Music Review: The Weeknd "Earned It"

The Weeknd

Earned It

Album: Fifty Shades Grey

Year: 2014

            Abel Tesfaye wants to spoil his girlfriend in the skulking   “Earned It.”

             Majestic strings open the single, setting an impassioned tone.  He is mesmerized by her. She’s all he thinks about. For once, he is free of angst. Most women are only interested in him for the connections they can get and his wealth. (“You make it look like it’s magic (oh ya)/Cause I see nobody, nobody but you, you, you/I'm never confused/Hey, hey/I'm so used to being used.”)

                In the pre-chorus, he likes the thrill of their relationship. She’s spontaneous and carefree. It’s what he loves about her. (“So I love when you call unexpected/Cause I hate when the moment's expected/So I'ma care for you, you, you/I'ma care for you, you, you, you, yeah.”)

                In the chorus, to him there’s nothing he would change about her. He likes to spend money on her. To her, it’s not about his money. It’s about him. (“Cause girl you're perfect/You're always worth it/And you deserve it/The way you work it/Cause girl you earned it/Girl you earned it.”)

               She mentioned him her friends disapprove of their relationship. They say she’s not the same as she was before. He tells her not to listen to them. They don’t know what goes on between them. They are truthful and safe with each other. Out of his conquests, she is the only one he has truly loved. (“You know our love would be tragic/So you don't pay it, don't pay it no mind, mind, mind/We live with no lies/Hey, hey/You're my favorite kind of night.”)

               The pre-chorus and chorus are sung again.

               In the bridge, he says the first time they slept together, they both agreed there wouldn’t be any strings. It would be casual. However, they fell in love that night. They both discovered how damaged they both really are. (“On that lonely night/We said it wouldn't be love/But we felt the rush/It made us believe it was only us/Convinced we were broken inside, inside.”)

              The chorus is sung again to end the single.

              Tesfaye gets into Christian Grey’s head and tries to make him a misunderstood romantic hero. However, he does get that Grey is about control. His love does have conditions. There’s the underlying quid pro quo in their relationship.

          The shuddersome  “Earned It” unlike Ellie Goulding’s single, “Love Me Like You Do” cannot stand on its own.