Weapons (song)

For other songs with the same name, see Weapon (disambiguation).

"Weapons" is a song by American singer and songwriter Ava Max from her second studio album, Diamonds & Dancefloors (2023). The song was written by Max, Cirkut, Lostboy, Melanie Fontana, Madison Love, Michel Lindgren Schulz and Ryan Tedder, and produced by Schulz. It was released as the third single from the album for digital download and streaming by Atlantic in various countries on November 10, 2022. Combining disco, electro and europop genres, the song tells a tale of cold hearts and harsh words encountered in the pursuit of love within an expansive urban setting. Upon release, it received a positive reception from music critics for its lyrics, music and Max's vocal delivery. Commercially, it charted within the top 100 in Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, Sweden and Switzerland. For further promotion, an accompanying visualizer premiered on Max's YouTube channel on March 3, 2023.

"Weapons"
Single by Ava Max
from the album Diamonds & Dancefloors
Released	November 10, 2022 (2022-11-10)
Genre	Disco electro europop
Length	2:31
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Ava Max Cirkut Melanie Fontana Madison Love Michel Lindgren Schulz Ryan Tedder
Producer(s)	Michel Lindgren Schulz
Ava Max singles chronology
"Million Dollar Baby" (2022) "Weapons" (2022) "Dancing's Done" (2022)
Visualizer
"Weapons" on YouTube

Background and composition

Produced by Michel Lindgren Schulz, "Weapons" was written by Schulz along with Max (Amanda Ava Koci), Cirkut (Henry Walter), Melanie Fontana, Madison Love and Ryan Tedder.^[1][2] Atlantic released the song for digital download and streaming on November 10, 2022 as the third single of Max's second studio album, Diamonds & Dancefloors (2023).^[3][4] Stating an emotional attachment, Max highlighted that "these lyrics are my favorite of any song I've released this year".^[5] Characterized by disco, electro and europop genres,^[6][7] it tells a tale of emotional challenges articulated through the depiction of cold hearts and harsh words encountered in the pursuit of love within an expansive urban setting.^[5][8] Lyrics such as, "Stop using your words as weapons, They're never gonna, shoot me down, Stop, it's time that you learn a lesson, My love is gonna drown you out", emphasizes that these challenges do not waver her conviction in a positive outcome.^[5]

Reception and promotion

"Weapons" generally received a positive reception from music critics. Madeline Dovi from Medium highlighted the song as an "empowerment ballad" that "bursts forth with prowess and assuredness", drawing parallels to American singer Pat Benatar's song "Love Is A Battlefield" (1983).^[9] George Griffiths for Official Charts Company complimented the song as "Lady Gaga-esque".^[10] Writing for NRG Albania, the author commended Max's consistent emphasis on vocal strength in her successive releases.^[11] Reviewing Diamonds & Dancefloors, Sam Franzini from The Line of Best Fit described the song as a "clumsy anti-bullying anthem", comparing its sound to music "commissioned" for a "middle school".^[12] Jordi Bardají for Jenesaispop referred to the "heroic chorus" as a "cliché within a cliché".^[13]

Commercially, "Weapons" reached number 10 in the Walloon region of Belgium,^[14] number 29 in Hungary,^[15] number 32 in the Flemish region of Belgium,^[16] number 33 in Croatia, number 54 in Sweden and number 95 in Switzerland.^[17][18][19] Furthermore, the song charted at number one on the Dutch Tipparade ranking and number 34 on the New Zealand Hot Singles.^[20][21] For promotional purposes, an official visualizer for "Weapons" premiered to Max's official YouTube channel on March 3, 2023.^[22]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Spotify.^[1]

• Ava Max (Amanda Ava Koci) – lead artist, songwriting
• Cirkut (Henry Walter) – songwriting
• Melanie Fontana – songwriting
• Madison Love – songwriting
• Michel Lindgren Schulz – producing, songwriting
• Ryan Tedder – songwriting

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Weapons" Chart (2022) Peak position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[16] 32 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[14] 10 Croatia (HRT)^[17] 33 France Airplay (SNEP)^[23] 55 Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)^[15] 29 Netherlands (Airplay Top 40)^[24] 31 Netherlands (Tipparade)^[20] 1 New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)^[21] 34 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[18] 54 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[19] 95

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Weapons" Chart (2023) Position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[25] 66

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Weapons"

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Various	November 10, 2022	Digital download streaming	Atlantic	^[3]^[4]

References

1. "Weapons – Single by Ava Max". Spotify. November 10, 2022. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023. Note: Click on the three dots on the right of the track to display the credits.
2. Armstrong, Megan (November 10, 2022). "Ava Max's 'Weapons' Will Make You Feel Invincible And Ready To Dance". Uproxx. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
3. Citations regarding the release of "Weapons" by Ava Max in various selected countries:
   • "Weapons – Single by Ava Max". Apple Music (Australia). November 10, 2022. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
   • "Weapons – Single by Ava Max". Apple Music (Canada). November 10, 2022. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
   • "Weapons – Single by Ava Max". Apple Music (United Kingdom). November 10, 2022. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
   • "Weapons – Single by Ava Max". Apple Music (United States). November 10, 2022. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
4. "Ava Max With 'Weapons'". Atlantic Records. November 10, 2022. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
5. "Ava Max veröffenticht neue Single 'Weapons'" (in German). Magdeburg Klick. November 11, 2022. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
6. Beaudet, Victoria (November 14, 2022). "Ava Max signe son retour disco avec la chanson 'Weapons'" (in French). Chérie FM. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
7. "Everything We Know About Ava Max's New Album Diamonds & Dancefloors". Voir. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
8. D'Souza, Shaad (November 11, 2022). "Sound Off: 10 New Songs You Need to Hear Now". Paper. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
9. Dovi, Madeline (January 14, 2023). "Ava Max's Pop Psychology: The Dualism Of Dancing Through Tears". Medium. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
10. Griffiths, George (December 21, 2022). "Ava Max shines (literally) on brand-new artwork for upcoming second album Diamonds & Dancefloors and high octane single Dancing's Done". Official Charts Company (OCC). from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
11. "Ava Max Publikon Këngën E Re 'Weapons'!" (in Albanian). NRG Albania. November 11, 2022. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
12. Franzini, Sam (January 23, 2023). "Ava Max's Diamonds & Dancefloors is pure pop escapism". The Line of Best Fit. from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
13. Bardají, Jordi (February 1, 2023). "Ava Max / Diamonds & Dancefloors". Jenesaispop (in Spanish). from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
14. "Ava Max – Weapons" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
15. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
16. "Ava Max – Weapons" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
17. "Hrt Airplay Radio Chart No. 1057 – Issue Date: December 12th 2022" (PDF). Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT). December 13, 2022. (PDF) from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
18. "Ava Max – Weapons". Singles Top 100. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
19. "Ava Max – Weapons". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
20. "Tipparade Lijst Van Week 1, 2023" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. January 7, 2023. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
21. "Nz Hot Singles Chart – 21 November 2022". Recorded Music NZ. November 21, 2022. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
22. "Ava Max – Weapons | Official Visualizer". Ava Max. March 3, 2023. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023 – via YouTube.
23. "Classement Radio: Semaine du 30 décembre 2022" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP). December 30, 2022. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
24. "Airplay Top 40 Lijst Van Week 5, 2023" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. January 30, 2023. from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
25. "Rapports annuels 2023" (in French). Ultratop. from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.