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S&M (song)

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"S&M"
Song

"S&M" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from her fifth studio album, Loud (2010). It was released as the fouth official single from the album on January 21, 2011, through Def Jam Records (Universal Music). It was written by Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Wilhelm and Ester Dean, and produced by Stargate and Sandy Vee. Musically, the song derives genres from eurodance, electro and dance-pop. The lyrics are a reference to the tabloid media.

"S&M" received generally mixed reviews from most of the critics. Although it was not officially released as a single, the song charted successfully in Australia reaching number one, and in Norway at number four. It also reached number fourteen in Ireland and number thirteen on the UK R&B Singles Chart. The accompanying music video for "S&M", directed by Melina Matsoukas, shows Rihanna punishing the members of the media who have hurt her, including gossip blogger Perez Hilton. The music was banned in several countries, while being restricted to nightime TV-only in others. Additionally in the UK, "S&M" was deemed too raunchy for daytime radio and has hence been re-edited and re-named "Come On".

Background

Before the album's release, "S&M" leaked online on November 5, 2010, along with several other of the album's songs.[1][2] During a radio interview on Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, Rihanna stated that she wanted her fans to choose the album's next single, naming two song choices, "S&M" and "Cheers (Drink to That)", due to them being the top two songs fans were requesting.[3] A remix of the song featuring rapper J. Cole, premiered online on January 17, 2011.[4] Prior to this, additional remixes of the song were made available via Masterbeat.com in the United States on January 21, 2011.[5] "S&M" was sent to U.S. Top 40/Mainstream and rhythmic radios on January 25, 2011.[6]

Composition and lyrics

Rihanna - "S&M"
A sample of the song featuring Rihanna singing the lyrics, which have been noted by some critics as being "R-rated".[7][8]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"S&M" is an eurodance song,[9] produced by Norwegian production team, Stargate and Sandy Vee.[10] The track also derives genres from electro,[11] dance-pop[12] and dance music.[7] According to Becky Bain of Idolator, the song's beat sounds "like a mixture of “Only Girl (In the World)” and “Shut Up and Drive”.[13] According to Jon Pareles of The New York Times, it "rides a four-on-the-floor club beat" and "the hook from The Cure’s [song] “Let’s Go to Bed”.[14] Chris Ryan of MTV Buzzworthy, noted that "S&M" consists of "ominous, snarling keyboard sounds".[7] Stacey Anderson of Spin magazine added that "[Rihanna's] voice goes stratospheric over an electro pulse."[11] The song's lyrics has themes about bedroom fantasies, which have been noted by some critics as being "R-rated".[7][8] Thomas Conner of Chicago Sun-Times said "S&M" included "a new stream of R-rated boasts", with lyrics such as "I may be bad / but I'm perfectly good at it ... chains and whips excite me".[8]

Chris Richards of The Washington Post added that "the bedroom fantasies aren't much juicier on "S&M," with Rihanna expressing her affinity for "chains and whips" while doing her best Lady Gaga pantomime."[15] In an interview with Spin magazine, Rihanna said people shouldn't take the lyrics too literally. "I don't think of it in a sexual way, I'm thinking metaphorically ... it's more of a thing to say that people can talk ... people are going to talk about you, you can't stop that. You just have to be that strong person and know who you are so that stuff just bounces off. And I thought it was super bad ass."[16] BBC Radio 1 have refused to play "S&M" before 7pm due to the racy lyrics. A spokesmen for the radio station said, "we are waiting for an edited version before deciding whether it will be played in the daytime."[17] The single has since been re-edited and renamed "Come On" by the BBC, and features as "Come On" on the BBC's official chart show.[18][19]

Reception

Critical reception

Andy Kellman of Allmusic praised "S&M" as one of the better dance-pop songs from Loud for efficiently balancing "Rihanna’s playful and sinister sides", though he noticed that it was not as good as her previous single "Rude Boy" (2009).[12] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly called the song a "late-night-Cinemax naughtiness", adding that it's an "explicitly carnal opener".[20] Sal Cinquenmani of Slant Magazine and Thomas Conner of Chicago Sun Times, both noted that "S&M" was one song from Loud that was remincent of the darker themes of Rihanna's Rated R album.[8][21] Cinquenmani went on to describe "S&M" as an ode to sadomasochism, "that would make various parts of Janet [Jackson's] body perk up".[21] James Skinner of BBC Music felt that the song lost some of the appeal that some of Rated R' "chart-friendly moments" had. Skinner criticised the use of "sadomasochistic" lyrics which he said were not synonymous with the "flirtatious" appeal that Rihanna was trying to create. He said: "as bracingly huge and catchy as it is, "S&M" doesn’t deviate much from its blunt title: lyrics like "Sticks and stones may break my bones / But chains and whips excite me" feel forced, not daring".[22] USA Today's Steve Jones also noted that Rihanna fails to shake off the "sexually aggressive tone" despite "shaking off the dark cloud of domestic violence that veiled 2009's Rated R. Jones said "['S&M'] is Loud's pulsating opener. [Rihanna] makes it clear from the jump where she's headed as she acknowledges that chains and whips excite her".[23] Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club added that Rihanna's "sassy growl on “S&M” just barely makes up for the lyric “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but whips and chains excite me".[24] Nadine Cheung of AOL Radio called the song "sexy" and added that Rihanna's edgy side is showcased in the song.[25]

