By: Cameron Tyo
October, 28, 2022
The Weeknd’s fifth album, titled Dawn FM was released earlier in the year on January 7, 2022. However, I hadn’t enjoyed listening to the entire album until very recently, which is shocking as I’ve always loved The Weeknd’s music. This particular album features 16 songs that dive into what I could only call ’80s synth ad post-funk, where the concept is abouta radio station in purgatory whose songs reflect life, death, and everything in between. For people who don’t know The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye is a Canadian singer and songwriter who is well-known for his music filled with dark lyricism that explores topics of romance and escapism, often inspired by his personal experiences. Abel is primarily an RnB artist and has had many hit albums such as Starboy and After Hours. This album is arranged like a radio playlist hence its name, and the jockey of the station is Jim Carrey. The songs range from uptempo love songs to brooding ballads. Now you have a feeling of what the album is about; how did I think of it?
The album starts out with the title song, “Dawn FM,” which is sonically impressive and builds up to something great as the chord progression proceeds leading up to the introduction of the titled broadcast “Dawn FM,” which is voiced by Jim Carrey. This song is then preceded by “Gasoline,” which tells of a toxic relationship of a woman who is the support system of a man’s drug problem, possibly a personal experience from Abel, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. “How Do I Make You Love Me” has a catchy chorus and a club step-type beat which, as the title suggests, is a song sung by Abel, who is trying to find love from a girl he believes he has a future with but is struggling to do so. My only gripe with this song is that it is too short. “Take my Breath” lyrics express how temptation can lead to horrible paths but also explains how you can give up everything you have worked on just to feel like you’re alive. He makes many references and innuendos to these statements in a very synth-wave funky wave. This song is known to be Dawn FM’s lead single.
The next song in the album, “Sacrifice,” is by far my favorite song the album, closely followed by “Out of Time.” This could be because the song is released with a sound signature similar to the vocal presentation of Michael Jackson, one of my favorite artists. “Sacrifice” reveals The Weeknd’s battle with drug addiction and what things he would sacrifice to keep his drug addiction going. He explains how he wants to make his girl motivated and happy, but when it comes to himself, his time is spent best with solace with substance and how he never wants to “give that up,” a theme commonly mentioned in “Gasoline.” The next song in the album, called “A Tale by Quincy,” isn’t a song but a reflection by music producer Quincy Jones about his life. This signifies the changing of style from the first half of the album to the second, but I find this pause distracting and create uncertainty in the listener’s mind. “Out of Time,” my second favorite song, follows this tale. The lyrics in “Out of Time” show The Weeknd’s regrets in his life, specifically how he wasted his life on other priorities that kept him from his lover and how he has little to no time to make amends to the people he wronged in his life.
“Here We Go…Again (feat Tyler, The Creator) shows both The Weeknd and Tyler, The Creator recalling relationships with whom their partners were with them because they were drawn to their respective fame and fortune. These relationships don’t last long, and they contemplate what they did wrong and how they won’t make this mistake again. I never got into this song much due to the amount of vocal processing used. I really like the synth wave aspect of The Weeknd’s music. In “Best Friends,” The Weeknd seems to be talking to his friends with benefits and asserts that they can’t be anything more than that as it would most likely lead to heartbreak. The next song is “Is There Someone Else.” The connection from Best friends was seamless, just like many other segues from song to song in this album. In this song, it seems the singer is having thoughts of his partner being with someone else, but the lyrics show how he deserved this as he questions her about infidelity for multiple reasons due to the delusions he has in his head.
The next song in the album is “Starry Eyes,” where Abel asks a woman to let him love her as she believes he can heal her with his love. He fantasizes about this throughout the whole song. In the song “Every Angel is Terrifying,” Abel uses interpretations from the poem “Duino Elegies” to connect the album’s themes with a fictional movie. In “Don’t Break MY Heart,” Abel is singing about a woman who he describes as paralyzing and mesmerizing in an electric pop/RnB beat-esque style. Nearing the album’s end, “I heard You’re Married (feat. Lil Wayne) shows Abel and Lil Wayne expressing their feelings about being involved with women who are already taken. In the penultimate track and truly final song of sung text titled “Less Than Zero,” we hear Abel singing how a girl he used to be romantically involved with now perceives him as worthless and nothing. The album closes with the track “Phantom Regret by Jim,” which shows the jockey of the radio show voiced by Jim Carrey, closing out the faux show by reflecting on one’s soul and how it changes after people’s experiences in life. It closes with a message saying to do what makes you feel alive and be accepting of all outcomes and possibilities in life.
Overall, I liked how the themes of each song transitioned and connected with the album’s main theme, using awesome music techniques to inflict emotion and accurately portray the story they wanted for each song. It really fulfilled its rule as a conceptual album. There were some songs that I wasn’t too particularly fond of, but they weren’t bad songs, just not my style. I like the artistic interpretations of most songs and the mini-stories told throughout. I also like the premise of giving this album an 8.5 out of 10.