"Cry for Me" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter

the Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...

. It was sent to US contemporary and rhythmic radio through XO and

Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...

as the third single from his sixth studio album, '' Hurry Up Tomorrow'', on February 4, 2025. The song was produced by the Weeknd himself, Mike Dean, and

Metro Boomin Leland Tyler Wayne (born September 16, 1993), known professionally as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer and music executive. Widely acclaimed for his dark and cinematic production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential p ...

, with all three of them writing it alongside

Belly Belly may refer to: Anatomy * The abdomen, the part of the body between the pelvis and the thorax; or the stomach ** A beer belly, an overhang of fat above the waist, presumed to be caused by regular beer drinking ** Belly dance * The fleshy, ce ...

, Karen Patterson, and Curtis Williams. Following the release of the album, the song received widespread critical acclaim, and was an immediate commercial success, reaching the top ten in the United Kingdom and Canada, and top 40 in various countries, including number 12 in the United States.

Background and release

The song, which was first released as a second listed track of ''Hurry Up Tomorrow'', was released as the third single off the album on February 4, 2025.

Composition and lyrics

"Cry for Me" is composed of distorted synthesizers and drums that are very hard-hitting before it ends with a trap-influenced outro. On the song, the Weeknd says that he feels trapped in a "penthouse prison" as he expresses his internal feelings of pain and suffering. Carl Lamarre of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' ranked "Cry for Me" as the ninth best song on the album as he felt that "The Weeknd's vulnerability is palpable as he positions ''Hurry Up Tomorrow'' as his swan song" and "he leans into his mortality and departure, realizing it may be too late to resuscitate his relationship".

Music video

The music video for "Cry for Me" was released on February 11, 2025. Self-directed by the Weeknd, the black-and-white visual features the singer in a sparkling outfit with a hood covering part of his face, as he walks towards a young woman in the pitch black. The scene frequently flashes to the musicians wandering a city and the woman crying thick, dark liquid.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from first pressing credits and Tidal. *

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...

– vocals, keyboards, programming, songwriting, production * Mike Dean – synthesizer, songwriting, production, mixing, mastering * OPN – synthesizer *

– songwriting, production * Sage Skolfield – engineering, vocal engineering, vocal producer, mixing * Tommy Rush – engineering, second engineering, assistant mixing * Shin Kamiyama – engineering * Nathan Salon – engineering * Faris Al-Majed – recording, second engineering * Ahmad Balshe – songwriting * Curtis Fitzgerald Williams – songwriting * Lynette K. Patterson – songwriting

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{The Weeknd songs 2025 singles 2025 songs The Weeknd songs Number-one singles in Greece Songs written by the Weeknd Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer) Songs written by Metro Boomin Songs written by Belly (rapper) Song recordings produced by the Weeknd Song recordings produced by Mike Dean (record producer) Song recordings produced by Metro Boomin Republic Records singles XO (record label) singles