"False Alarm"
Promotional single by the Weeknd
from the album Starboy
ReleasedSeptember 29, 2016 (2016-09-29)
Recorded2016
StudioConway (Los Angeles)[1]
Genre
Length3:50
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Music video
"False Alarm" on YouTube

"False Alarm" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd, from his third studio album Starboy. It was released as the promotional single for the album on September 29, 2016, through XO and Republic Records.[4] The song was written and produced by the Weeknd, Doc McKinney, Cirkut, and Mano, with additional writing credits going to Belly and Ben Billions.[5]

Background and release

"False Alarm" was released as a promotional single on September 29, 2016,[6] following the announcement of its parent album Starboy and the release of its title track.[7]

Lyrics and composition

"False Alarm" runs for a duration of three minutes and fifty seconds, and has been described by critics as a dance-punk[8] and electro-rock track.[9] Lyrically, the song revolves around drugs, unromantic relationships and materialism.[10]

Music video

The song's music video was released on October 13, 2016, and was directed by Ilya Naishuller. It depicts a bank robbery through the first-person perspective of one of the robbers. Due to the graphic violence in the video, a disclaimer was put in the opening, warning that explicit content could advise viewer discretion. This video was also made to look like it was done in one take.[11]

Synopsis

The video begins with the heist underway, with the protagonist (the Weeknd), a robber wearing a red skull mask (Randy Irwin), a robber wearing a yellow skull mask (Sam Hale), a robber wearing a white skull mask (Damion Poitier), and a robber wearing a black skull mask loading money into three bags while the police start to show up outside. The team heads to the back exit to escape, taking a young woman (Kristine Froseth) hostage in the process. The team loads all the money and the hostage into a van, although the black-masked, white-masked, and yellow-masked robbers are killed by the police.

Another van shows up for the surviving robbers to board and throw the money onto. The first bag makes it onto the new van, but the second bag is lost, and the protagonist chooses to throw the hostage into the new van instead of the last bag of money before boarding it himself, which infuriates the red-masked robber. After the first van crashes into a parked car and explodes before the driver can board the second with the last bag of money, the red-masked robber attempts to kill the protagonist. The hostage shoots the red-masked robber with one of his own guns, allowing the protagonist to finish him off, but a stray bullet kills the driver. Without anyone behind the wheel, the van is sent into a ditch by an oncoming truck while the protagonist shields the hostage with his body.

Both the hostage and the protagonist survive the crash, but a large piece of glass becomes lodged in the latter's stomach. Incapacitated from his injury, the protagonist is unable to prevent the hostage from abandoning him with a bag of money. As the police travel closer to the scene and the sirens become progressively louder, the protagonist looks into a mirror, revealing his identity as the singer himself. The Weeknd points the gun to himself and commits suicide, as the screen cuts to black.

Live performances

The Weeknd performed "False Alarm" during the season 42 premiere of Saturday Night Live on October 1, 2016.[12]

Appearances in other media

"False Alarm" was the official theme song of WWE's 2016 Survivor Series pay-per-view.[13]

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[14] 72
Australia Urban (ARIA)[15] 9
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[16] 33
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[17] 38
France (SNEP)[18] 98
Ireland (IRMA)[19] 65
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 79
New Zealand Heatseekers (Recorded Music NZ)[21] 1
Portugal (AFP)[22] 45
Scotland (OCC)[23] 86
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[24] 25
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 89
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 85
UK Singles (OCC)[27] 51
US Billboard Hot 100[28] 55
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[29] 23

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[30] Platinum 80,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[32] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label(s) Ref
Worldwide September 29, 2016 Digital download [6]

References

  1. ↑ Starboy Credits (PDF). November 23, 2016.
  2. ↑ Witmer, Phil (September 30, 2016). "With "False Alarm," the Weeknd Has Finally Become the Punk Rocker Only He Can Be". Vice. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  3. ↑ Ramsay, Kate (September 30, 2016). "The Weeknd Shares New Dance Anthem "False Alarm"". VMan. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  4. ↑ "The Weeknd "False Alarm" - Republic Playbook". Republic Records. October 8, 2016. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  5. ↑ Spanos, Brittany (October 13, 2016). "Watch the Weeknd's Violent, Intense 'False Alarm' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Lawler, Kelly (September 30, 2016). "Not a 'False Alarm': The Weeknd drops another new single". USA Today. Retrieved October 12, 2016 – via Gannett Company.
  7. ↑ Josephs, Brian (September 21, 2016). "The Weeknd Reveals His New Album Starboy". Spin. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  8. ↑ DiMeglio, Mary J. (September 30, 2016). "The Weeknd Unveils Second New 'Starboy' Single, the Frantic 'False Alarm': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  9. ↑ Jenkins, Craig (January 7, 2022). "The Weeknd Knows No Bounds". Vulture. Retrieved January 23, 2022. ...on which the singer-songwriter born Abel Tesfaye revisits the electro-rock attempt of Starboy's "False Alarm"...
  10. ↑ Atkinson, S. (September 30, 2016). "The Weeknd's "False Alarm" Lyrics Explore Familiar Themes In A Cool New Way — LISTEN". Bustle. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  11. ↑ The Weeknd - False Alarm, retrieved October 15, 2016
  12. ↑ Young, Alex (October 2, 2016). "The Weeknd kicks off Saturday Night Live's 42nd season in style — watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  13. ↑ Keller, Wade (November 7, 2016). "KELLER'S WWE RAW REVIEW 11/7: Survivor Series hype for first Raw ever in Scotland including big five-person main event". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 12, 2016. Graves plugged the official theme song of Survivor Series, "False Alarm" by the Weeknd.
  14. ↑ "ARIA CHART WATCH #397". auspOp. December 3, 2016. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  15. ↑ "ARIA Urban Singles Chart". ARIA. December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  16. ↑ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  17. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201648 into search. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  18. ↑ "The Weeknd – False Alarm" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Weeknd". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  20. ↑ "The Weeknd – False Alarm" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  21. ↑ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  22. ↑ "The Weeknd – False Alarm". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  24. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201648 into search. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  25. ↑ "The Weeknd – False Alarm". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  26. ↑ "The Weeknd – False Alarm". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  27. ↑ "The Weeknd: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  28. ↑ "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  29. ↑ "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – The Weeknd – False Alarm". Music Canada. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  31. ↑ "British single certifications – The Weeknd – False Alarm". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  32. ↑ "American single certifications – The Weeknd – False Alarm". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
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