Starboy (song)

"Starboy"
Single by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
from the album Starboy
Released September 22, 2016 (2016-09-22)
Format
Recorded
Length 3:50
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
The Weeknd singles chronology
"Low Life"
(2016)		 "Starboy"
(2016)		 "I Feel It Coming"
(2016)
Daft Punk singles chronology
"Give Life Back to Music"
(2014)		 "Starboy"
(2016)		 "I Feel It Coming"
(2016)
Music video
"Starboy" on YouTube

"Starboy" is a song by Canadian singer The Weeknd featuring French electronic duo Daft Punk, released as the lead single from The Weeknd's third studio album of the same name on September 22, 2016. The artists co-wrote the song with Doc McKinney and Henry "Cirkut" Walter, both of whom assisted Daft Punk in the song's production.[2]

Background and lyrics

"Starboy" was released on September 22, 2016, following the announcement of the album and its accompanying artwork a day earlier.[3] Lyrically, "Starboy" incorporates themes of the extravagance associated with a celebrity lifestyle, as well as discussing how the celebrity lifestyle can make an entertainer fragile.[4]

Music video

Background and development

The music video for the song was directed by frequent collaborator Grant Singer, who directed The Weeknd's previous music videos for "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills". It was released through the singer's official Vevo account on September 28, 2016 on YouTube, along with an accompanying poster which Rolling Stone described as "pulp-horror-inspired".[5] The video has been described as the singer's attempt to kill his former/old persona, perhaps signaling he is reinventing himself with this new album,[6] by suffocating himself, clipping his old hairstyle, and crushing his glass-framed platinum records.[7]

Several cars that were mentioned in the song's lyrics were featured in the video including the Lamborghini Aventador SV Roadster which he sings in his second verse: "Pull off in that Roadster SV/ Pockets overweight, getting hefty," a Bentley Mulsanne: "No competition, I don't really listen/ I'm in the blue Mulsanne bumping New Edition," and the McLaren P1: "I'm trying to put you in the worst mood/ P1 cleaner than your church shoes."[7] The Weeknd used his own McLaren P1 in the video. Billboard approached John Paolo Canton, McLaren Automotive's director of public relations, in order to find out the owner of the car, as their website stated "[not] even the world's biggest carmaker [can] afford product placement like this, let alone a boutique British brand".[7] Canton later confirmed that the car did belong to The Weeknd.[7]

Synopsis

The song as well as the video prominently features the McLaren P1, which The Weeknd drives at the end of the video.[7]

In the video, a man in a black ski mask and diamond-encrusted cross is sitting across from The Weeknd, who is zip tied to the chair. The figure then kills The Weeknd by asphyxiating him with a plastic bag. The figure is revealed to be the Starboy incarnation of The Weeknd - his other self represented his Beauty Behind the Madness era. He then walks through a house full of awards that he's received, as well as a portrait of the posthumous Daft Punk and a cat. When he comes upon a large glowing red neon cross, he destroys various evidence and history of his older self, including numerous trophies and posters and a crystal chandelier before setting fire to the closet. Walking through the garage, he passes several luxury automobiles before deciding on a McLaren P1 and drives off with a cat in the passenger seat, which transforms into a panther as he rides off on Mulholland Drive. The video features product placement from clothing company PUMA.

Reception and accolades

Kat Bein of Billboard who called the track "dark, bossy, and alluring" commented that the music video is "equally moody".[8] A writer from Slate magazine drew comparison of the video to Michael Jackson's "Black or White" video, which he has been compared to frequently for his musical style. The bleak focus on celebrity and transformation, as well as the morphing of the cat into a black panther, were some of the aesthetics that resembles Jackson's video.[9]

The video was nominated for Best Video at the 2016 MTV Europe Music Awards a day before its release, leading many observers to wonder whether it was included based on merit, or instead as a result of the singer's popularity on the channel.[10]

Commercial performance

The song reached number one in Canada, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Norway, Mexico and Sweden, while also going top ten in various countries, including Australia, and the United Kingdom.

