I don't buy this excuse that "Birthday Cake" was always intended to be an interlude. It's quite clear, at least to me, that there were always plans for a full-length track. Aside from the fact that an interlude is absurdly unbefitting an album like Talk That Talk, that ill-timed and poorly executed fade out that appears just as they're setting up a second verse suggests that further material was likely recorded and later scrapped, or left unfinished. In any event, including the track in it's current incomplete, ****-teasing state was a horrible decision. "Birthday Cake" had the potential to be one of the best (if not THE best) tracks on the album, but they've squandered that. I'm left to wonder this; If there wasn't a constant push for Rihanna to deliver Def Jam a new bundle of Hot 100-approved material each November, would we already have a completed version of this song? I think we would. When it's a question of giving the Dream/Rihanna another week in the studio, or pushing Dream/Rihanna to chop up their best offering and submit it for the album's tracklist in incomplete form, I'd like to think that everyone would push for more time in the studio. But apparently they don't. And I know it's presumptive of me to jump to this conclusion, but you have to admit that it's entirely plausible given Def Jam's plans to have Rihanna on her 15th studio album by the time she's like, I don't know, 26.
I think Rihanna was told that the song was ridiculous and wouldn't work but they compromised on keeping it an interlude then she got the full version due to fan demand BUT it will not be a single, it would flop so bad.
I don't buy this excuse that "Birthday Cake" was always intended to be an interlude. It's quite clear, at least to me, that there were always plans for a full-length track. Aside from the fact that an interlude is absurdly unbefitting an album like Talk That Talk, that ill-timed and poorly executed fade out that appears just as they're setting up a second verse suggests that further material was likely recorded and later scrapped, or left unfinished. In any event, including the track in it's current incomplete, ****-teasing state was a horrible decision. "Birthday Cake" had the potential to be one of the best (if not THE best) tracks on the album, but they've squandered that. I'm left to wonder this; If there wasn't a constant push for Rihanna to deliver Def Jam a new bundle of Hot 100-approved material each November, would we already have a completed version of this song? I think we would. When it's a question of giving the Dream/Rihanna another week in the studio, or pushing Dream/Rihanna to chop up their best offering and submit it for the album's tracklist in incomplete form, I'd like to think that everyone would push for more time in the studio. But apparently they don't. And I know it's presumptive of me to jump to this conclusion, but you have to admit that it's entirely plausible given Def Jam's plans to have Rihanna on her 15th studio album by the time she's like, I don't know, 26.
