Often

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For the Doja Cat song, see Scarlet (Doja Cat album).

"Often"
Single by the Weeknd
from the album Beauty Behind the Madness
ReleasedJuly 31, 2014 (2014-07-31)
Recorded2014
StudioBota Studios (Toronto, Ontario)[1]
Genre
Length4:10
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Weeknd singles chronology
"Wanderlust"
(2014) 		"Often"
(2014) 		"Love Me Harder"
(2014)
Music video
"Often" on YouTube

"Often" is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It was released on July 31, 2014, as the lead single from his second studio album, Beauty Behind the Madness (2015).[2][3] The song contains a sample from "Ben Sana Vurgunum" by Turkish singer Nükhet Duru.[4]

"Often" peaked within the top 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top 70 of the Canadian Hot 100. The song won two awards at the 2015 Much Music Video Awards, Video of the Year and Best Director.[5]

Background[edit]

The Weeknd initially released "Often" exclusively on the streaming service SoundCloud on June 25, 2014.[6] The song was officially released on Apple Music a month later, on July 31.[2]

Composition & lyrics[edit]

According to the sheet music published by Songs Music Publishing at Musicnotes.com, "Often" is written in the key of G minor, and follows a tempo of 68 beats per minute. The Weeknd's vocal range spans from F4 to G5.[7]

The lyrics of the song primarily explore the theme of sex, with Stereogum saying that the Weeknd sings about "how good [he] is at fucking," but that he makes it sound like an "absolutely exhausting burden."[6]

Critical reception[edit]

Justin Davis of Complex said that the Weeknd was "less dour and a little more excited on this song in comparison with most of the releases from his debut studio album, Kiss Land (2013), and "Often" turns him back to his more lyrical days with a stronger delivery." April Clare Welsh of NME stated the Weeknd "sounds like R Kelly on Viagra, spoiling a track that’s seductive enough on its own with lines like 'Baby I can make that pussy rain often.'"

Commercial performance[edit]

In the United States, "Often" debuted at number 97 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on the week of November 1, 2014. On the week of February 7, 2015, the song peaked at number 59. The song spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart. On December 7, 2016, the single was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streaming equivalent units of over three million units in the United States.

In Canada, the song debuted at number 95 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart on the week of November 1, 2014. On the week of February 28, 2015, it peaked at number 69 on the chart. The song spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart. The single was certified gold by Music Canada for sales of over 40,000 copies in Canada.

Music video[edit]

A music video for "Often" was released on August 21, 2014. It depicts the Weeknd in a hotel room, accompanied by several women in various implicit states of undress.[8]

Remixes[edit]

The official remix features additional verses from Rick Ross and Schoolboy Q.[9] Another remix, by Norwegian record producer and DJ Kygo was also released.[10]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27] 4× Platinum 280,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[28] 2× Platinum 120,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[29] 3× Platinum 240,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[30] Platinum 90,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[31] Gold 200,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[32] Gold 50,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[33] Gold 30,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[34] 2× Platinum 20,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[35] Gold 10,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[36] Platinum 40,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] Platinum 739,000[37]
United States (RIAA)[39] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format Label
United States July 31, 2014[2] Digital download

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Often liner notes". August 28, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Often – Single by The Weeknd". iTunes Store. United States: Apple. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  3. ^ "The Weeknd 'Often'". Republic Records. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  4. ^ "Grinin Elli Tonu'nda Nükhet Duru sürprizi" (in Turkish). Turkey: Sabah. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  5. ^ Mojallal, Freddie (June 23, 2015). "MMVA 2015 - Much Music Video Awards". Toronto Guardian. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (June 25, 2014). "The Weeknd – Often". Stereogum. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  7. ^ "The Weeknd "Often" Sheet Music - Download & Print". musicnotes.com.
  8. ^ "The Weeknd's "Often" Video Is, of Course, Vaguely NSFW". The FADER. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "Often (feat. Rick Ross & The Weeknd)". YouTube. April 6, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  10. ^ "Often (Kygo Remix)". YouTube. April 7, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  11. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  12. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  13. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201520 into search. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  14. ^ "The Weeknd – Often" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  15. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Weeknd". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  16. ^ "The Weeknd – Often". VG-lista. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  17. ^ "The Weeknd – Often". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  18. ^ "The Weeknd – Often". Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  20. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  21. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  22. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  23. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  24. ^ "The Weeknd Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  25. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  26. ^ "Hot R&B Singles: Year-End 2015". Billboard. Billboard.com. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  27. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  28. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – The Weeknd – Often" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  29. ^ "Canadian single certifications – The Weeknd – Often". Music Canada. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  30. ^ "Danish single certifications – The Weeknd – Often". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  31. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Weeknd; 'Often')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  32. ^ "Italian single certifications – The Weeknd – Often" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  33. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved October 6, 2021. Type The Weeknd in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Often in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  34. ^ "Norwegian single certifications – The Weeknd – Often" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  35. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – The Weeknd – Often" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  36. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 40, 2015 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  37. ^ "The Weeknd's biggest songs on the Official Chart". Official Charts Company. August 4, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  38. ^ "British single certifications – The Weeknd – Often". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  39. ^ "American single certifications – The Weeknd – Often". Recording Industry Association of America.
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