Out of Time (The Weeknd song)

"Out of Time" is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It was released to American urban adult contemporary radio through XO and Republic Records on January 25, 2022, as the third single from his fifth studio album Dawn FM. The song was written and produced by the Weeknd and Oneohtrix Point Never; with Tomoko Aran and Tetsurō Oda receiving songwriting credits for the sampling of Aran's 1983 song "Midnight Pretenders". Max Martin and Oscar Holter received additional production credits. The track also features additional vocals from Jim Carrey, who provides narration throughout the album. The song also won an MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video in 2022.

Background and promotion

"Out of Time" was released on January 7, 2022, alongside its parent album. It was sent to American urban adult contemporary radio on January 25 as the album's third single.

Lyrics and composition

"Out Of Time" has been described by critics as an R&B and city pop ballad with elements of boogie. The song is written in the key of C minor with a tempo of 93 beats per minute. Lyrically, the song details how the Weeknd's trauma from past relationships has negatively affected his ability to fix the romantic relationship he had with his former partner.

Music video

The music video for "Out of Time" was released on April 5, 2022. Directed by Cliqua, it features actress and model HoYeon Jung, and continues a storyline made with the visuals from Dawn FM. Rolling Stone noted that many scenes within the visual are reminiscent of scenes from Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation (2003).

Synopsis

In the video, the Weeknd and Jung meet in an empty hotel and quickly bond over singing the song in a karaoke box. They steal the karaoke machine and frolic around the hotel drinking, dancing, and singing the song. Towards the end, an older version of the Weeknd shown with a deformed appearance from the events of the video for "Gasoline" tries to reach out to his present self, before the video transitions to the Weeknd's older point of view in a surgery room, where Jim Carrey, narrating the final lines, puts a mask on him.

Critical reception

"Out of Time" received acclaim from critics for the song's production, lyrics and the Weeknd's vocals. Heran Mamo of Billboard named the track as the second-best song from the album, highlighting "The swirling flute and shimmering production feels like he’s in a fairytale where he can turn back time with just the snap of his fingers". A New University review called the song “one of the album’s masterpieces”.