“It finally got the treatment it deserved,” he noted. But the result really works, digging out an influence at the song’s core: Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker was initially inspired by TLC. Same Ol’ Mistakes is a pretty audacious idea: rather than covering Tame Impala’s New Person, Same Old Mistakes, Rihanna just sang over the psychedelic original. The woozy, hedonistic swirl of its backing track perfectly captures the hedonistic mood referenced elsewhere: “Wrap up your drugs, come make me happy.” 20.

You can’t fault Rihanna’s self-confidence on this track, tacked on to the end of the deluxe version of Anti: sex with her is “amazing”, but her love rival is merely “alright”. You could say it’s an example of post- Amy Winehouse retro pop, but it’s a superior one: an elegant, controlled performance, a lyric that darkly hints at violence.īorrowing the echoing guitar sound of the XX quickly became a cliche in mainstream pop – “referenced at least every other session,” according to Ryan Tedder – but Drunk on Love’s sample of the trio’s Intro was inspired, adding a spectral edge to an epic confection of thundering drums and ravey keyboards. Love on the Brain (2016)Īn anomaly even in Rihanna’s eclectic back catalogue, Love on the Brain delves into doo-wop and early-60s soul ballads, sampling Sam Brown’s Stop along the way. If you want an example of the diverse influences that have gone into Rihanna’s singles over the years, look no further: Where Have You Been draws on I’ve Been Everywhere, a 1959 Australian country song once covered by – oh dear – Rolf Harris, transforming it into a gleaming, joyous bit of pop-house. It’s a gutsy move to riff on an idea already used on the biggest-selling album in pop history, but Don’t Stop the Music’s borrowing of Manu Dibango’s Soul Makossa – via Michael Jackson’s Wanna Be Starting Something from Thriller – worked perfectly: an insistent presence in the background of a powerful dance track. Macca’s acoustic guitar drives the appealingly rough-edged and stripped-back FourFiveSeconds along, but it’s Rihanna’s vocal that makes the song come alive. The unexpected sound of Rihanna collaborating not merely with Kanye West but Paul McCartney. If not quite as spectacular as Man Down, You Da One’s attempt to meld dancehall and fluorescent 21st-century pop is still impressive, not least in the way it stirs dubstep into the sonic mix: the bass-heavy drop before the final chorus is genuinely exciting, shifting the mood of the track. Kiss It Better was nominated for best R&B song at the Grammys, but in truth it’s a diversion into potent power balladry – laden with distorted guitar, it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine Cher singing it on the deck of a warship – albeit one given a hint of left-field weirdness by the primitive drum machine ticking away in the background.

Rihanna umbrella cover