Can’t Feel My Face
“Can’t Feel My Face” is a hit song by the Canadian musician The Weeknd. The song is in his second album called Beauty Behind the Madness. Additionally, the song was released five years ago as the third single of the album. The writers of the song were Peter Svensson, Ali Payami, Max Martin, The Weeknd, and Savan Kotecha. While the song appealed to millions of fans across the globe, critics argued that it sounded like Michael Jackson’s. However, Rolling Stone listed the work as the best in 2015 and it was later nominated for several awards including Best Pop Solo Performance and Record of the Year. Moreover, the song was commercially successful since it topped billboard charts in America and Canada as the hot100. The song also was a number one hit in nations such as South Africa, Mexico, Ireland, and Denmark. This paper analyzes The Weeknd, his fanbase, the background and composition of the song, and attempts to decipher what was in the singer’s mind when creating the work.
The Weeknd
The artist Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, popularly known as The Weeknd is a perfect illustration of the fact that greatness is not a matter of where one comes from, but the efforts and persistence that he/she depicts along the way. He is a constant reminder that what does not kill you, builds you. The Weeknd was born on February 16, 1990, in Toronto and he grew up in Scarborough (Caramanica). He was the only child of Ethiopian immigrants Makkonen and Samra Tesfaye who arrived in Canada in the 1980s (Caramanica). Furthermore, the musician was raised by his grandmother since his parents had divorced. Living with his grandmother made him learn Amharic, a language he often used with his mother. The singer confesses that he has vague memories of his father because he has only seen him several times in his lifetime, and explains that he has another family. Interestingly, the musician has no ill feelings towards his father because he was only an absent dad, but not abusive or an alcoholic.
The difficult moments that The Weeknd encountered in his life drove him into drug abuse. He confesses that he started smoking marijuana while at the age of 11 before he later tried hard drugs such as cocaine (Caramanica). Moreover, he claims that he engaged in crimes such as shoplifting to get money to purchase drugs. The Weeknd attended Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute, and West Hill Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, though he dropped out in 2007, and left home for Parkdale (Caramanica). The Weeknd claims that his stage name emanates from his experience as a dropout and asserts it highlights how he deserted home at a weekend and never returned. However, The Weeknd’s producer Jeremy Rose argues that he coined the name. The musician’s name was also edited to evade trademark problems with a Canadian band called The Weekend.
Fan base
The Weeknd enjoys a huge following across the globe. For instance, he has more than nineteen million YouTube subscribers, while the views of his song Can’t Feel My Face currently exceeds one billion. Additionally, he has a huge following in social media, scooping more than twenty-three million followers on Instagram, and above twelve million on Twitter. Last year, he was among the most famous R&B and urban music artist in America, and the entire globe. Additionally, his fans claim that he is talented, sexy, unique, an exemplary performer, and an individual who defines a generation (Braae & Hansen 83). However, what seems to endear the musician to the public is his ability to not just entertain but also to convey a message. For instance, in the song Can’t Feel My Face the musician highlights his experience on drug abuse and addiction. In the song, he portrays drug abuse, particularly the use of Cocaine as a romantic relationship which he knows is dangerous because he confesses that she will eventually kill him. Therefore, his songs easily appeal to the audience of different backgrounds due to his ability to relate to the problems which people are currently experiencing.
Background and composition
The song leaked towards the end of May 2015 and was later released officially on June, 8, the same year, after the singer performed at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (Caramanica). Additionally, the song’s tempo is 108 beats per minute (Taras 212). On the other hand, it has an A minor key. Furthermore, its vocal range shifts between E3 to E5. Multiple sources that have reviewed the song believe that it concerns drugs, specifically cocaine.
Inside the Weeknd’s Mind
The Weeknd uses the song Can’t Feel My Face to express his struggle with drug abuse and addiction. He personalizes the drugs, most likely cocaine as a lover, who he knows well that she will end up running his life. For example, in the opening statement, he explains that he is aware that cocaine will be his death, but takes consolation on the notion that both he and the lover will be numb. Ironically, he claims that though the drug gives him a good feeling, a calamity is on the way. Despite his admitting that the drug will soon cause him problems, he hides on the fantasy that both he and the drug will be attractive and forever young (Taras 213). In the chorus of the song, he seems to express his desire to stop abusing drugs, but then presents a sort of a dialogue where cocaine reassures him not to worry about it because they both know that they cannot survive without “it” which suggest their “relationship.” In a rejoinder, the singer claims that he cannot feel his face without the drug. The face is a symbolism of aspects of his life such as self, confidence, and thoughts. Since he is now an addict, he cannot continue with his ordinary life without the drug because he has no esteem, cannot think clearly, and is unable to perform duties properly. Sadly, he is aware that the drugs are slowly ruining his life and turning him into a miserable person, but he is blindfolded by the notion that they are both in deep love. However, what ties him into the unhealthy relationship is the fear that cocaine instills in him that he will never love anything/anyone again if he abstains from drugs. Lastly, the drug fools him that the goodness he feels when high, is the best he can ever feel.
Conclusion
Overall, the song “Can’t Feel My Face” is a work by The Weeknd which describes his struggles against drug abuse. Notably, The Weeknd has secured a huge fanbase because of his quality music and the ability to address the issues in the society through songs. “Can’t Feel My Face” captures his experience in the toxic relationship with the symbolic lover cocaine, who blindfolds him against quitting drug abuse. Lastly, the song shows how youths fear to stop harmful activities such as drug abuse because of the notion that they may never find something else which is enjoyable.
Works Cited
Braae, Nick, and Kai A. Hansen. On Popular Music and Its Unruly Entanglements. Springer Nature, 2019.
Caramanica, Jon. “Can the Weeknd Turn Himself Into the Biggest Pop Star in the World?” The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia, The New York Times Magazine, 2 Aug. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/08/02/magazine/can-the-weeknd-turn-himself-into-the-biggest-pop-star-in-the-world.html. Accessed 16 July 2020.
Taras, David. Digital Mosaic: Media, Power, and Identity in Canada. U of Toronto P, 2015.