Birth. Innocents in youth. Finding love. Losing it. Chasing what was.. Death. Have you ever felt peace before? It could often come as a realization
after a life changing event, acting as an emotion that’s possible
to hold onto only through fulfillment and yet is still possible to feel
on occasion but no.. seriously.. Have you ever felt it? What about right now? The Weeknd is the perfect embodiment of
what “living long enough to see yourself become the villain” is like, but take
out the villain part and put in victim. You see, generally in
pop-culture, most villains are but this time The Weeknd is choosing not to be, instead, someone who’s self aware of their
actions and who tries to do better because ultimately… fulfillment in longevity
is what’ll bring him peace. In this breakdown, I’ll be revisiting
The Weeknd’s newest album track by track, connecting each songs story from beginning to
end and going over the music videos in relation. Now that we’ve given enough time for some of
these videos to drop to digest such an album over the past several months, I believe I fully
understand every aspect of what I predicted to be The Weeknd’s next trilogy, a day or two
before he dropped the ball and in my eyes, ‘Dawn FM’ is a masterpiece and an exciting
follow up to his 80’s inspired electro pop album, ‘After Hours’. Although the concept of this video
has been done several times already, I have yet to hear mention multiple details in the
music that some didn’t bat an ear to but before you watch this video, make sure to check out my
biography where I analyzed The Weeknd’s come up, marketing strats, philosophies, and overall.. who he is, as not just The Weeknd, but Abel Tesfaye. Oh sorry.. I meant “AH-BEL”. From demonstrating his characteristics
as a person to painting that very picture throughout sound and cinema, The Weeknd
doesn’t fail to encapsulate the artistry brought to us in the music… Taking
inspiration from Michael Jackson’s, ‘Thriller’ and infusing the rhythmic
sounds of Depeche Mode and Donna Summer. The Weeknd has successfully
modernized the 80’s sound in 4 different ways so without further a due,
lets strike a pose with our kinfolk, sign a prenup and fall out of love in this ultimate breakdown! The Weeknd’s: Dawn FM! The Weeknd has recently flirted with the idea
of changing his stage name to his government first name, Abel, suggesting he wants to be
freed from the character that’s The Weeknd... But why? Throughout his discography, The Weeknd goes
through multiple stages of love and heart break which in his earlier days, are shown to be caused
by his drug addiction and rise to superstardom. But even after beating his addictions
he tried becoming a loyal man, dating several celebrities who’s failed
relationships became a muse for future projects, leaving him emptier than before. However, since 2020’s ‘After Hours’,
The Weeknd has taken a new turn, amplifying his experience through
an 80’s style sound and cinema, exaggerating the fast life with drugs, sex, and
parties but all without failing to register the mental, material and metaphysical side effects
of living life in the fast lane. He pulls back the curtain many celebrities
don't and ever since ‘After Hours’, the loop of drugs, failed relationships
and finding love has all come to Dawn FM, but this time… somethings different. As of ‘After Hours’, he became fixated with
telling stories through various music videos, showcasing a twilight-esque set of themes that are cohesive with one another in
attempt to tell a bigger story. Themes taken from movies young and old
to show his appreciation for cinema just like the music he’s inspired from. But his love for movies and music
creates the perfect combination, making The Weeknd a different breed
of artist by piecing together his very own cinematic universe, similar
to how Hollywood is with it’s movies. This is the future of entertainment, a
new way to become a fresh breed of artist. Horror themed imagery presents itself while
80’s themed music sets the tone for each video, creating an uncanny setting
starring himself and his burdens. Most of the time it’s been women,
some of the time it’s been drug abuse. The entirety of it is his inability to escape
what calls back to him and by the end of our story in ‘After Hours’, The Weeknd finds himself
stuck in a loop, leading to his eventual death. So if ‘After Hours’ is supposed to
be the beginning of his new trilogy, than why is he dead by the end of it? Well for Abel, death is his beginning. Obviously he’s not really dead, just like how he didn’t really get
decapitated or varnished in plastic surgery. His death by the end of ‘After
Hours’ is a loose metaphor for the death of The Weeknd charter
