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"Wicked Games"
Single by the Weeknd
from the album House of Balloons and Trilogy
Released	September 25, 2012
Recorded	Site Sound Studios, Toronto
Genre	Alternative R&B
Length	4:41 (single edit) 5:24 (album version)
Label	XO Republic
Songwriter(s)	Abel Tesfaye Doc McKinney Carlo Montagnese R. Millar Blancheur C. Ray Garza
Producer(s)	Doc McKinney Illangelo
The Weeknd singles chronology
"Remember You" (2012) "Wicked Games" (2012) "Twenty Eight" (2012)
Music video
"Wicked Games" on YouTube

"Wicked Games" is the debut single by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, and serves as the fifth track from his debut mixtape, House of Balloons (2011). It was written by the Weeknd, Doc McKinney, and Illangelo with the latter two producing. The song was remastered and released as the lead single from his 2012 compilation album, Trilogy, on October 22, 2012, through XO and Republic Records. It was met with universal acclaim by music critics.

Background and release

The audio for the original version of "Wicked Games" was released on the Weeknd's YouTube on March 5, 2011. In 2012, its House of Balloons version would be promoted as the lead single from the mixtape, being sent to rhythmic contemporary radio stations on September 25, 2012. The song's remastered version was officially released through streaming services on October 22, 2012, as the lead single from his compilation album, Trilogy (2012).

Critical reception

Rolling Stone listed "Wicked Games" as the 42nd best R&B song of the 21st century.

Music video

The music video for "Wicked Games" premiered on October 18, 2012, on the Weeknd's YouTube account on Vevo. The video starts off with a young woman dancing seductively in a coat with no clothes underneath, before the camera pans to The Weeknd, who is shown singing expressively. Since its release, the music video has received over 200 million views on YouTube.

Commercial performance

"Wicked Games" became the Weeknd's first solo single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 53, and remaining on the chart for 20 weeks. It was later certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on January 30, 2019, for selling three million units in the United States.

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes for Trilogy.

• The Weeknd – composer, primary artist
• Doc McKinney – composer, instrumentation, producer
• Illangelo – composer, instrumentation, mixing, producer
• Rainer Millar Blanchaer – composer

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

1. The Weeknd - Wicked Games. March 5, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
2. ^ "Rhythm – Available For Airplay". FMQB. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
3. "The 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the 21st Century". Rolling Stone. January 3, 2024.
4. "The Weeknd | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
5. "Gold & Platinum: The Weeknd". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
6. Trilogy (CD liner). The Weeknd. Republic Records. 2012. 3719793.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. "The Weeknd – Wicked Games" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
8. "The Weeknd – Wicked Games" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
9. "The Weeknd Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
10. "The Weeknd Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
11. Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – 2012 + Weekly Updates + Sales 2012". Zobbel.de. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
12. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
13. "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
14. "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
15. "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
16. "The Weeknd Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
17. "2013 Year End Charts — R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
18. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
19. "Brazilian single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
20. "Canadian single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games". Music Canada. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
21. "Danish single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
22. "New Zealand single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games". Radioscope. Retrieved December 23, 2024. Type Wicked Games in the "Search:" field.
23. "Norwegian single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
24. "British single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
25. "American single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
26. "Wicked Games (Explicit Version) by The Weeknd". Canada: 7digital. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
27. "Wicked Games (Explicit Version) by The Weeknd". United States: 7digital. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
28. "Wicked Games (Explicit Version) by The Weeknd". United Kingdom: 7digital. Archived from the original on August 17, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.

External links

• Wicked Games (Audio) on YouTube

v t e The Weeknd songs
Discography Songs
Trilogy	House of Balloons "High for This" "House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls" "The Morning" "Wicked Games" "Twenty Eight" Thursday "The Zone" "Rolling Stone" Echoes of Silence "D.D" "Echoes of Silence"
Kiss Land	"Belong to the World" "Live For" "Wanderlust" "Kiss Land" "Odd Look"
Beauty Behind the Madness	"Tell Your Friends" "Often" "The Hills" "Acquainted" "Can't Feel My Face" "Earned It" "In the Night" "Prisoner"
Starboy	"Starboy" "Party Monster" "False Alarm" "Reminder" "Rockin'" "Secrets" "Stargirl Interlude" "Sidewalks" "Six Feet Under" "A Lonely Night" "All I Know" "Die for You" "I Feel It Coming"
My Dear Melancholy	"Call Out My Name" "Try Me" "Wasted Times" "I Was Never There" "Hurt You"
After Hours	"Alone Again" "Too Late" "Hardest to Love" "Scared to Live" "Snowchild" "Escape from LA" "Heartless" "Faith" "Blinding Lights" "In Your Eyes" "Save Your Tears" "Repeat After Me (Interlude)" "After Hours" "Until I Bleed Out"
Dawn FM	"Gasoline" "How Do I Make You Love Me?" "Take My Breath" "Sacrifice" "Out of Time" "Here We Go... Again" "Is There Someone Else?" "I Heard You're Married" "Less than Zero" "Moth to a Flame"
The Idol	"Double Fantasy" "Popular" "One of the Girls"
Hurry Up Tomorrow	"Dancing in the Flames" "Timeless" "São Paulo"
Other songs	"Crew Love" "Remember You" "One of Those Nights" "Sexodus" "Elastic Heart" "Or Nah" "King of the Fall" "Love Me Harder" "Might Not" "Nocturnal" "FML" "Low Life" "6 Inch" "Wild Love" "Some Way" "Comin Out Strong" "Lust for Life" "A Lie" "Curve" "Pray for Me" "What You Want" "Skeletons" "Wake Up" "Lost in the Fire" "Price on My Head" "Power Is Power" "Smile" "Over Now" "Off the Table" "Hawái" "You Right" "Better Believe" "One Right Now" "La Fama" "Die for It" "Hurricane" "Tears in the Club" "Poison" "Creepin'" "Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)" "K-pop" "Circus Maximus" "Another One of Me" "Young Metro" "We Still Don't Trust You"
Category

• 2011 songs
• 2012 debut singles
• The Weeknd songs
• Songs written by the Weeknd
• Songs written by Illangelo
• Songs written by Doc McKinney
• Song recordings produced by Illangelo
• Song recordings produced by Doc McKinney
• Republic Records singles
• XO (record label) singles
• Black-and-white music videos
• Songs about drugs
• Quiet storm songs