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Blinding Lights (2019)

Artist: ‘The Weeknd’ (Abel Tesfaye)
Director: Anton Tammi
Genre: Synth-pop, New wave
Length: 3:21

Lyrics

‘Blinding Lights’ is a song written by Canadian singer Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990) ‘The Weeknd’. Released on November 29, 2019. He wrote and produced the song with Max Martin and Oscar Holter, with Belly and Jason Quenneville. According to Geninus Lyrics, “The lyrics of the song reference the on-and-off relationship that The Weeknd has with model Bella Hadid. Throughout the song, The Weeknd sings about the rekindling of a relationship and the importance of his partner. The singer also mentions the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, where he refers to it by its nickname “Sin City” in the pre-chorus.” In the song, “Abel is in a constant state of distraction that he only gets relief from when in the presence of a significant other.”

Verse 1:

“Yeah I been tryna call, I been on my own for long enough
Maybe you can show me how to love, maybe
I’m going through withdrawals, You don’t even have to do too much
You can turn me on with just a touch, baby”

In the first verse, we can see Abel is trying to emphasize the loneliness he has been feeling. He has been on his own for ‘long enough,’ trying to avoid falling in ‘love’ or avoiding intimacy. The withdrawals he is going through may not necessarily have to do with drugs or alcohol – many people start to have substance abuse problems when friends or family leave them – to replace and fill a void caused by their absence. However, it is more likely that the persona has been having withdrawal symptoms accosiated from being away from his lover, as he states ‘you can turn me on with just a touch.’ This could also mean that the woman he is referring to is very lush and attractive.

Pre-Chorus:

“I look around and Sin City’s cold and empty
No one’s around to judge me
I can’t see clearly when you’re gone”

Here again, he tries to express how much he needs to be with this woman, ‘I can’t see clearly when you’re gone,’ he cannot think rationally without her and so he looks around and roams the empty city – trying to fill a void. He could be highlighting how people in the city are cold and unloving and that he needs someone to guide him and set him straight. But without this woman’s love and care he behaves recklessly.

Chorus:

“I said, ooh, I’m blinded by the lights
No, I can’t sleep until I feel your touch
I said, ooh, I’m drowning in the night
Oh, when I’m like this, you’re the one I trust”

In the main part of the song ‘blinded by the lights,’ could be referring to the lights in Las Vegas, where there is gambling, entertainment and a vibrant nightlife. The bright lights can also have an effect on the brain which releases chemicals such as dopamine – this can give someone a sudden rush of positive feelings. He doesn’t want to go to sleep, he doesn’t trust anyone else – no other woman in Las Vegas could replace the one he is referring to. ‘Blinded by the lights,’ could also mean that he is being blinded by fame and the people he is surrounded by – he his aware that his ego is on ‘overdrive,’ and is being drowned by his celebrity status, stardom and popularity.

Verse 2:

“I’m running out of time
‘Cause I can see the sun light up the sky
So I hit the road in overdrive”

The night is almost over and he knows he has to get back to his normal day to day life. Abel could also be trying to say that his fame and fortune is fading – many women are only attracted to rich, popular and successful men. However, The Weeknd star is worth 90 million dollars and isn’t running out of money any time soon. Hitting ‘the road in overdrive’ could represent his drive to finding true love and that when the ‘sun’ comes out, reality will show and he will realise that his money and popularity means nothing in a relationship. So before he realises this, he is willing to make one more gamble and show that he is the real deal.

Bridge:

“I’m just walking by to let you know (by to let you know)
I can never say it on the phone (say it on the phone)
Will never let you go this time (ooh)”

Here he is conflicted and is trying to say that his pride gets in the way, he “can never say it on the phone,” that he is blinded by fame and fortune and doesn’t appreciate what he has with this woman, “will never let you go this time,” he let her go in the past but is promising that he will not again.

Music Video

The music video was directed by Anton Tammi. It’s highly stylised and the colour red is everywhere.

At the start of the music video, we see Abel laughing with blood in his mouth. His persona is wearing red, out of breath and the scene is implying that he has done something violent or psychotic.After the title ‘THE WEEKND,’ we see the man wearing a flashy pair of shades, a smart red suit with a black shirt and tie – in iconic, highroller, Las Vegas male attire – he looks like he regularly goes to casinos and gambles a large amount of money. In casinos, the colours black and red are very prominent. He is looking around as if he is drunk or in a daze. The lyrics in the first verse mention that he was going through ‘withdrawals,’ however, we do not see him drinking any alcohol or taking any drugs in the video, so it is unclear why he his walking this way.The city is empty, we see him trying to kick a pigeon – he is a loner and likes to be by himself. He is behaving like a wild beast – his ‘id’ and primal instincts are driving him. When he puts on his gloves, the music starts. He gets into his car and his face lights up. It’s said that a car is an extension of a person. We could interpret this moment as Abel putting his ‘The Weekend’ persona on. The title ‘BLINDING LIGHTS,’ is shown and now the story begins..The car is going fast and his his is ego is fueling up. The persona is displaying a huge amount of arrogance. He is driving in a wreckless manner – he could be drunk or he may have stolen the vehicle as we didn’t see him inserting a car key – it was already waiting for him with its engine on. From the erratic video editing, it is implied that he is driving under the influence – breaking the law. He throws a cigertte out the window of the car – the persona is trying to show that he does not care and is totally immersed in the moment. There is a cut to a scene where he is dancing in the middle of the street with blood on his face – the scene is hinting that his recklessness will get him hurt. However, he still doesn’t seem to be bothered. He may have crashed his car but later it’s revealed where his injuries are actually from.We see a quick montage of shots of a woman in front of a mic and him dancing and driving in different locations – all sense of time is being lost – he could be having flashbacks or the video is trying to foreshadow that an accident is about to happen.He is now sitting in an empty restaurant or club on his own. The lady who is on stage uses her hand to levitate Abel into the air. This scene emphasizes how much an effect the women has had on him – she is in control and he enjoys being in the air – out of control. He is still smoking and this is to imply that there is high tension between these two characters. Another interpretation would be that the women on stage represents fame and fortune, as she brings him closer to her, he smiles and grins at her with a cigarette in his mouth – he is fully excited and burning with desire.

After this scene, the music changes pitch. When we hear ‘I’m blinded by the lights,’ everything slows down. He is either reminiscing the night he spent with this woman, or he is on drugs. The music speeds back up to normal, he still has a cigarette in his mouth and looks to the side. His passenger seat is empty – it’s suggested that he is missing this women.We now see two men walking seriously. They grab Abel and beat him. This could be because he got too close to the singer and was on the stage. The persona is now being punished and this makes the audience feel sympathy for him. From what is shown, maybe he was unlucky with this woman – she was out of his league and that he should go back to the women he has been singing about – ‘you’re the one I trust.’ The women in the video seemed to be a generic Las Vegas performer and fits closely with the ‘blinded by the lights’ theme of flashing lights and instant gratification.In the end, we see Abel dancing in a tunnel on his own. There is a final cutaway of the women singing behind a mic. He is still smiling and happily standing by the side of the road – hitchhiking.In the video, this song seems to be more about infatuation and how feelings are one big blur of chaos. The persona stays consistent – happy – go – lucky. There are mainly deep redish colours in the video,

“Red is the colour of extremes. It’s the colour of passionate love, seduction, violence, danger, anger, and adventure. Our prehistoric ancestors saw red as the colour of fire and blood – energy and primal life forces.”

– https://www.colormatters.com/the-meanings-of-colors/red

Thank you for reading,