Only Girl (In the World)

"Only Girl"
Song

"Only Girl (In the World)" is a song by recording artist Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud (2010). The song was released as the album's lead single on September 10, 2010 through Def Jam. It was written by Crystal Johnson, Norwegian production duo Stargate and Sandy Vee, and produced by StarGate and Vee. Musically, "Only Girl" is an up-tempo dance-pop song which incorporates elements of Europop. The song became the first to be completed for the album, and Rihanna chose it for inclusion before she recorded it.

"Only Girl" was well received by music critics, complimenting its beat, as well as the direction of moving away from the darker themes which were present on Rated R (2009). "Only Girl" debuted at number seventy-five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number one in its eleventh week, giving Rihanna her ninth number one single on the chart. The song reached number one in other countries, including Australia, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Norway and the United Kingdom. It also attained top-five positions in the Czech Republic, France and Germany.

The song's accompanying music video was directed by Anthony Mandler and filmed outside of Los Angeles. The video uses the simplistic theme of predominantly focusing on Rihanna frolicking on a hillside with life size flowers placed near her with an array of artistic sceneries and props. The song was performed for the first time on Saturday Night Live, as well as at 2010 American Music Awards in Los Angeles as part of a medley with "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" and "What's My Name?". The song won Best Dance Recording at the 53rd Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on February 13, 2011. American singer Katy Perry covered the song during her California Dreams Tour (2011/2012).

Background

"Only Girl" was released as the lead single from Rihanna's fifth studio album, Loud, and premiered on Ryan Seacrest's radio show, On Air with Ryan Seacrest, on September 7, 2010. During a webchat with her fansite Rihanna Daily, Rihanna stated that she wanted to take the next step in the evolution of herself with regard to "Only Girl" and Loud, and not do a re-make of her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). In February 2011, the production team StarGate's Tor Erik Hermansen, who co-wrote and produced the song, spoke of how the concept came about, stating "Rihanna came to us before we started recording this record and said 'I feel great about myself. I want to go back to having fun, I want to make happy and up-tempo records'." Hermansen went on to explain that because Rihanna's previous album, Rated R (2009), had no up-tempo songs, they decided to go into the studio to make what Rihanna had requested of them. "Only Girl" became the first song to be completed for the album, and Rihanna chose it for inclusion on the album prior to having recorded it.

Composition

"Only Girl" is an up-tempo dance-pop song that incorporates elements of eurodance in its production. The song was written by Crystal Johnson, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen and Sandy Wilhelm. StarGate and Sandy Wilhelm (under his stage name Sandy Vee) produced the song. It features "heavy whipping bass" and the strong use of synths, while the chorus of the song incorporates a "strobing, dance club beat". The song is written in common time with a moderate tempo of 126 beats per minute. It was composed in the key of F-sharp minor, with Rihanna's vocal range in the spanning from the low note of F♯₃ to the high note of C♯₅. The lyrics of the song feature Rihanna demanding that her lover gives her all the attention that she wants, singing, "Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love / Like I'm the only one who knows your heart / Only girl in the world." Brad Wete, a reviewer for The Music Mix at Entertainment Weekly, described Rihanna's vocals as seductive and reminiscent of a "stronger, sexier version" of her 2007 single, "Don't Stop the Music".

Critical reception

"Only Girl" was well received by music critics. Bill Lamb of About.com gave the song a positive review giving it four and a half out of five stars. Lamb complimented the song for its "towering chorus" and "club ready dance beats". He concluded that "it would be no surprise if this song takes Rihanna back to number one for her second chart topper of the year after 'Rude Boy'". Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times stated that "Although we can't necessarily say Rihanna is back, since she didn't go anywhere—she is making a comeback of sorts." He continued to say, "After taking a more macabre approach to her fourth disc, Rated R, she's gone in a decidedly more 'sassy, fun, flirty [and] energetic' direction". Kennedy concluded that "With its club ready bassline and Euro-pop influences, not to mention one heck of an epic chorus, the track is a surefire hit." Monica Herrera of Billboard complimented the production of the song, writing that, "[the song] aims squarely for dancefloor domination, as the pop star pours her heart out to one man over a full-throttle production by Norwegian hitmaking duo, StarGate." James Dinh of MTV News praised the lyrics of the song, stating that after having fairly dark and deep lyrics on her previous album, Rihanna has returned to the dance scene with "Only Girl (In the World)". Dinh went on to say, "On the high-energy track, Rihanna yearns for her lover to keep her at the center of his attention over a pulsing electro beat. The singer's voice remains silky on the verses, then bursts out on the song's monstrous chorus." Nick Levine of Digital Spy awarded the song four stars out of five, describing the song as a "crowd-pleasing kinda-comeback single". He also said that even though the song might not be "original", it is probably Rihanna's "purest pop rush since "Don't Stop the Music". BBC's Fraser McAlpine also awarded "Only Girl (In the World)" four stars out of five, stating that "whatever you may think about Rihanna, she is very good at demanding that you listen to what she has to say, even if she has to hurt you in order to do it." At the 53rd Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on February 13, 2011, "Only Girl (In the World) won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.

