Every Song From The Weeknd’s ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ Album Ranked: Critic’s Picks

With “I Can’t F–king Sing” as an eight-second interlude and transition to The Weeknd and Anitta’s 2024 collaboration “São Paulo,” the star power on paper doesn’t produce handsome results as The Weeknd dives into the world of Brazilian Funk. The inflated production drowns out the vocals and leaves listeners yearning for more, especially from what was first deemed a fiery pairing like The Weeknd and Anitta. – C.L.

A woozy lullaby downshifts the album down a few notches as The Weeknd pivots to “Big Sleep,” which samples the 1978 Midnight Express theme song. Initially previewed in 2021, the downtrodden opera feels like more of a haunting palette cleanser setting Abel up for a grand final act. – M.S.

A slinky tune to accompany your next road trip. Abel bathes in his greatness as he nears billionaire status and touches on his non-existent relationship with his father. But there’s still more work to be done, “Tryna end up my traumas, tryna clean up my closet” while avoiding the traps laid out by media members. Death to the misinformation, The Weeknd’s out to make his enemies pay. – M.S.

Pretty simple, roll the windows down and cruise down the West Side Highway while taking in all the Big Apple skyscrapers illuminating the way. The Weeknd tries to outrun issues in his life while clearing his head and looking back on the innocence he had as a kid. Why did we want to grow up so fast? “Cause fame is a disease,” he admits. – M.S.

Split into two parts, “Given Up On Me” is a chilling tale of The Weeknd. Spilling his pain in cathartic fashion, The Weeknd shines over this Metro Boomin and Mike Dean collaboration, which features a brief cameo on Future on the bridge. Seemingly accepting his fate and imminent demise, The Weeknd urges his lover to let him fade to black. The second half finds him floating over somber piano keys, realizing that as challenging as it is, he can no longer be with his “sunshine.” – C.L.

“Open Hearts” feels very copy and paste for The Weeknd, in terms of delivering a loaded synth-pop record and speaking on one day falling in love again with aplomb. With him considered the ultimate needle-mover in pop right now, The Weeknd punches in another formulaic song lacking the same punch and fury as his previous tracks, even with super-producer Max Martin at his disposal. – C.L.

A journal entry in the form of a letter to the fans who helped fuel his greatness and push him to dig deeper into the depths of his soul which elevated his artistic capabilities to heights he didn’t think were possible. A celestial penultimate outro, but the crowd’s roar made it all worth the journey, even if we don’t know if tomorrow’s coming. This is really the end. – M.S.

The Weeknd is again battling his demons head-on and is on the brink of losing again. With the aid of oft-collaborator Travis Scott, they once again prove why they’re a potent tag team, with The Weeknd nearly succumbing to his afflictions and losing grip of his pop throne. “I won’t make a sound/ Blood on the ground/ When they take my crown/ If they take my crown,” he sings. – C.L.

Weeknd’s affinity for Michael Jackson is the music industry’s worst-kept secret. Aside from mirroring MJ’s vocal capabilities and chart dominance, Weeknd has never shied away from sampling the King of Pop, with “Wake Me Up” being his latest flip. This time, from his Hurry Up Tomorrow album, the intro samples Jackson’s 1984 opus “Thriller” and is a five-minute exhibition of Weeknd’s exploration of legacy, reality, and disillusionment. Initially teased in 2024, Weeknd’s deftly executes on the pop-synth intro with sizzling precision. – C.L.

After fans got a taste of the track in 2020, the glorious “Take Me Back to LA” is finally here and the ride was worth the wait. Abel flips the script on After Hours‘ dark “Escape From LA” with an emptiness in his soul. Channeling Ye’s “Ghost Town,” he puts his hand on the stove to ensure he still feels alive. It was a lonely road in the City of Angels and the one thing we can’t buy back is time. Does anybody do sonic transitions better than The Weeknd? – M.S.

