Wikipedia

Earned It

"Earned It", alternatively titled "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)",[2] is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. The song was released as the lead single from the soundtrack to the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey and was included on the Weeknd's second studio album Beauty Behind the Madness (2015).

"Earned It"
Single by the Weeknd
from the album Fifty Shades of Grey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
B-side"Where You Belong"
ReleasedDecember 23, 2014
Recorded2014
StudioMaison de Musique (Santa Monica, California)[1]
Genre
Length
  • 4:10 (single / soundtrack version)
  • 4:37 (album version)
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Stephan Moccio
  • Jason Quenneville
The Weeknd singles chronology
"Love Me Harder"
(2014) 		"Earned It"
(2014) 		"Drinks On Us"
(2015)
Fifty Shades soundtrack singles chronology
"Earned It"
(2014) 		"Love Me like You Do"
(2015)
Music video
"Earned It" on YouTube

"Earned It" was lauded by critics upon release, and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the Weeknd's first top five single. The song's popularity earned the soundtrack to Fifty Shades of Grey two concurrent top-ten singles, with Ellie Goulding's "Love Me like You Do" also peaking at number three. Its music video was directed by the film's director, Sam Taylor-Johnson, features the film's lead actress, Dakota Johnson, and has the same BDSM theme. The song was nominated for Best Original Song at the 88th Academy Awards and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. On February 16, 2023, it was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling more than ten million copies in the United States.

Background

edit

The Weeknd was involved in the project very early on. Tom Mackay, a manager at Republic Records, explained: "He worked on a number of songs for a number of scenes. Some were working and some weren't, but he just kept at it, and kept at it, and kept at it. In the end, he wrote 'Earned It' and it's the biggest song of his career to date. It's the only song that's in the movie twice".[3] Director Sam Taylor-Johnson said the Weeknd's voice is instantly seductive, which fit the film perfectly. The singer agreed saying the film and his music is like "a match made in heaven".[4] An alternative version of the single, with a new slightly long intro, was later included in the Weeknd's album Beauty Behind the Madness (2015).

Composition

edit

"Earned It" is a chamber pop and R&B song.[5] It is written in the key of D minor with a slow tempo of 40 beats per minute (Largo) in 6
8 time. There is an alternation between the chords Gm7 and Dm7, and Tesfaye's vocals span two octaves from D3 to D5.[6]

Critical reception

edit

Critics praised "Earned It" upon release, with Mitchell Bozzetto of Renowned for Sound writing, "Tesfaye definitely has one of the best modern day R&B voices and it certainly shows in this track, his pitch and tone are spot on which makes this a soothing listen."[7] Tom Breihan of Stereogum wrote, "With its streaking, soundtracky strings, "Earned It" almost sounds like it could come from one of the '80s erotic thrillers that clearly inspired Fifty Shades. It's not a great Weeknd song, but it's a pretty interesting career move.[8]

Andrew Ryce of Pitchfork praised the Weeknd's vocals but said that the song is "kind of icky".[9] Kitty Empire of The Guardian called the song "a genre curveball that nevertheless sat comfortably with the Weeknd’s depraved brand identity, cultivated over three mixtapes."[10]

Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 39 on its "50 best songs of 2015" list: "The 50 Shades of Grey soundtrack proved Abel Tesfaye's ideal entree into the pop mainstream, though here he eschewed S&M to instead focus on the bottom line, lending his liquid falsetto to the role of affectionate sugar daddy."[11]

Accolades

edit

The song won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, while also being nominated for Best R&B Song, and Best Song Written for Visual Media.[12] The song also received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 88th Academy Awards.[13]

 
Wikinews has related news:

Chart performance

edit

In the Weeknd's native Canada, "Earned It" peaked at number eight on the Canadian Hot 100. "Earned It" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, the second single from the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack to enter the top 10, after Ellie Goulding's "Love Me like You Do", which also peaked at number three. It became the Weeknd's second top-ten hit, after his collaboration with Ariana Grande on the number seven peaking hit, "Love Me Harder" and his highest-selling song on the chart at the time.[14] The song has also been a commercial success overseas, reaching the top ten in 10 other countries, including the United Kingdom and New Zealand, while attaining a top twenty position in countries that include Australia, Germany, and Ireland.

Music video

edit

The music video, directed by the film's director Sam Taylor-Johnson,[15] was shot at the Palace Theater in Los Angeles.[16] It was released on Vevo and YouTube on January 21, 2015. It includes the BDSM theme as seen in the film. The video shows The Weeknd performing on stage as a group of topless women with black tape over their breasts perform a BDSM-themed burlesque routine behind him. Dakota Johnson makes a cameo appearance in the video.

Track listing

edit
European CD single
No.TitleLength
1."Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)"4:11
2."Where You Belong"4:56

Charts

edit

Certifications

edit
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[89] 6× Platinum 420,000‡
Belgium (BEA)[90] Gold 10,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[91] 2× Diamond 500,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[92] 6× Platinum 480,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[93] 3× Platinum 270,000‡
France (SNEP)[94] Gold 75,000*
Germany (BVMI)[95] Platinum 400,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[96] Platinum 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[97] Platinum 15,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[98] 2× Platinum 20,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[99] 2× Platinum 40,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[100] 2× Platinum 40,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[101] 2× Platinum 120,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[102] 3× Platinum 120,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[104] 2× Platinum 1,280,000[103]
United States (RIAA)[105] Diamond 10,000,000‡

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

Release history

edit
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States December 23, 2014 Digital download Republic [106]
January 13, 2015 Rhythmic contemporary radio [107]
February 24, 2015 Contemporary hit radio [108]
United Kingdom April 6, 2015 Mainstream radio [109]
Austria, Germany, Switzerland April 10, 2015 CD [17]