and the birth of something new. But what is this new character we’re seeing? This is where Dawn FM comes in. Chapter II in the arc that’s The Weeknd’s
character development in this new story. ‘Dawn FM’ starts with a horizon of awareness. A light peers over the past nights of resentments
that looped him to the point of insanity, but now.. somethings different. The sounds of chirps and uprising
of hopeful synth keys let us know that this is a continuation of
the 80’s inspired ‘After Hours’ but with the sounds of birds
and nature that open this album, symbolize an epiphany The
Weeknd had for the first time, cracking the loop that was the ‘After Hours’
story and broadens a newer way of thinking. Right now, the dawn that sheds light
over the horizon of sinful nights is an opportunity to mature from this
character we’re all so accustomed to, but this realization he’s had not only opened
the door for emotional maturity and growth but brought about the anxiety's
that come with realizing too much. How will he escape the endless
loop that’s love and heartbreak? To The Weeknd’s surprise, he hears a subtle
yet disturbed voice appear from within. Setting up the second theme of this
album, Jim Carrey’s voice speaks to The Weeknd through a radio station he
hears himself on in promotion of it, almost suggesting Jim’s been wherever
he’s currently at for a while now and welcomes The Weeknd to a place
he’s not quite familiar with. (Stay tuned.. 103.5 Dawn FM!) That brings us to the second track, ‘Gasoline’, where the intros instrumental warps us
back into the reality of The Weeknd. The introduction of his rebirth
is over, his life starts anew. Without his self awareness of
the coil that’s his lifestyle, he wouldn’t have been able to address his problems
that is his addiction of love and heartbreak and by pressing play we’ve now reset his
death, only to watch him suffer again. As the story continues, it seems
as though he’s discovered a way out but hasn’t come to terms with trying it
yet, instead buries himself in self doubt and believes that he’s trapped forever;
almost as if this pending doom is purgatory. With the 80’s styled music and the
incorporation of a broadcasted radio station, he now delves into the very thing
that goes back to every mans mental. Code of ethic, which for The Weeknd, is his
belief in religion, the third theme of this album. So far his faith in god is weakened by
transcending through nihilistic beliefs. He’s finding himself giving up, telling his
current lover who he’s had empty relations with, that he wants her to bury him if he OD’s
on the drugs that make him feel loved. Frantic and tired of the loop, he tries something
new in the track ‘How Do I Make You Love Me?’ asking his lover that exact question. He struggles with loving too but only
because he’s been broken to the point he’s so used to it, that this is what him
and the woman he’s sleeping with, expects. They’re both stuck in this
turbulent mindset together, but in the back of The Weeknd’s mind,
he’s asking himself the real question. Who will break who first? Without vocalizing it, he’s concluded that
it’ll probably be the woman he’s with; she’ll be the one to break
him and yet he’s okay with it. He’d rather let her break his heart than feel the shame and guilt for the soul purpose
of rolling the dice that she won’t. Taking a chance at love is something
that hasn’t worked for him in the past, so by simply asking the question,
that is the title of this song, is a desperate shot at finding
what ultimately everyone wants.. peace. but nothing's ever that simple. The strive of youthfulness flourishes in
opportunity, and money is it’s middle name. Given The Weeknd has an abundance of it, means he’s able to easily fulfill his
lustful desires that are only temporary but this easy temptation is what’s
keeping him away from real emotion. Not to say these fabricated ideals of fantasy
fulfillment shouldn’t be experienced in our lifetimes but The Weeknd’s found himself living in
them, leaving him to ask his lover the question… “How do I make you love me?” Without a doubt, ‘Take My Breath’ is The Weeknd
being sure the woman he’s associated with doesn’t want him for longevity and
instead sees him as a quick experience. Her temptation is the devil in disguise. However, he decides to go with it, not
expecting another outcome but insists on justifying why she is the way she is,
settling with the freakish fantasies he can fulfill for her and lusts over the
idea of the pleasures that are empty sex. (TAKE MY BREATH! ) These raw emotions that are amplified
by the drinks and drugs of these parties continue to be his lifeline, expecting
nothing less than to be her sacrifice. As The Weeknd enters a discotheque with the woman
