The Weeknd’s album After Hours came out in March 2020 and it instantly became a worldwide hit. Almost a year later, the singer released a new music video for Save Your Tears and it certainly raised a lot of questions among his fans. From the meaning behind the lyrics of the song to the exaggerated facial prosthetics on the singer’s face – it surely left the fans confused.
On the 5th of January, a new music video for Save Your Tears by The Weeknd was released, which is an upbeat breakup song that first appeared on his latest album, After Hours. The whole album allowed us to get a glimpse of the singer’s feelings and thoughts about love, and most of the songs deal with the impact his on-and-off relationship with Bella Hadid had on him.
Although Save Your Tears deals with the same thematic, the fans believe it also touches upon his relationship with Selena Gomez. Although none of these things are confirmed, there are plenty of hints that suggest these speculations could be true. If you’d like to know more about the meaning of the song and the new music video, stick with me and we’ll break down this new worldwide hit together.
That One Night at the Club
At the beginning of the song, Abel sings about seeing his ex-lover dancing and being happy without him. Although there could be many interpretations of these lyrics, the fans were quick to connect the dots and point out that this could be about his ex-girlfriend, Bella Hadid, after all.
I saw you dancing in a crowded room
You look so happy when I’m not with you
But then you saw me, caught you by surprise
A single teardrop falling from your eye
After their breakup in late 2019, Bella was seen at one of the LA clubs, having fun with her friends. Later that night, Abel was spotted at the same club too, which resulted in Hadid leaving moments later. Fans on Twitter were quick to connect this night to the first verse of the song.
You could’ve asked me why I broke your heart
You could’ve told me that you fell apart
But you walked past me like I wasn’t there
And just pretended like you didn’t care
The singer goes on to describe the night further, showing us that it clearly left a huge mark on him. It seems as if Hadid completely ignoring his presence hurt Abel more than if she decided to tell him how much he hurt her. The model proved that acting as if someone doesn’t exist can sometimes be an act of better revenge than wasting more of your energy on a lost cause. Kudos to her!
Heartbreak for Heartbreak
So, I made you think that I would always stay
I said some things that I should never say
The third verse makes it clear that Abel is taking the blame for how the relationship ended and for hurting his ex. It seems as if he’s got some bad defense mechanisms that hurt the people around him and make him say things he doesn’t really mean. Those things are familiar to most of us, unfortunately, and sometimes it is impossible to fix the damage such outbursts cause.
Yeah, I broke your heart like someone did to mine
And now you won’t love me for a second time
Many people believe this part of the song refers to his relationship with Selena Gomez, more precisely how it ended. If this song is indeed about Bella Hadid, it seems as if Abel is referring to how he broke Hadid’s heart just like Gomez broke his.
This is not the first time the singer touches upon his relationships with the two girls. In his previous album, My Dear Melancholy, Abel often referred to his relationship with Gomez as a mistake. He ended up feeling used and heartbroken, and it seems as if the singer tried getting back to his ex without working on healing first, which ended up with him hurting them both. He knows the pain of a broken heart and this line shows us that he is aware of the pain he caused.
The Mystery Behind the Music Video
Although the song deals with his past relationships, the music video might be a bit bizarre for some. A couple of days before the music video came out, the singer teased the fans on Instagram with a photo of the exaggerated facial prosthetics on his face. Many people were left confused, some even accusing him of being addicted to plastic surgery, not knowing that it was actually a sneak peek of the new music video.
The music video for Save Your Tears was directed by Cliqua and it is a continuation of the storyline that goes through all other videos from the After Hours album, which were previously released.
In the first video released, for the song Heartless, The Weeknd parties his heart out in Las Vegas. In Blinding Lights, the story gets a bit darker when the singer ends up bruised and bloody dancing in the streets. As the story progresses, it gets even darker. In In Your Eyes, the singer chases a blonde girl all around the town and she ends up cutting his head off and dancing with it in her hands, which explains his plastic-like features in his latest video.
Abel stayed true to his role and stayed in his character for months. His most recent performances, as well as public appearances, have seen his face covered in bandages, which was all a tease to his Save Your Tears music video and a part of the whole After Hours saga.
The Weeknd brought something different to the scene and most of us will agree that his latest album is truly refreshing. His recent songs and music videos all have that nostalgic 80’s feel to them, and we are more than excited to see what he has in store next.