References

edit
  1. ^ Earned It liner notes. August 28, 2015.
  2. ^ "Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey) – From The "Fifty Shades Of Grey" Soundtrack – The Weeknd". Spotify. 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  3. ^ Ugwu, Reggie (February 26, 2015). "Why The "Fifty Shades Of Grey" Soundtrack Is Better Than It Has Any Right To Be". BuzzFeed. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  4. ^ Republic Records (January 21, 2015). "Behind the Scenes – The Weeknd "Earned It" (Fifty Shades Of Grey) Video". YouTube. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  5. ^ Pankey, William (January 16, 2016). "Sam Smith, The Weeknd, and Lady Gaga nominated for Academy Awards". AXS TV. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  6. ^ "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)". www.musicnotes.com. March 13, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  7. ^ "Single Review: The Weeknd – 'Earned It' (Fifty Shades Of Grey)". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  8. ^ "The Weeknd – "Earned It"". Stereogum. December 23, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  9. ^ "Beauty Behind the Madness". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  10. ^ Empire, Kitty (August 30, 2015). "The Weeknd: Beauty Behind the Madness review – a dark seduction of the mainstream". The Guardian. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  11. ^ "50 Best Songs of 2015". Rolling Stone. December 3, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  12. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/0t8/arts/music/grammy-awards-kendrick-lamar-taylor-swift-and-the-weeknd-lead-nominations.html [dead link]
  13. ^ "The Weeknd, Sam Smith, Lady Gaga Lead Best Song Oscar Noms – Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. January 14, 2016. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  14. ^ Trust, Gary (February 25, 2015). "Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars Top Hot 100 Again; The Weeknd Enters Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  15. ^ Schilliac, Sophia (January 21, 2015). "'Fifty Shades': Dakota Johnson Gets Tied Up in The Weeknd's 'Earned It' Music Video". ETOnline. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  16. ^ Bacardi, Francesca (January 20, 2015). "The Weeknd Debuts a Sexy Sneak Peek Video for Fifty Shades of Grey Song "Earned It"—Watch Now!". E! Online. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  17. ^ a b "The Weeknd – Earned It (From The Fifty Shades Of Grey Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Discogs. April 10, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  18. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  19. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  20. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  21. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  22. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  23. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  24. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  25. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  26. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  27. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 10. týden 2015 in the date selector. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  28. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 08. týden 2015 in the date selector. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  29. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It". Tracklisten. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  30. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Euro Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  31. ^ "The Weeknd: Earned It" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  32. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  33. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  34. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  35. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  36. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  37. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History". RÚV. April 11, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  38. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Weeknd". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  39. ^ "Top Digital – Classifica settimanale WK 8 (dal 2015-02-16 al 2015-02-22)". FIMI.it. Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  40. ^ "The Official Lebanese Top 20". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  41. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 14, 2015" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  42. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  43. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  44. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It". VG-lista. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  45. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia 💢 Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay New. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  46. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  47. ^ "Media Forest – Weekly Charts. Media Forest. Retrieved August 11, 2015. Note: Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.
  48. ^ "Media Forest – Weekly Charts. Media Forest.
  49. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  50. ^ "Gaon Download Chart – Issue date: 2015.03.01 – 2015.03.07". Gaon Chart. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  51. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  52. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It". Singles Top 100. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  53. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  54. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  55. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  56. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  57. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  58. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  59. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard.
  60. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  61. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  62. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  63. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  64. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  65. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  66. ^ "Jaaroverizchten 2015" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  67. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2015" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  68. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  69. ^ "Track Top-100 2015" (in Danish). Hitlisten. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  70. ^ "Tops de l'année - Top Singles 2015" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  71. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  72. ^ "Stream Top 100 - helyezés alapján - 2015". Mahasz. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  73. ^ "Classifica annuale 2015" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  74. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2015". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  75. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2015 – Singles". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  76. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 2015". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  77. ^ "Top 100 Songs Annual 2015" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  78. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 2015" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  79. ^ "Jahreshitparade 2015". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  80. ^ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 - 2015". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  81. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2015". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  82. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2015". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  83. ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  84. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2015". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  85. ^ "Pop Songs – Year-End 2015". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  86. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Songs – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  87. ^ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2015". Billboard. December 9, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  88. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. October 31, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  89. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  90. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2016". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  91. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – The Weeknd – Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey)" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  92. ^ "Canadian single certifications – The Weeknd – Earned It". Music Canada. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  93. ^ "Danish single certifications – The Weeknd – Earned It". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  94. ^ "French single certifications – The Weeknd – Earned It" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  95. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Weeknd; 'Earned It')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  96. ^ "Italian single certifications – The Weeknd – Earned It" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  97. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – The Weeknd – Earned It". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 1, 2015.[dead link]
  98. ^ "Norwegian single certifications – The Weeknd – Earned It" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  99. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2016 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  100. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – The Weeknd – Earned It" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  101. ^ "Spanish single certifications – The Weeknd – Earned It". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  102. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  103. ^ "The Weeknd's biggest songs on the Official Chart". Official Charts Company. August 4, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  104. ^ "British single certifications – Weeknd – Earned It". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  105. ^ "American single certifications – The Weeknd – Earned It". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  106. ^ "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey) [From the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Soundtrack] – Single by The Weeknd". iTunes Store. Apple. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  107. ^ "The Weeknd 'Earned It' (Fifty Shades Of Grey)". Republic Records. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  108. ^ "The Weeknd 'Earned It' – Official Impact Top 40 2.24". Republic Records. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015.
  109. ^ "BBC – Radio 1Xtra – Playlist". Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Earned_It&oldid=1253312195"