Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, is back with a his R&B track “After Hours,” the title track from his new album of the same name.
Known for songs that range from dark and hedonistic, to melancholic and mildly optimistic, The Weeknd returns to let a former girlfriend know that he’s sorry for his past mistakes and would do anything to win her back.
The Weeknd is tortured by one thing: the thought of his ex-girlfriend. And no matter what he does, he can’t seem to get her out of his mind: “Thought I almost died in my dream again/Fightin’ for my life, I couldn’t breathe again/I’m fallin’ in too deep/Without you, I can’t sleep.”
He dreams of her being near (“I want you next to me/This time, I’ll never leave/ … Your body next to me”) and having children with her (“I wanna share babies/Protection, we won’t need”).
In fact, he claims he can barely move forward in life without this woman (“Didn’t wanna wake up ‘less you were beside me”) and the intimate relationship they once had (“It was simply a blessing wakin’ up beside you”).
But it’s likely she’ll never return. Why? Because he’s been unfaithful (“Different girls on the floor, distractin’ my thoughts of you/I turned into the man I used to be”), and he’s put his selfish desires first (“I was running away from facin’ reality/Wastin’ all of my time out living my fantasies/Spendin’ money to compensate”). And we see this amplified in his music video which features an excessive amount of smoking, drinking and gambling.
So, The Weeknd might regret what he’s done in this latest single, but it doesn’t erase the hurt he has caused. And that’s something he’s willing and ready to admit, if only the woman he desires (at times in pretty suggestive terms) would give him a second chance.
But does he deserve it?
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
