"Gasoline" 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 ...

, released as the second track from his fifth studio album, ''

Dawn FM ''Dawn FM'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It was released on January 7, 2022, by XO and Republic Records. The album contains guest appearances by Tyler, the Creator, Lil Wayne, and Swedish House Mafia and ...

''. A

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

and new wave track, the song was written by the Weeknd, OPN, and Matt Cohn, and produced by the three alongside

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
AllMusic known professional ...

and

Oscar Holter Oscar Thomas Holter (born 26 February 1986) is a Swedish record producer and songwriter based in the United States. He is best known for his work with record producer and fellow Swede Max Martin and Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd on the ...

Background and promotion

The song's name was first revealed on January 5, 2022, when Canadian singer

posted the track listing for the song's parent album ''

'' (2022). A music video for the song was announced on January 10, 2022, and then released the following day on January 11, 2022. The song was originally intended to be released to US

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

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 ...

on January 18, 2022, as the album's third single, but its release was cancelled. In 2024, "Gasoline" served as the official theme song for

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

WrestleMania XL WrestleMania XL was a 2024 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 40th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on Saturd ...

, marking the fifth straight year in a row that a Weeknd song served as the theme song for the annual event, making the Weeknd the first artist to ever do so. It is also the third song from the ''Dawn FM'' album to be used as a WrestleMania theme, following the last two years' usage of "

Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...

" and " Less than Zero" for 38 and 39 respectively.

Lyrics and composition

"Gasoline" has been described as a

and new wave track where the Weeknd sings about an unbalanced relationship with a woman who is his crutch and support system for drug problems.

Critical reception

"Gasoline" was met with critical acclaim, receiving particular praise for its production, melodies and The Weeknd's vocals. Craig Jenkins from ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

'' drew comparisons of the song's vocal affectations and drum programming to the United Kingdom's '80s

pop rap Pop rap (also known as pop hip-hop, pop hop, hip pop, melodic hip-hop or melodic rap) is a genre of music fusing the rhythm-based lyricism of hip hop with pop's preference for melodic vocals, catchy hooks, and positive lyrics on pop-like p ...

scene.

Music video

A music video for the song was released on January 11, 2022. It was directed by Matilda Finn with visuals by cinematographer Jon Chema and expands on the story arc presented in the previous visuals released for the album. The clip begins with an older version of the Weeknd getting into a car accident and then ending up in a nightclub where he finds a younger version enjoying himself on the dancefloor. This younger version of himself then walks around the club and sees corrupted versions of other dancers. During this, the younger version of the Weeknd sees his older self and begins to go straight to him. The clip then concludes with the younger version of the Weeknd brutally beating his older self, presumably to death.

Charts

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2022 songs Canadian synth-pop songs Songs written by the Weeknd The Weeknd songs Song recordings produced by the Weeknd Song recordings produced by Max Martin Republic Records singles