The Weeknd’s latest album ‘Starboy’ has had a certain theme throughout the tracklist and we can see that continue in “Party Monster” as well. Starting from “Starboy” single to “False Alarm” to “Party Monster” it has been all about the lavish lifestyle and the horrors that come with it. “Party Monster” does have an upbeat and a catchy tune, but the lyrics are as dark as you can expect The Weeknd to get.
The track has been produced by Ben Billions, Don McKinney and The Weeknd.
Listen to “Party Monster” by The Weeknd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey5DcHqnpmw
Download “Part Monster” on iTunes and Amazon
Buy ‘Starboy’ Album on iTunes and Amazon
Let’s jump right into the lyrics review and decoding the meaning behind this track.
The song starts off with a refrain;
I’m good, I’m good, I’m great
Know it’s been a while, now I’m mixing up the drank
I just need a girl who gon’ really understand
I just need a girl who gon’ really understand – //
The Weeknd gives a run down on his status-he is great. We know he is telling the truth by looking at the nature of the songs on ‘Starboy.’ But they also scream out ‘help’ but that’s something else to worry.
He reassures that he is ‘good’ and too many ‘goods’ only mean it’s ‘bad.’ He has been away since his 2013 album ‘The Beauty Behind The Madness‘ which was a massive success. He says he is mixing up the ‘drank’ which I believe is a metaphor for the new music he has come up with ‘Starboy.’ He even killed The Weeknd and gave birth to ‘Abel.’
https://twitter.com/theweeknd/status/193926552818421760
Verse 1 comes up and it doesn’t get any better;
And I’ve seen her get richer in the pole
I’ve seen her, I knew she had to know
I’ve seen her take down that tequila
Down by the liter, I knew I had to meet her,
The kind of women The Weeknd is left with are the ones who support their kids through stripping. These women drown their sorrows in liquor and somehow they spark an interest in Abel.
Ooh, she mine, ooh girl, bump and grind
Ooh, she mine, ooh girl, bump a line
Angelina, lips like Angelina
Like Selena, ass shaped like Selena
Liquor, stardom and lose women lead to sex and more drugs. The Weeknd speaks about drug abuse and sex in these lyrics from “Party Monster” because they are down to party at anytime. “Bump” is slang for doing cocaine and we know how much love Abel has for his white powder.
Angelina Jolie has luscious and iconic lips and Selena Quintanilla-Pérez is blessed with a killer body. Abel sees these features in the girls he meets at the club.
The hook of “Party Monster” comes up;
I’m like, got up, thank the Lord for the day
Woke up by a girl, I don’t even know her name
Woke up by a girl, I don’t even know her name
These lines can be interpreted in two ways. One obvious understanding would be that The Weeknd is truly grateful that he has been so successful. He can only thank the God for the superstardom he is experiencing now.
On the other end, we can also decrypt these lines as Abel thinking thank god that he was able to wake up to see another day. Drugs, sex and more drugs may take his life any second. This interpretation can be justified with the next line which says that he has been sleeping around, a lot.
Verse 2 kicks in;
I’ve been poppin’, just took three in a row
I’m down to do it again, I’m on a roll
Poppin’ is a commonly used term for having drugs-popping pills is the more famous reference. He has been at it in a stretch and he is up in the clouds.
I’ve seen him outside tryna reach her
You tryna leave him, you said I’m the reason
Looks as if Abel is sleeping around quite more. He says the ‘husband’ is outside the house trying to reach out for the wife and she is with Abel. She is trying to divorce the husband and Abel is the reason why.
Tell me lies, ooh girl, tell me lies
Say you’re mine, I’m yours for the night
I’m the realest, she said I’m the realest
Head be genius, dick game be the meanest
Most of these hookups rely on lies on top of lies. Even when she says she is leaving her husband because of him, it could very well be a lie just to sleep around with a star. Abel knows what is going on. But he thrives on having these lies whispered in his ears while they engage in the carnal sins. She is putting Abel on a cloud-saying he is the best at everything, even sex.
The bridge that connects illusion and reality follows;
Got up, thank the Lord for the day
Woke up by a girl, I don’t even know her name
Bitches in my new spot, crowdin’ up my space
Had to check the safe, check the dresser for my chains
Abel wakes up and he is grateful for the life he has or that he has life today. He wakes up next to a girl he doesn’t even recognize. He knows what kind of women these are, so he has to check his safe and his dresser for his valuables. Last night it was all drugs, sex and blurred lines and in the morning it’s the paranoia and self loathing.
The Weeknd and Lana Del Rey performs the interlude of “Party Monster”;
Paranoid (Paranoid)
Paranoid (P-paranoid)
Paranoid (P-paranoid)
But I see something in you (You’re paranoid)
Co-writer of “Party Monster”, Lana Del Rey joins in on the latter part of the track to intensify the effect of the song. They keep on repeating the word “paranoid” in an ominous tone. This means that no matter what luxuries The Weeknd possesses, he is riddled with paranoia. Why? Because it is so easy to lose it all up in a night. White lies are the only things that keep adding structure to his reality.
“Party Monster” concludes with a final run down of the hook with Lana and it leaves us with mixed emotions. The lyrics are pretty intense and that has been the flow throughout The Weeknd’s album.
If you have a different interpretation of any of the lyrics of “Party Monster” make sure to leave your ideas in a comment below. If not do write down your favorite lines from the track.