The Highlights

2021 greatest hits album by the Weeknd From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Highlights is the second greatest hits album, and first one released globally, by Canadian singer and songwriter the Weeknd.[4] It was released on February 5, 2021,[5] and follows the release of his fourth studio album After Hours (2020) and his first greatest hits album The Weeknd in Japan (2018).[6][7] It was released in anticipation of his performance at the Super Bowl LV halftime show.[8][9]

ReleasedFebruary 5, 2021 (2021-02-05)
Recorded2010–2020
Genre
Length77:55
Quick facts Greatest hits album by, Released ...
The Highlights
The Weeknd standing and looking down against a dark background under his red suit look. The words "The Weeknd" and "The Highlights" are written on top along with a label sign, with the track listing listed on the right side of the center and another label sign on the left.
Greatest hits album by
the Weeknd
ReleasedFebruary 5, 2021 (2021-02-05)
Recorded2010–2020
Genre
Length77:55
Label
Producer
The Weeknd chronology
After Hours: Remixes
(2020)		 The Highlights
(2021)		 Dawn FM
(2022)
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The track list is composed of songs from his three Billboard 200 number one studio albums: Beauty Behind the Madness (2015), Starboy (2016), and After Hours (2020), his debut mixtape House of Balloons (2011), his EP My Dear Melancholy (2018), and his two co-lead collaborations "Love Me Harder" and "Pray for Me", with Ariana Grande and Kendrick Lamar respectively, from the albums My Everything (2014) and Black Panther: The Album (2018).[10]

A deluxe version of The Highlights was released on February 9, 2024, featuring a reworked tracklist and more songs from the Weeknd's aforementioned projects, his studio album Dawn FM (2022), the soundtrack to his television series The Idol (2023), and his promotional single "King of the Fall" (2014).[11]

Artwork

The album's cover continues the usage of the red suit that the Weeknd donned throughout the promotional material for his fourth studio album After Hours (2020).[12] The particular suit worn in the cover art is the same one that he wore for the Super Bowl LV halftime show and in the music video for the song "Save Your Tears", which served as the fourth single from the aforementioned album.[13]

Critical reception

More information Review scores, Source ...
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[14]
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Andy Kellman of AllMusic praised the collection, stating, "The Highlights is a well-selected point of entry. That it rarely dips into album cuts and doesn't include all of the major singles speaks to the depth of the catalog."[14]

Commercial performance

The Highlights debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 89,000 album-equivalent units, including 10,000 pure album sales. It is the Weeknd's highest charting compilation album, and marks the biggest first week debut for a greatest hits set since Blake Shelton's Fully Loaded: God's Country (2019), which peaked at number two on the chart dated December 28, 2019.[15] The compilation album has managed to spend more than 130 weeks on the chart.[16] The Highlights was the twenty-first best-selling album of 2021 according to Hits, stating the album has moved a total of 1,004,000 album-equivalent units by the end of 2021, including 74,000 pure album sales, 226,000 song sales, 1,1 billion audio-on-demand streams, and 160 million video-on-demand streams.[17] In the next year, The Highlights was the sixth best-selling album of the year, moved a total of 1,600,000 album-equivalent units by the end of 2022, including 51,000 pure album sales, 205,000 song sales, 2 billion audio-on-demand streams, and 198 million video-on-demand streams.[18] Though it didn't top the UK Albums Chart, The Highlights was also the biggest selling album of 2023 in the UK, with sales of over 391,000.[19]

