Rihanna’s smash single ‘Umbrella’ turns 15 today
Rihanna has made a name for herself in music, makeup, fashion, and pop culture. But her road to stardom would have never skyrocketed if it had not been for the song, “Umbrella”. The lead single from her third album Good Girl Gone Bad came at a time was the Barbados native began to make a name for herself under Roc-A-Fella Records.
While she had seen success with her first single in 2005, “Pon De Replay”, the track reached number two on the Billboard Top 100 charts. It was not till Rihanna’s second album, A Girl Like Me, that she saw her first number-one single, “SOS”.
Rihanna found global success during the release of Good Girl Gone Bad.
She said on The Ellen Show in 2007: “The first time I heard ‘Umbrella’ I just knew how much I loved the song. I thought it had one of the most original sounds of any song that I’ve ever heard…. Eventually, I just went up to one of the managers and was like, ‘This song is mine…. I’m gonna fight you if I don’t have this song.’”
The song, written by Christopher “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The Dream” Nash, had its first verse written in 60 seconds. About two months after the song was completed, the song was released and topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts for seven straight weeks. This was a first for Rihanna.
Good Girl Gone Gone Bad turned out to be a multiplatinum success and arguably, a coming-of-age album. The star also switched gears from a dance sound to a more adult pop and R&B sound.
Even with the doubt that the creators of the song had about Rihanna, the song continues to be a success. As writer and producer Stewart said: “When she recorded the ‘ellas,’ you knew your life was about to change if you had anything to do with that record.”
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Was “Umbrella” a favorite song of yours? What Rihanna song do you like? Sound off below!