In Your Eyes (The Weeknd song)

"In Your Eyes" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd from his fourth studio album "After Hours" (2020). The song was serviced to contemporary hit radio on March 24, 2020 by XO and Republic Records as the album's third single. It was originally released four days before, alongside the rest of its parent album. The Weeknd wrote and produced the song with Max Martin and Oscar Holter, with Canadian rapper Belly receiving additional writing credits as well.
The original studio recording of the track features Wojtek Goral on alto saxophone, while the live version and remix of the song features Kenny G on soprano saxophone.
On May 21, 2020, a remix featuring American singer and rapper Doja Cat was released. Another remix of the song featuring Kenny G as the saxophonist was released on October 16, 2020, which followed the first live performance of the song.
Background and release.
The song was first teased in the Weeknd's "After Hours" short film (released early March 2020) during a scene in which Tesfaye walked past a musician playing the track's saxophone solo. Later on, Island Records president Louis Bloom, in a mid-March 2020 interview with "Music Week" magazine, confirmed that a direct follow-up to "Blinding Lights" was set to be revealed upon the album's release. The follow-up was then announced to be "In Your Eyes", with the song being added to various popular Spotify playlists and having its radio release confirmed by Gary Trust of "Billboard" magazine on March 20, 2020.
The Weeknd spoke about the record, co-produced by him, Max Martin, and Oscar Holter, during an interview with "Variety", "When you look deeper into the song, it's more complex than it seems. It's basically about two people who are in love with each other who are just fucking each other over," he explained. "The first verse is from one perspective and the second is from the other perspective. It's like the way people think the Police's 'Every Breath You Take' is a love song, and it's not at all ... This is deeper, but you wanna dance to it and make love to it. That's the trick of it".
Lyrics and composition.
The lyrics of the song reference Tesfaye's on-and-off relationship with model Bella Hadid.
The Weeknd showcases a vulnerability not witnessed before, turning away from his usual booze and drugs modus operandi to openly tackle his emotions and confess his wrongdoings. “I'm ashamed of what I've done, yeah,” he admits, coming to the realisation that the pain he caused is hurting not only his previous lover, but himself. As the track progresses, the feeling of regret increases - the artist begins to see his own pain reflected in the person he's hurt, as if her eyes are a mirror, revealing the detriment he has caused.
Critical reception.
The song received rave reviews and was noted as a standout track from the album by critics, with the single being compared to the Weeknd's previous radio hits. Various journalists noted its heavy 80s influence, with the song's saxophone solo (performed by Wojtek Goral) and synths receiving praise and being compared to hits such as M83's "Midnight City" and Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night". "The New York Times" writer Jon Caramanica observed that “the saxophone solo near the end of the satisfyingly electric “In Your Eyes” could be high-end Muzak (in the best way)”.
"Pitchfork.com" columnist Noah Yoo wrote that “In Your Eyes” ”features saxophone solos and horn arrangements so gaudy they’d make Duran Duran blush”.
“One of the project's biggest standout moments is the “Careless Whisper”-style sax solo thanks to instrumentalist Tomas Jannson, which takes the song to truly nostalgic proportions,” observed "Entertainment Weekly" reviewer Candice McDuffie. "Vibe" writer Jack Riedy noted, “The electro-disco song is packed with enough aural embellishments that to list them requires a full Stefon voice: Chic-Esque rhythm guitar, victorious trumpet riffs, Daft Punk-Esque robotic vocals, and a full-on saxophone solo on the outro”.
"Stereogum" editor Tom Breihan described the record as “pure coke-dusted mid-’80s yuppie club-pop. The song is clean and extremely produced ’80s-style pop, and it ends with a screaming saxophone solo. “The work is slick, inventive, and pristine—’80s sounds (shimmery synths, snaky brass, ambient undertones) refracted, and polished, to sound modern,” "GQ.com" editor Max Cea assessed. Luke Morgan Britton of "NME" asserted, “The jaunty ‘In Your Eyes’ (which comes with a euphoric, joyous and absolute killer sax solo) harks back to the sparkling bombast of 2016's Starboy”.
Music video.
The music video for "In Your Eyes" was first teased by its director Anton Tammi on his Instagram story on March 21, 2020, with Tesfaye later on the following day posting the thumbnail for the visual on his social media accounts. Its confirmation as the music video for the single was confirmed eleven hours before its release, with the video premiering on March 23, 2020.
The visual stars Zaina Miuccia as the lead female protagonist and continues the storyline from the "After Hours" short film after the Weeknd enters the elevator with the couple. In the music video, the Weeknd, after having killed Miuccia's companion in the aforementioned elevator, chases her throughout different locations until they reach a nightclub named After Hours. There, Miuccia manages to grab an axe that she then uses to decapitate the Weeknd, with her then proceeding to dance with his lifeless head throughout the rest of the music video. The visual features the return of Wojtek Goral as the saxophone player from the album's self-titled short film and was compared to the slasher movies of the 1980s, being met with a positive reception.
"Pop Matters" columnist Jessica Brant exclaimed the song “feels like the obsessive longing the Weeknd writes of on "Pretty" from his 2013 album Kiss Land transformed into a movie. The story glistens with the entertaining qualities that made fans fall in love with Michael Jackson's “Thriller” video with the same omnipotence. A chilling tale with a redemptive and hilarious plot twist and great acting from model and Vogue writer Zainna Miuccia, who finds herself at the epicenter of it all”. "The Weeknd has channeled horror movie vibes with his video, taking the '80s slasher vibes up a notch," stated "Vibe" journalist William E. Ketchum III. "Complex" editor Trace William Cohen praised the visual's narrative and outcome, “The video sees a knife-wielding version of Abel's "After Hours" character going full slasher villain, ominous lurking and all. The video fittingly ends with Abel's character on the receiving end of some hatchet-assisted poetic justice.