Chart performance

Following the album's release in the United Kingdom on November 15, 2010, "S&M" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number fifty-five on the week dated November 27, 2010. After weeks of ascending and descending the chart, the song reached its peak position of number twenty.[26] It was more successful on the UK R&B Singles Chart, where it reached number thirteen.[27] In Australia, "S&M" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number eighty-seven on the week dated November 29, 2010.[28] After its release to mainstream radio on January 17, 2011,[29] the song moved up to number twenty-seven on the week dated January 23, 2011.[30] It reached number one in its fourth week on the chart.[31] "S&M" made its U.S. debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number fifty-three on December 4, 2010 upon the album's release.[32] It also debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number seventy-two[33] and peaked at number forty-eight.[34]

Music video

Background and concept

The song's music video was shot in Los Angeles during the weekend of January 15, 2011 with director Melina Matsoukas, who had previously directed the music videos for "Hard", "Rude Boy" and "Rockstar 101".[35][4] Rihanna also co-directed the video and came up with a lot of the concepts and the shots.[36] During an interview with Billboard.com's The Juice, Matsoukas revealed that the treatment for the video is inspired by Rihanna's "sadomasochist relationship with the press ... it isn't just about a bunch of whips and chains." She also added that "it's also refined and colorful and poppy. She loves pop art and wanted to build off of that."[37] On January 19, 2011, Rihanna posted an image from the video onto her Twitter account. The image shows her with big, frizzy red hair, wearing a heart-shaped patch across her left eye, holding an ice cream cone in her hand with her back exposed.[38] More images were exclusively released to RyanSeacrest.com on January 24, 2011, showing Rihanna lounging on an office desk in a pink latex cocktail dress surrounded by the press. Another look shows her dressed as a Playboy bunny, wearing a hip-hugging getup, black stilettos, and yellow ears atop her crimson-colored hair, reclining against a wall covered in tabloid headlines.[35][39] On January 27, 2011, a thirty-eight second behind the scenes clip was posted on Rihanna's official YouTube channel.[40] However, the complete video premiered on Vevo on February 1, 2011.[41]

Synopsis

File:Rihanna - S&M.jpg
Rihanna covered with plastic wrap while surrounded by a circle of microphones.

The video opens with Rihanna being dragged kicking and screaming to a press conference, where she is promptly covered with plastic wrap. She wears a dress with news headlines written all over it while cooing, "It feels so good being bad." While Rihanna is surrounded by a circle of microphones, the reporters all take notes while wearing S&M ball gags. The press conference scene then cuts to a party scene where Rihanna dons a "Censored" tube top. It then cuts to an outdoor scene, where Rihanna wears a cream-colored latex gown, walking with gossip blogger Perez Hilton on a leash, who wears another ball gag. Soon Rihanna, wears a pink body latex and sits in a room watching the press get tortured with whips. She is then seen on a mattress, all tied up, as she rolls around in colorful attire. Rihanna then channels a Playboy bunny while prancing around as projected images of headlines hitting on topics such as rumors of "daddy" issues and her Illuminati ties flash against her body. She then appears in a newsroom as reporters take photos from all around her, while lying atop a desk. Rihanna then goes on to eat bananas, strawberries and bejeweled ice cream. The video ends with a shot of her wearing a smiley face over her eye and The Rolling Stones tongue logo over her mouth.