In the United States, "Starboy" peaked at number 2, behind The Chainsmokers' "Closer" on the Billboard Hot 100. The single opened at number 22 on the Digital Songs chart with 28,000 downloads, and opened at number 37, following its first week of airplay on the Radio Songs chart, equating to about 36 million plays in total. The song also became Daft Punk's second top 40 entry.[11]

The following week, "Starboy" jumped 37 positions to reach number three, becoming The Weeknd's fifth top 10 single and Daft Punk's second. Additionally, "Starboy" made the biggest jump into the Hot 100's top five since Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" leapt from number 53 to number one in June 2015. It has so far peaked at number two.[12] It sold 88,000 copies in its second week,[13] and 92,000 in its third week.[12] As of December 2, 2016, it has sold 741,000 copies in the country.[14]

"Starboy" additionally topped the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it became The Weeknd's fourth number one single and Daft Punk's first.[13]

In New Zealand, the single debuted at number five, which was followed by two consecutive weeks at number 2 before moving to number one on the chart for the week of October 24, 2016. This marks The Weeknd's second number one single, as well as Daft Punk's first number one single in the country.[15]

Track listing

Digital download[16]
No. Title Length
1. "Starboy" (featuring Daft Punk) 3:50
Digital download – Kygo Remix[17]
No. Title Length
1. "Starboy" (featuring Daft Punk) (Kygo remix) 4:04
Germany CD single[18]
No. Title Length
1. "Starboy" (featuring Daft Punk) (explicit) 3:50
2. "Starboy" (featuring Daft Punk) (clean) 3:50
Total length:
 7:40

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Argentina (Monitor Latino)[19] 7
Australia (ARIA)[20] 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[21] 10
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[22] 2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[23] 1
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[24] 1
Canada AC (Billboard)[25] 14
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[26] 1
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[27] 1
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[28] 29
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[29] 1
Denmark (Tracklisten)[30] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[31] 3
France (SNEP)[32] 1
Germany (Official German Charts)[33] 3
Hungary (Single Top 40)[34] 7
Ireland (IRMA)[35] 2
Israel (Media Forest)[36] 1
Italy (FIMI)[37] 6
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[38] 81
Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[39] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[40] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[41] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[42] 1
Norway (VG-lista)[43] 1
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[44] 35
Portugal (AFP)[45] 1
Russia Airplay (Tophit)[46] 24
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[47] 6
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[48] 26
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[49] 1
Slovenia (SloTop50)[50] 25
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[51] 24
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[52] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[53] 2
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[54] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[55] 2
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[56] 30
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[57] 10
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[58] 2
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)[59] 3
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[60] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[61] 3
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[62] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[63] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[64] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[65] Gold 150,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[66] Platinum 30,000*
Sweden (GLF)[67] Platinum 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[68] Gold 400,000double-dagger
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[69] Gold 20,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format Version Label(s) Ref.
Worldwide September 22, 2016 Digital download Original [70]
Italy September 23, 2016 Contemporary hit radio Universal [71]
United Kingdom
  • XO
  • Republic
 [72]
United States September 27, 2016 [73]
Rhythmic contemporary [74]
Germany November 4, 2016 CD single Republic [18]
Worldwide November 11, 2016 Digital download Kygo remix
  • XO
  • Republic
 [75]