A haunting funeral. A goosebumps-inducing track, “Red Terror” finds Abel grappling with death. The Weeknd’s powerful narration details how this chapter is closed, but the connection remains forever. The production feels grand — larger than life in a sense — and other artists can only hope to make something this poignant in their careers. – M.S.

In “Cry for Me,” The Weeknd’s vulnerability is palpable as he positions Hurry Up Tomorrow as his swan song. He leans into his mortality and departure, realizing it may be too late to resuscitate his relationship. His achingly honest lyrics, “And I hope you cry for me like I cry for you/ Every night for you, take it easy on me, baby/ ‘Cause I tried with you, saw my life with you/ End of time with you, now we’re strangers,” convey a side of The Weeknd that is often overshadowed by his heartless lothario persona. – C.L.

A profound outro allows Abel to talk directly to his day one fans with some help from the synth god Mike Dean. The Weeknd floats above Dean’s piano keys while confessing about trying to fill the void his absent father left in his life. After pouring every part of his being into his art, fans will go on with a piece of him, but who’s there to pick up what’s left of himself? A final transition into “High for This” makes for a true full-circle moment, and another trilogy is complete. – M.S.

Have mercy on his soul, The Weeknd is looking for forgiveness. A soothing ’80s synth-pop cut, the electro ballad features Abel with a renewed sense of clarity while the ghosts of his nihilistic past scurry by. “Give Me Mercy” feels like something Michael Jackson could make in the 2020s soundscape. “Sinner in the night/ Seeking refuge in the day,” The Weeknd croons. – M.S.

Despite being bite-sized and compact, “Opening Night” has substantial replay value. Here, The Weeknd sings about the everyday tug-a-war between a man’s logic and a woman’s emotions, with the latter proving victorious. – C.L.

The XO and Opium link-up reaches a crescendo with “Timeless,” which is far more digestible than anyone expected when combining Abel’s icy synth-pop with Carti’s left-of-center rage. The duo builds off The Idol‘s “Popular,” with The Weeknd subliminally jabbing at Drake about filling up Toronto’s Rogers Centre before him, while Carti compares himself to The Rock and elevates another track with a paranormal guest appearance. – M.S.

One of the top highlights of the first half of Hurry Up Tomorrow, “Enjoy The Show” is an unbridled and unfiltered R&B showdown between The Weeknd and Future as they’re drowning in their sorrow after losing their significant others. This toxic duo unabashedly resorts to drugs to soak in the pain since their obsessive needs can’t no longer be met. “I don’t wanna make it past thirty-four/ And when the curtains call, I hope you mourn,” The Weeknd spills. – C.L.

The Weeknd’s falling into “The Abyss” while a love he has a burning desire for seems to always be fleeting. “I tried to be something that I’ll never be,” he laments over the piano-driven melody. Just two months after questioning Billboard not having Lana Del Rey on our Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century list, Lana returns the favor for her “Lust for Life” collaborator on the outro, and appears like a floating angel. “It’s a threat not a promise,” she sings as her airy vocals reverberate into the universe — turning “The Abyss” into a standout. – M.S.

Another rapid-fire intermission with “Until We’re Skin & Bones” helps build to the dark and morbid cut “Baptized in Fear.” This song is The Weeknd at peak form. Paralyzed by his past indiscretions, he uses immense color and depth to lure listeners into his dark world and inescapable struggles, both physically and emotionally. “I fell asleep in the tub, I was there with paralysis/ My foot hit the faucet, water started flowing in/ Couldn’t scream for help, I just slowly felt the pressure hit/ Moving one toe was the only form of motion left.” – C.L.

Bouncy 808s with pitched-up vocals and Mike Dean’s rocking synths allow Abel to elevate production that Chris Brown would’ve loved to get his hands on. A popular attraction connecting Canada and the U.S., “Niagara Falls” provides the landmark imagery for the Toronto crooner to speak to a devious former lover who can’t let him go. The final minute transports listeners through the sky as The Weeknd fades into the abyss of “Take Me Back to LA.” – M.S.