Elsewhere, "Can't Feel My Face" peaked at number one in Mexico, New Zealand, Denmark, Ireland and South Africa, and was a top 10 single in other territories, such as Australia, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom.

[6] Multiple sources have interpreted the song to be about cocaine, including a reference by the Weeknd himself in "Reminder": "I just won a new award for a kids show, Talking 'bout a face numbing off a bag of blow".

[7][8][9] Musically, Alice Vincent of The Daily Telegraph characterised as "a synth-laden, upbeat pop song",[8] while Andy Kellman of AllMusic described it as "a sleek slice of retro-modern disco-funk".

Brennan Carley of Spin called it "pop perfection", "a thoroughly definitive, all-in jam" and predicted the song would "reach 'Uptown Funk' levels of airplay and ubiquity".

[14] Complex wrote: "The song has a classic pop feel to it, with The Weeknd channeling a bit of Michael Jackson while crooning over the bouncy, and energetic production from Max Martin".

the Weeknd) from a cult R&B singer to a full-on pop star – just as decisively as a similar yelp of joy marked a new era in Michael Jackson's career when "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" hit 36 years earlier.

Max Martin's satin-smooth production helped, too, vaulting "Can't Feel My Face" straight to Number One on the pop charts with Scandinavian efficiency.

He spends the song remaking himself as a pop giant – cleverly disguising his obsession with drugs beneath a metaphor about a dangerously hot fling, and playing down his angst-y tendencies until there's just a hint of existential pain in his lighter-than-air falsetto.

"[19] Stereogum ranked it at number 4 on its "The 50 Best Pop Songs Of 2015" list: "I'm still not convinced Abel Tesfaye will be this generation's Michael Jackson, but he does an extremely good impression.

"[20] Vulture ranked it at number 8 on its "The 10 Best Songs of 2015" list: "An infectious bassline that trembles like a rubber pencil propels an ex-underground R&B lothario's triumphant transformation from neo-Prince to neo-MJ.

"[22] Village Voice named "Can't Feel My Face" the third-best single released in 2015 on their annual year-end critics' poll, Pazz & Jop.

[23] NME ranked it at number 43 on their "The Best Songs Of The Decade: The 2010s" list: "'Can't Feel My Face' was a bold move for The Weeknd – though not because it took risks musically.

[36] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard opined that the video is "certainly a sonic homage to MJ, and watching the Weeknd strut around ablaze is an eery [sic] coincidence".

[37] Similarly, Michelle Geslani of Consequence of Sound wrote: "Abel Tesfaye is seen busting a couple of moves—no doubt, again, channeling Michael Jackson".

[40] The Weeknd performed "Can't Feel My Face" live for the first time at Apple WWDC 2015, the day before its digital release.