Track listing

More information No., Title ...
The Highlights standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Save Your Tears" (from After Hours, 2020)
3:35
2."Blinding Lights" (from After Hours, 2020)
  • Tesfaye
  • Balshe
  • Quenneville
  • Sandberg
  • Holter
  • Martin
  • Holter
  • The Weeknd
3:23
3."In Your Eyes" (from After Hours, 2020)
  • Tesfaye
  • Balshe
  • Sandberg
  • Holter
  • Martin
  • Holter
  • The Weeknd
3:57
4."Can't Feel My Face" (from Beauty Behind the Madness, 2015)
  • Martin
  • Payami
3:33
5."I Feel It Coming" (featuring Daft Punk; from Starboy, 2016)
4:29
6."Starboy" (featuring Daft Punk; from Starboy, 2016)
  • Tesfaye
  • Bangalter
  • de Homem-Christo
  • McKinney
  • Walter
  • Quenneville
  • Daft Punk
  • Doc McKinney[a]
  • Cirkut[a]
  • The Weeknd[a]
3:50
7."Pray for Me" (with Kendrick Lamar; from Black Panther, 2018)
3:31
8."Heartless" (from After Hours, 2020)
3:21
9."Often" (from Beauty Behind the Madness, 2015)
4:09
10."The Hills" (from Beauty Behind the Madness, 2015)
  • Tesfaye
  • Balshe
  • Emmanuel Nickerson
  • Montagnese
  • Mano
  • Illangelo
4:02
11."Call Out My Name" (from My Dear Melancholy, 2018)
Dukes3:48
12."Die for You" (from Starboy, 2016)
4:20
13."Earned It" (from Fifty Shades of Grey, 2014 and Beauty Behind the Madness, 2015)
  • Moccio
  • DaHeala
4:37
14."Love Me Harder" (with Ariana Grande; from My Everything, 2014)
  • Martin
  • Kotecha
  • Svensson
  • Payami
  • Tesfaye
  • Balshe
3:56
15."Acquainted" (from Beauty Behind the Madness, 2015)
  • Tesfaye
  • Quenneville
  • Schofield
  • Montagnese
  • Diehl
5:48
16."Wicked Games" (from House of Balloons, 2011)
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • Rainer Millar Blancheur
  • Doc McKinney
  • Illangelo
5:25
17."The Morning" (from House of Balloons, 2011)
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
5:15
18."After Hours" (from After Hours, 2020)
  • Illangelo
  • The Weeknd
  • DaHeala
  • Winans[c]
6:01
Total length:77:55
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More information No., Title ...
The Highlights 2024 digital deluxe edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Die for You" (from Starboy, 2016)
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Prince 85
  • Dylan Wiggins
  • Høiberg
  • William Thomas Walsh
  • Doc McKinney
  • Cirkut
  • The Weeknd
  • Cashmere Cat[a]
  • Prince 85[a]
4:20
2."Starboy" (featuring Daft Punk; from Starboy, 2016)
  • Tesfaye
  • Bangalter
  • de Homem-Christo
  • McKinney
  • Walter
  • Quenneville
  • Daft Punk
  • Doc McKinney[a]
  • Cirkut[a]
  • The Weeknd[a]
3:50
3."Save Your Tears" (from After Hours, 2020)
  • Tesfaye
  • Balshe
  • Quenneville
  • Sandberg
  • Holter
  • Martin
  • Oscar Holter
  • The Weeknd
3:35
4."Blinding Lights" (from After Hours, 2020)
  • Tesfaye
  • Balshe
  • Quenneville
  • Sandberg
  • Holter
  • Martin
  • Holter
  • The Weeknd
3:23
5."In Your Eyes" (from After Hours, 2020)
  • Tesfaye
  • Balshe
  • Sandberg
  • Holter
  • Martin
  • Holter
  • The Weeknd
3:57
6."Wicked Games" (from House of Balloons, 2011)
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • Rainer Millar Blancheur
  • Doc McKinney
  • Illangelo
5:25
7."Can't Feel My Face" (from Beauty Behind the Madness, 2015)
  • Tesfaye
  • Payami
  • Kotecha
  • Martin
  • Svensson
  • Martin
  • Payami
3:33
8."I Feel It Coming" (featuring Daft Punk; from Starboy, 2016)
  • Tesfaye
  • Bangalter
  • de Homem-Christo
  • McKinney
  • Walter
  • Chedeville
  • Daft Punk
  • Doc McKinney[a]
  • Cirkut[a]
  • The Weeknd[a]
4:29
9."Pray for Me" (with Kendrick Lamar; from Black Panther, 2018)
  • Tesfaye
  • Duckworth
  • Feeney
  • Quenneville
  • McKinney
  • Dukes
  • Doc McKinney
3:31
10."Heartless" (from After Hours, 2020)
  • Tesfaye
  • Wayne
  • Montagnese
  • Proctor
  • Metro Boomin
  • The Weeknd
  • Illangelo
  • Dre Moon[a]
3:21
11."The Hills" (from Beauty Behind the Madness, 2015)
  • Tesfaye
  • Balshe
  • Nickerson
  • Montagnese
  • Mano
  • Illangelo
4:02
12."The Morning" (from House of Balloons, 2011)
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
5:15
13."Call Out My Name" (from My Dear Melancholy, 2018)
  • Tesfaye
  • Feeney
  • Jaar
Dukes3:48
14."Often" (from Beauty Behind the Madness, 2015)
  • Tesfaye
  • Diehl
  • Quenneville
  • Balshe
  • Schofield
  • Ali Kocatepe
  • Ali
  • İşmen
  • Ben Billions
  • The Weeknd
  • DaHeala[a]
4:09
15."Love Me Harder" (with Ariana Grande; from My Everything, 2014)
  • Martin
  • Kotecha
  • Svensson
