Echoes of Silence is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, and serves as the ninth track from his third mixtape of the same name (2011). It was released through XO on December 21, 2011, alongside the mixtape. In 2012, the song was remastered and released commercially on the Weeknd's compilation album, Trilogy (2012). The song was written by the Weeknd alongside its producer, Illangelo.
| "Echoes of Silence" | |
|---|---|
| Song by the Weeknd | |
| from the album Echoes of Silence | |
| Released | December 21, 2011 |
| Genre | Lo-fi[1] |
| Length | 4:02 |
| Label | XO |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Illangelo |
Composition and lyrics
editKerry Doole of Billboard described the song as a "haunting ballad," writing that the song displays both the Weeknd at his most vulnerable and his emotional expressiveness,[2] while in a track by track review in 2011, Billboard said the song could be the Weeknd's "Someone Like You", saying the mixtape ends with him "lonely and gorgeously rendered".[3] The Fader described the song as a "relatively lo-fi piano dirge".[1]
Music video
editFor the mixtape's tenth anniversary, the Weeknd released a music video for "Echoes of Silence" on December 21, 2011.[4] The video was directed by the Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama, who was heavily involved in the mixtape's promotional merchandise following its re-release in 2021.[5][6] Billboard reported that the Weeknd made the video as a gift to his older fans, and described it as a "futuristic" music video,[7] with Adrian Spinelli of Uproxx describing it as a "post-apocalyptic Romeo and Juliet story", with robots wanting to connect with each other as the world around them crumbles. Spinelli wrote that the visual felt like "I, Robot crossed with Wall-E."[8] The Fader noted that the robots featured in the video are a signature style of Sorayama's, which are chrome-finished.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Darville, Jordan (December 21, 2011). "The Weeknd shares new "Echoes of Silence" video". The Fader. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Doole, Kerry (December 22, 2021). "The Weeknd: Echoes Of Silence". Billboard Canada. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "The Weeknd, 'Echoes of Silence': Track-by-Track Review". Billboard. December 22, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Kearns, Sarah (December 21, 2021). "The Weeknd Collaborates With Hajime Sorayama on New "Echoes of Silence" Music Video". Hypebeast. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Pauly, Alexandra (December 22, 2021). "Hajime Sorayama Turned The Weeknd Into A Sexy Robot". Highsnobiety. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Mahadevan, Tara (December 21, 2021). "The Weeknd Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary of 'Echoes of Silence' by Sharing Title-Track Video". Complex. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Rowley, Glenn (December 21, 2011). "The Weeknd Drops 'Echoes of Silence' Video to Celebrate Mixtape's 10th Anniversary: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Spinelli, Adrian (December 21, 2021). "The Weeknd's 'Echoes Of Silence' Video Is A 'Wall-E' Meets 'I, Robot' Love Story". Uproxx. Retrieved February 14, 2024.