In the Night (song)

"In the Night" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd from his second studio album Beauty Behind the Madness (2015). The song was written by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Ali Payami, Savan Kotecha, Max Martin and Peter Svensson. It was produced by Max Martin and Ali Payami with the Weeknd serving as co-producer. The song was released to contemporary hit radio as the album's fourth single on November 17, 2015.[2]

"In the Night"
Single by the Weeknd
from the album Beauty Behind the Madness
Released	November 17, 2015
Studio	MXM (Los Angeles, California) Wolf Cousins (Stockholm, Sweden)[1]
Genre	Pop synth-pop
Length	3:55
Label	XO Republic
Songwriter(s)	Abel Tesfaye Ahmad Balshe Ali Payami Savan Kotecha Max Martin Peter Svensson
Producer(s)	Max Martin Ali Payami The Weeknd (co.)
The Weeknd singles chronology
"Can't Feel My Face" (2015) "In the Night" (2015) "Acquainted" (2015)
Music video
"In The Night" on YouTube "In The Night"(Short Version) on YouTube

Composition

The song is written in the key of A minor in compound meter with a moderate tempo of 112 beats per minute. Tesfaye's vocals span from E₄ to D₅ in the song.[3]

Critical reception

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.'"[4] 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".[5]

Music video

The song's music video, directed by BRTHR, was released on December 8, 2015,[6] and features Tesfaye's then-girlfriend, fashion 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 Tesfaye's character watches helplessly as she and the dancers are 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 Tesfaye's character 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. As of June 2020, the full music video has surpassed over 69 million views on YouTube.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2015-2016) Peak position Argentina (Monitor Latino)[7] 10 Australia (ARIA)[8] 13 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 29 Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[10] 21 Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[11] 7 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[12] 12 Canada AC (Billboard)[13] 26 Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[14] 4 Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[15] 8 Denmark (Tracklisten)[16] 26 France (SNEP)[17] 124 Germany (Official German Charts)[18] 72 Ireland (IRMA)[19] 42 Italy (FIMI)[20] 39 Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)[21] 5 Mexico (Mexico Airplay)[22] 9 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 13 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 22 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] 22 Norway (VG-lista)[26] 38 Scotland (OCC)[27] 97 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 40 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 67 UK Singles (OCC)[30] 48 UK R&B (OCC)[31] 8 US Billboard Hot 100[32] 12 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[33] 27 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[34] 17 US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)[35] 11 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[36] 3 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[37] 3 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[38] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2016) Position Argentina (Monitor Latino)[39] 48 Brazil (Brasil Hot 100)[40] 100 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[41] 67 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[42] 69 US Billboard Hot 100[43] 61 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[44] 20 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[45] 23 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[46] 19

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[47]	Platinum	70,000
Canada (Music Canada)[48]	2× Platinum	160,000
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[49]	Gold	30,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[50]	Gold	7,500^*
Sweden (GLF)[51]	Gold	20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[52]	Silver	200,000
United States (RIAA)[53]	2× Platinum	2,000,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
United States	November 17, 2015	Contemporary hit radio	XO Republic	[2]
	April 6, 2020	Hot/Modern/AC		[54]

References

1. "In The Night liner notes". August 28, 2015.
2. "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on November 11, 2015.
3. Tesfaye, Abel. "In the Night". www.musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
4. Beauty Behind the Madness
5. Review: All Hail the King of P*ssy-Pop on the Weeknd's 'Beauty Behind the Madness'
7. "Top 20 Argentina – Del 13 al 19 de Junio, 2016" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. 13 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
8. "Australian-charts.com – The Weeknd – In the Night". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
9. "Ultratop.be – The Weeknd – In the Night" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
10. "Ultratop.be – The Weeknd – In the Night" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
11. "Ultratop.be – The Weeknd – In the Night" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
12. "The Weeknd Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
13. "The Weeknd Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
14. "The Weeknd Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
15. "The Weeknd Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
16. "Danishcharts.com – The Weeknd – In the Night". Tracklisten. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
17. "Lescharts.com – The Weeknd – In the Night" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
18. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Weeknd – In the Night". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
19. "Chart Track: Week 4, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
20. "Italiancharts.com – The Weeknd – In the Night". Top Digital Download. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
21. "The Official Lebanese Top 20". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
22. "The Weeknd Chart History (Mexico Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
23. "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Weeknd" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
24. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Weeknd – In the Night" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
25. "Charts.nz – The Weeknd – In the Night". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
26. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Weeknd – In the Night". VG-lista. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
27. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
28. "Swedishcharts.com – The Weeknd – In the Night". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
29. "Swisscharts.com – The Weeknd – In the Night". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
30. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
31. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
32. "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
33. "The Weeknd Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
34. "The Weeknd Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
35. "The Weeknd Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
36. "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
37. "The Weeknd Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
38. "The Weeknd Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
39. "Top 100 Anual 2016". Monitor Latino. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
40. "As 100 Mais Tocadas nas Rádios Jovens em 2016". Billboard Brasil (in Portuguese). January 4, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
41. "Canadian Hot 100 Year End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
42. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2016". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
43. "Hot 100 Songs - Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
44. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
45. "Pop Songs: Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
46. "Rhythmic Songs: Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
47. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
48. "Canadian single certifications – The Weeknd – In the Night". Music Canada.
49. "Danish single certifications – The Weeknd – In the Night". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
50. "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
51. "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 10, 2016 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved November 7, 2020. Scroll to position 82 to view certification.
52. "British single certifications – The Weeknd – In the Night". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
53. "American single certifications – The Weeknd – In the Night". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 10, 2017. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
54. "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases". Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.