The Weeknd gained widespread critical acclaim for his three mixtapes: House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence, which he later compiled to make a remastered, three-disc album titled Trilogy after signing his record deal with Republic. In 2013, he released Kiss Land, which was considered to be his debut studio album.
In 2014, he dropped “Often,” a remix of Beyonce’s “Drunk In Love,” and “King of the Fall.” The Weeknd released two songs in collaboration with the film Fifty Shades of Grey, with Earned It becoming his solo breakout hit.
His second studio album became highly-anticipated, with riveting singles like The Hills and Can’t Feel My Face leaving fans hungry for more. Beauty Behind the Madness was released on August 28, 2015.
His third studio album, Starboy, was released on November 25, 2016. The Daft Punk-assisted title track led the project as its first official single, released on Wednesday, September 21, 2016, before becoming his third number one track in the United States, as also his home country, Canada. The effort was a commercial success, topping the Billboard 200 albums chart with over 348,000 copies sold in its first week, all eighteen tracks debuting on the Billboard Hot 100, receiving a GRAMMY Award for the Best Urban Contemporary Album, category at the 60th annual ceremony, overall for the second time in his music career and being ranked as the third most popular album of 2017 in the U.S.
Next came the My Dear Melancholy EP, released on March 30, 2018 and revolving around his breakups with Bella Hadid during summer of 2016 and Selena Gomez in October 2017. With the lead single, Call Out My Name, the Canadian singer earned the largest first-day Spotify stream count of any song released in 2018 at that time and his eighth Top 10 entry on Hot 100.
Tesfaye’s fourth studio album (and his first in three years), After Hours was officially released on March 20, 2020, and is named after a 1985 movie directed by his idol, Martin Scorsese. It was primarily supported by November 2019-released singles Heartless and Blinding Lights, with the pair becoming his fourth and fifth #1 singles in the US and the latter his first #1 single in the UK. The title track and In Your Eyes were also released as singles.
Although widely expected to receive multiple nominations for After Hours, Tesfaye failed to receive any nominations for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards (2021). Tesfaye took to his social media to criticize the Recording Academy, claiming corruption. Speculation arose that the announcement of his then-upcoming Super Bowl performance as well as the discrepancy of being nominated as pop music versus R&B contributed to the snubs. On February 5, 2021 The Highlights was released, as his second greatest hits album. Tesfaye performed at the Super Bowl LV halftime show on February 7, 2021 after announcing he would perform in November 2020. He reportedly spent $7 million on his performance at the show. Despite having a mixed response, the show resulted in a surge in streaming and downloads for Tesfaye's After Hours album as well as for the seven other songs he performed.
His fifth album, Dawn FM was released on January 7, 2022, continuing the writing and production work with Swedish pop svengalis Max Martin and Oscar Holter. The album was preceded by the single Take My Breath in August 2021, with Sacrifice announced as the second single.
Crew Love
The Weeknd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whoa, yeah
Ooh (yeah)
Take your nose off my keyboard
What you bothering me for?
There's a room full of niggas
What you following me for?
So, girl, what you singin' for?
It's 'cause we blowing like a C4
Got my whole crew blowing like a C4
Twenty, keep the bar rolling
Fake ID's in the trash, we goin'
Straight to the top, rooftop glows
With a handful of girls and they all so foreign
Brain so poisoned, rainbows flowin'
Light-skinned chick, first flight from Poland
A whole lot of friends, first flight from Poland
A whole lotta cash coming straight from Poland
Why? 'Cause they loving the crew
They loving the crew
They loving the crew
Oh, they loving the crew
Oh, they loving the crew
They loving the crew
They loving the crew
They loving the crew, whoa
Yeah
Smokin' weed under star projectors
I guess we'll never know where Harvard gets us
But seein' my family have it all
Took the place of that desire for diplomas on the wall
And really, I think I like who I'm becoming
There's times where I might do it just to do it like it's nothin'
There's times where I might blow like 50K on a vacation
For all my soldiers just to see the looks on all they faces
All it took was patience
I got a lot of friends to come up off the strip for me
The same ones that'll come up off the hip for me
The realest niggas say, "Your lyrics do shit for me"
I told my story and made history
Tell 'em I'ma need reservations for twenty
I never really been one for the preservation of money, nah
I'd much rather spend it all while I'm breathin'
That OVO and that XO is everything you believe in, I know
They loving the crew
Oh, they loving the crew
Oh, they loving the crew
Loving the crew, oh
Oh, they loving the crew
They loving the crew
They loving the crew
They loving the crew, whoa
'Cause we blowing like a C4
Got my whole crew blowing like a C4
If you broadcast swag, nigga, we the news in your city
The first verse of this song, by The Weekend and featuring Drake, deals with fame and the challenges that come with it. The singer expresses frustration with someone who is bothering them, asking why they’re following them when there’s a room full of other people. The singer does not want to be part of a group that is just following along and singing along with everyone else. Instead, he is focused on the success of his crew and the power they wield, blowing up like a C4. The second half of the verse continues to describe the lavish lifestyle of the crew, including fake IDs, a rooftop party, and exotic women.
