The Weeknd Ranking List
List by Luke Werckman
Logo design by Carley Hinton
The Weeknd has been in the music industry for about a decade now. He has made a name for himself through his own music and contributions to movie soundtracks such as Fifty Shades of Grey and Black Panther. Recently, The Weeknd concluded this third trilogy of albums with the release of Hurry Up, Tomorrow. This is not only the end of a series of albums, but also the end of The Weeknd name itself as Abel Tesfaye is parting ways with his stage name after using it for his whole discography. With him achieving such a milestone in his career, opening the door for a new era, I decided to rank all ten entries of his discography.
10. My Dear Melancholy,: [3.5/10]
Although this was technically an extended play and not an official album, I thought I would include it on the list. After listening to it, I probably could have spent the time it took me to get through it doing something else because this project is very forgettable. For only having six songs on it, most of them drag on for too long and offer little to no substance. Many of the songs sound similar, which made it hard to distinguish any “standouts.” With this being released a few years after Starboy, I thought The Weeknd would take what he learned from that album to implement it to My Dear Melancholy, but I was sadly mistaken. This feels reminiscent of his earlier work, but not in an exciting way as the worst aspects of his first trilogy are only amplified here. The minimal lyrics and extended intros and outros of the songs were the least enjoyable parts for me. The only song that I would say was worth listening to was Call Out My Name, but one song cannot redeem this mediocre project.
Best songs: Call Out My Name, Wasted Times
Worst songs: Privilege, I Was Never There
9. Echoes of Silence: [4.5/10]
Echoes of Silence is sadly another project from The Weeknd that falls flat. Echoes of Silence has serious pacing issues, with many of the songs being dragged out for far too long. I can tell that a mixtape is becoming a chore for me when I frequently check to see when the song ends, which I caught myself doing multiple times while listening. This mixtape feels the most aimless because the songs do not have a consistent tone or production style. The other two parts of the trilogy have more focus on the overarching narrative of the mixtapes that this one lacks. Although there are lyrics, I did not feel much impact from them. They felt more like set dressing for the melody than anything else. There were a couple pretty solid songs with XO / The Host being my favorite. Despite that highlight, the rest of the mixtape fails to meet that level of quality. Echoes of Silence is a weak mixtape and has a shadow casted upon it by The Weeknd’s stronger projects.
Best songs: XO / The Host, The Fall, Same Old Song
Worst songs: Next, Initiation, Echoes of Silence
8. House of Balloons: [6/10]
It was difficult for me to understand the praise surrounding House of Balloons. I appreciate that there was a continuous thread that carried from the beginning to the end of the mixtape, but it just wasn’t exciting. The lyrics were great for a few songs, but then others felt like it repeated the same themes – drugs and sex. With this being a first release, you can see the foundation for the music later on in The Weeknd’s career as some of the production for the songs is impressive. Pacing is a problem that remains in this mixtape because some songs go on for way too long. Although, the length isn’t always a problem as the titular song House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls is my favorite track. Overall, for the beginning of The Weeknd’s career, this was a decent start, but l’m glad he was able to improve with his later work.
Best songs: House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls, Wicked Games, High For This
Worst songs: The Party & The After Party, Loft Music, Coming Down
7. Thursday: [6.5/10]
Thursday is to me the best mixtape out of The Weeknd’s first trilogy and although it is still not anything too special, it stands out among the three for a reason. Similar to House of Balloons, I enjoy the presence of a throughline in the mixtape, but I think Thursday had better execution when it came to telling a story about a former relationship. The narrative was also a little stronger from song to song, even though the mixtape relies more on its production than its lyrics. Some of the songs still have pacing issues, but the biggest offender of this is Gone, which lasts well beyond what it should have. On the other hand, both parts of The Birds were pretty good and the transitions between the two parts foreshadowed how The Weeknd would utilize these techniques to a greater extent in the years to come. Thursday still has the problems that plague the whole trilogy, but there are some decent elements of this mixtape that make it worth the listen.
Best songs: The Birds, Pt. 1, The Birds, Pt. 2, Rolling Stone
Worst songs: Gone, Thursday, The Zone
6. Kiss Land: [7.5/10]
After coming onto the scene with his trio of mixtapes, The Weeknd’s growth as an artist became noticeable with his first studio album Kiss Land. This album has a sense of confidence to it that I didn’t find with his trilogy of mixtapes. The pacing has slightly improved on the songs and although some are still lengthy, the quality of production and writing stays consistent throughout. Examples of this are with Tears In The Rain and Pretty. I was interested by the narrative of Kiss Land being a mysterious and unsettling place, but I don’t think this idea kept my focus by the end of the album. Some of the songs were either bland or forgettable to me for their mediocre lyrics. The production was pretty solid overall and it significantly improved upon his previous releases. Kiss Land as a whole is a great album and kicked off a series of great releases that followed.
