Wicked Games

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title: "Wicked Games" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2011-songs", "2012-debut-singles", "the-weeknd-songs", "songs-written-by-the-weeknd", "songs-written-by-illangelo", "songs-written-by-doc-mckinney", "song-recordings-produced-by-illangelo", "song-recordings-produced-by-doc-mckinney", "republic-records-singles", "xo-(record-label)-singles", "black-and-white-music-videos", "songs-about-drugs", "quiet-storm-songs"] description: "2012 single by the Weeknd" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_Games" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 2012 single by the Weeknd ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

Field	Value
name	Wicked Games
cover	The Weeknd - Wicked Games.jpg
border	yes
type	single
artist	the Weeknd
album	House of Balloons and Trilogy
released	September 25, 2012
recorded	Site Sound Studios, Toronto
genre	Alternative R&B
length	{{plainlist
label	{{flatlist
writer	{{flatlist
producer	{{flatlist
prev_title	Remember You
prev_year	2012
next_title	Twenty Eight
next_year	2012
misc	{{External music video
::

::callout[type=note] the song by the Weeknd ::

| name = Wicked Games | cover = The Weeknd - Wicked Games.jpg | alt = | border = yes | type = single | artist = the Weeknd | album = House of Balloons and Trilogy | released = September 25, 2012 | recorded = Site Sound Studios, Toronto | studio = | venue = | genre = Alternative R&B | length = {{plainlist|

• 4:41 (single edit)
• 5:24 (album version) | label = {{flatlist|
• XO
• Republic | writer = {{flatlist|
• Abel Tesfaye
• Doc McKinney
• Carlo Montagnese
• R. Millar Blancheur
• C. Ray Garza | producer = {{flatlist|
• Doc McKinney
• Illangelo | prev_title = Remember You | prev_year = 2012 | next_title = Twenty Eight | next_year = 2012 | misc = {{External music video | "Wicked Games" is the debut single by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, and serves as the fifth track from his debut mixtape, House of Balloons (2011). It was written by the Weeknd, Doc McKinney, and Illangelo with the latter two producing. The song was remastered and released as the lead single from his 2012 compilation album, Trilogy, on October 22, 2012, through XO and Republic Records. It was met with universal acclaim by music critics.

Background and release

The audio for the original version of "Wicked Games" was released on the Weeknd's YouTube on March 5, 2011. In 2012, its House of Balloons version would be promoted as the lead single from the mixtape, being sent to rhythmic contemporary radio stations on September 25, 2012. The song's remastered version was officially released through streaming services on October 22, 2012, as the lead single from his compilation album, Trilogy (2012).

Critical reception

Rolling Stone listed "Wicked Games" as the 42nd best R&B song of the 21st century.

Music video

The music video for "Wicked Games" premiered on October 18, 2012, on the Weeknd's YouTube account on Vevo. The video starts off with a young woman dancing seductively in a coat with no clothes underneath, before the camera pans to The Weeknd, who is shown singing expressively. The Weeknd is also shown in a dark room, occasionally illuminated by spotlights behind him synced to the beat, and outside after leaving his G-Wagon. Since its release, the music video has received over 200 million views on YouTube.

Commercial performance

"Wicked Games" became the Weeknd's first solo single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 53, and remaining on the chart for 20 weeks. It was later certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on January 30, 2019, for selling three million units in the United States.

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes for Trilogy.

• The Weeknd – composer, primary artist
• Doc McKinney – composer, instrumentation, producer
• Illangelo – composer, instrumentation, mixing, producer
• Rainer Millar Blanchaer – composer

Charts

Weekly charts

::data[format=table title="Weekly chart performance for "Wicked Games""] | Chart (2012–2013) | Peak position | UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | |---|---|---| | 152 | | | ::

Year-end charts

::data[format=table title="Year-end chart performance for "Wicked Games""]

Chart (2013)	Position	US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)
47
::

Certifications

Release history

::data[format=table]

Country	Date	Format	Label	United States	Canada	United States	United Kingdom
September 25, 2012	Rhythmic contemporary radio	Republic
October 22, 2012	Digital download
November 1, 2012	Universal
::

Covers

An orchestral cover of "Wicked Games" by series composer Ramin Djawadi appears on the soundtrack of the third season of the TV series Westworld.

References

References

1. (March 5, 2011). "The Weeknd - Wicked Games".
2. (3 January 2024). "The 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the 21st Century".
3. "The Weeknd ".
4. "Gold & Platinum: The Weeknd". [[Recording Industry Association of America]].
5. (2012). "[[Trilogy (The Weeknd album)". [[Republic Records]].
6. Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – 2012 + Weekly Updates + Sales 2012". Zobbel.de.
7. "2013 Year End Charts — R&B/Hip-Hop Songs".
8. "Rhythm – Available For Airplay". [[FMQB]].
9. "Wicked Games (Explicit Version) by The Weeknd". [[7digital]].
10. "Wicked Games (Explicit Version) by The Weeknd". [[7digital]].
11. "Wicked Games (Explicit Version) by The Weeknd". [[7digital]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::