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 compilation 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 2,000,000 units in the United States.[3] The song was 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
RecordedSite Sound Studios, Toronto
Genre
Length
  • 4:41 (single edit)
  • 5:24 (album 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. The video starts off with a woman dancing in a coat with no clothes underneath, before the camera pans to the singer, who is shown singing expressively. Since its release, the music video has received over 200 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 Danmark)[16] Gold 30,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[17] Gold 5,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[19] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡

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

Release history
Country Date Format Label
United States[20] September 25, 2012 Rhythmic contemporary radio Republic
Canada[21] October 22, 2012 Digital download
United States[22]
United Kingdom[23] 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.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. "Weeknd - Wicked Games (Explicit Version) MP3 Download". CD Universe. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  3. "Gold & Platinum: The Weeknd". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  4. "The Weeknd – Wicked Games" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  5. "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. Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – 2012 + Weekly Updates + Sales 2012". Zobbel.de. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  9. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  10. "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  11. "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  12. "The Weeknd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  13. "The Weeknd Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  14. "2013 Year End Charts — R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  15. "Canadian single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games". Music Canada. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  16. "Danish single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  17. "Norwegian single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  18. "British single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  19. "American single certifications – The Weeknd – Wicked Games". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  20. "Rhythm – Available For Airplay". FMQB. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  21. "Wicked Games (Explicit Version) by The Weeknd". Canada: 7digital. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  22. "Wicked Games (Explicit Version) by The Weeknd". United States: 7digital. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  23. "Wicked Games (Explicit Version) by The Weeknd". United Kingdom: 7digital. Archived from the original on August 17, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
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