Commercial performance.
Following the releasing of its parent album, "In Your Eyes" debuted at number 16 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 dated April 4, 2020. It was the highest overall debut of the week and third highest charting track from "After Hours". On March 9, 2021, "In Your Eyes" was awarded a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling one million units in the United States.
On March 27, 2020, the song debuted at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming his 20th top 40 hit on the chart. Elsewhere in Europe, it managed to debut in the top 20 of the Belgian Tip charts, Irish Singles Chart, and Dutch Single Top 100 on June 10, 2020. The song also managed to debut within the top ten of Norwegian and Swedish charts, with the single also reaching a top 40 position of number 26 in Italy on March 28, 2020.
Live performances.
The song's debut live performance occurred during the 2020 "Time" 100 primetime event on September 22, 2020, where a new version of the song with saxophonist Kenny G was performed. The song's second live performance occurred during the American Music Awards of 2020 on November 22, 2020, where it was performed alongside "Save Your Tears" in downtown Los Angeles. In this performance, the Weeknd sported a bandaged look that continued the narrative of the visuals that he released for "After Hours". A third live performance of the song for VEVO, directed by Micah Bickham with cinematography from Jon Chema, was released on November 24, 2020. The fourth live performance of the song occurred at one of his residences during the Z100 Jingle Ball on December 14, 2020.
In August 2020, the song's Doja Cat remix was one of the tracks featured on TikTok's virtual concert: The Weeknd Experience.
Personnel.
Credits adapted from Genius. 
Doja Cat remix.
A remix of the song featuring American singer and rapper Doja Cat was released on May 21, 2020, two days after its announcement.
Background.
Prior to the announcement of the remix, the Weeknd had released several remixes of songs off of "After Hours", with artists such as Lil Uzi Vert, Major Lazer and Chromatics.
On May 19, 2020, Doja Cat posted a poll on Twitter indicating that she had recently collaborated with the Weeknd. Shortly after, she tweeted "in your eyes" and changed her Twitter display name to the same, indicating she performed on a remix of the song. The Weeknd shortly confirmed the remix, and teased the cover art and release date the next day.
Lyrics and composition.
Despite the song's buoyant, synth-tipped melodies, the lyrics hint at the doubts and fears that can transpire when expressing vulnerable feelings within a relationship. The remix includes a sort of call-and-response to Weeknd's lyrics. "You always try to hide the pain/You always know just what to say/I always look the other way," the Weeknd sings. "I'm blind, I'm blind/In your eyes, you lie, but I don't let it define you/Oh, define you." Doja Cat continues the conversation with her sultry verse. "I never lied when I cried for you," she croons. "And I know you cried, too ... always had to say bye to you." Later, she raps, "One day I'm giving you space, and the next day you're giving me face" about the song's push-and-pull emotions.
Critical reception.
Althea Legapsi of "Rolling Stone" wrote, "The remix includes a sort of call-and-response to Weeknd's lyrics," and noted, "despite the song's buoyant, synth-tipped melodies, the lyrics hint at the doubts and fears that can transpire when expressing vulnerable feelings within a relationship." Carl Lamarre from "Billboard Magazine" praised their collaboration as he observed, “Welcoming Doja to his funky playground, The Weeknd allows the multifaceted star to shine on the song's second verse. After combing through the entrancing soundscape with her feathery croons, she switches into rap mode before allowing the XO star to regain momentum on the hook“. Tom Breihan of "Stereogum" complimented Doja Cat's transformative contribution, "The Weeknd's ‘In Your Eyes’ is a slick piece of work full of synths and saxophones. Doja Cat sings and raps, turning the song into a duet about two self-destructive people who are extremely into each other."
"She feels right at home in The Weeknd's tripped-out pop landscape, where the melodies are intoxicating and the artists have been over-served," exclaimed "Consequence of Sound" columnist Wren Graves, welcoming Doja Cat's presence. "Idolator" editor Mike Wass applauded the pair's cohesive remix, "In an era of shabbily cobbled together remixes, this combination actually makes sense — and brings a much-needed female perspective into The Weeknd's dark and gloomy world". In a rave review, "Entertainment Tonight" writer Meredith B. Kile asserted, "Recruiting Doja Cat for melodies and a driving rap verse over the synth-heavy track, the Canadian crooner made beautiful Muzak out of this buzzworthy collab".
Erika Marie from "HotNewHipHop" shared, "The nostalgic, vintage feel of ‘In Your Eyes’ pairs well with disco-esque jams. They collaborated in an effort to make musical magic."
Music video.
An animated music video for the remix of "In Your Eyes" was released on July 2, 2020. The visual was directed by Jeron Braxton and it features the Weeknd and Doja Cat driving through a surreal futuristic city, akin to one found in "Blade Runner". In the video, the Weeknd maintains the red suit used heavily throughout the promotional material for "After Hours". His character, along with Doja Cat's and the rest of the animation, are done in low polygon count style. It is the first of three animated videos released in support of "After Hours", with it being followed by the visuals for "Snowchild" and the Ariana Grande remix of "Save Your Tears".