he’s with, the song transitions into ‘Sacrifice’, an edgy, yet clever way to
describe the awe of his lover alongside the nihilistic and suicidal
messages he’s been conveying so far, however, he’s now had a change of heart. Remembering where he comes from, he’s convinced the loop that has been his love
and loss, is the life that’ll always follow him, pushing himself away from the individual he’s been
associated with since the beginning of the album. He now sees this individual as
reckless, impulsive and a waste of time; an otherwise unfortunate and saddening
realization, concluding that he won’t sacrifice his effort for someone who can’t
see him for who he is; who he wants to be… but The Weeknd doesn’t even
know that answer himself, putting him in search of advice from a rather wise
individual who’s had more experience than him. Someone who he may relate to. After breaking up with the lover he’s sung
about since the first track of the album, ‘A Tale By Quincy’ acts as
an interlude, as Quincy Jones speaks on vulnerable subjects he’s
willing to share in his older age. With Quincy’s 70+ years in production, songwriting, composing and more, this multi award winning industry legend breaks
down traumatic experiences with schizophrenia and abuse from, what should have been,
important female figures in his life. These long lasting impressions as a child, bled into his relationships with family and
those he had become romantically involved with, failing to give the girl he had became close with, a chance to prove herself; something that
Quincy didn’t realize until later in life and something that The Weeknd is doing now. From the tracks ‘Dawn FM’
all the way to ‘Sacrifice’ has completed an entire story
between him and his lover. He was skeptical about
finding someone but then did, slept with her and over time tried to get her
to love him but realizes she’s may be incapable, dumping her in realization that what
he’s doing.. is self destructive. But with the advice from Quincy, a question
arises that The Weeknd must ask himself… Was it self destructive to let this girl in or
was it because he’s scared to be hurt again? Ultimately he's having trouble
separating the women who do love him from the ones who are only
after the lifestyle he can provide; a rather fair but taxing choice that’s caused
by experience in failed relationships.. and yet while this is all happening in his head, Quincy Jones reflects on the story he just told, laughing uncontrollably at the
contradiction that kept him from love until the track transitions into the next. A few months later, The Weeknd
comes in contact with his now ex after realizing his mistake
in the track ‘Out Of Time’. Although Quincy became an industry legend,
The Weeknd sees a lot of himself in Quincy, becoming quite vulnerable himself. He confesses to his ex, the traumatic experiences
he’s faced with the women in his life, whether it be experiences with his mother or other women,
mirroring Quincy's story from the previous track. The Weeknd wants his lover back, however,
he’s come to realize that he’s out of time. The woman The Weeknd found
himself in emotional distress with since the very beginning of the
album, has now found someone else; but although all hope seems lost, the only thing he can do now is reassure her that
he’ll be waiting for when her new man messes up. In this part of the story is where The
Weeknd realizes that where he’s from doesn’t have to define who he is,
becoming vulnerable once more and repeating the loop that’s been the life of him. His ex was his lesson, a lesson that he hasn’t
seemed to have learned since he heard a tale by Quincy, making Quincy the crack in
the loop that’s The Weeknd’s purgatory.. and because of this epiphany, The Weeknd hears a familiar voice that he hasn’t heard since he started
talking to his previous lover… It’s Jim Carrey! telling The Weeknd that there’s still
more left to learn about himself before he’s completely engulfed in
the blissful embrace of his truth or as Jim puts it, “that little
light you see in the distance.” referring to The Weeknd’s self discovery
as the light at the end of the tunnel.. but what exactly is this
light The Weeknd’s seeing? Jim finishes off the track by hinting
at The Weeknd’s escape from purgatory.. but how exactly is he escaping and if so… where will he go after? Despite that, he must carry on
in the track ‘Here We Go… Again’. The Weeknd finds himself reminiscing about the
success his career has brought him and then some, using his discography as a reminder of who he is. He can’t help but to feel himself rather
than staying upset about starting over and does so in a way that gets petty; but when recognizing his loneliness, he finds himself securing a friends with benefits