Best songs: Wanderlust, Tears In The Rain, Pretty
Worst songs: Adaptation, Live For, Kiss Land
5. Hurry Up Tomorrow: [8/10]
The latest release from The Weeknd, Hurry Up Tomorrow does feel like a conclusion that is fourteen years in the making. So much so that the end of this album loops to the beginning of his first, House of Balloons. There are plenty of sound bites and themes from previous albums that make a return here. Not only that, plenty of artists who have collaborated with The Weeknd before also make appearances throughout, such as Future, Travis Scott and Florence + the Machine. The Weeknd went all out with the production of this album. He still manages to find creative sounds that do not feel derivative of his previous work. Also, the transitions between songs were incredibly clean, making it almost feel like the whole album is one long track. What holds it back is that the pacing drastically drags after the halfway point. Still, Hurry Up Tomorrow was a grand finale for The Weeknd persona that has now passed away, as the story of the album describes, and I thought it was done justice.
Best songs: Open Hearts, Wake Me Up, Hurry Up Tomorrow
Worst songs: Until We’re Skin & Bones, I Can’t F*****g Sing, Big Sleep
4. Beauty Behind the Madness: [8.5/10]
Beauty Behind the Madness was the time The Weeknd hit major mainstream success, and songs became more popular for a broader audience, including myself. With famous tracks such as Can’t Feel My Face and Earned It residing in this album, it is an easy project to enjoy. There are also some recognizable features, such as Lana Del Rey and Labrinth. The production of The Weeknd’s music is still impressive as usual. It stands out for having a darker aesthetic to it, while still maintaining the synth-pop style that carries over across his discography. As with a lot of The Weeknd’s work, there are some filler tracks and in this case, it is enough to bring down the album a bit for me. Beauty Behind the Madness is another great album that has memorable songs that feel synonymous with The Weeknd’s career and helped build it up to what it is today.
Best songs: The Hills, Can’t Feel My Face, In The Night
Worst songs: Acquainted, Tell Your Friends, Dark Times
3. Dawn FM: [9/10]
Dawn FM had the daunting task of following up the successful album After Hours only a few years later and although it doesn’t surpass it in success, it still delivers immensely. First of all, the album’s structure being centered around a radio station hosted by Jim Carrey was a really creative idea that was well executed. This tone is so distinct from the rest of The Weeknd’s discography and the themes are more obvious than ever, which I say as a compliment. When the album began, I was immediately hooked by its vibe. The first half has an incredible line-up of songs. Unfortunately, the second half dips in quality. The songs are OK, but nothing special. For any other album, this would be a bigger deal breaker for me, but I give it a pass because of how strong the first seven tracks are. Dawn FM is a special album that isn’t perfect by any means, but it is a great display of The Weeknd’s talents.
Best songs: Less Than Zero, Gasoline, Take My Breath
Worst songs: A Tale By Quincy, Starry Eyes, Every Angel is Terrifying
2. Starboy: [9/10]
Starboy wrapped up The Weeknd’s second trilogy and ended it on a high note. The theme of transforming into something greater due to the success and fame feels very apt for this album given the period of The Weeknd’s life it focused on. This album contains some iconic hits such as Die For You and I Feel It Coming, there are also some underrated gems like Secrets and False Alarm. Similar to Dawn FM, Starboy does suffer from having a handful of OK songs that never stuck with me and slightly bring down the album as a whole. However, the synth aesthetic shines greatly on it, which could be because it was produced by Daft Punk. Speaking of which, there are also some nice features throughout with Daft Punk and Kendrick Lamar being standouts. Starboy is an amazing album that personifies The Weeknd well with its usual focus on production, while still making the project stay grounded in its themes.
Best songs: Secrets, Die For You, I Feel It Coming
Worst songs: Stargirl Interlude, True Colors, Six Feet Under
1. After Hours: [10/10]
After Hours was the peak of The Weeknd’s career. What began his final trilogy would actually be his best project. It follows similar themes of sex and drugs, but honestly the overarching storyline wasn’t that important to me. The production value is the real highlight of this album. After Hours continues The Weeknd’s signature style of synth-pop music, but offers more variety from each song as some of the mellow ones stand out just as much as the upbeat ones. A great example of this is how both Save Your Tears and Escape From LA are amazing songs that are tonally different, but still feel like they belong on the same album. All in all, After Hours is an incredible work done by The Weeknd and if the identity is gone for good, then this will be the album I’ll remember him for most.
Best songs: Heartless, Blinding Lights, Escape From LA
Worst songs: Repeat After Me, Until I Bleed Out, Snowchild
