The Morning (song)

"The Morning"
"The Morning"
Song by the Weeknd
from the album House of Balloons and Trilogy
Released	March 21, 2011
Recorded	2010
Length	5:15
Label	XO
Songwriters	Abel Tesfaye; Martin McKinney; Carlo Montagnese;
Producers	Doc McKinney; Illangelo;
Audio video
	"The Morning" on YouTube

"The Morning" is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd which serves as the fourth track from his debut mixtape, House of Balloons (2011). It was written by the Weeknd alongside its producers, Doc McKinney and Illangelo. In 2012, the song was remastered and released on the Weeknd's compilation album, Trilogy (2012).

Background

"The Morning" was first uploaded to YouTube by the Weeknd under the username "xoxxxoooxo" in early December 2010 alongside "What You Need" and "Loft Music".^[1] A demo of the song that had a different instrumental than its final version surfaced in late 2011.

"The Morning" was included in the 2019 film Uncut Gems, in which the Weeknd appeared in and performed the track live.^[2]

Critical reception

The song received critical acclaim. Pitchfork placed the track at number 15 for its top 100 songs of 2011, citing its "large and rich" production along with Tesfaye's soft vocals, stating that it messes with how you would expect R&B tracks to sound.^[3] Pitchfork would later place it at number 115 of its top 200 songs of the 2010s, regarding it as "the greatest song the Weeknd ever made" and calling it the "pop American Psycho".^[4]

Rolling Stone would declare the track as the Weeknd's 11th best song, citing that the song is a "surprisingly radiant hustler's anthem" and calling it "expected Weeknd club sleaze."^[5]

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "The Morning"
Chart (2012)	Peak position
US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles (Billboard)^[6]	9

Certifications

Certifications for "The Morning"
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[7]	Platinum	80,000^‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)^[8]	Gold	45,000^‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[9]	Platinum	30,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)^[10]	Gold	400,000^‡
United States (RIAA)^[11]	Platinum	1,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Caramanica, Jon (December 31, 2010). "Screams That Charmed, and Other Overlooked Highlights". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015.
^ Willman, Chris (September 9, 2019). "How the Weeknd Came to Play Himself in the Safdie Brothers' Berserk 'Uncut Gems'". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
^ "The Top 100 Tracks of 2011". Pitchfork. December 12, 2011. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
^ "The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s". Pitchfork. October 7, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
^ "'The Morning' (2011)". Rolling Stone Australia. March 28, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
^ "The Weeknd Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Chart History". Retrieved March 10, 2023 – via Billboardbiz.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Canadian single certifications – The Weeknd – The Morning". Music Canada. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
^ "Danish single certifications – The Weeknd – The Morning". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
^ "New Zealand single certifications – The Weeknd – The Morning". Radioscope. Retrieved December 23, 2024. Type The Morning in the "Search:" field.
^ "British single certifications – The Weeknd – The Morning". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
^ "American single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 3, 2023.

External links

[nytimes-1] Caramanica, Jon (December 31, 2010). "Screams That Charmed, and Other Overlooked Highlights". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015.

[2] Willman, Chris (September 9, 2019). "How the Weeknd Came to Play Himself in the Safdie Brothers' Berserk 'Uncut Gems'". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2024.

[3] "The Top 100 Tracks of 2011". Pitchfork. December 12, 2011. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2023.

[4] "The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s". Pitchfork. October 7, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2024.

[5] "'The Morning' (2011)". Rolling Stone Australia. March 28, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2024.

[6] "The Weeknd Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Chart History". Retrieved March 10, 2023 – via Billboardbiz.^{[permanent dead link]}

[CanadaThe_WeekndThe_MorningsingleCertRef-7] "Canadian single certifications – The Weeknd – The Morning". Music Canada. Retrieved March 3, 2023.

[DenmarkThe_WeekndThe_MorningsingleCertRef-8] "Danish single certifications – The Weeknd – The Morning". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved June 30, 2023.

[New_ZealandThe_WeekndThe_MorningsingleCertRef-9] "New Zealand single certifications – The Weeknd – The Morning". Radioscope. Retrieved December 23, 2024. Type The Morning in the "Search:" field.

[United_KingdomThe_WeekndThe_MorningsingleCertRef-10] "British single certifications – The Weeknd – The Morning". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 31, 2025.

[United_StatesThe_WeekndWicked_GamessingleCertRef-11] "American single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 3, 2023.

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"The Morning"
Song by the Weeknd
from the album House of Balloons and Trilogy
Released	March 21, 2011 (2011-03-21)
Recorded	2010
Length	5:15
Label	XO
Songwriters	Abel Tesfaye Martin McKinney Carlo Montagnese
Producers	Doc McKinney Illangelo

Audio video
"The Morning" on YouTube