Dawn FM EXPLAINED - The Life & Death of The Weeknd

<TIMESTAMPS BELOW> If you feel like hanging with us for a couple hours every week, catch us on our stream "OurThoughts LIVE" that we do every Thursday @ 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST where we discuss all things music, news, coughWeekndcough, and pop culture! We'll leave a playlist with allllll of our past livestreams right here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzM6oJxrnowo93ZYF-QeHC… Let us know in the comments below any theories/bits you liked + if we missed anything! Also be sure to leave a like and subscribe if you enjoyed the video! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Intro 1:25 - "Dawn FM" 7:34 - "How Do I Make You Love Me?" 10:16 - "Take My Breath" 12:40 - "Sacrifice" 20:00 - "Out Of Time" 24:36 - "Here We Go...Again" 31:46 - "Best Friends" 37:18 - "Is There Someone Else?" 41:21 - "Starry Eyes"

My theory on the album cover is that Abel just can't seem to forgive and forget all his regrets. So he's been stuck in the purgatory state for so long that he eventually grows old cuz it's impossible for him to let go of his past.

Man ended Trilogy with a song named Till Dawn, he knew he gonna grow out of the darkness some day so there's no point dissing him for growing. Man has been through enough let's keep it to enjoying his music rather than asking him to keep traumatising himself. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

This once again opened up my eyes to the reality of this album just like the last. To this day, Less than Zero feels like you lost a championship game, broke up with a gf, did bad on a test, got fired, whatever it may be. This whole album really captures everything Abel has gone through in his past albums and realized the shit he has done and dealt with. Phantom Regret and Less than Zero still leaves that door open of, with Abel make it to the “after life,” or will he fall back into hell or “Las Vegas” and return to the pain of the After hours.

So to people who missed the old Abel, so you guys missed when he was in his lowest? I’m confused 😅 I love the new Abel because he is fighting to fix himself and rebuilding himself the best way he can while still battling his inner demons. It isn’t easy, yet he still gives his best. And one day, I believe he will find his dream girl, someone to have children to raise.

I can’t appreciate how much you guys do bro!!!! The after hours video gave me so much knowledge and inspiration, and now we have a full length film documentary basically!! Our thoughts for the win!! 💯🐐

I think ya'll missed quite a lot on "sacrifice". A lot of Weeknd's work revolves around selling his soul, killing his old self, to continue his success in the music industry. Here we see Abel being "sacrificed" with members of the occult around him. There comes a point where the red robed member(which symbolizes sacrifice) comes forward and we see flashes of corruption and rot. Abel is shortly forced to perform for the group whilst chained to the microphone stand through metal gauntlets, and we see some representation of his soul leaving his body. He's quite literally sacrificing his soul to the music industry and when he pulls his hands out the gauntlets he's just as corrupted as them. This echoes the visions of him selling his soul to Satan in the trilogy of "Can't feel my face", "Tell your friends", and "The Hills" where he can't escape the deal he makes with Satan and this same symbolism permeates many high end stars in the music industry joining the occult for fortune and fame.

The fact that Less Than Zero hasn’t been played on the radio as much is criminal. It’s such an amazing song. Great video guys!

Wow… that breakdown was amazing. The way you guys broke down Phantom Regret By Jim at the end was such an eye opener… and the amount of detail you guys went to is phenomenal in every single track. This video needs to blow up. 10/10. you guys have definitely taken my breath.

This album gives me Nostalgia, existential dread, excitement, and happy fear.

Idk if anyone will see or reply to this but am I the only one who feels they relate to after hours and dawn fm so much. Mine and Abels stories seem to be much different, but when turned into in art form, they seem identical. So many lyrics and images describe how I feel but I just never know how to explain it? I always wanted to do something creative with these thoughts and feelings but could never piece everything together and Abel just did it all so perfectly Idek if there’s a point in trying to do anything about my personal story cause I feel like my vision was captured. The music is amazing but it’s a mix of joy and absolute sadness when I hear it

Originally my favorite song was gasoline. I have no idea why everyone I know was saying it was trash. Definitely one of the coolest songs on the album

