This Rihanna Song Has ‘Secret’ ’80s Easter Eggs
Rihanna sings during the Concert for Valor in Washington, DC, November 11, 2014.
Image by EJ Hersom / CC-BY-2.0
In 2006, Rihanna released “SOS” and it became the singer’s first single to top the Billboard Hot 100. The record went certified triple platinum, and cemented her place as a pop star. While you might know all the words to the hit song, you may not have realized that there are ‘80s-themed Easter eggs throughout.
Evan “Kidd” Bogart recently appeared on the Behind the Wall podcast and talked about his process for writing the song.
“I had no idea what I was doing,” he said. “The whole second verse of that song is ’80s song titles strung together as sentences because I thought it would be super clever.”
@danielswall Replying to @N A N Z Why Rihanna’s First #1 Song Has a Secret In our conversation with Evan ‘Kidd’ Bogart, he reveals the surprising secret behind one of the biggest songs he wrote for Rihanna years ago—a detail no one ever noticed. Here’s a clip from our full conversation @kiddbogart @Rihanna #singer #songwriter #rihanna #sos #hitsong #80smusic #songwriting #demo #viralsong #popmusic #musicproducer #singing #secret #trendingsong #2000s #lyrics
♬ original sound - Daniel Wall
And, of course, there it is, hiding in plain sight. The lyrics to the second verse contain the following song titles: “Take on Me” by A-Ha, “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight” by Cutting Crew, “I Melt with You” by Modern English, “Head over Heels” by Tears for Fears, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by Kim Wilde, and “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson.
The ’80s vibes continue throughout, as the song features a sample from Soft Cell's 1981 hit "Tainted Love."
Watch the Berklee Rihanna Ensemble perform:
The TikTok clip currently has over 23 million views, showing just how surprising the discovery is. Tia Fuller, professor and director of the Berklee Rihanna Ensemble, calls the song “clever,” noting that “‘SOS’ was one of the songs that laid the roots and groundwork for the success in her career.”
“[It’s] a foreshadowing of how she is unapologetic in creating intersections across the arts,” including the expansion to her Fenty makeup and lingerie lines.
Listen to the full podcast episode of Behind the Wall, where Bogart also discusses writing Beyoncé’s “Halo,” how Jonah Hill was his intern, and more.
