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.

 

Rihanna “Don’t Stop the Music” released

Don’t Stop the Music Rihanna

Writer(s): Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tawanna Dabney (Frankie Storm), Michael Jackson (see lyrics here) Released: September 7, 2007 First Charted: December 8, 2007 Peak: 3 BB, 3 RR, 27 A40, 74 RB, 4 UK, 2 CN, 14 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 6.0 US, 1.80 UK, 10.21 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 841.06 video, 1542.13 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Singer Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born in 1988 in Barbados. Between her music and other business ventures, she became the first female musician to achieve billionaire status. Her music career began in 2005 when she released her first album, Music of the Sun. She released a total of eight albums from 2005 to 2016; all achieved platinum status and reached the top 10 on the Billboard album chart. Her most successful album was 2007’s Good Girl Gone Bad, which was certified in the U.S. for sales of seven million. The album’s most successful song was “Umbrella,” which was her fifth top-10 hit and second song to reach #1. The album also produced the top-ten, multi-platinum hits “Hate That I Love You” and “Don’t Stop the Music.” The dance-pop song was written by the Norwegian production duo of Stargate (Tor E. Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen) with Twanna Dabney (known as Frankie Storm). Michael Jackson received a songwriting credit as well because the song sampled his 1983 hit “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” WK Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango sued Rihanna and Jackson, asserting that the hook came from his 1972 song “Soul Makossa.” WK Pitchfork’s Tom Breihan called the song “an amazing bit of euroclub insanity combined with synth and bass.” WK Billboard said, “we defy you to get the hook…out of your mind.” WK Slant magazine’s Sal Cinquemani said the song had “a bouncy feel similar to Rihanna’s 2006 single ‘SOS’.” WK Fraser McAlpine of the BBC’s chart blog compares the melody of the verses to Aaliyah’s “Try Again” and the chorus to Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita.” WK The song was nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Recording. Resources: WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 1/26/2026.

Rihanna hit #1 with “Umbrella”

Umbrella Rihanna with Jay-Z

Writer(s): Terius “The-Dream” Nash, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart/Jay-Z (see lyrics here) Released: March 29, 2007 First Charted: April 8, 2007 Peak: 17 US, 14 BA, 15 DG, 2 RR, 28 A40, 4 RB, 110 UK, 14 CN, 16 AU, 7 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 8.0 US, 1.2 UK, 11.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.5 radio, 1127.2 video, 1205.67 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Rihanna had a string of hits throughout the decade, but “this song was 2007, plain and simple” PE and “may be the track that most defined pop music in the ’00s.” PD While constructed around a hip-hop beat and given a slick R&B-style production, it also had “an edgy rock sound” AB and a “quasi-yodeled chorus” CBC “so toweringly great it transcends genre boundaries.” NME Rihanna told Q magazine “’it was one of the most original sounds that I’d heard for a while. But a lot of people didn’t really understand it. They thought the repetition was annoying. But I knew that was what people would catch on to right away, because that’s what stuck in my head.’” SF As Adam Graham notes in the Detroit News, “just try to deny that you’ve added your own ‘ella… ella… ay’ every time you’ve heard or used the word umbrella since.” DN The song was first sent to Britney Spears, who had recorded “Me Against the Music,” which Nash also helped pen, but after her people rejected it as not having hit potential, it was offered to Mary J. Blige. However, Jay-Z aggressively pursued the song, deciding it was perfect for Rihanna. SF He even added “a fairly unnecessary, but marketable, guest rap.” PD The song also works as a metaphor as Rihanna sings to a partner about being there for him through good and bad. SF She says, “‘an umbrella is protection, it protects you from rain. The rain in this case is negativeness and vulnerability.’” SF Rihanna told the Daily Mirror umbrellas have now cropped up in mass quantities at her shows and dancefloors. SF The song became the longest-running #1 of the decade in the U.K. and topped the charts in multiple other countries. Resources: AB About.com: Top 100 Pop Songs of the 2000s by Bill Lamb. CBC CBC News (11/6/2009). “The 10 Defining Singles and Albums of This Decade” DN Detroit News (12/26/2009). “The Top 10 Songs of the ‘00s Grapevine” NME NME.com (11/11/09). 100 Tracks of the Decade PD Popdose.com (11/24/2009). “The Popdose 100: The Best Songs of the Decade” PE PopEater.com (11/24/2009). “Best Pop Songs of the Decade” Related Links: Last updated 7/23/2023.