Chart performance

Rihanna performing during her Last Girl on Earth Tour in Sydney, Australia, in March 2011

In the United States, "Only Girl" made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number seventy-five on the issue dated September 25, 2010. The following week the song propelled to number three giving Rihanna her sixteenth top ten on the chart, and the sixth-best total among women in the chart's 52-year history. In its eleventh week, the song climbed to the top of the chart, becoming Rihanna's ninth number one song. It was the first time in the chart's history that an album's lead single reached number one after the second single, "What's My Name?". "Only Girl" debuted at number one on the Hot Digital Songs chart after selling 249,000 copies. It became Rihanna's sixth single to debut at number one and her eighth number one single on the chart. The song also reached number one on the Pop Songs airplay chart, giving Rihanna her seventh number one and also giving her the most number ones in the history of the chart. As of July 2011, the single has sold more than 3 million paid downloads in the United States alone, tying Rihanna with Katy Perry as the female artist with the most songs to top the 3 million download mark in the US. It has been certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Only Girl (In the World)" ranked at number 40 on Billboard magazine's best-selling Hot 100 Songs and number 33 on the top 50 best-selling Pop Songs of 2011.

In Canada, "Only Girl" entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number sixty-five on the issue dated September 25, 2010. The following week, the song peaked at number one, where it remained for one week. After weeks of fluctuating on the chart, the single peaked at number one again on the week dated November 6, 2010, for a further three consecutive weeks, spending four non-consecutive weeks in at the top total. "Only Girl" became the seventh best selling single of 2010 in Canada, selling 231,000 copies. In Australia, "Only Girl" entered the chart at number one on the issue date entitled October 3, 2010. The song reached the top position for a fourth non-consecutive week dated November 7, 2010. It has since been certified 5× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 350,000 units. In New Zealand, the song entered the chart at number one for one week, and has since been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).

In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number two on the chart dated October 31, 2010, selling over 126,000 copies, behind Cheryl Cole's "Promise This", which debuted at number one with sales of 157,210. The figure gave Rihanna the second-biggest first-week single sales of 2010 in the UK (behind Cole's "Promise This") and became her fourteenth top-ten hit in that territory. The following week the song rose to number one, becoming her fourth number one in the UK and remained atop the chart for two consecutive weeks. The song has since been certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 600,000 units. On January 2, 2011, "Only Girl" was listed as the fifteenth-most downloaded song of all time in the UK. As of November 2012, the song had sold 1,040,000 copies in the UK. Elsewhere in Europe, the song peaked at number two in France and has since sold 145,000 copies. In Germany, the song peaked at number two and was certified Platinum in February 2011 for shipments of 300,000 copies, making it her third single to do so. Worldwide the single has sold 5.1 million copies making it one of the best selling singles of all time.

Music video

Background and synopsis

Rihanna wearing a large white shawl, while standing on a mountain trail, surrounded by large balloons of assorted colors. The video was praised by critics for its simplistic approach as well as its colorful and pleasant imagery.

The music video for "Only Girl (In the World)" was directed by Rihanna's long-term collaborator Anthony Mandler, who previously directed the videos for "Take a Bow", "Disturbia", "Rehab" and "Russian Roulette". The video premiered online on October 13, 2010. In an interview with Just Jared, Rihanna explained the filming of the video and the video's simplistic theme, "It's really, really beautifully shot in these crazy, crazy, crazy places. We shot landscapes that we found a couple [of] hours outside of LA. It looks so unreal. It looks fake, like something out of a postcard with the beautiful hills. We had a lot of sunshine those couple of days, so it really worked with the whole essence of the video. But really, the video just shows this big landscape and the only person there is me."

The video mimics the carefree lyrics to the song, which suggest that she is the "only girl in the world". The majority of the video features Rihanna prancing around hillsides wearing a mohair sweater and shorter skirt, a bustier and mini floral skirt, and lastly, a white bra and "boy shorts." The video uses the simplistic theme of predominantly focusing on Rihanna frolicking on a hillside with life size flowers placed near her with an array of artistic sceneries and props. Other scenes include Rihanna surrounded by multi-colored balloons, riding on a swing that hangs from the sky, lying in a bed of flowers and then dancing in front of a tree covered with blinking lights that adds to the surreal imagery.

