Earned It

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"Earned It"
The Weeknd - Earned It.png
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) 		"The Hills"
(2015)
Fifty Shades soundtrack singles chronology
"Earned It"
(2014) 		"Love Me like You Do"
(2015)
Music video
"Earned It" on YouTube

"Earned It", alternatively titled "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)",[2] is a song by 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" 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 made Fifty Shades of Grey the latest soundtrack to generate concurrent top-ten singles with Ellie Goulding's "Love Me like You Do", which also peaked 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.

Background[]

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[]

"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[]

"Earned It" received critical acclaim. Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 39 on its year-end list to find the 50 best songs of 2015; the Weeknd appears an additional two times on this list with his following singles, "The Hills" and "Can't Feel My Face".[7]

Accolades[]

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.[8] The song also received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 88th Academy Awards.[9]

Chart performance[]

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 10 hit, after his collaboration with Ariana Grande on the number seven peaking hit, "Love Me Harder" and his highest-selling song on the chart.[10] 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[]

The music video, directed by the film's director Sam Taylor-Johnson,[11] was shot at the Palace Theater in Los Angeles.[12] It was released on Vevo and YouTube on 21 January 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.

Track listing[]

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

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[71] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[72] Gold 10,000double-dagger
Canada (Music Canada)[73] 6× Platinum 480,000double-dagger
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[74] 2× Platinum 120,000^
Germany (BVMI)[75] Gold 200,000double-dagger
Italy (FIMI)[76] Platinum 50,000double-dagger
New Zealand (RMNZ)[77] Platinum 15,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[78] 2× Platinum 20,000double-dagger
Poland (ZPAV)[79] 2× Platinum 40,000double-dagger
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[80] Platinum 40,000double-dagger
Sweden (GLF)[81] 3× Platinum 120,000double-dagger
United Kingdom (BPI)[83] 2× Platinum 644,064[82]
United States (RIAA)[85] 7× Platinum 2,110,000[84]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States 23 December 2014 Digital download Republic [86]
13 January 2015 Rhythmic contemporary radio [87]
24 February 2015 Contemporary hit radio [88]
Europe 10 April 2015 CD [13]

References[]

  1. ^ Earned It liner notes. 28 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey) – From The "Fifty Shades Of Grey" Soundtrack – The Weeknd". Spotify. 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  3. ^ Ugwu, Reggie (26 February 2015). "Why The "Fifty Shades Of Grey" Soundtrack Is Better Than It Has Any Right To Be". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  4. ^ Republic Records (21 January 2015). "Behind the Scenes – The Weeknd "Earned It" (Fifty Shades Of Grey) Video". YouTube. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  5. ^ Pankey, William (16 January 2016). "Sam Smith, The Weeknd, and Lady Gaga nominated for Academy Awards". AXS TV. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)". www.musicnotes.com. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  7. ^ "50 Best Songs of 2015". Billboard.com. 3 December 2015.
  8. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/0t8/arts/music/grammy-awards-kendrick-lamar-taylor-swift-and-the-weeknd-lead-nominations.html[dead link]
  9. ^ "The Weeknd, Sam Smith, Lady Gaga Lead Best Song Oscar Noms – Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. 14 January 2016.
  10. ^ Trust, Gary (25 February 2015). "Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars Top Hot 100 Again; The Weeknd Enters Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  11. ^ Schilliac, Sophia (21 January 2015). "'Fifty Shades': Dakota Johnson Gets Tied Up in The Weeknd's 'Earned It' Music Video". ETOnline. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  12. ^ Bacardi, Francesca (20 January 2015). "The Weeknd Debuts a Sexy Sneak Peek Video for Fifty Shades of Grey Song "Earned It"—Watch Now!". E! Online. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  13. ^ a b "The Weeknd – Earned It (From The Fifty Shades Of Grey Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Discogs. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  14. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  15. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  16. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  17. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  18. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  19. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  20. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  21. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  22. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  23. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It". Tracklisten. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  24. ^ "The Weeknd: Earned It" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  25. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  26. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  27. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  28. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History". RÚV. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  29. ^ "Chart Track: Week 9, 2015". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  30. ^ "Top Digital – Classifica settimanale WK 8 (dal 2015-02-16 al 2015-02-22)". FIMI.it. Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  31. ^ "The Official Lebanese Top 20". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  32. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Weeknd" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  33. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  34. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  35. ^ "The Weeknd – Earned It". VG-lista. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  36. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia