The Weeknd is one of the most successful and influential artists of the 21st century. His music spans genres from R&B to pop to new wave, and his lyrics explore themes of love, loss, addiction, and identity. He has won multiple Grammy Awards, sold over 75 million records worldwide, and set several streaming and Billboard chart records. Beyond his musical achievements, The Weeknd is also a generous and outspoken philanthropist who supports various causes around the world.
The Weeknd was born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye in Toronto, Canada, to Ethiopian immigrant parents. He grew up speaking Amharic, one of the two main languages of Ethiopia, and attended an Ethiopian Orthodox church as a child. His cultural roots have influenced his music and his philanthropy. In 2016, he donated $50,000 to the University of Toronto to help establish an Ethiopian studies program. In 2021, he donated $1 million to the United Nations World Food Programme to provide meals for people affected by the conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
The Weeknd has also shown solidarity with other communities in need. In 2020, he donated $300,000 to Global Aid for Lebanon to help the victims of the Beirut explosion, which killed more than 200 people and injured thousands more. He also donated $500,000 each to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund and to frontline health workers at Scarborough Health Network, the health care network in his hometown. Additionally, he has been a vocal advocate for racial justice and social change. He has donated to organizations such as Black Lives Matter, the Equal Justice Initiative, and the Colin Kaepernick Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative. He has also used his platform to raise awareness and call for action on issues such as police brutality, systemic racism, and human rights violations.
The Weeknd’s music reflects his passion and his vision. His songs often feature collaborations with other artists from different backgrounds and genres, such as Daft Punk, Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande, and ROSALÍ. His albums showcase his artistic evolution and experimentation, from the dark and gritty House of Balloons to the bright and more pop-oriented After Hours.
The Weeknd is more than just a musical star. He is a humanitarian star who uses his talent and his influence to try to make a positive difference in the world. Thirty of his best tracks are in the playlist below. Hit play and enjoy The Weeknd!
Today’s playlist celebrates the October 20 birthdays of Snoop Dogg, Tom Petty, Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake, Wanda Jackson, The Cribs’ Gary & Ryan Jarman, The Tokens’ Jay Siegel, Eddie Harris, and New Vaudeville Band’s John Carter; and the October 21 birthdays of Dizzy Gillespie, The Cramps’ Lux Interior, The Go-Go’s’ Charlotte Caffey, The Teardrop Explodes’ Julian Cope, Manfred Mann, The Skyliners’ Jimmy Beaumont, Elvin Bishop, Kathy Young, Doja Cat, and Industry’s Jon Carin.
Today’s playlist celebrates the August 16 birthdays of Madonna, Soft Machine’s Kevin Ayers, Young Thug, Kool & the Gang’s James “JT” Taylor, The Coral’s James Skelly, The Chicks/Court Yard Hounds’ Emily Robison, Golden Earring’s Barry Hay, Ketty Lester, The Music Machine’s Sean Bonniwell, Barbara George, Vanessa Carlton, Al Hibbler, The American Breed’s Gary Loizzo, Sheila of Sheila & B. Devotion, Billy Joe & The Checkmates’ Ernie Freeman, Eydie Gorme, Rina Sawayama, and Joe Sealy.
Prince, Elvis Costello, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Kool & the Gang. It must be my list of favorite songs of 198-, uh, 2021. The aforementioned veterans rub elbows with Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Wet Leg, serpentwithfeet, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, The Avalanches, Adele and Little Simz.
Here are my top 100 songs of 2021:
Same Size Shoe – serpentwithfeet
Love Again – Dua Lipa
Body – Megan Thee Stallion
Black Like Me – Mickey Guyton
Easy On Me – Adele
Thot Shit – Megan Thee Stallion
Up – Cardi B
Save Your Tears – The Weeknd
Good Days – SZA
Under the Table – Fiona Apple
Wet Dream – Wet Leg
Rumors – Lizzo & Cardi B
Find My Way – Paul McCartney
Levitating – Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby
Chaise Longue – Wet Leg
I Love You, I Hate You – Little Simz
Best Friend – Saweetie feat. Doja Cat
Brando – Lucy Dacus
So I Lie – Miguel
We Go On – the Avalanches feat. Cola Boyyy & Mick Jones
Twerkulator – City Girls
MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) – Lil Nas X
Butter – BTS
Cold Heart – Elton John & Dua Lipa
Therefore I Am – Billie Eilish
Your Power – Billie Eilish
INDUSTRY BABY – Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow
Point and Kill – Little Simz feat. Obongjayar
Scratchcard Lanyard – Dry Cleaning
Security – Amyl and the Sniffers
Puppy and a Truck – Jenny Lewis
Don’t Judge Me – FKA twigs, Headie One, Fred again…
Pursuit of Happiness – Kool & the Gang
Savage Good Boy – Japanese Breakfast
Pay Your Way in Pain – St. Vincent
ARE YOU WITH THAT? – Vince Staples
Hot Summer – Prince
Diamond Studded Shoes – Yola
Solar Power – Lorde
chinatown – Bleachers feat. Bruce Springsteen
The Divine Chord – the Avalanches feat. MGMT & Johnny Marr
Don’t Go Yet – Camila Cabello
Strong Feelings – Dry Cleaning
Rainforest – Noname
Working for the Knife – Mitski
Take My Breath – The Weeknd
Boomerang – Yebba
ooh la la – Run the Jewels feat. Santa Fe Klan & Mexican Institute of Sound
Candypaint – Joey Purp
Free from Gravity – Django Django
Spanish Doors – Liz Phair
Roaring 20s – Flo Milli
Rhetorical Figure – John Grant
THAT’S WHAT I WANT – Lil Nas X
The Doll – Audiobooks
Strange – Celeste
WUSYANAME – Tyler, the Creator feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again & Ty Dolla $ign
White Dress – Lana Del Rey
family ties – Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar
Starlight – Yola
The Melting of the Sun – St. Vincent
Pick up Your Feelings – Jazmine Sullivan
I am not a woman, I’m a god – Halsey
Hertz – Amyl and the Sniffers
Please – Jessie Ware
The Adults Are Talking – the Strokes
Got Me – Laura Mvula
We’re Good – Dua Lipa
Kiss Me More – Doja Cat feat. SZA
I Don’t Live Here Anymore – The War on Drugs feat. Lucius
Inspired by Black Music Month, LGBTQ Pride Month, and the June 26 birthdays of The Clash/Big Audio Dynamite’s Mick Jones, The 5th Dimension’s Billy Davis Jr., Ariana Grande, B.T. Express’ Louis Risbrook, Chris Isaak, Mr Hudson, The Sundays’ Harriet Wheeler and Wannadies’ Pär Wiksten.
Inspired by the April 5 birthdays of ABBA’s Agnetha Faltskog, Pharrell Williams, The Hollies’ Allan Clarke, The Platters’ Tony Williams, Three 6 Mafia’s Juicy J, Wall of Voodoo’s Stan Ridgway, Paula Cole, Crispian St. Peters and Bette Davis.
My favorite song of 2019 came out in 2016. Like most people, I slept on Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” upon its initial release three years ago. I also slept on her “Truth Hurts,” my #4 song of 2019, when it was released in 2017. Lizzo’s first track to make Glenn’s Ten was “Boys,” which hit #1 in July 2018, just two months before my favorite 2019 artist after Lizzo, Billie Eilish, made her Glenn’s Ten debut with “You Should See Me in a Crown.” Eilish’s “Bad Guy” is my #3 song of this year, breaking up Lizzo’s hold on the top four. L-to-the-izzo’s “Juice,” my #2 song of 2019, debuted on Glenn’s Ten on January 12, kicking off 49 consecutive weeks with at least one Lizzo track in my top ten, 22 of those weeks at #1. I’m sure both of those are records, something I would confirm if I weren’t too lazy to look it up.
At #5 for
the year sits the only artist in my year end top ten who made their Glenn’s Ten
debut in 2019, Megan Thee Stallion. (Megan’s her real first name; Thee is not
her actual middle name and Stallion is not on her birth certificate. I’m a
Megan Thee Stallion truther.) On that hit, “Hot Girl Summer,” Megan T. Stallion
is assisted by Nicki Minaj, who is also at #55 with a solo number, and Ty Dolla
$ign (Ty is short for Tyrone, his real first name; Dolla is not his actual
middle name and $ign is not on his birth certificate. I’m a Ty Dolla $ign
truther.), who is also at #100 assisting Kehlani. If you need assistance, call
Ty D. $ign.
The
remainder of the top ten boasts career bests for 21 Savage, Ariana Grande, Teyana
Taylor, and Vince Staples, plus the first Glenn’s Ten entry for Vampire Weekend
since 2013. Other Glenn’s Ten veterans making appearances this year include Bruce Springsteen, Liz Phair, Beck, Missy
Elliott, Morrissey, Beyoncé,
Rufus Wainwright, Smokey Robinson (yes, Smokey Robinson!), and Belle
& Sebastian. Recent favorites such as Courtney Barnett, Cardi B, Grimes,
Christine and the Queens, Robyn, Miranda Lambert, 21 Savage, BROCKHAMPTON,
First Aid Kit, Chance the Rapper, Angel Olsen, The National and Kacey Musgraves
are represented as well.
