the Weeknd
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
to streaming services on July 20, 2014, to promote his
King of the Fall Tour
The King of the Fall Tour was the third concert tour by Canadian singer the Weeknd, in support of his debut studio album ''Kiss Land'' (2013). The tour began on September 19, 2014, in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center and concluded on October 11, ...
. The song was later officially re-released by XO and
Republic Records
Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). 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 an ...
on September 25, 2020. It accompanied the release of his remixed track "Rambo (Last Blood)" on the deluxe edition of
Bryson Tiller
Bryson Djuan Tiller (born January 2, 1993) is an American singer and rapper. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he began his career in 2011 with a mixtape entitled ''Killer Instinct Vol. 1''. Tiller initially gained mainstream success in 2015 follow ...
's first studio album ''
Trapsoul
''Trapsoul'' (stylized as T R A P S O U L) is the debut studio album by American singer Bryson Tiller. It was released on September 25, 2015 on Apple Music with a general release date of October 2, 2015 by RCA Records. Recording sessions took place ...
''. A remix of the song featuring American rapper
Ty Dolla Sign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
and Canadian rapper
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, cent ...
was released on October 20, 2014, shortly following the release of the remix for "
Often
"Often" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd. The track was released on July 31, 2014, as the first single from his second studio album, ''Beauty Behind the Madness'' (2015). The song reached number 59 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number ...
".
Background and release
The initial release of "King of the Fall" followed that of his 2014 single "
Often
"Often" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd. The track was released on July 31, 2014, as the first single from his second studio album, ''Beauty Behind the Madness'' (2015). The song reached number 59 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number ...
" (which was released a month prior) and the announcement of his 2014 King of the Fall Tour. The two songs were released to promote his aforementioned tour and to get fans excited for his second studio album ''
Beauty Behind the Madness
''Beauty Behind the Madness'' is the second studio album by Canadian singer the Weeknd, released on August 28, 2015, through XO and Republic Records. It features guest appearances from Labrinth, Ed Sheeran and Lana Del Rey. The album was executi ...
'', which included "Often" but excluded "King of the Fall".
The song was officially released to streaming services and digital retailers on September 25, 2020, after a six year period of unofficial uploads to streaming platforms such as
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
. It followed the official release his remixed track "Rambo (Last Blood)" and the special ''
Kiss Land
''Kiss Land'' is the debut studio album by Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released on September 10, 2013, through XO and Republic Records. The album was supported by six singles: "Kiss Land", "Belong to the World", "Love in the Sky", "Live F ...
'' episode of his
Apple Music 1
Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...
radio show ''
Memento Mori
''Memento mori'' (Latin for 'remember that you ave todie'
Critical reception
"King of the Fall" is considered by critics and fans alike as being a staple song in the Weeknd's discography. Alyson Lewis from ''uDiscover Music'' ranked the song as being Tesfaye's second most career defining track, complimenting his delivery and saying that song contains some his most potent verses. Pranav Trewn from ''
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
'' ranked the song as being the ninth best in his discography, with him praising his singing and rapping on the song and calling it a "tour de force of all the places the Weeknd's voice can go".
Commercial performance
In 2014, due to its limited initial release, "King of the Fall" was only eligible to chart at number one on the US ''Billboard'' + Twitter Trending 140. However, following its official release to digital retailers and mainstream streaming services in 2020, the song was able to debut at number 18 on the US ''
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 advertise ...
''
Hot R&B Songs
Hot R&B Songs is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular R&B songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations, digital download sales and streaming data. It was establish ...
chart.
Music video
The music video for "King of the Fall" was released on August 28, 2014. It was directed by Kid Studio and features the Weeknd walking through his hometown of Toronto.