“Here We Go… Again” by The Weeknd (ft. Tyler, the Creator)

Back in July of 2021, the paparazzi powers that be alerted the world that The Weeknd and Angelina Jolie had dinner together. Since then they verifiable had another dinner date and maybe even two.

So the gossip mill got to churning with speculations that the two of them, with Angelina being 15 years Abel’s senior, may in fact be dating. And that rumor is noteworthy in the case of this song (“Here We Go… Again”) because first of all, this is a song where The Weeknd is clearly speaking to his personal experience, not portraying some type of a general character.

And secondly, herein he boasts that his new sweetheart is “a movie star”, of which of course Angelina Jolie is. Meanwhile, whereas The Weeknd has engaged in a couple of known celebrity romances in the past, none of them were with ladies who were truly in the movie business at the time.

But that said, the vocalist isn’t boasting about bedding a Hollywood celebrity just for boasting’s sake. Instead, the primary addressee reads like his ex. And in the aftermath of the two of them breaking up, her goal was to land someone even more famous than The Weeknd – himself of course being a musical A lister.

However, she instead “ended up with someone” who apparently isn’t famous at all. But in contrast The Weeknd himself is, once again, bonking a star.

Making a Mockery of His Ex

So basically The Weeknd is mocking his ex post-breakup for, in the eyes of the world, coming out of the ordeal better off romantically than she did. And all things considered it is very much possible he is referencing one of his real-life exes, i.e. Bella Hadid, as speculated in this case. And that would also explain why the entire first verse is braggadocious, which isn’t necessarily The Weeknd’s style, i.e. the vocalist throwing his recent successes in the face of his ex.

Song’s Title (“Here We Go… Again”)

But that established, this song isn’t all gloat. Instead what the title infers, as used within the chorus, is The Weeknd, as well as his ex and perhaps even his new lady, being caught up in this cycle of ultimately unfulfilling romance.

Or as the old saying goes, ‘it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all’. And in that regard, it can be deemed that both the vocalist and addressee have lost in the past.

Tyler, the Creator steps in

Tyler’s verse sorta brings it all home, where initially he implies that he cannot be in a long-term relationship like a marriage. Later he seems to change that stance – so long as the lady involved is willing to sign a prenuptial agreement.

Well some potential spouses may perceive such a request as an insult, insinuating that their partner isn’t truly in it for the long haul. And ultimately, it can be said that’s the point the vocalist(s) is trying to get to, i.e. having lost faith in the power of romance.

Indeed such is very much possible once you’ve been around the block a few times. Or let’s say that whereas it may be better to have loved and lost, repeatedly losing can also leave the victim with an enduring sense of pessimism as far as romance is concerned.

In Conclusion

Ultimately, the above seems to be the main concept upon which this song is based. The Weeknd may be able to brag that, on the surface, he’s doing better than ever. But as far as matters of the heart go, he may be chillin’ at the moment yet in the grand scheme of things is not overly confident in regards to the future.

Facts about “Here We Go… Again”

Bruce Johnston – as in the same Bruce Johnston who is a long-standing member of the 1960s’ era Beach Boys – not only provides backup vocals to this Weeknd song but also co-wrote and co-produced it.

And Christian Love – the son of another Beach Boy, Mike Love – also serves as a backup vocalist on “Here We Go… Again”.

The Weeknd and Rex Kudo are also credited as both writers and producer of this track. The other co-producers are Benny Bock, Charlie Coffeen and Brian Kennedy, with Tyler, the Creator also being acknowledged as a co-writer.

This is the first time The Weeknd has dropped a track with Tyler, both of whom have been professionally active since the late aughts.

“Here We Go… Again” is the 8th track on “Dawn FM”. “Dawn FM”, which is the fifth studio album of the Weeknd’s career, was released on January the 7th of 2022. It was promoted by the following singles:

• “Sacrifice”
• “Take My Breath”