relationship with an important person in his life; a risky move that’ll ruin their friendship
if things get too serious and as always.. they do. For her, she wanted to make her boyfriend jealous yet, when unintentionally sleeping with
The Weeknd, she caught feelings for him. As for The Weeknd, he doesn’t care to see a future with this
woman because who’d want to date a cheater? But still finds a way to
catch feelings for her anyway. The Weeknd rides off the newly found
feelings they have for one another in hopes it might stem into something beautiful
but given these two were each others rebounds, the fear of her cheating again keeps his view
on their love a constant fight in his head. The bittersweet instrumental he sings over perfectly encapsulates the
patterns he finds himself in.. In other words, he told himself that he’d
never fall, but instead, “he we go… again.” Tyler The Creator enters the track to reinforce
the idea of security in relationships, telling his significant other that they
don’t need a piece of paper to signify they’re in love but if they were to get
married and suddenly have a divorce, the prenup that he’d make her sign would
save him from any financial distress to ensure his security with his then ex. This kind of attitude is what’s important for
many public figures to face otherwise you might end up worse than what The Weeknd has had to
endure over the course of this trilogy so far.. but this time he goes through the ups and downs of bittersweet heartbreak rather than
drowning himself out in substance. He recognizes these ups and
downs is what makes you alive. This road to self discovery..
is one overly necessary. He’s beginning to understand
why he’s in purgatory now. The loop that is the story of
‘After Hours’ is starting to break and because he has no time to waste
he must take a step back to tell his lover that they should become
‘Best Friends’ as an alternative. He loves and respects the relationship
he’s built with his friends with benefits partner and would rather be
friends in sake of keeping her around. He’s sacrificing his love for her
in fear they would crash and burn and did so, so nobody gets hurt. The character that we know as The Weeknd, is
changing right before our eyes and for the better. He’s becoming more self aware than he
was in past relationships but this kind of maturity in character development
doesn't come without inner conflict. The Weeknd might be a changed person, but.. he’s still a lonely one. The outro into the intro hints at a fast forward
in time and The Weeknd has now found himself early in the stages of a new relationship
on the track ‘Is There Someone Else?’ Unfortunately, the character development
he’d undergone in the previous track wasn’t enough to escape his suspicions
when falling for this new woman. However, his experience serves him best,
confronting his lover, that he knows she’s hiding another man whose been close to her heart
from the very beginning of their relationship. Although he has no proof, in The Weeknd’s mind, he can tell there’s an ex involved by
the way she looks at him when they fight. He wants her to let him go in fear
she’s not committed to the now, but she won’t admit he exists for the selfish
reason that she loves both The Weeknd and her ex. The Weeknd takes a step back in
his newly found self awareness and addresses that he knows he doesn’t deserve
loyalty with the way he’s treated other women. However, he doesn’t want to be
a prisoner to who he used to be, changing his ways and wanting to settle
with the woman he sees a future with.. but still.. she won't budge. In their next fight he tells her he doesn’t want
to be with her if she continues to speak to her ex and claims that she’s hurting him by
not telling the ex she’s with a new man but she just doesn’t want to hear it. In the track ‘Starry Eyes’ The Weeknd becomes calm after the heat of argument
between him and his lover. He confesses his love, stating he’s only ever met her in his dreams when he was young
and lonely and now she’s a reality. He doesn’t want to lose her and acknowledges
she’s battered and broken from the last. So she admits it. She’s still in contact with her
ex but to The Weeknd’s disbelief, it’s not the same love she’s found for him. The woman and her ex went through a lot together
but they didn’t work out and in her heart holds a special place for him to where she feels
she’ll betray him by staying out of contact; as for The Weeknd, he’s internally conflicted
because he understands where she’s coming from. On one hand he knows how deep two souls
can get even if they weren’t meant for each other but on the other he wants her
ex gone because he knows how men think. The Weeknd needs her to trust
