Earned It

"Earned It"
Single by The Weeknd
from the album Fifty Shades of Grey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
B-side "Where You Belong" (CD)
Released December 23, 2014
Format
Genre Chamber pop
Length 4:10
Label Republic
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Stephan Moccio
  • Jason Quenneville
The Weeknd singles chronology
"Love Me Harder"
(2014)
"Earned It"
(2014)
"The Hills"
(2015)
Fifty Shades of Grey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack singles chronology
"Earned It"
(2014)
"Love Me like You Do"
(2015)

"Earned It", alternatively titled "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)",[1] is a song by Canadian singer 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.

"Earned It" 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 it features clips of the film and 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. 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."[2] 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."[3] The single was later included in The Weeknd's album Beauty Behind the Madness (2015).

Composition

"Earned It" is a chamber pop song.[4] 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.[5]

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.[6] 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.

Critical reception

Rolling Stone ranked "Earned It" 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]

Awards

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]

Wikinews has related news: 'Earned It' earns The Weeknd his first Grammy

Music video

The music video, directed by the film's director Sam Taylor-Johnson,[10] was shot at the Palace Theater in Los Angeles.[11] It was released on Vevo and YouTube on 21 January 2015, and features the film's leading star Dakota Johnson. It includes the BDSM theme as seen in the film.

Track listing

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

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[13] 13
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14] 21
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[15] 14
Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 5
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[17] 14
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[18] 8
Denmark (Tracklisten)[19] 2
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[20] 13
France (SNEP)[21] 2
Germany (Official German Charts)[22] 17
Hungary (Single Top 40)[23] 19
Ireland (IRMA)[24] 15
Italy (FIMI)[25] 25
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[26] 15
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[27] 8
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[28] 7
Norway (VG-lista)[29] 6
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[30] 14
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[31] 7
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 7
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[33] 4
UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[34] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[35] 3
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[36] 13
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[37] 9
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)[38] 6
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[39] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[40] 1
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[41] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2015) Position
Australia (ARIA)[42] 80
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[43] 29
Germany (Official German Charts)[44] 89
Italy (FIMI)[45] 85
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[46] 23
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[47] 26
US Billboard Hot 100[48] 9
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[49] 6

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[50] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[51] Gold 15,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[52] 2× Platinum 160,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[53] 2× Platinum 120,000^
Italy (FIMI)[54] Platinum 50,000double-dagger
New Zealand (RMNZ)[55] Platinum 0*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[56] 2× Platinum 20,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[57] 2× Platinum 40,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[58] Platinum 40,000^
Sweden (GLF)[59] 3× Platinum 120,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[60] Platinum 644,064[61]
United States (RIAA)[62] 5× Platinumdagger 2,110,000[63]

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

dagger Since May 2013 RIAA certifications for digital singles include on-demand audio and/or video song streams in addition to downloads.[64]

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States 23 December 2014 Digital download Republic [65]
13 January 2015 Rhythmic contemporary radio [66]
24 February 2015 Contemporary hit radio [67]
Europe 10 April 2015 CD [12]

References

  1. "Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey) – From The "Fifty Shades Of Grey" Soundtrack – The Weeknd". Spotify. 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  2. 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.
  3. Republic Records (21 January 2015). "Behind the Scenes - The Weeknd "Earned It" (Fifty Shades Of Grey) Video". YouTube. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  4. Pankey, William (January 16, 2016). "Sam Smith, The Weeknd, and Lady Gaga nominated for Academy Awards". AXS TV. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  5. "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)". www.musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  6. Trust, Gary (25 February 2015). "Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars Top Hot 100 Again; The Weeknd Enters Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  7. "50 Best Songs of 2015". Billboard.com.
  8. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/0t8/arts/music/grammy-awards-kendrick-lamar-taylor-swift-and-the-weeknd-lead-nominations.html?_r=0
  9. "The Weeknd, Sam Smith, Lady Gaga Lead Best Song Oscar Noms - Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 1 2 "The Weeknd – Earned It (From The Fifty Shades Of Grey Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Discogs. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
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