Rihanna: Top 50 Songs

Rihanna Top 50 Songs

Born February 20, 1988 in Saint Michael, Barbados, Robyn Rihanna Fenty, better known as Rihanna, has become one of the biggest pop singers of all time with 14 #1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. On February 11, 2023, she performed at the Super Bowl halftime show. For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry. Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists. Spotify Podcast: Check out the Dave’s Music Database podcast episode The Best of Rihanna, 2005-2022 based on this list. Premiere: February 14, 2023 at 7pm CST. New episodes based on Dave’s Music Database lists are posted every Tuesday at 7pm CST.

Awards:

Top 50 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Songs which hit #1 on various charts are noted. (Click for codes to charts.) DMDB Top 1%: 1. Umbrella (with Jay-Z, 2007) #1 US, UK, CN, AU 2. We Found Love (with Calvin Harris, 2011) #1 US, RR, UK, CN 3. Love the Way You Lie (with Eminem, 2010) #1 US, RR, CN, AU 4. Work with Drake, 2016) #1 US, RB, CN 5. Only Girl in the World (2010) #1 US, RR, UK, CN, AU 6. Diamonds (2012) #1 US, RB, UK, CN 7. Disturbia (2008) #1 US, RB, RR DMDB Top 2%: 8. The Monster (with Eminem, 2013) #1 US, RR, RB, UK, CN, AU 9. Live Your Life (with T.I., 2008) #1 US, RR 10. Don’t Stop the Music (2007) #1 AU 11. Take a Bow (2008) #1 US, RR, RB, UK, CN 12. Stay (with Mikky Ekko, 2012) #1 RR, CN 13. This Is What You Came For (with Calvin Harris, 2016) #1 CN, AU DMDB Top 5%: 14. S.O.S. (Rescue Me) (2006) #1 US, RR, CN, AU 15. Rude Boy (2010) #1 US, AU 16. Wild Thoughts (with DJ Khaled & Bryson Tiller, 2017) #1 RB, UK 17. What’s My Name? (with Drake, 2010) #1 US, UK 18. S&M (2010) #1 US, RR, CN, AU 19. Four Five Seconds (with Kanye West & Paul McCartney, 2015) #1 RB, AU 20. Needed Me (2016) #1 RB 21. Pon De Replay (2005) DMDB Top 10%: 22. Unfaithful (2006) #1 CN 23. Love on the Brain (2016) 24. Where Have You Been (2011) 25. Too Good (with Drake, 2016) 26. All of the Lights (with Kanye West & Drake, 2010) 27. Take Care (with Drake, 2011) 28. Bitch Better Have My Money (2015) 29. Lift Me Up (2022) #1 RB 30. Run This Town (with Jay-Z & Kanye West, 2009) #1 UK 31. Hate That I Love You (with Ne-Yo, 2007) 32. Russian Roulette (2009) 33. Shut Up and Drive (2007) 34. Loyalty (with Kendrick Lamar, 2017) DMDB Top 20%: 35. Can’t Remember to Forget You (with Shakira, 2014) 36. Lemon (with N*E*R*D, 2017) 37. Pour It Up (2013) 38. California King Bed (2011) 39. Rehab (with Justin Timberlake, 2008) 40. Cheers (Drink to That) (2010) 41. You Da One (2011) 42. Hard (with Jeezy, 2009) 43. If I Never See Your Face Again (with Matchbox 20, 2008) 44. Man Down (2011) 45. Who’s That Chick? (with David Guetta, 2010) 46. Princess of China (with Coldplay, 2011) 47. Kiss It Better (2016) 48. Te Amo (2010) 49. What Now (2013) 50. Fly (with Nicki Minaj, 2010) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Rihanna Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 2/20/2017; updated 2/14/2023.

Rihanna “Disturbia” hit #1

Disturbia Rihanna

Writer(s): Brian Kennedy, Chris Brown, Robert Allen, Andre Merritt (see lyrics here) Released: July 22, 2008 First Charted: June 14, 2008 Peak: 12 US, 14 RR, 20 A40, 88 RB, 3 UK, 2 CN, 6 AU, 21 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 7.0 US, 0.6 UK, 13.2 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.4 radio, 330.1 video, 467.39 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: A year after Rihanna released her third album, 2007’s Good Girl Gone Bad, she reissued the album as Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded. The original version had twelve songs; the reissue featured included a duet with Maroon 5, “If I Never See Your Face Again,” which shockingly stalled at #51 but two other songs – “Take a Bow” and “Disturbia” – went all the way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. “Disturbia” was a top-10 hit in more than twenty countries. Time magazine’s Josh Tyrangiel described it as a “fun-packed electro treat filled with sizzling beats and crazy vocal effects.” WK In fact, it was Rihanna’s first use of Auto-Tune, which gave vocals a “slightly robotic sound,” on one of her hits. SF Lyrically, the song is about “the experiences of anguish, anxiety, and confusion.” WK Songfacts.com described it as “like a horror movie set to song.” SF The song was written by Chris Brown and his team with the original intent to add it to a reissue of his own 2007 Exclusive album. Brown was dating Rihanna at the time (he pled guilty to felony assault of her in 2009), and thought the song was better suited for a female singer. The video reflected the creepy vibe of the song. Rihanna is imprisoned in a facility where she is tortured. According to the director, Anthony Mandler, the label was freaked out enough by the video that they considered shelving it. SF Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 2/10/2023.