him if she sees a future with him but the woman's counterclaim is that
the commitment is already there. She loves nobody else the way she loves
Abel and as always he wants to believe her. As the song comes to a brief
pause, the chirps of birds return, calling back to the opening of the
album when The Weeknd wakes from death. This was The Weeknd’s epiphany that cracked the loop of Hollywood and heartbreak for
the first time and for the first time, we as listeners begin to understand
what these sounds of nature symbolize.. They symbolize The Weeknd choosing not just love, but sacrifice and trust alongside it because being able to give up control
over every aspect of the relationship is what’ll make the woman he’s with love him. The birds and the nature and the calm.. all symbolize what everyone's after... Peace. (Let me be there) As the song kicks back up, The
Weeknd’s made his decision. Starry Eyed and decided, he’s willing
to make the sacrifice for her, letting her stay in contact with her ex but
only on terms they can negotiate to conclude on. The Weeknd’s content but
makes one thing a promise, that being, he’s okay with her breaking
him because he’s so used to it. He wants nothing else but to make her feel whole
and wants to be there every step of the way. He doesn’t care if he’s risking getting hurt
because sacrifice is important in a healthy relationship and the one thing that he took
from Quincy’s story is what changed him now. Vulnerability. As The Weeknd finds time to be alone, he
thinks about the decision he made for his lover on the interlude track
‘Every Angel is Terrifying’. Realizing his vulnerability matured him, he enters
the plain of purgatory he’s been trapped in. He asks, if he cried out, who would
love him among the women here, for if they even pressed him against their hearts, he’d be consumed because beauty is the terror men
endure and while we stand and wonder.. "we’re annihilated." He reiterates to everyone in purgatory with him, giving into the contradiction that is love,
The Weeknd finds himself in what appears to sound like an infomercial placed between the
breaks of each track on the radio station, selling the idea of a
woman’s love to the listener. "Intense" "Graphic" "Sexy" "A compelling work of science fiction." "Cinema like you’ve never seen before." All terms used to describe the women who’ve
awed him but then sells something else. "The exotic, bizarre, and beautiful world of.. ‘After Life’." This is your invitation to enter but what is
“After Life” and why is he trying to sell it? To simply put it, he knows a lot of men are
trapped here in this plain of existence, struggling with their versions of
love in their own purgatory esque hell and The Weeknd’s discovering a way out. He was in that hell himself
throughout ‘After Hours’ now he’s in purgatory during ‘Dawn FM’ and he’s trying to reach heaven in what’ll
be his third album to complete this trilogy, ‘After Life’. As he describes it, the hell that was the
fast life of ‘After Hours’ is overrated, calling it “a total comatose
snooze fest” and so it was, but if The Weeknd found his way
out, than why isn’t he there yet? Enter: ‘Don’t Break My Heart’ where The Weeknd’s first
words are “I’m Paralyzed”. He’s still stuck in purgatory but why? He’s found himself breaking off toxic
relations before leading them on, he’s learned to love a woman who he had to
compromise for in order for them to work, and he’s admitted to an entire plain of
existence that he’s become vulnerable yet he’s still here. The Weeknd’s suddenly brought
back to his current lover, the one he had to compromise for
in order for their love to thrive, however, the overwhelming
feelings of anxiety and worry take over in belief she’s going to cheat on him. Yes, he let her stay in contact with her ex
but the reason he hasn’t escaped purgatory yet is because his soul isn’t at peace like it was for
a moment after he learned how to escape the loop. The happiness he found from
compromise made him feel at peace but since he still hates the
facts she’s talking to her ex, he can’t help but feel these ever
looming anxieties that remain present, asking his woman to not break
him unlike what he said earlier. Yeah he’s used to it but he doesn’t want it. He’s wants safety and security in who he
sees a future with, making it known here! As the liquor takes over, he feels she’s right for
him but doesn’t know if he can take it anymore, recalling his breakup in the beginning
of the album with which he regretted and is currently flirting with
the idea of suicide again.. However, although she meant it
when she said she loved him.. unfortunately.... she kept a secret that he
would find out on his own.. In one of his final conversations with
