Jay-Z wasn’t too impressed with Rihanna after one of her songs failed. A dance track changed everything for Rihanna. One of her songwriters decided to give her a Madonna-inspired musical makeover and it paid off big time. It also changed the trajectory of Rihanna’s life.
During a 2020 interview with Vulture, songwriter Evan Rogers recalled the state of Rihanna’s career following the failure of her single “If It’s Lovin’ That You Want.” “I remember we had a meeting with Jay-Z at his Four Seasons hotel suite out in Beverly Hills,” Rogers said. “He called us because Rihanna had been acting up a little bit. He brought her back down to earth and pointed out this could all be over in a minute. She teared up; it was some real tough love.
“We were sitting in a parking lot in New York after a dance rehearsal and reassuring her,” He added. “She was like, ‘But what would happen? Will they drop me?’ We went through a very scary period [putting together her next album]. But Jay Brown and L.A. Reid called up and said, ‘We want Rihanna to record this song ‘SOS’ We were like, ‘Well that’s pop. But what about her Caribbean sound?’ L.A.’s words were: ‘F*** that. Make them dance. She’s Madonna.'”
The comparison between “SOS” and Madonna’s music is notable. Madonna had many different eras, but the most famous was probably her 1980s dance-pop era. “SOS” samples one of the most famous 1980s dance songs: Tainted Love” by Soft Cell. The tune has a melody that’s vaguely reminiscent of Destiny’s Child, which was probably a huge part of the tune’s appeal. Combining the old and the new is a great way to appeal to multiple demographics.
The tune also paved the way for the rest of Rihanna’s career. Many of her later hits were dance songs, including “Don’t Stop the Music,” “Disturbia,” “Only Girl (In the World),” “S&M,” “We Found Love,” “Where Have You Been,” and “Rude Boy.” She’s as important to the history of the genre as Madonna.
"SOS" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart leaping 33 positions from the previous week, and became the singer's first number one single on the Hot 100. It stayed on the chart for 28 weeks in total. The “We Found Love” singer went on to have 14 No. 1 hits, making her one of the most successful artists in the history of the Billboard chart.
“SOS” appeared on the album A Girl Like Me. That record reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for 45 weeks. It outperformed Rihanna’s previous record, Music of the Sun. A Girl Like Me also included two other hit singles: “Unfaithful” and “Break It Off.” The former became Rihanna’s first popular ballad, showing that she had emotional range. “Unfathiful” reached No. 6 and remained on the chart for 20 weeks while “Break it Off” reached No. 9 and remained on the chart for 20 weeks.
“SOS” is a song about needing someone to save you and it saved Rihanna’s career from potential oblivion.
English (US)