References

  1. ↑ McCormick, Luke (September 6, 2016). "The Weeknd Reveals Some Details About His New Album In VMAN Cover Story". The Fader. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Starboy - The Weeknd". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  3. ↑ "The Weeknd Reveals His New Album Starboy". Spin.
  4. ↑ Bassett, Jordan (September 22, 2016). "The Weeknd And Daft Punk Collaborate On 'Starboy', But It's Not Quite The Dream Team-Up You Might Think". NME. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  5. ↑ Brittany Spanos (September 28, 2016). "Watch the Weeknd Destroy His Past in Gritty, Symbolic 'Starboy' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  6. ↑ Mary J. DiMeglio (September 30, 2016). "The Weeknd Unveils Second New 'Starboy' Single, the Frantic 'False Alarm': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Brett Berk (September 28, 2016). "The Weeknd's 'Starboy' Lyrics & Video a Love Letter to Luxury Cars". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  8. ↑ Kat Bein (September 28, 2016). "Watch The Weeknd & Daft Punk's 'Starboy' Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  9. ↑ David Canfield (September 28, 2016). "The Weeknd Confronts His Past in the Michael Jackson–Influenced Video for "Starboy"". Slate. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  10. ↑ James Geddes (September 30, 2016). "The Weeknd's New 'Starboy' Video For Daft Punk Song Collaboration Released, Nominated For MTV EMA [Video]". Tech Times. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  11. ↑ "The Chainsmokers' 'Closer' Leads Hot 100 for Sixth Week & D.R.A.M.'s 'Broccoli' Hits Top 10". Billboard. September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Trust, Gary (October 10, 2016). "The Chainsmokers' 'Closer' Leads Hot 100 for Eighth Week, gnash's 'I Hate U I Love U' Hits Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  13. 1 2 "The Chainsmokers' 'Closer' Tops Hot 100, The Weeknd's 'Starboy' Rockets to No. 3". Billboard. October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Hip Hop Single Sales: Rae Sremmurd, Bruno Mars & The Weeknd". Hip Hop DX. December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  15. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 24, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Starboy [Single] - The Weeknd | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Starboy (feat. Daft Punk) [Kygo Remix] - Single by The Weeknd". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  18. 1 2 "Starboy (2-track)" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Top 20 Oficial del 31 de Octubre al 6 de Noviembre, 2016 (Argentina)" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  24. ↑ "The Weeknd – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for The Weeknd. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  25. ↑ "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Canada AC for The Weeknd. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  26. ↑ "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Canada CHR/Top 40 for The Weeknd. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  27. ↑ "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Canada Hot AC for The Weeknd. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  28. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201647 into search. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  29. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201647 into search. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy". Tracklisten. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  31. ↑ "The Weeknd: Starboy (Feat. Daft Punk)" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Lescharts.com – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 48, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  36. ↑ "The Weeknd Feat. Daft Punk – Starboy Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Classifica settimanale WK 48" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  38. ↑ "The Weeknd – Chart history" Japan Hot 100 for The Weeknd. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Mexico Ingles Airplay : October 15, 2016". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  40. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 47, 2016" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  43. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy". VG-lista. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  45. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  46. ↑ "Official Russia Top 100 Airplay Chart (week 49)" (in Russian). Tophit. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  47. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2016-10-14". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  48. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201647 into search. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  49. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201640 into search. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  50. ↑ "SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart". slotop50.si. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  51. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  52. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  53. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  54. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2016-10-07" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  55. ↑ "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for The Weeknd. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  56. ↑ "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for The Weeknd. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  57. ↑ "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for The Weeknd. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  58. ↑ "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for The Weeknd. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  59. ↑ "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay for The Weeknd. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  60. ↑ "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for The Weeknd. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  61. ↑ "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for The Weeknd. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  62. ↑ "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for The Weeknd. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  63. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. November 7, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  64. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – The Weeknd – Starboy". Music Canada. October 4, 2016.
  65. ↑ "French single certifications – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. October 28, 2016.
  66. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  67. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2016" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. October 12, 2016. Type The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk in the top right search bar. Click on "Sok" and select Starboy and see certification.
  68. ↑ "British single certifications – Weeknd Ft. Daft Punk – Starboy". British Phonographic Industry. November 18, 2016. Enter Starboy in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  69. ↑ "Spanish single certifications – The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. November 25, 2016. Select the "Chart", enter 2016 in the field "Year". Select '' in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts"
  70. ↑ Mench, Chris (September 22, 2016). "The Weeknd Drops Title Track to 'Starboy' Featuring Daft Punk". Complex. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  71. ↑ "The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk "Starboy"". Radio Airplay s.r.l. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  72. ↑ "BBC - Radio 1 - Playlist". BBC Radio 1. British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  73. ↑ "Available for Airplay". FMQB. Archived from the original on September 22, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  74. ↑ "Top 40/R Future Releases". All Access. All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on September 22, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  75. ↑ Bein, Kat (November 11, 2016). "Kygo Remixed The Weeknd & Daft Punk's 'Starboy:' Listen". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 12, 2016.

External links

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