his lover he knows she hypnotized him and has been in control of the direction their
relationship was taking but in this song, The Weeknd blames himself for
not listening to his intuition. He could get over the fact
she was in contact with her ex but it was to his surprise
that she was hiding a ring, (Things I shoulda known) bringing us to the track ‘I Heard You’re Married’. Regardless, if she was worried he wouldn’t
get with her because of this, it wasn’t right lying to him, feeling like he was sharing
a woman he had fallen for without even knowing! He sacrificed for this woman who clearly
had her own selfish wits with The Weeknd and even though her love may have been real, honesty comes before love along
with trust and communication, something this woman would press The Weeknd
about since the beginning of their relationship. Lil Wayne, who’s featured, reinforces this idea
of not wanting to be the side piece, concluding that he’ll kill whoever messes with his heart
out of the anger that stems from false truth, but although The Weeknd tried.. well.. he did the best he could do. This leads to the final song on the album. As The Weeknd leaves the room his ex remains
in, he finds himself back in purgatory, reflecting on every relationship he’s
been in throughout this experience. The breakup in the discotheque, his friends with benefits relationship, and the woman whom he sought a future with, all became a past memory in
the story that is his life. Whether he’s referring to one of these women, he’s
concluded that he’s meant to be ‘Less Than Zero’. He can’t get lustful desires out of his
head even though he tried fighting it and when he fought it he was betrayed and lied to. The instrumental embodies a
conclusive, bittersweet ending; a dusk to end a hard days work. Watching the sunset as the song goes on, The Weeknd reflects on this looming curse which
has kept him from fulfillment in longevity. A lust that’s keeping him
from finding inner peace. As he stares off into purgatory’s sunset,
he’s shaken by the idea he’ll never leave, knowing that one day, in the real world, he may die alone due to his lustful nature. There’s nothing more he can do to change who
he is and the fear in his eyes remain present. But hey… at least he tried ..and in a world of Hollywood and heartbreak
he did pretty damn good in the end. He found who he wanted to
be and insisted on being it but the universe had a funny
way of playing things out. Although all hope seems lost, we hear the conclusion of a rather
pending fate The Weeknd has to endure, but as he sits there in the emptiness
that’s his heart, he hears Jim one last time in a rather poetic manor on the
final track ‘A Phantom Regret By Jim’. Jim tells us, the listener, that
we may be in purgatory for a while, reminding us that all future
plans have been postponed and is time we take a look back at our lives
to see where our moments counted the most. Did we hold grudges? How well do we remember the things we owned? When we we’re alone how did we behave? Did we ever find inner peace? The pain that lives in all of us is
what’ll keep us in purgatory after death. In other words, our phantoms linger when
we have lasting regrets and whether you believe in that kind of thing or not, there
does hold some truth to what Jim is saying. You see, Jim Carrey’s appearance
on this album isn’t by coincidence. He too, has gone through a spiritual journey of sorts, that’ve been long seen
throughout his career as an actor and as of late, has told media that
none of what he is doing really matters. The questions press would ask him posed
to be of no purpose and in realizing this, Jim was more than frustrated at
what people consumed from the media. The banter, gossip, and drama isn’t real life, ultimately amounting your
biggest fears behind the screen and those are never more prominent when you feed
into it in the comment section of those dilemmas. Speaking of which.. make sure you do so below this video because
your exaggeratedly unthought opinion of me, helps boost this video in the YouTube algorithm. As the track continues, Jim reminds us
that we may not die the way that we want and proves the most cliché advice
is what we should take in account: live life in all of it’s moments
because in order to see heaven.. you must be heaven. As the track comes to a close we
hear the sounds of birds and nature. Jim’s final words are “May peace be with you.” See, in life people change, people evolve. It's because he's evolving! The Weeknd is not in the same life that he used to be in back when he was
making the 'Trilogy' or 'Kiss Land'. He's probably not in the same mindset. He's not going through the same sh*t. But what do I land in that? I don't know yet! We gon find out! Oh we gon find out. Big Quint back in here, bouta give
