Twenty Eight (song)

"Twenty Eight"
Single by the Weeknd
from the album House of Balloons and Trilogy
ReleasedNovember 13, 2012
Recorded2010–2012
StudioSite Sound Studios, Toronto[1]
Genre
Length4:18
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Weeknd singles chronology
"Wicked Games"
(2012) 		"Twenty Eight"
(2012) 		"The Zone"
(2012)
Music video
"Twenty Eight" on YouTube

"Twenty Eight" is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, featured as a bonus track on the version of his debut mixtape House of Balloons (2011). It was released as the album's second single on November 13, 2012, by XO and Republic Records.[3] The song only appears on the reissue of the mixtape that is included with his 2012 compilation album, Trilogy.[4] The song 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]

Many early songs by Tesfaye are about him tricking, manipulating and cheating on his girlfriends, but in "Twenty Eight" the roles are reversed.[5] The song is named "Twenty Eight" due to there being 28 grams in an ounce, which is something important for drug dealers to know. The song is also the twenty eighth official release by Tesfaye.[6] The song as a whole has been compared to Frank Ocean and Miguel, while Tesfaye's vocals specifically have been compared to Michael Jackson.[5][7]

"Twenty Eight" was first heard by the general public when Tesfaye sent the track to DJ Zane Lowe, who in turn played the song on BBC Radio 1.[8][9] Tesfaye would make his first appearance on the show for an interview later that month.[9][10] The song charted at number 150 on the UK Singles Chart[11] and at number 49 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales,[12] and is also certified Platinum in the US.

Music video

[edit]

The music video for "Twenty Eight" premiered on February 13, 2013, on the Weeknd's YouTube account. It was filmed in Bucharest, Romania, and was directed by photographer/director Nabil Elderkin.[13] The video features Tesfaye on a talk show, with him being unable to focus due to seeing visions of his ex girlfriend. The video is incredibly sexual, featuring many nude women/strippers.[14] Due to the explicit portrayal of breasts in the video, it has been age-restricted on YouTube.[15]

Track listing

[edit]
Digital download[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Twenty Eight"
4:18

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from liner notes for Trilogy.[1]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Twenty Eight"
Chart (2012–2013) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[11] 150
US R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[12] 49

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[17] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format Label(s) Ref
Worldwide November 13, 2012 Digital download
[18]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Trilogy (CD liner). The Weeknd. Republic Records. 2012. 3719793.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ Hogan, Marc (November 7, 2012). "The Weeknd Can't Get That Girl Out Of His Bed In 'Twenty Eight'". Spin Magazine. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Twenty Eight – Single". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  4. ^ Aspray, Benjamin (November 19, 2012). "The Weeknd: Trilogy". PopMatters. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Brodsky, Rachel (November 7, 2012). "New Song: The Weeknd, 'Twenty Eight'". MTV. Archived from the original on August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  6. ^ Nick (November 7, 2012). "The Weeknd – Twenty Eight : Incredible New Single off 'Trilogy'". This Song Is Sick. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  7. ^ Grishkoff, Jason (November 7, 2012). "The Weeknd Twenty Eight". Indie Shuffle. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  8. ^ Breihan, Tom (November 6, 2012). "The Weeknd – "Twenty Eight"". Stereo Gum. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Donaldson, Erich (November 6, 2012). "Listen: The Weeknd "Twenty Eight"". Complex. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Hudson, Alex (November 6, 2012). "The Weeknd "Twenty Eight"". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Peak chart positions for singles in the United Kingdom: "Twenty Eight": "Chart Log UK: New Entries Update – 6.04.2013 (Week 13)". zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  12. ^ a b "The Weeknd Chart History - R&B/Hip-hop Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  13. ^ Knight, David (February 19, 2013). "The Weeknd 'Twenty Eight' by Nabil". Promo News. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  14. ^ Devin (February 12, 2013). "Video: The Weeknd - 'Twenty Eight'". Rap Up. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  15. ^ The Weeknd (February 13, 2013). "The Weeknd - Twenty Eight (Explicit) (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Twenty Eight (2013) by The Weeknd". IMVDB. February 13, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  17. ^ "American single certifications – The Weeknd – Twenty Eight". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  18. ^ "Twenty Eight" – via iTunes.
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