This week, we celebrate Rihanna.
RIHANNA – “Pon de Replay” – as described by elisabeth dee
Throwback to 2005 Riri and her first massive hit. You may not think you know all the words, but you do.
RIHANNA – “SOS” – as described by david schmitt
The new wave purist in me briefly thought that Rihanna tainted the chords of a Soft Cell hit, but with her energy and tantalizing lower register, she quickly dismissed critics calling her a one-hit wonder after “Pon de Replay” and topped Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first time.
RIHANNA – “Umbrella” – as described by nikki tran
When this 2009 anthem came on at my swaggy suburban middle school dances, tears were expected—the kind of tears that involved pants ripping down the seam. My friends and I’d go wild, which meant we’d jump up and down until our camisoles became drenched with pre-pubescent sweat and we’d go outside for breaths of air and breadsticks. I still find something delightfully off about Rihanna’s detached delivery and the affectionate slant of her lyrics. It sends mixed signals, much like how middle school was for me—a confusing, acne-riddled storm. In retrospect, not much has changed.
RIHANNA – “Disturbia” – as described by bojan srb
“Disturbia” was a turning point for Rihanna and the hordes of songwriters and lyricists that curate her style. While the sound is reminiscent of her previous singles, “Don’t Stop the Music” and “Pon de Replay”, lyrically, the song is about experiences of anguish, dread, and anxiety–worlds different from the ballads and bangers that preceded it.
RIHANNA – “Stay” – as described by teddy morris-knower
Rihanna for so long was our nightforce, an energetic, beautiful fire that fueled driving through the night and into the morning with Distubia and Shut Up and Drive. Here she becomes the pain of love, the ache of holding on to something beautiful as it slips away from you. Honorable mention: the Branchez remix which sounded better in high school, but still worth a listen.
RIHANNA – “No Love Allowed” – as described by nicole phillips
Winter is over. It’s time to shed that “acoustic winter” playlist Spotify keeps suggesting in exchange for some nice easy summer vibes. Do you want to feel kind of angsty, but also like you should be outside laying in the sun? This one’s your new jam. Nothing like UV rays to intensify the flames of your own bitterness.
RIHANNA – “Pour It Up” – as described by analyssa lopez
Before Rihanna ~told~ us she was ballin’ bigger than Lebron, she ~showed~ us, with this ode to wealth, luxury, flaunting, and, yes, strippers. The video, like BBHMM, incited a flurry of thinkpieces, to which I think Rih probably responded “who cares how you haters feel? I still got my money.”
RIHANNA – “S and M” – as described by loralee sepsey
This song makes me feel like a bad bitch even though I literally wear sweaters with cats and snowmen and superheroes on them every day.
KANYE WEST feat. RIHANNA – “All of the Lights” – as described by sasha perigo
Let’s be real. “All of the Lights” wouldn’t be half the song that it is without Rhianna’s amazing voice.
RIHANNA – “Bitch Better Have My Money” – as described by katie nesser
Peak bad gal Riri. As good as the song is, it owes it’s real impact to its video, an epic packed with sex, drugs, violence, Mads Mikkelsen, a pomeranian, and rock and roll. Don’t act like you forgot.
RIHANNA — “Higher” — zane hellmann
This would definitely not be the first song of Rihanna’s that I would show my children or any alien that has never heard her brilliance. However, it is the song that exemplifies her ability to not only reach into new genres – soul, jazz, and R&B here – but also the breadth of her emotional range and empathy; in this case, baring one’s soul to a love interest with the help of some alcohol. I am sure we can all relate.
RIHANNA feat. DRAKE – “Work” – as described by anthony milki
You can imagine what should be the world’s baddest power couple sitting in Rihanna’s cabaña in Barbados carefully crafting the biggest song of the year, and while only subtly a banger, it bangs and bangs and bangs.
Image from here.
('17, Anthropology) hails from the vast expanses of Utah. She wears purple lipstick to intimidate you. Her interests include writing list poems on napkins, Dvorak, geometric tattoos, and using healthy food as a means to peanut butter.
('18, English) is a writer from Orange County, California.
(‘16, English, Editor-in-Chief) learned most of his English from Cartoon Network. What Bojan cares about: Freud, cities, gazpacho, and you.
('16) made this sad world a par•a•dise. She is cultivating both her Twitter persona & her Kristen Stewart aesthetic, is a firm believer in selfies & has the same taste in music as that one guy you dated in high school.
('18, English) is from Costa Mesa, California (in the OC, but not the snobby OC, she swears). Most of the time, you can find Loralee in her dorm room crying over television shows.
('17, Computer Science) takes herself too seriously. She is enthusiastic about live music, problem solving and social media.
('18, Art History, Editor-in-Chief) is a cautionary tale from Texas. She loves true crime, sweet tea, and Candy Crush Saga.
('16, English) is forever searching for friends to keep him company, and usually those friends are the fictional characters in the latest book he is reading.
('17, Human Biology/Creative Writing) is from Palo Alto and listens to a lot of Kanye.