the possibility of reconciliation. Tesfaye's distinct brand of R&B consistently draws from other genres, but hearing him embrace a straight-up synth-rock sound here is an exciting change of pace". "He draws on synth-pop nostalgia to mirror the tragic glitz of '80s Hollywood: the plinking synths and slick hand-claps of 'Save Your Tears' evokes a long-lost Wham! track. His bleeding-heart melodies and unforgettable hooks remind us why we keep listening to the '80s first place", exclaimed Pitchfork writer Isabella Herrera. Jem Aswad of Variety commented, "'Save Your Tears', which could have been an MTV staple in the early '80s, is begging for period-appropriate videos. The record has thwacking electronic percussion and the vocoder hearkening back to Electric Light Orchestra's 'Mr. Blue Sky'".
Mark Richardson from The Wall Street Journal asserted that "'Save Your Tears' includes soaring melodies that provide ample opportunity for Mr. Tesfaye to show off his vocal range, being used on television singing competitions. By design, it is big and broad, less specific lyrically and further from the shadowy persona at the heart of the Weeknd—Mr. Tesfaye often seems downright affable here. Mr. Martin and the Weeknd show the influence of 1980s synth pop. The piece sounds like something from a John Hughes soundtrack". Michael Cragg from Vogue UK praised the record as "the sort of synth experimentation last heard in 1984 on The NeverEnding Story soundtrack". GQs Zak Maoui applauded "Save Your Tears" as one of the Weeknd's "best musical offerings to date". Apple Music applauded the composition, "Few things about 'Save Your Tears' mark it as a breakup song: For one, the production is drenched in bright, '80s-style synths that sound more glamorous than forlorn. Yet the Weeknd manages to imbue the single with a sense of heartbroken remorse, a rare emotion in his arsenal. Many came to love him through his more shadowy offerings, but there's no denying the power he brings to the nostalgic, splashy pop style he exhibits here". IFPI Chief Executive, Frances Moore has stated, "It has been another brilliant year for 'The Weeknd' and 'Save Your Tears' has unquestionably been one of the world's most loved songs."
Accolades +Awards and nominations for "Save Your Tears" Year Organization Award Result 2021 American Music Awards Favorite Music Video 2021 MTV Millennial Awards Global Hit of the Year 2021 MTV Video Music Awards Video of the Year 2021 NRJ Music AwardsInternational Song of the Year 2021 UK Music Video Awards Best Live Video 2022 ASCAP Pop Music Awards Winning Songwriters & Publishers 2022 Brit Awards International Song of the Year 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards Best Music Video 2022 iHeartRadio Titanium Awards Best Music Video
Commercial performance Following the release of its parent album, "Save Your Tears" debuted at number 41 on the US Billboard Hot 100, dated April 4, 2020. The record reached number four, becoming the third top five hit from the album. On June 17, 2021, "Save Your Tears" was awarded a 3× Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling three million units in the United States. On April 24, the song reached number one on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart, where it led for four consecutive weeks. On May 15, the song reached number one on Adult Pop Songs chart, where it led for 5 consecutive weeks.
In the singer's native country of Canada, "Save Your Tears" reached number 46 on the Canadian Hot 100 following its parent album's release. After its release as a single, it peaked at number two for five non-consecutive weeks. In the United Kingdom, "Save Your Tears" peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. In Australia, "Save Your Tears" peaked at number 3 on the ARIA Charts.
Globally, "Save Your Tears" was the best-selling global single of 2021, earning 2.15 billion subscription streams equivalents globally according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). It marked the Weeknd's second consecutive time achieving the global digital single award, following "Blinding Lights" in 2020. "Save Your Tears" was also the fifth best-selling global single of 2022 with 1.32 billion subscription streams equivalents. It was the thirteenth best-selling global single of 2023 with 1.19 billion subscription streams equivalents. It entered in almost every international music markets, and reached the summit for some of them, including Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Iceland, Malaysia, Serbia, Singapore and Slovenia, top ten in Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland, top twenty in Argentina, Ecuador, the Netherlands, Philippines, Spain and UAE and top thirty in South Africa.
Music video Background and synopsis The official music video for "Save Your Tears" was first teased by the Weeknd as being on its way through his social media platforms on January 4, 2021. It was released the following day. Prosthetic Renaissance Makeup-FX Studio designer Mike Marino crafted the signature look resembling plastic surgery. The process commenced as he shaped a general sculpture of the Weeknd's modified visage, then created the prosthetics. Four primary prosthetic components were involved: one for each lip; one for the nose, eyebrows, and forehead; and one for the cheeks and chin. After they were applied to the Weeknd's face, makeup was utilized to make them blend in.
Directed by Cliqua, the video sees the Weeknd wearing a diamond-adorned version of his original red-jacketed outfit. The bruises on his face are no longer present, although his character has apparently undergone a bizarre plastic surgery. He performs in a lavish nightclub occupied by formally attired members wearing glittery, full-face masks that pay homage to scenes from Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut; his backing band is also wearing masks. He wanders out into the motionless, seated crowd, guzzling one person's champagne and laying his arm on the head of another until he notices a gorgeously brilliant, maskless woman in the audience (played by Bianca Rojas) and guides her onstage. While they initially are dancing joyfully, the camera soon reveals that the Weeknd is hiding a pistol behind his back. The lights go out and when the lights are turned back on, the Weeknd has placed his gun in one of her hands with him pointing the gun at his own head. The woman realizes this and shrieks. The scene concludes with the Weeknd holding the pistol to his own head. As the song finishes, he pulls the trigger, releasing confetti. The assembly applauds apprehensively at first, then enthusiastically.
Reception Rolling Stone journalist Jon Blistein exclaimed, "The Weeknd delivers an exuberant rendition of 'Save Your Tears' to a lifeless, buttoned-up crowd all wearing party masks". Variety columnist Jen Aswad stated, "It's a fitting, more than slightly disturbing and suitably bizarre continuation in a series of highly unconventional promotional videos". Editor Starr Bowenbank of Cosmopolitan asserted, "The Weeknd continues to deliver high-quality content...and his newest offering, the music video for 'Save Your Tears' is no exception".
The aforementioned prosthetic led to the formation of memes and saw the Weeknd compared to Handsome Squidward. Hidden symbolism referencing the Grammys and the Weeknd's perceived Grammy snub was commented on by NME, who commented on fan speculation that the music video was deliberately throwing shade at the situation.
Live performances The song's debut live performance occurred during the American Music Awards of 2020 on November 22, 2020, where it was performed alongside the Kenny G remix of "In Your Eyes" in downtown Los Angeles. In his performance, the Weeknd sported a bandaged look that continued the narrative of the visuals that he released for After Hours.
In August 2020, the song was one of the tracks featured on TikTok's virtual concert: The Weeknd Experience. It served as the AR livestream's closing track. On February 7, 2021, "Save Your Tears" was performed halfway through Tesfaye's performance at the Super Bowl LV halftime show at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. On May 11, 2021, the Weeknd performed "Save Your Tears" at the Brit Awards, wearing a sailor-style raincoat, and "crooning" the song in a brightly lit, sparse box as thunder and lightning raged above him. Toward the end of the song, he wandered out of the box to finish singing in the rain.
Personnel Credits adapted from Billboard. The Weeknd – vocals, production, programming, keyboards, bass, guitar, drums