Reception

Tanner Stransky of Entertainment Weekly reviewed the video positively, commenting on the video's simplistic theme, noting it makes it seem "as if Rihanna is speaking directly to you, the viewer, and she is your one and only amid swallowing rolling, beautiful, swallowing landscapes. It's an effect that makes you focus squarely on RiRi, who's ensconsced in flirty outfits and sporting that fire-red 'do she wore to the VMAs last month." Joyce Lee of CBS wrote, "Rihanna has officially moved on from her edgy Rated R days and has taken on a more girly and upbeat look with her new music video, 'Only Girl (In the World).'" Brittany Talarico of OK! complimented the transition from Rihanna's previous effort, Rated R, which featured darker themes and lyrics, stating, "Goodbye spikes and leather, hello bows and flowers! Rihanna looks like an ephemeral beauty in her latest musical for her upbeat hit 'Only Girl (In the World).' She has traded in her dominatrix, spikey look for a softer side — and lets her fiery red hair down!". A reviewer of Mail Online also complimented the colorful video, calling it "beautifully shot". The reviewer went on to say that, "Her clothing is floral and feminine and her flame red hair has been tousled and has a huge bow in it [...] The tone is completely different to the hard edged, heavier image and sound she produced on her last record which came in the wake of the highly publicised attack at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, singer Chris Brown." Seth Sommerfield of Spin also noted Rihanna's image change from her previous album's video's, stating that it is "far from the overtly sexual edge she flaunted on Rated R" and called it "whimsical [and] beautiful". At the MuchMusic Video Awards held in Canada on June 19, 2011, the song was nominated for "MuchMusic.com Most Watched Video of the Year" and "International Video of the Year", but lost to Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" and Lady Gaga's "Judas".

Live performances and covers

Rihanna performing on the Loud Tour (2011)

"Only Girl" was performed for the first time in North America on Saturday Night Live on October 30, 2010, where Rihanna also debuted "What's My Name?" (without Drake). Rihanna was also featured in a skit performance on the show. The following day in the United Kingdom, Rihanna sang the song on series seven of The X Factor. The performance featured Rihanna at a masquerade ball, which involved the dancers engage in an on-stage cake fight. Elsewhere in Europe, Rihanna performed the song at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010 in Madrid, Spain, on November 7, 2010, where she was surrounded by flowers on a set which resembled that of a fairy tale. Additionally, the song was performed on The X Factor in Italy on November 9, 2010, which featured Rihanna wearing a red pig-tail wig and a flowered bikini, as well as performing on Le Grand Journal in France on November 10, 2010. On November 11, 2010, a pre-recorded taping of The Graham Norton Show in the United Kingdom aired, featuring an interview with Rihanna, along with a performance of the song.

Rihanna performed a medley of the song together with "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" and "What's My Name?" at the American Music Awards of 2010 on November 21, 2010. Rihanna opened the performance singing an a cappella version of "Love The Way You Lie Part II". She sat on a stylized tree hovering above a field of sable-colored blades of grass. Once she had finished the first frame of the song, she intentionally fell off of the tree and plummeted to the ground. She re-emerged from the fog revealing a changed costume now consisting of a black-and-white bra top and shorts and sang "What's My Name?". The performance featured an accompaniment of background dancers. Rihanna then ended the performance after transitioning into "Only Girl", which featured drummers and a background of fire for the finale.

On February 15, 2011 it was performed at the 2011 Brit Awards as a part of medley together with "S&M" and "What's My Name?". The singer was supposed to perform the full version of "S&M", for promoting the song's release as a single, however she was informed to "tone down" her performance by the show's bosses, thus performing only one verse and chorus in between "Only Girl" and "What's My Name?". This was due to the BRIT Awards corporation trying to avoid receiving similar complaints about Rihanna on the final of the seventh season of The X Factor on December 11, 2010, for wearing a provocative outfit and performing a suggestive dance routine before the watershed. "Only Girl" was included on the Australian leg of the Last Girl on Earth Tour in February and March 2011, and is also showcased as the opening song on the current Loud Tour. Rihanna performed "Only Girl (In the World)" at Radio 1's Hackney Weekend on May 24, 2012, as the opening song of the set list.

The song was covered numerous times by other artists. American singer Katy Perry covered the song and put it in a mash-up with "Whip My Hair" and other covers during her California Dreams Tour in 2011. British X Factor contestants One Direction covered the song in late 2010. The Voice Romanian contestants Oana Brutaru and Andra Covaleov also covered the song during the first episode of the first Romanian series of the franchise. Romanian X Factor contestant Andrei Leonte used the song for the "Love Songs Evening". He performed a down-tempo version to the song changing the lyrics, fact that made judge Adi Sînă criticize his performance.

