"Party Monster"
Single by the Weeknd
from the album Starboy
ReleasedDecember 6, 2016
Recorded2016
StudioConway Recording Studios, Hollywood, California
GenreTrap
Length4:09
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Weeknd singles chronology
"I Feel It Coming"
(2016) 		"Party Monster"
(2016) 		"Some Way"
(2017)
Music video
"Party Monster" on YouTube

"Party Monster" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd, from his third studio album Starboy (2016). The song was released for digital download on November 18, 2016, alongside "I Feel It Coming" featuring French electronic duo Daft Punk, as promotional singles. It was later sent to US urban contemporary radio on December 6, 2016, as the album's third single. The song was written and produced by the Weeknd, Ben Billions, and Doc McKinney, with additional writing credits going to Belly and Lana Del Rey, the latter of which providing background vocals.[1]

Composition

"Party Monster" is a trap[2] song written in the key of E♭ minor in common time with a tempo of 77 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression of E♭m–D♭–C♭–D♭.[3][4]

Commercial performance

"Party Monster" peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and charted for a total of 19 weeks on the chart, where it was the third-highest peaking track from Starboy at the time before the resurgence of "Die for You" in the 2020s.[5] It reached the top ten on both the R&B Songs chart and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[6] The song also charted and peaked at number 8 on the Canadian Hot 100, where it became the second-highest peaking track in the country from its parent album at the time and charted for 20 weeks.[7] The single was certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streaming equivalent units of over three million units in the United States in 2022.

Music video

The music video for "Party Monster" premiered on January 12, 2017, and was directed by BRTHR. Rap-Up magazine described its synopsis: "[it] starts with Abel Tesfaye [The Weeknd] behind the wheel, driving through the desert before psychedelics hit and everything gets blurry. With religious and sensual imagery flashing quickly, The Weeknd is transported into a nightmare-like neon and fire-filled world where zombies make out while eating an eyeball cake. As the explosive (sic) clip resumes, it ties into previous visuals like "Starboy" and Abel's Mania vignettes, particularly with the neon cross and panther imagery. In one scene, said panther jumps out of a television screen, causing The Weeknd to sink into his bed. As faces continue to melt around him near the end of the video, he's back on the road. Recklessly, he drives at lightning quick speed, before watching a car drive off a cliff".[8] BRTHR directed Travis Scott's "goosebumps" in a similar style. The cars used in the music video were a Mazda RX-7 FC3S[9] and a Lamborghini Murcielago. Japanese singer and internet personality Joji is credited as the VHS camera operator for the music video.[10]

Remix

A remix of the song was released on January 19, 2017, in collaboration with GQ magazine. The music video for the remix was directed by David Helman and came out simultaneously with the new version of the song dubbed "Party Monster 2.0".[11]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[41] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[42] 4× Platinum 320,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[43] Gold 45,000‡
France (SNEP)[44] Gold 100,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[45] Gold 50,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[46] Gold 20,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[47] Gold 25,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[48] Gold 5,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[49] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[50] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece)[51] Gold 1,000,000†

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label(s) Ref.
Worldwide November 18, 2016[a] Digital download
[52]
United States December 6, 2016 Urban contemporary [53]
December 13, 2016 Rhythmic contemporary [54]

Notes

  1. ^ Release as a promotional single.

References

  1. ^ "The Weeknd Starboy Album Credits" (PDF). November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  2. ^ Kalia, Ammar (December 5, 2016). "The Weeknd - Starboy". Clash. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  3. ^ Tesfaye, Abel (December 12, 2016). "Christian Pearl "Party Monster" Sheet Music (Piano Solo) in Eb Minor - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  4. ^ "BPM for 'party monster' by weeknd | songbpm.com". songbpm.com. Retrieved December 20, 2016.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ a b "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "The Weeknd Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  8. ^ "Video: The Weeknd – 'Party Monster'". Rap-Up. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  9. ^ "TUNE UP: The Weeknd's "Party Monster" Mazda RX-7". Japanese Nostalgic Car. January 13, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  10. ^ "Joji operating the camera for The Weeknd's Party Monster Music Video". Retrieved October 11, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  11. ^ "Watch The Weeknd's Exclusive New "Party Monster" Music Video". GQ. January 19, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  12. ^ "The Weeknd – Party Monster". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  13. ^ "The Weeknd – Party Monster" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  14. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  15. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201648 into search. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  16. ^ "The Weeknd – Party Monster". Tracklisten. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  17. ^ "The Weeknd – Party Monster" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  18. ^ "The Weeknd – Party Monster" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  19. ^ "Official IFPI Charts - Digital Singles Chart (International) - Week: 02/2017". ifpi.gr. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  20. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  21. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  22. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Weeknd". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  23. ^ "Classifica settimanale WK 48" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  24. ^ "The Official Lebanese Top 20 - Sia". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  25. ^ "The Weeknd – Party Monster" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  26. ^ "The Weeknd – Party Monster". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  27. ^ "The Weeknd – Party Monster". VG-lista. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  28. ^ "The Weeknd – Party Monster". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  29. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  30. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201648 into search. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  31. ^ "The Weeknd – Party Monster" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  32. ^ "The Weeknd – Party Monster". Singles Top 100. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  33. ^ "The Weeknd – Party Monster". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  34. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  35. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  36. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  37. ^ "Stream Top 100 - 2016". Mahasz. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  38. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  39. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  40. ^ "Rhythmic Songs: Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  41. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2017 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  42. ^ "Canadian single certifications – The Weeknd – Party Monster". Music Canada. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  43. ^ "Danish single certifications – The Weeknd – Party Monster". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  44. ^ "French single certifications – The Weeknd – Party Monster" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  45. ^ "Italian single certifications – The Weeknd – Party Monster" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 20, 2023. Select "2023" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Party Monster" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  46. ^ "Norwegian single certifications – The Weeknd – Party Monster" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  47. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 9, 2023. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Party Monster in the search box.
  48. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – The Weeknd – Party Monster" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  49. ^ "British single certifications – The Weeknd – Party Monster". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  50. ^ "American single certifications – The Weeknd – Party Monster". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  51. ^ "IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Εβδομάδα: 49/2022" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  52. ^ Mench, Chris (November 18, 2016). "The Weeknd Drops Two New Songs, "Party Monster" and "I Feel It Coming" f/ Daft Punk". Complex. Complex Media. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  53. ^ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access. All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  54. ^ "Top 40/R Future Releases". Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
Categories