Save Your Tears

The Weeknd's "Save Your Tears" came out in 2020 as the fifth single from his album After Hours. It's a synth-pop track that leans hard into 1980s new wave and synthwave, a sound he's admitted was heavily inspired by French producer Kavinsky. The song's lyrics deal with regret and emotional distance, delivered in that signature falsetto that fans have come to expect. Written by The Weeknd, Max Martin, Oscar Holter, Belly, and DaHeala, with production from The Weeknd, Martin, and Holter, it originally peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

But the real story is the remix. When Ariana Grande hopped on a version released in April 2021, the song shot to number one, giving both artists their sixth chart-topper. That remix also earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and won the Juno Award for Single of the Year. The song's commercial reach was massive: it topped charts in 18 countries, debuted at number one on the Billboard Global 200, and was named the best-selling global single of 2021 by the IFPI, with 2.15 billion subscription stream equivalents. The RIAA later certified it triple platinum.

The music video, directed by Anton Tammi, dropped in January 2021 and features The Weeknd in his bandaged look, performing in a surreal nightclub. The remix video, also directed by Tammi, pairs him with Grande in the same setting. The song has also popped up in unexpected places, like when the White House used its title in a response to Grande's criticism of President Trump in 2025. It's become a staple of The Weeknd's live shows, including his Super Bowl LV halftime performance. [edit]