Track listing

• Digital download

1. "Only Girl (In the World)" – 3:55

• German CD single

1. "Only Girl (In the World)" – 3:55
2. "Only Girl (In the World)" (Extended Club Mix) – 5:39

• UK CD single

1. "Only Girl (In the World)" – 3:55
2. "Only Girl (In the World)" (Instrumental) – 3:55

Personnel

• Songwriting – Crystal Johnson, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Wilhelm
• Production – StarGate, Sandy Vee
• Recording – Mikkel S. Eriksen, Miles Walker, Sandy Vee
• Vocal production – Kuk Harrell
• Vocal recording – Kuk Harrell, Marcos Tovar, Josh Gudwin
• Assistant vocal recording – Inaam Haq, Dane Liska, Brad Shea
• Mixing – Sandy Vee, Phil Tan
• Additional and assistant engineering – Damien Lewis
• Instruments – Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Vee
• Backing vocals – Crystal Johnson
• Mastering – Chris Gehringer

Source:

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)	1
Brazil (Billboard Hot 100)	2
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)	1
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)	4
Denmark (Tracklisten)	2
European Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)	1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	2
France (SNEP)	2
songid field is MANDATORY FOR GERMAN CHARTS	2
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)	1
Ireland (IRMA)	1
Israel (Media Forest)	1
Italy (FIMI)	1
Japan (Japan Hot 100)	8
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	2
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	1
Norway (VG-lista)	1
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)	1
Poland (Dance Top 50)	1
Romania (Romanian Radio Top 100)	7
Scotland (OCC)	1
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)	1
Spain (PROMUSICAE)	2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	2
UK Singles (OCC)	1
US Billboard Hot 100	1
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)	11
US Tropical Airplay (Billboard)	18
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)	1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)	1

Chart (2011)	Peak position
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	17

Year-end charts

Chart (2010)	Position
Australia (ARIA)	7
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	18
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	22
Belgium (Ultratop 40 Wallonia)	22
Denmark (Tracklisten)	15
European Hot 100 Singles	35
France (SNEP)	17
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)	75
Ireland (Irish Recorded Music Association)	5
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)	23
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	8
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	11
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	4
US Billboard Hot 100	47
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)	46

Chart (2011)	Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	67
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)	27
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	68
Belgium (Ultratop 40 Wallonia)	70
Germany (Media Control Charts) Chart	82
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)	15
Spain (PROMUSICAE)	20
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	32
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	42
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	68
US Billboard Hot 100	40
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	37
US Adult Pop Songs (Billboard)	43
US Digital Songs (Billboard)	65
US Pop Songs (Billboard)	33
US Radio Songs (Billboard)	19

Certifications

Country	Certification
Australia	5× Platinum
Belgium	Platinum
Denmark	Platinum
Germany	Platinum
Italy	Platinum
New Zealand	Platinum
Spain	Platinum
Sweden	Platinum
Switzerland	2× Platinum
United Kingdom	Platinum
United States	3× Platinum

Radio add and release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
Australia	September 10, 2010	Digital download	Island Def Jam Music Group
Denmark
Netherlands
New Zealand
Brazil	September 13, 2010
Canada
Finland
France
Italy
Norway
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United States
United States	September 21, 2010	Mainstream and Rhythmic radio
Germany	October 8, 2010	CD single	Universal Music
United Kingdom	October 25, 2010	Digital download, CD single	Mercury Records

See also

• List of best-selling singles
• List of best-selling singles in Australia
• List of best-selling singles in the United States
• List of best-selling music downloads in the United Kingdom
• List of number-one singles of 2010 (Australia)
• List of number-one hits of 2010 (Austria)
• List of Ultratop 40 number-one singles of 2010
• List of number-one pop hits of 2010 (Brazil)
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2011 (Canada)
• List of European number-one hits of 2010
• List of number-one singles of 2010 (Hungary)
• List of number-one singles of 2010 (Ireland)
• List of number-one hits of 2010 (Italy)
• List of number-one singles from the 2010s (New Zealand)
• List of number-one songs in Norway
• List of number-one dance singles of 2010 (Poland)
• List of number-one singles of 2010s in Romania
• List of number-one digital songs of 2010 (U.S.)
• List of Romanian Singles Chart top 10 singles in 2010
• List of 2010s UK Singles Chart number ones
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2010 (U.S.)
• List of number-one dance singles of 2010 (U.S.)
• List of Mainstream Top 40 number-one hits of 2010 (U.S.)
• List of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles in 2010
• List of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles in 2011
• List of Top 25 singles for 2010 in Australia
• List of top 10 singles in 2011 (UK)
• Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording

External links

• Official music video on YouTube