Hurry Up Tomorrow by The Weekend: The Final Act

It’s been a long time coming: The Weeknd is dying. After After Hours’ dark dive into heartbreak, self-loathing and loneliness, and Dawn FM’s purgatory journey between two words, Hurry Up Tomorrow comes to end it all. At least, it concludes a 14-year story that won't continue under the persona we all came to know and love.

A lengthy retrospective, both in sounds and themes

Ever since his first release, House of Balloons, The Weeknd came a long way. He improved his storytelling while displaying more and more versatility in his musicality, especially after After Hours, which marked the turning point of his career. This final album therefore goes over a myriad of sounds: from Brazilian funk to trap ("Cry For Me"), from synth pop ("Wake Me Up", "Open Hearts") to r&b ballads ("I Can't Wait To Get There"), including songs that give pre-Starboy vibes with a modern twist ("Baptized In Fear", "Opening Night").  

Hurry Up Tomorrow gives The Weeknd the occasion to review all the issues he's tackled in his career, proving how much he evolved too. If he is still struggling with fame ('Cause this stage took a toll, been faded on the floor / In this penthouse prison, I'm all alone', he laments in "Cry For Me"), his outlook on his substance abuse, his failed relationships are no longer the same. 

The tracks "Open Hearts" or "Cry For Me" are testimonies of this change, only with their names. After "I'm Heartless" (After Hours) and "Don't Break My Heart" (Dawn FM), "Open Hearts" shows The Weeknd wondering how to embrace vulnerability in order to fall in love again. And "Cry For Me" comes long after "Die For You" (Starboy) or "Save Your Tears" (After Hours), although he still reminisces on a past failed relationship. 

It's only natural for The Weeknd, after reviewing his human and artistic journey, to ponder over his legacy. This theme opens up the first track ('All I have is my legacy') and permeates the album. 'I'd rather leave somewhat of a legacy', he sings for instance in "The Abyss". To add to that, by sampling artists from another musical era (Michael Jackson, Nina Simone, Chicago Gangsters...), not only he pays respect to those who influenced him, but he is also in keeping with their legacy. But The Weeknd is also building a bridge between the past and the present by collaborating with big names from today's music scene, like Future, Travis Scott, Justice, Lana Del Rey, Florence + The Machine and Anitta. 

However, to fully come to terms with the past and embrace death like an old friend, The Weeknd feels like he still needs to make amends.

A last prayer, a final confession 

Religious references are galore in Hurry Up Tomorrow, making the record sound like the last confession of someone who's at the brink of death. One of the most important tracks in that regard is "Baptized In Fear". In the first and only verse, The Weeknd portrays a gloomy scene:

'I fell asleep in the tub, I was met with paralysis
My foot hit the faucet, water started flowing in
Couldn't scream for help, I just slowly felt the pressure hit
Moving one toe was the only form of motion left
Can't breathe for air, can't breathe'

Baptism is the first sacrament of the Church and it symbolizes purification and rebirth, but here, it is associated with death, fear and sin :

'I've been baptized in fear, my dear
Like Paul, I'm the chief of sin
Washing my soul within, oh'

As Hurry Up Tomorrow progresses in its portrayal of The Weeknd's past mistakes mentioned in the first part, the end is gradually approaching, pushing the singer to confess about all his regrets. "Give Me Mercy", for example, resonates as a conversation between him and God:

'Hoping that it's worth all the bleeding
When I'm defeated
Give me mercy like you do and forgive me like you do
Hope that you see me, when I'm depletеd
Give me mercy likе you do and forgive me like you do'

This track sounds full of hope, thanks to the mellow and light instrumental, as if this coming-to-God moment allowed The Weeknd to find absolution. This is why, in the final and title song of the record, he finally reaches the acceptance stage and sees the light at the end of the tunnel:

'So I see heaven after life
I want heaven when I die
I wanna change
I want the pain no more, hey'

This part contrasts with the opening track, "Wake Me Up", where he claims there's no 'afterlife, no other side' and that he's 'all alone when it fades to black'. Or we could also think of "Gasoline" in Dawn FM, where he claims 'there's nothing after this'. 

Conclusion

His final confession now uttered, The Weeknd can finally die in peace, hoping to shed this skin and be born again - under Abel Tesfaye, who knows? And for those who won't accept his end, note that the end of Hurry Up Tomorrow perfectly transitions into "High For This", the first track of his discography. Could it suggest that The Weeknd's persona is similar to a loop that Abel can't escape from, or does it mean the circle is finally complete? That's for us to decide. 

The Weeknd is dead, long live The Weeknd.