y'all the first reaction to: Dawn FM! Let's see what he got for me! Let's not waste no motherf*cking time- What!? WOOHOO! WHAT!? OOOOOOOHHHH OKAY. OKAY. ooh ohh F*ck it Jim Carrey! F*ck it up man! F*ck it up! HA HA! Hell naw. UUAAGGGHHHH! HA! My mans in the 80's sad! Godd*mn it! We not hitting that s*it no more ya'll! Let it go! And catch the vibes! HA, nice! nice! I f*ck with this outro That's a dope way to end this album. Hella dope. A quick note I wanna make before
concluding this episode is thank you for being patient with me
over these past few months. I know it’s been a while since I’ve
uploaded and If you’ve been on my channel at all this year than you may know why. I plan on picking back up with fresh content
including the continuation of ‘The Genius Of:’ and as of this videos release, new Kanye
West and The Weeknd inspired merch, is in the shelf under this video. The support means the world to me. Thank
you for being a lasting viewer of my work. As the album comes to a close your left with
a new perspective on the purpose of life. The Weeknd’s story in this album, is a perfect sequel to ‘After Hours’
and gets us hyped for what’s to come, but more importantly, sheds light on the
struggles he faces as a world renown pop star. Although ‘Dawn FM’ maybe
exaggerated in some aspects, it concludes his inability to find concrete love. Especially with the life he’s accustomed in
a world that can be faster than what he has time for; but what I believe we’ll see in
his third album to complete this trilogy, is the opposite of the outcome he’s
found himself in ‘Less Than Zero’. The Weeknd, in real life, is still alive which means he has the chance to change his
fate. If he wants love he’ll find it. But.. there’s still a fourth theme
I have yet to dive into, that being Old Man Abel. Although he may convey new music through
80’s electro pop and flesh out his religious journey though different plains of
afterlives via a radio broadcast in his car, how does the fourth theme, that is Old Man
Abel, tie into the overall story of ‘Dawn FM’? In the visual elements of ‘Dawn FM’
there’s a separate story to be told that embodies the same meaning. After
the death of The Weeknd in ‘After Hours’, he finds himself coming back, then by the end of
the video, dies, only to be revived in the next. Engulfed in his pleasures, he suddenly wishes to build on meaningful love before he
finds himself alone in his older age. The Weeknd turns into Old Man Abel and as
he’s driving away from his previous lifestyle, it continues to call back to
him in various annoyances. Ants tickle his hearing aid and the radio
flickers causing him to crash in a panic. Stuck in the middle of a crossroads, he
finds himself getting pulled back into the life he so desperately tried to
abandon but before it takes him back, the words “Dawn FM” appear on the
radio screen of his crashed car. The little light he once
saw at the end of the tunnel is gone and his lustful spirit is revived
on the dance floors of late night party's. He’s back to his ‘After Hours’ self, yet, throughout this party, beats himself up
in attempt to kill his will to find peace. He sees himself as a threat to his true nature. However, what once was beautiful women, become hideous demons on the dance floors of
purgatory he perceives as the discotheque. Frustrated with conflicting feelings
rushing his mind, he compromises, spiffying up for a date in a nearby hotel. Old man Abel becomes The Weeknd in
attempt to prove he’s not living a lie. As the night begins, The Weeknd and his
date sing karaoke together but although they’ve tried to be better for one
another, they’re both out of time, ironically singing the same tune
that signifies their both fucked. Hilariously aware of one another’s failure to
settle and trapped in a constant cycle of empty sex, drugs and heartbreak, the part of himself
he thought he killed has come back to haunt him; but what The Weeknd realizes he tried killing
is what wanted to save him this entire time. To give him fulfillment in longevity
that’ll ultimately give him a lasting peace. Old Man Abel is The Weeknd’s guardian angel, ready to pull him out of purgatory and
into the light he knows as ‘After Life’. This was my interpretation of what
I experienced listening to ‘Dawn FM’ and the video was possible
by the support of the viewer. Thank you for following me on
this journey and if you haven't, subscribe to the channel for future uploads. Be sure to like the video and comment. I’ll be back soon and in the meantime
check out the merch shelf below as well. I’ve been Daniel Eason, your guide
through an everlasting purgatory. Much love and thank you for watching.