Reception

Brad Wete of Entertainment Weekly commented that "with lyrics like ["Sticks and stones may break my bones/ But chains and whips excite me”], he was expecting "an equally risque video" and added that Rihanna delivered it.[42] Ann Oldenburg of USA Today added that she "enjoyed seeing celeb[rity] blogger Perez Hilton on a leash as Rihanna's pet."[43] Editors from 92.3 Now added that every time they watch the video, they "see something brand new and sexy".[44] Editors from OK! magazine, said "it's every inch as red-hot, kinky and totally tongue-in-check as we expected [it] to be."[45] Kevin O'Donnell of Spin magazine, called it a "sexually-charged video" and said "it's the type of video that would've had Tipper Gore's PMRC freaking out in [the] '90s but nowadays is available with the quick click of a mouse on YouTube."[46] Willa Paskin of New York magazine, wrote that "Madonna and Lady Gaga may have cornered the market on the black pleather and whips on white backgrounds corner of the S&M-themed music-video world, but Rihanna is refusing to cede them the entire territory: She'll do S&M if she wants to, she's just going to make it really, really goofy."[47] Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone magazine, said "the video mainly stands out for the way it just keeps hitting you with painfully bright colors and obnoxious antics — until you start to like it."[48] Kyle Anderson of MTV News added that the ball gags, whips and riding crops in the video, reminded him of Madonna's "Erotica" and "Human Nature" videos. He also added that the newspaper dress Rihanna wears "looks an awful lot like the John Galliano creation Sarah Jessica Parker wore on an episode of "Sex and the City."[49]

Controversy and ban

On its release, the video was immediately banned in eleven countries[vague], many in South Asia, due to its overt sexual content.[50] It has also been labeled "inappropriate" for viewers under the age of 18 on YouTube, and a restriction has now been put in place, with the warning message: "This content may contain material flagged by YouTube's user community that may be inappropriate for some users."[51] Viewers are required to sign up to the website and confirm their age in order to watch the video.[51] Rihanna responded to the news via her Twitter account, posting "They watched Umbrella... I was full nude."[51] An unrestricted version of the video was later added to her official website.[52] The director of the video, Melina Matsoukas also responded to the news in an interview with MTV News, stating:

"When I go out to make something, I kind of go out with the intention to get it banned — [well] not to get it banned, I always want my stuff played — but to make something provocative ... so when you do something that's provocative, that's usually a repercussion. It's gonna be talked about or banned or slandered in some way. But it's making an effect and people are having a dialogue about it, so, to me, that's successful."[53]

Another controversy erupted when accusations of plagarism were leveled at Matsoukas, involving the video's striking similarity to past Vogue Italia shoots ranging from 1995-2002 by David LaChapelle, with numerous sources reporting "In a side-by-side comparison between LaChapelle's previous work and screen captures of the Matsoukas directed music video, the similarities are indisputable - with nearly identical sets, scenarios, and styling."[54][55] [56]

Track listing

  • Digital download – S&M (Remixes)[5]
  1. "S&M" (Dave Audé Radio) – 3:50
  2. "S&M" (Joe Bermudez Chico Radio) – 3:49
  3. "S&M" (Sidney Samson Radio) – 3:19
  4. "S&M" (Dave Audé Club) – 7:28
  5. "S&M" (Joe Bermudez Chico Club) – 5:17
  6. "S&M" (Sidney Samson Club) – 6:50
  7. "S&M" (Dave Audé Dub) – 6:29
  8. "S&M" (Joe Bermudez Chico Dub) – 5:17
  9. "S&M" (Sidney Samson Dub) – 6:50

Personnel

Source:[10]

Charts

Chart (2010-11) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[31] 1
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[57] 23
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[58] 1
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[34] 48
France (SNEP)[59] 21
Ireland (IRMA)[60] 14
New Zealand (RIANZ)[61] 6
Norway (VG-lista)[62] 4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[63] 21
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[64] 38
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[65] 6
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[26] 20
US Billboard Hot 100[66] 53
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[67] 36
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[68] 46

Radio and release history

Country Date Format Label
United States January 21, 2011[5] Digital remixes (masterbeat.com) Def Jam Records
January 25, 2011[6] Mainstream, rhythmic radio
February 8, 2011[69] Digital remixes (iTunes Store)

References

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  3. ^ "Fans Will Decide Rihanna's Next Single". BET.com. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
  4. ^ a b "New Music: Rihanna f/ J.Cole - 'S&M (Remix)'". Rap-Up. 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  5. ^ a b c "S&M (Remixes)". Masterbeat. 2011-01-21.
  6. ^ a b "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". FMQB. Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Inc. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
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  10. ^ a b (Media notes). {{cite AV media notes}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Format= ignored (|format= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Type= ignored (|type= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
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  42. ^ Wete, Brad (2011-02-01). "Rihanna and her leashed pet Perez Hilton get naughty in 'S&M' video". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
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  69. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/s-m/id417296814
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