Wicked Games

"Wicked Games"
Single by The Weeknd
from the album House of Balloons and Trilogy
Released	September 25, 2012
Format	Digital download
Recorded	Site Sound Studios, Toronto
Genre	PBR&B[1]
Length	4:41 (radio edit) 5:24 (album version)
Label	XO Republic
Writer(s)	Abel Tesfaye Doc McKinney Carlo Montagnese R. Millar Blancheur C. Ray Garza
Producer(s)	Doc McKinney Illangelo
Certification	Platinum (RIAA)
The Weeknd singles chronology
"Remember You" (2012) "Wicked Games" (2012) "Twenty Eight" (2012)

"Wicked Games" is the debut single by Canadian singer The Weeknd. It was recorded at Site Sound Studios and mixed at Liberty Studios in Toronto.^[2] Producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo co-wrote the song and performed all instrumentation.^[2] Originally recorded for The Weeknd's 2011 mixtape House of Balloons, the song was remastered and released as the lead single for his 2012 album Trilogy. It was released as a digital single on October 22, 2012, by Republic Records.^[3] Upon release, the single received widespread acclaim from music critics. On May 9, 2013, "Wicked Games" was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of 1,000,000 units in the United States.^[4] This song is also featured on the soundtrack for the movie Southpaw, the soundtrack's executive producer being American rapper Eminem.

Music video

The music video for "Wicked Games" premiered on October 18, 2012 on The Weeknd's YouTube account on Vevo. Since its release, the music video has received over 67 million views on YouTube.

Track listing

Digital download[3]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Wicked Games"	Abel Tesfaye Martin McKinney Carlo Montagnese Rainer Millar Blanchaer	Doc McKinney Illangelo	5:26

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes for Trilogy.^[2]

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

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2012–13) Peak position Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[5] 83 Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[6] 46 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[7] 43 Ireland (IRMA)[8] 69 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[9] 152 UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[10] 18 US Billboard Hot 100[11] 53 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[12] 13 US Adult R&B Songs (Billboard)[13] 39 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[14] 10

Year-end charts Chart (2013) Position US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[15] 47

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[16]	Gold	40,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)[17]	Gold	5,000
United States (RIAA)[18]	2× Platinum	1,000,000
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
United States[19]	September 25, 2012	Rhythmic contemporary radio	Republic Records
Canada[20]	October 22, 2012	Digital download
United States[21]
United Kingdom[22]	November 1, 2012		Universal Music Group

References

1. Goodspeed, Lily (October 21, 2012). "BlogWeeklyJamz: 'My pep talk turn into a pep rally'". The Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
2. Trilogy (CD liner). The Weeknd. Republic Records. 2012. 3719793.
3. "Weeknd - Wicked Games (Explicit Version) MP3 Download". CD Universe. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
4. "Gold & Platinum: The Weeknd". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
5. "Ultratop.be – The Weeknd – Wicked Games" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
6. "Ultratop.be – The Weeknd – Wicked Games" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
7. "The Weeknd – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for The Weeknd. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
8. "Chart Track: Week 4, 2015". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
9. Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – 2012 + Weekly Updates + Sales 2012". Zobbel.de. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
10. "08, 2012/ Archive Chart: December 08, 2012" UK R&B Chart. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
11. "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for The Weeknd. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
12. "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for The Weeknd. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
13. "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Adult R&B Songs for The Weeknd. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
14. "The Weeknd – Chart history" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for The Weeknd. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
15. "2013 Year End Charts — R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
16. "Canadian single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games". Music Canada. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
17. "The Weeknd - Wicked Games" (in Swedish). Retrieved September 23, 2015.
18. "American single certifications – The Weeknd – The Hills". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 27, 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
19. "Rhythm – Available For Airplay". FMQB. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
20. "Wicked Games (Explicit Version) by The Weeknd". Canada: 7digital. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
21. "Wicked Games (Explicit Version) by The Weeknd". United States: 7digital. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
22. "Wicked Games (Explicit Version) by The Weeknd". United Kingdom: 7digital. Retrieved August 21, 2014.

External links

• Music video on YouTube