Wicked Games

"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.[1] Producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo co-wrote the song and performed all instrumentation.[1] 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 XO and Republic Records.[2] Upon release, the single received widespread acclaim from music critics. On May 9, 2013, "Wicked Games" was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of 1,000,000 units in the United States.[3] This song is also featured on the soundtrack for the movie Southpaw, the soundtrack's executive producer being American rapper Eminem who went on to produce a remix with The Weeknd on his later song "The Hills".

This article is about the song by The Weeknd. For the Chris Isaak song, see Wicked Game. For other uses, see Wicked Game (disambiguation).
"Wicked Games"
Single by The Weeknd
from the album House of Balloons and Trilogy
ReleasedSeptember 25, 2012
FormatDigital download
RecordedSite Sound Studios, Toronto
Genre
Length
  • 4:41 (radio edit)
  • 5:24 (album version)
  • 5:33 (extended version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Abel Tesfaye
  • Doc McKinney
  • Carlo Montagnese
  • R. Millar Blancheur
  • C. Ray Garza
Producer(s)
The Weeknd singles chronology
"Remember You"
(2012)		 "Wicked Games"
(2012)		 "Twenty Eight"
(2012)
Music video
"Wicked Games" on YouTube

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 180 million views on YouTube.

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes for Trilogy.[1]

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

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[15] 2× Platinum 160,000
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[16] Gold 30,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[16] Gold 20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Silver 200,000*
United States (RIAA)[18] 3× Platinum 3,000,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

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

In other media

An orchestral cover version of the song was used in Westworld season 3 episode "The Mother of Exiles" arranged and composed by Ramin Djawadi.

References
  1. Trilogy (CD liner). The Weeknd. Republic Records. 2012. 3719793.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. "Weeknd - Wicked Games (Explicit Version) MP3 Download". CD Universe. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  3. "Gold & Platinum: The Weeknd". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  4. "Ultratop.be – The Weeknd – Wicked Games" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  5. "Ultratop.be – The Weeknd – Wicked Games" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  6. "The Weeknd Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  7. "The Weeknd Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  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. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  11. "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  12. "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  13. "The Weeknd Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  14. "2013 Year End Charts — R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  15. "Canadian single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games". Music Canada. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  16. "The Weeknd - Wicked Games" (in Swedish). Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  17. "British single certifications – The Weeknd – The Hills". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 27, 2015. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type The Hills in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  18. "American single certifications – The Weeknd – The Hills". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 6, 2019. 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.
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