I'm going to give my honest opinion, and real reaction to the song. After just my first listen, and truthfully, that can be a really bad idea, because 1. you can actually find the song is a lot better at first glance, but after a few listens you find it has no replay value, or 2. the song sounds like complete trash at first listen, and you drag it to the pits, to find yourself having the song on replay only week later.
Their were a few moments throughout the song where I was a bit like
But I have to say, I actually applaud her, and this isn't coming from some die hard Rihanna fan, yes I appreciate when she releases a good single, but their is a lot of Rihanna songs, that I just don't like, and truthfully I don't care very much for her albums.
But with this song, although their are a few moments where I made cringed
the good for me actually out ways the bad. Here's why...
She is a mainstream pop girl, but she set herself apart from them, and did something entirely new for her, which is something women in pop music continually claim, but in a lot of ways, it just isn't true. I mean Taylor Swift going pop, really wasn't that far off what she was doing before, but this song for Rihanna is something completely new, and in a lot ways, she is in a position right now where she is able to take that risk, because she is still relevant.
You guys ask for popstars to take risks, this is it. Will it go #1? I don't presume it would, I don't really see it being the biggest song of her career, but with her starpower who knows, I have a lot of praise, and I could actually go on and on, which is strange, because I don't stan for Rihanna nor do I plan to, because I don't relate to her whatsoever, but I think it's great that she took a risk, where it would've been just a lot easier for her to deliver something radio-friendly, and maybe that is why I stan for somebody like Lady Gaga, because I appreciate the true risk-takers, and when a risk is taken, I admire that.
To get back to the cringe moments for me, why is Kanye West on this song? I really would've prefered it to just be Rihanna espiecially because it's such a short song, I don't really understand why he needed to be apart of the project, maybe he wrote the song or something, I don't know the details, but I actually don't like the concept of Kanye West being their, I think it would've been a strong moment for females, if it were just her alone, and also they've performed together before, and after a while I tire of certain collaborations, and this is one. And didn't he just release a song with Paul McCartney so that sense of shock is sort of down the drain.
I also feel like Paul Paul McCartney is only added for credibility, so she can go that route, and also to demand a new demographic, which actually depending how you look on it, doesn't really need to be a fault, it might just be smart marketing, but I don't believe adding Paul McCartney makes this "real" music, or anything like that. I think if the song stands the test of time, that will prove it's legacy, not just adding someone from The Beatles, to make it OK for her to make a song like this. But this happens all the time, and I'm not sure if that's a bad thing, or a good thing.
And also in moments, I felt her vocals didn't suit the song, (she's obviously going for that rock-strany voice, but at moments it felt more squeaky, and tired) but she brought something, something different for her. I think it could possibly bring her new fans, but also loose her a lot of older ones, possibly loose some of the general public, to go in a more artist muse way, that other artists have taken.
At the end of the day you guys asked, and prayed for another Rated R. Well this is it! Jumping ship over 1 song, that possibly you aren't a fan of, but may bring in a vast new demographic, is exactly where fan bases go wrong, anyway I've said enough..
I don't know if in a weeks time, I'll be replaying it, or if it'll fade away, only time will tell, but for taking a risk, as a popstar, I applaud Rihanna, and I must say, I actually did find the chorus to be quite catchy. In a unique way.
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