Enough blather. Here is my top 105 songs (5 by Lizzo, 100 by others,
though one of those others with an assist from Lizzo) of 2019:
Good as Hell – Lizzo
Juice – Lizzo
bad guy – Billie Eilish
Truth Hurts – Lizzo
Hot Girl Summer – Megan Thee Stallion featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign
WTP – Teyana Taylor
FUN. – Vince Staples
thank u, next – Ariana Grande
Harmony Hall – Vampire Weekend
A Lot – 21 Savage
bury a friend – Billie Eilish
Land of the Free – the Killers
Before I Let Go – Beyoncé
Keep the Change – Mattiel
Blame It on Your Love – Charli XCX featuring Lizzo
Drogba (Joanna) – Afro B
Hot Shower – Chance the Rapper featuring MadeinTYO & DaBaby
Rainbow – Kacey Musgraves
Wedding Bell Blues – Morrissey
Trip – Ella Mai
Tempo – Lizzo featuring Missy Elliott
Almeda – Solange
Melody of Love – Hot Chip
Anybody – Burna Boy
Young Republicans – Lower Dens
Motivation – Normani
Throw It Back – Missy Elliott
People – The 1975
Rylan – The National
Doin’ Time – Lana Del Rey
BOY BYE – BROCKHAMPTON
Hello Sunshine – Bruce Springsteen
Summer Girl – HAIM
Good Side – Liz Phair
Saw Lightning – Beck
Fukk Sleep – A$AP Rocky featuring FKA twigs
It’s Not Living (If It’s Not with You) – The 1975
Binz – Solange
Something Keeps Calling – Raphael Saadiq featuring Rob Bacon
This Life – Vampire Weekend
wish you were gay – Billie Eilish
My Type – Saweetie
Sing Along – Sturgill Simpson
Now I’m In It – HAIM
Oh What a World – Kacey Musgraves
Lark – Angel Olsen
Sister Buddha – Belle & Sebastian
Uneventful Days – Beck
I’ve Been Waiting – Lil Peep & ILoveMakonnen featuring Fall Out Boy
Love Yourself – Sufjan Stevens
Nothing Breaks Like a Heart – Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus
Drip Too Hard – Lil Baby featuring Gunna
Ibtihaj – Rapsody featuring D’Angelo & GZA
Cuz I Love You – Lizzo
Megatron – Nicki Minaj
It All Comes out in the Wash – Miranda Lambert
Sunflower – Vampire Weekend featuring Steve Lacy
Blaxploitation – Noname
Hurry on Home – Sleater-Kinney
Western Stars – Bruce Springsteen
Seventeen – Sharon Van Etten
Crazy Classic Life – Janelle Monae
Unshaken – D’Angelo
7 Rings – Ariana Grande
Way Too Pretty for Prison – Miranda Lambert with Maren Morris
Hey Brother (Do Unto Others) – The Family Daptone
Earth – Lil Dicky
Make It Better – Anderson .Paak featuring Smokey Robinson
Lo/Hi – the Black Keys
Tarantula – Beck
all the good girls go to hell – Billie Eilish
Trouble in Paradise – Rufus Wainwright
The greatest – Lana Del Rey
Ordinary Pleasure – Toro y Moi
Twerk – City Girls featuring Cardi B
Ever Again – Robyn
BLACKJACK – Aminé
Red Bull and Hennessy – Jenny Lewis
I BEEN BORN AGAIN – BROCKHAMPTON
Money – Cardi B
Brown Skin Girl – Beyoncé, SAINt JHN, WizKid and Blue Ivy
Fucking Crazy – Robert Ellis
Eye in the Wall – Perfume Genius
sad day – FKA twigs
Between the Lines – Robyn
Nothing Is Safe – clipping.
Redesigning Women – the Highwomen
Tell Me (Doko Mien) – Ibibio Sound Machine
Sofia – Clairo
With My Whole Heart – Sufjan Stevens
Go – the Black Keys
Turn the Light – Karen O and Danger Mouse
Fortune – Wye Oak
holy terrain – FKA twigs featuring Future
Young Enough – Charly Bliss
Everybody Here Hates You – Courtney Barnett
Gone – Charli XCX featuring Christine and the Queens
Everyday – Weyes Blood
Capacity – Charly Bliss
Nights Like This – Kehlani featuring Ty Dolla $ign
No Bullets Spent – Spoon
Gonna Love Me – Teyana Taylor feat. Ghostface Killa, Method Man & Raekwon