The chorus “They loving the crew” is repeated several times throughout the song and is a nod to this group’s growing fanbase who love and admire what the crew stands for. The second verse switches to a more reflective tone, with the singer reminiscing about his rise to fame and the fact that he doesn’t need a degree to succeed. He has found his own path in life and is proud of the man he’s become. There are times when he spends money on things that others might judge him for, like expensive vacations, but he’s doing it for the people he loves. This illuminates the idea of the importance of loyalty and how one’s success isn’t complete unless they bring their people with them.
Interestingly, the song’s title “Crew Love” is meant to celebrate the relationship between the performers themselves. The Weekend is part of a group known as the XO, while Drake is part of OVO. In the song, they are basically showing love for one another and how both groups share a similar bond. There is also an extended version of the song that is almost nine minutes long and includes a longer introduction and solo performance from The Weekend.
Line by Line Meaning
Take your nose off my keyboard
Stop bothering me while I'm working
What you bothering me for?
Why are you interrupting me?
There's a room full of niggas
There are plenty of other people here to talk to
What you following me for?
Why are you singling me out to talk to?
This ain't no fuckin' sing-along
This is not a time for group participation
So girl, what you singing for?
Why are you trying to join in and sing?
It's 'cause we blowing like a C4
We're having a great time and partying hard
Got my whole crew blowing like a C4
Everyone in our group is having a great time
Twenty, keep the bar rolling
Let's keep the drinks flowing
Fake ID's in the trash, we goin'
We're all underage, but we're still partying hard
Straight to the top, rooftop glows
We're having a blast on the rooftop and living our best lives
With a handful of girls and they all so foreign
We're partying with a group of beautiful international women
Brain so poisoned, rainbows flowin'
We're all very intoxicated and seeing trippy colors
Light-skinned chick, first flight from Poland
We're partying with a light-skinned girl who just flew in from Poland
A whole lot of friends, first flight from Poland
We're partying with a bunch of people who just flew in from Poland
A whole lotta cash coming straight from Poland
We have a lot of money from our connections in Poland
Why? 'Cause they loving the crew
Our group is so fun and charismatic that everyone loves us
They loving the crew
Our group is the life of the party
Oh, they loving the crew
Everyone is having a great time with us
Yeah
Let's keep the party going
Smoking weed under star projectors
We're smoking weed and admiring the stars
I guess we'll never know what Harvard gets us
We didn't go to Harvard, but we're still successful and having fun
But seeing my family have it all
I'm happy that my family is successful and wealthy
Took the place of that desire for diplomas on the wall
I don't need a diploma to feel fulfilled, because my family is successful
And really, I think I like who I'm becoming
I'm happy with the person I'm growing into
There's times where I might do it just to do it like it's nothing
Sometimes I spend money and party without a care in the world
There's times when I might blow like 50K on a vacation
I'm not afraid to spend money on extravagant vacations
For all my soldiers just to see the looks on all they faces
I like to treat my friends and make them happy
All it took was patience
I had to wait for success and wealth, but it was worth it
I got a lot of friends to come up off the strip for me
My friends are loyal and will follow me anywhere
The same ones that'll come up off the hip for me
My friends are willing to fight for me and protect me
The realest niggas say "your lyrics do shit for me"
My music inspires and motivates my real fans
I told my story and made history
My music is personal and has made a meaningful impact
Tell 'em I'ma need reservations for twenty
I'm bringing a large group of people to an upscale restaurant
I never really been one for the preservation of money, nah
I don't worry about saving money, because I'm successful
I'd much rather spend it all while I'm breathing
I'd rather enjoy my success while I'm still alive, instead of saving for the future
That OVO and that XO is everything you believe in, I know
My brands OVO and XO represent everything I stand for and believe in, and my fans know it
'Cause we blowing like a C4
We're still partying hard and having fun
If you broadcast swag, nigga, we the news in your city
If you're looking for the coolest people in your city, look no further than us
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Aubrey Graham, Carlo Montagnese, Anthony Palman, Noah Shebib, Abel Tesfaye
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@daisyymichelle
The Weeknd's talent is written all over Drake's best album. This is the song that introduced me to the Weeknd to begin with. Just happy how far he has come. He has an amazing voice and a really talented artist that can have so many styles to his music and still make all of them sound amazing.
@brwnhilarybanks9953
me too!
@anthonycostello2989
DaisyyMichelle cute girl cheers
@fraeschbacon
Same with me :D my brother shew me this track, and i loved the weeknd. And now i have a XO tatoo on my hand :D
@maddieandersen7561
DaisyyMichelle The Weeknd introduces me to this song (,:
@maddieandersen7561
StripezHD my poor heart (,: but no I think The Weeknd has a ass load of talent and he’s just not showing it with the new shit he’s doing. Obviously if you are commenting on this sign and listening to it, he’s talent hasn’t died
@mburks3748
To this day, I still don't understand how The Weekend is "featured" on the song when he basically carries the whole song.
@banban60000
bc Drake
@Pavan-np1gk
It is the weeknd's song but he gave it to drake for more recognition or something along the lines
@mcgoughg1
Crew Love, Shot For Me,&The Ride were suppose to be on The Weeknd's -House of Balloons but of course, Drake being Drake he took it for himself and added his verse to the already made weekend song and put it on Take Care. He even wrote "Practice".