ALBUM REVIEW: DAWN FM by THE WEEKND. Storytelling in music holds an esteemed position of being the sacred craft that introduces the audience to a somber, less glamorous side of the artist that is almost never seen in public. It is so treasured because not only is it a more relatable image for the ones who listen; it is also a strangely pleasant reminder that after and above all else, the artist is also just a human being. When taking this into account, it dawns upon us that The Weeknd’s craft is not about following trends in terms of making music according to an arbitrary feeling or a lighthearted jibe in the studio. His entire catalogue is him going through a musical metamorphosis that closely chronicles his life, the good and bad decisions he’s made and how far he’s come because of those said decisions, as well as the people he’s been with through it all. Let’s take for instance: Beauty Behind The Madness. That album represents his ascension to the stratosphere, whereas Starboy is this super cool bad boy persona taking his place as the self-centered light of the universe — he shines alone and he doesn’t want anyone hogging his light. In a sense, it was him getting comfortable in the overwhelming darkness that his stardom propelled him into, and he was simply adapting as a brilliant supernova that splashes colorfully against the impenetrable background of unrelenting blackness. My Dear Melancholy takes a complete 180 from the bad boy who didn’t care about anything and anyone and who did what he wanted, when he wanted. It is an emotionally anguishing reflection of what he’s lost on his way to the top – mostly the relationships he regretted ending, which set the table for After Hours: the self loathing, complete disregard for self through frightening levels of debauchery and hedonism detailed in this project are his ways of coping with the pain as he tumbles further downwards into a black hole of blinding despair to which he appears to have no escape. And then, after seeing the light beckoning upon the horizon, he’s not looking back. If there’s anything you should admit about The Weeknd, it’s that he’s owned every phase of his life that he’s lived. From the magnificent to the macabre, his ability to reinvent himself by opening alternate realities within the same dimension is a telling piece of evidence in favor of his multifaceted personality that he pours into every single element of his music, right down to the last note. DAWN FM, is only but a stage within that musical evolution. As a matter of fact, it symbolizes a graceful rebirth with the purest intentions. By reaching into the treasures of the past with his 80s electro new wave retro disco pop sound, he establishes a futuristic nostalgia of sorts that works as the latex synthesizing the past, present and future quite cohesively. It is a transcendental reality of arcade games and headbands and gym leotards and cassette players and VHS recordings and vinyl records and serene bicycle rides through blissful suburbia at high noon, merged with an ambitious, idealistic future of alien ships and flying cars and jetpacks and advanced time travel that is all so expertly packed into a gentle psychedelic masterpiece which is as healthy for the soul as it is pleasant to the ears. The album explores themes like emotional vulnerability, love, sincerity, remorse and forgiveness; that at the end of the day, Abel Tesfaye is only but a man, and more so, a hopeless romantic that has set his toxic masculinity aside and therefore finds no shame in being so emotionally exposed. Jim Carrey's patient narration throughout the album defines him as a voice of generous guidance. Some might even say, his role in the album is that of a celestial being leading those who seek his counsel for direction into the light, and that regret over the past is futile because there is a heavenly future awaiting those who relieve themselves of the burdens of the days gone by and are intent on starting as a new being. Regarding all the religious connotations laden in this album, I’d hardly think that its release on the 7th of January – which just so happens to be Christmas day on the Ethiopian Orthodox Calendar – is a lucky coincidence. From the engineering, production right through to the mastering, not once does the album deflate in its delivery; Quincy Jones’ poignant little tale does indeed set the heart at ease. Lil Wayne was at his laconic best on “I Heard You’re Married”, and Tyler, The Creator chipped in with some lyrical efficiency of his own. The transition from “Best Friends” into “Is There Someone Else” – which is arguably the best track on the album (with strong competition from “Out Of Time” and “Less Than Zero”, which is my personal favourite)– signals the sonorous climax to what is already poised to be, in my opinion, one of the albums of the year. It is worth mentioning that there is almost NO MENTION of hedonistic living in his lyrical content throughout the project, and upon pending rumours of The Weeknd’s desire to quit drugs and start a family, this is possibly his way of turning over a new leaf into a brand-new chapter of his life. RATING: 89%.

I nearly cried during Less than Zero/Phantom Regret cause I knew it was the end. It’s like the Breakfast Club. Bittersweet.

this album is a masterpiece and you guys have done an excellent job at explaining it!

I LOVED this, I’ve been waiting for this analysis ever since the album dropped. You guys hit EVERY SINGLE BEAT LIKE DAMN. Shout out to the editor for putting this hour+ video together, the attention to detail you guys have is unreal. XOTWOD

The line in phantom regret - You got be Heaven to see Heaven, brings Tears to my Eyes😢😢🥺. You can interpret that line in any aspect of your life whether in ur relationship, your daily activities or your job 🎊🎊🎊👍

I think its cool how much The Weeknd has expanded with his music

You guys are the best! Thank you for all the effort you put into these videos!

I wonder how Abel himself would react to this dissection. Probably a smirk