  • Payami
  • Tesfaye
  • Balshe
  • Payami
  • Svensson
  • Carlsson[b]
3:56
16."Earned It" (from Fifty Shades of Grey, 2014 and Beauty Behind the Madness, 2015)
  • Tesfaye
  • Moccio
  • Quenneville
  • Balshe
  • Moccio
  • DaHeala
4:37
17."Acquainted" (from Beauty Behind the Madness, 2015)
  • Tesfaye
  • Quenneville
  • Schofield
  • Montagnese
  • Diehl
  • Ben Billions
  • Illangelo
  • DaHeala
  • DannyBoyStyles
  • The Weeknd
5:48
18."After Hours" (from After Hours, 2020)
  • Tesfaye
  • Quenneville
  • Balshe
  • Montagnese
  • Winans
  • Illangelo
  • The Weeknd
  • DaHeala
  • Winans[c]
6:01
19."One of the Girls" (with Jennie and Lily-Rose Depp; from The Idol Episode 4, 2023)
4:04
20."Popular" (with Madonna featuring Playboi Carti; 2023)
  • Tesfaye
  • Jordan Carter
  • Wayne
  • Dean
  • Tommy Rush
  • Levinson
  • Michael Walker
  • John Flippin
  • The Weeknd
  • Metro Boomin
  • Dean
3:35
21."I Was Never There" (with Gesaffelstein; from My Dear Melancholy, 2018)
  • Gesaffelstein
  • Frank Dukes
4:01
22."House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls" (from House of Balloons, 2011)
  • Doc McKinney
  • Illangelo
6:47
23."Less than Zero" (from Dawn FM, 2022)
  • Tesfaye
  • Martin
  • Holter
3:31
24."Is There Someone Else?" (from Dawn FM, 2022)
  • Tesfaye
  • Lopatin
  • Martin
  • Thomas Brown
  • Peter Lee Johnson
  • The Weeknd
  • OPN
  • Martin
  • Tommy Brown
  • Johnson
  • Martin[c]
  • Holter[c]
3:19
25."Party Monster" (from Starboy, 2016)
  • Ben Billions
  • Doc McKinney
  • The Weeknd
4:09
26."Stargirl Interlude" (featuring Lana Del Rey; from Starboy, 2016)
1:51
27."Tell Your Friends" (from Beauty Behind the Madness, 2015)
5:34
28."Sacrifice" (from Dawn FM, 2022)
  • Tesfaye
  • Martin
  • Hedfors
  • Angello
  • Ingrosso
  • Carl Nordström
  • Holter
  • Kevin McCord
  • The Weeknd
  • Martin
  • Swedish House Mafia
  • Holter
3:08
29."Reminder" (from Starboy, 2016)
  • Tesfaye
  • Nickerson
  • McKinney
  • Dylan Wiggins
  • Walter
  • Quenneville
  • Doc McKinney
  • Mano
  • Cirkut
3:38
30."In the Night" (from Beauty Behind the Madness, 2015)
  • Tesfaye
  • Balshe
  • Payami
  • Kotecha
  • Svensson
  • Martin
  • Martin
  • Payami
  • The Weeknd[a]
3:55
31."Wasted Times" (from My Dear Melancholy, 2018)
3:40
32."Take My Breath" (from Dawn FM, 2022)
  • Tesfaye
  • Balshe
  • Andrea Di Ceglie
  • Luigi Tutolo
  • Martin
  • Holter
  • The Weeknd
  • Martin
  • Holter
5:39
33."Moth to a Flame" (with Swedish House Mafia; from Paradise Again, 2022 and Dawn FM (Alternate World), 2022)
  • Tesfaye
  • Angello
  • Ingrosso
  • Nordström
  • Swedish House Mafia
  • Nordström
3:54
34."Out of Time" (from Dawn FM, 2022)
  • The Weeknd
  • OPN
  • Martin[c]
  • Holter[c]
3:34
35."King of the Fall" (2014)
  • Quenneville
  • Tesfaye
  • DaHeala
  • Dean
  • Brandon Hollemon
  • The Weeknd
5:01
36."High for This" (from House of Balloons, 2011)
  • Tesfaye
  • Adrien Gough
  • Walter
  • Cirkut
4:07
Total length:151:22
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Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] denotes a vocal producer
  • ^[c] signifies an additional producer

Charts

More information Chart (2021–2024), Peak position ...
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Certifications

More information Region, Certification ...
Certifications for The Highlights
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[82] 3× Platinum 210,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[83] 5× Diamond 800,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[84] 3× Platinum 240,000‡
France (SNEP)[85] 3× Platinum 300,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[86] Platinum 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[87] 8× Platinum 120,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[88] Gold 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[89] 5× Platinum 1,500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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Release history

More information Region, Date ...
Release history for The Highlights
Region Date Format Label Edition Ref.
Various February 5, 2021
Standard [90]
United Kingdom Cassette [91]
Japan March 5, 2021 CD Universal Music Japan [92]
Various November 19, 2021 LP
  • XO
  • Republic
 [93]
February 9, 2024
  • Digital download
  • streaming
  • XO
  • Republic
 Deluxe [94]
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References

External links

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