"Earned It"
Single by the Weeknd
from the album Fifty Shades of Grey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
B-side"Where You Belong"
ReleasedDecember 23, 2014
Recorded2014
StudioMaison de Musique (Santa Monica, California)[1]
Genre
Length
  • 4:10 (single / soundtrack version)
  • 4:37 (album version)
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Stephan Moccio
  • Jason Quenneville
The Weeknd singles chronology
"Love Me Harder"
(2014)		 "Earned It"
(2014)		 "The Hills"
(2015)
Fifty Shades soundtrack singles chronology
"Earned It"
(2014)		 "Love Me like You Do"
(2015)
Music video
"Earned It" on YouTube

"Earned It", alternatively titled "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)",[2] is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd. The song was released as the lead single from the soundtrack to the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey and was included on the Weeknd's second studio album Beauty Behind the Madness (2015).

"Earned It" was lauded by critics upon release, and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the Weeknd's first top five single. The song's popularity made Fifty Shades of Grey the latest soundtrack to generate concurrent top-ten singles with Ellie Goulding's "Love Me like You Do", which also peaked at number three. Its music video was directed by the film's director, Sam Taylor-Johnson, features the film's lead actress, Dakota Johnson, and has the same BDSM theme. The song was nominated for Best Original Song at the 88th Academy Awards and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. On February 16, 2023, it was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling more than ten million copies in the United States.

Background

The Weeknd was involved in the project very early on. Tom Mackay, a manager at Republic Records, explained: "He worked on a number of songs for a number of scenes. Some were working and some weren't, but he just kept at it, and kept at it, and kept at it. In the end, he wrote 'Earned It' and it's the biggest song of his career to date. It's the only song that's in the movie twice".[3] Director Sam Taylor-Johnson said the Weeknd's voice is instantly seductive, which fit the film perfectly. The singer agreed saying the film and his music is like "a match made in heaven".[4] An alternative version of the single, with a new slightly long intro, was later included in the Weeknd's album Beauty Behind the Madness (2015).

Composition

"Earned It" is a chamber pop and R&B song.[5] It is written in the key of D minor with a slow tempo of 40 beats per minute (Largo) in 6
8 time. There is an alternation between the chords Gm7 and Dm7, and Tesfaye's vocals span two octaves from D3 to D5.[6]

Critical reception

Unlike the film, "Earned It" received critical acclaim. Mitchell Bozzetto of Renowned for Sound said, "Tesfaye definitely has one of the best modern day R&B voices and it certainly shows in this track, his pitch and tone are spot on which makes this a soothing listen."[7] Tom Breihan of Stereogum wrote, "With its streaking, soundtracky strings, "Earned It" almost sounds like it could come from one of the '80s erotic thrillers that clearly inspired Fifty Shades. It's not a great Weeknd song, but it's a pretty interesting career move.[8]

Andrew Ryce of Pitchfork praised the Weeknd's vocals but said that the song is "kind of icky".[9] Kitty Empire of The Guardian called the song "a genre curveball that nevertheless sat comfortably with the Weeknd’s depraved brand identity, cultivated over three mixtapes."[10]

Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 39 on its "50 best songs of 2015" list: "The 50 Shades of Grey soundtrack proved Abel Tesfaye's ideal entree into the pop mainstream, though here he eschewed S&M to instead focus on the bottom line, lending his liquid falsetto to the role of affectionate sugar daddy."[11]

Accolades

The song won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, while also being nominated for Best R&B Song, and Best Song Written for Visual Media.[12] The song also received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 88th Academy Awards.[13]

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Chart performance

In the Weeknd's native Canada, "Earned It" peaked at number eight on the Canadian Hot 100. "Earned It" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, the second single from the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack to enter the top 10, after Ellie Goulding's "Love Me like You Do", which also peaked at number three. It became the Weeknd's second top-ten hit, after his collaboration with Ariana Grande on the number seven peaking hit, "Love Me Harder" and his highest-selling song on the chart at the time.[14] The song has also been a commercial success overseas, reaching the top ten in 10 other countries, including the United Kingdom and New Zealand, while attaining a top twenty position in countries that include Australia, Germany, and Ireland.

Music video

The music video, directed by the film's director Sam Taylor-Johnson,[15] was shot at the Palace Theater in Los Angeles.[16] It was released on Vevo and YouTube on January 21, 2015. It includes the BDSM theme as seen in the film. The video shows The Weeknd performing on stage as a group of topless women with black tape over their breasts perform a BDSM-themed burlesque routine behind him. Dakota Johnson makes a cameo appearance in the video.

Track listing

European CD single
No.TitleLength
1."Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)"4:11
2."Where You Belong"4:56

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[88] 4× Platinum 280,000‡
Belgium (BEA)[89] Gold 10,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[90] 6× Platinum 480,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[91] 2× Platinum 120,000^
France (SNEP)[92] Gold 75,000*
Germany (BVMI)[93] Platinum 400,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[94] Platinum 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[95] Platinum 15,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[96] 2× Platinum 20,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[97] 2× Platinum 40,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[98] 2× Platinum 40,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[99] Platinum 40,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[100] 3× Platinum 120,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[101] 2× Platinum 1,280,000[102]
United States (RIAA)[103] Diamond 10,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States December 23, 2014 Digital download Republic [104]
January 13, 2015 Rhythmic contemporary radio [105]
February 24, 2015 Contemporary hit radio [106]
Austria, Germany, Switzerland April 10, 2015 CD [17]

References

  1. ↑ Earned It liner notes. August 28, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey) – From The "Fifty Shades Of Grey" Soundtrack – The Weeknd". Spotify. 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  3. ↑ Ugwu, Reggie (February 26, 2015). "Why The "Fifty Shades Of Grey" Soundtrack Is Better Than It Has Any Right To Be". BuzzFeed. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  4. ↑ Republic Records (January 21, 2015). "Behind the Scenes – The Weeknd "Earned It" (Fifty Shades Of Grey) Video". YouTube. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  5. ↑ Pankey, William (January 16, 2016). "Sam Smith, The Weeknd, and Lady Gaga nominated for Academy Awards". AXS TV. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)". www.musicnotes.com. March 13, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Single Review: The Weeknd – 'Earned It' (Fifty Shades Of Grey)". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  8. ↑ "The Weeknd – "Earned It"". Stereogum. December 23, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Beauty Behind the Madness". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  10. ↑ Empire, Kitty (August 30, 2015). "The Weeknd: Beauty Behind the Madness review – a dark seduction of the mainstream". The Guardian. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  11. ↑ "50 Best Songs of 2015". Rolling Stone. December 3, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  12. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/0t8/arts/music/grammy-awards-kendrick-lamar-taylor-swift-and-the-weeknd-lead-nominations.html
  13. ↑ "The Weeknd, Sam Smith, Lady Gaga Lead Best Song Oscar Noms – Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. January 14, 2016. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  14. ↑ Trust, Gary (February 25, 2015). "Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars Top Hot 100 Again; The Weeknd Enters Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  15. ↑ Schilliac, Sophia (January 21, 2015). "'Fifty Shades': Dakota Johnson Gets Tied Up in The Weeknd's 'Earned It' Music Video". ETOnline. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  16. ↑ Bacardi, Francesca (January 20, 2015). "The Weeknd Debuts a Sexy Sneak Peek Video for Fifty Shades of Grey Song "Earned It"—Watch Now!". E! Online. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
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  57. ↑ "The Weeknd Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  58. ↑ "The Weeknd Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
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