The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” Lyrics Meaning

With The Weeknd’s personal history being what it is, as in him dating some very-famous women in the past, every time he drops a song with a romantic theme fans and the media alike hastily speculate that it is about one of his celebrity exes. This is despite the fact that he may have made similar types of songs even before he hooked up with say Selena Gomez or Bella Hadid. 

Or simply put, the meaning of his songs should not be stretched just to satiate fan interest in his personal life. With that being said, “Blinding Lights” is the type of song that can be dropped by any R&B male singer in general. In other words, virtually all of them, according to their tracks, go through breakups which negatively affect their dispositions. And this unfavorable state can only be alleviated via the love of a certain lady.

Theme of “Blinding Lights”

And such is the storyline of “Blinding Lights”. In the first verse, the singer seems to be addressing someone like a new romantic interest. And he is basically hoping that this lady can reestablish his faith in romance. For at the moment, he is going “through withdrawals” – or as some would say rebounding from a breakup. But nevertheless this new partner is clearly someone he is very much interested in.

Now going out on a limb, if a person wants to apply this scenario to The Weeknd’s celebrity exes, it can be argued that this verse centers on the moment the singer broke up with Selena Gomez. 

Or put in another way, his breakup with Selena is what’s causing the “withdrawals”. And then the lady he is now hooking up with is Bella Hadid. For as we know after breaking up with Selena, The Weeknd got re-involved with Bella. But again that’s a stretch, because the overall insinuation is (at least during this part of the song) is that the addressee is someone he is now hooking up with. But in reality he had already dated Hadid before Gomez.

Or the situation can even be flipped to be said to encapsulate the moment The Weeknd first broke up with Hadid, thus making Gomez his new sweetheart. Truly there is no end to speculation. However, what is abundantly clear is that once again he’s on the rebound yet seems to have found someone to help him recuperate.

Could The Weeknd be addressing Bella Hadid in “Blinding Lights”?

But again, if we were to force the narrative we could say he is most likely be addressing Hadid. This conclusion is based on additional lyrics found in the bridge of the song. For it is here where the singer tells the addressee that he ‘will never let her go this time’. Thus the implication now, unlike the first verse, is that this lady is indeed someone who he was romantically involved with in the past, got separated from and is now getting reacquainted with in that regard.

What is the meaning of “Blinding Lights” as used in this track?

Meanwhile the title of the track, “blinding lights”, appears to be a metaphor. A metaphor for what? It is used metaphorically for the overall unfavorable state the singer finds himself in due to being devoid of the woman he loves. 

Now given the back-and-forth nature of the lyrics, it is not clear if this would be the woman the singer has broken up with or the one he is now getting with. For instance, when he states “I can’t see clearly when you’re gone”, the general presumption would be that he’s addressing the lady whom he recently broke up with, as detailed above. However, considering that he has already expressed a dependency on a new partner, logically she would be the one whom he is now obsessing over. 

Indeed the prevailing sentiment displayed in this song is that the singer’s soul is not at rest unless he is in the company of this particular lady. Or as The Weeknd himself puts it in the chorus, he ‘can’t sleep until he feels her touch’. 

And being that he makes a similar statement in the first verse in relation to his post-breakup romantic partner, then logically the addressee throughout the song is she and not the lady he has freshly broken up with, i.e. the one who seemingly left him in a weakened state in the first place.

The Lyrics of “Blinding Lights” are pretty Intricate

So this song is a lot more intricate than it may seem, as it is easy to mix up the singer’s old romantic interest with his new one. And even the new one, once again according to the bridge, is an old one.

“I said, ooh, I’m blinded by the lights
No, I can’t sleep until I feel your touch
I said, ooh, I’m drowning in the night
Oh, when I’m like this, you’re the one I trust”

Conclusion

But conclusively there is no hardcore evidence to suggest that the track is about Bella Hadid. By his own admission, even in the song he released prior to this one (“Heartless”), The Weeknd has dealt with a whole lot of ladies. 

Generally speaking, “Blinding Lights” is a tune about a guy who has formed a strong emotional dependency on his romantic interest. And the reason he appears so vulnerable in the first place seems to be something along the lines of him having endured a toxic relationship previously, on top of being single for too long.

What The Weeknd has said about “Blinding Lights”

In a 2020 interview with Esquire, The Weeknd explained the real meaning behind this song. According to him, the song is about being intoxicated and being “blinded by streetlights” as you drive during the nighttime towards the one you desperately want to see.

Despite all these hurdles on your way, you make up your mind that come hook or crook you have to see this person. And why? Because loneliness has taken a hold of you. However, he was quick to add that he is not trying to “promote drunk driving” in the song.

When was “Blinding Lights” released?

This song (albeit only a snippet) actually premiered on a television commercial by luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz which featured The Weeknd. And that particular advert debuted, in Germany, on 24 November 2019.

The entirety of the song was later released on 29 November 2019. It is featured on The Weeknd’s fourth album, which is entitled “After Hours”.

In all, “After Hours” produced 4 singles, including “Blinding Lights”. The other three singles from this mega successful album are:

• “Heartless”
• “In Your Eyes”
• “Save Your Tears”

In addition to these singles, another very popular song from the album is a song called “Escape from LA“. Now, even though the said song wasn’t a single release, it quickly became a favorite among fans.

Writing and Production Credits

The Weeknd in conjunction with Oscar Holter and Max Martin wrote and produced “Blinding Lights”. And additional lyrical contributions were made by the following prolific songwriters and producers:

• Jason Quenneville (also known as DaHeala)
• Ahmad Balshe (also popularly known as Belly)

A Chart Topper

“Blinding Lights” topped the charts in dozens of countries across the globe, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

Below is this song’s chart performance around the globe:

• United Kingdom (#1)
• United States of America (#1)
• Australia (#1)
• Austria (#1)
• Belgium (#1)
• Bolivia (#1)
• Brazil (#1)
• Canada (#1)
• Croatia (#1)
• Czech Republic (#1)
• Denmark (#1)
• Estonia (#1)
• Finland (#1)
• France (#1)
• Germany (#1)
• Greece (#1)
• Hungary (#1)
• Iceland (#1)
• Ireland (#1)
• Israel (#1)
• Italy (#1)
• Latvia (#1)
• Lithuania (#1)
• Mexico (#1)
• Netherlands (#1)
• New Zealand (#1)
• Norway (#1)
• Poland (#1)
• Portugal (#1)
• Scotland (#1)
• Singapore (#1)
• Slovakia (#1)
• Slovenia (#1)
• Sweden (#1)
• Switzerland (#1)
• Venezuela (#1)

In addition to the above, the song was also a top-10 hit in these countries:

• Chile (#7)
• Costa Rica (#7)
• Ecuador (#5)
• El Salvador (#4)
• Honduras (#8)
• Lebanon (#2)
• Malaysia (#2)
• Panama (#9)
• Puerto Rico (#5)
• Romania (#7)
• Russia (#2)
• South Africa (#3)
• Spain (#5)
• Ukraine (#5)
• Uruguay (#4)