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Kiss It Better

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"Kiss It Better"
Song

"Kiss It Better" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her eighth studio album, Anti (2016). It was written by Rihanna and English singer Natalia Kills together with its producers Jeff Bhasker and Glass John. It impacted the radio stations in the United States on March 30, 2016 together with "Needed Me". "Kiss It Better" is a pop and R&B power ballad, which features an electric guitar riff, which takes influence from a ‘80s and ‘90s-pop. The song's lyrics focus on a destructive relationship that the singer knows is wrong for her, but one she finds irresistible.

Upon release "Kiss It Better" was met with positive reviews from critics, who praised its production and compared it to TLC’s “Red Light Special” and Prince's "Purple Rain". The songs accompanying music video was directed by photographer Craig McDean and premiered on March 31, 2016. The video was inspired by dadaism and surrealism, and depicts Rihanna in a dark background.

Writing and production

Portuguese guitarist Nuno Bettencourt played guitar on "Kiss It Better".

"Kiss It Better" was written by Rihanna, Jeff Bhasker, John Glass and Teddy Sinclair, whilst production was handled by Jeff Bhasker and Glass John. Rihanna recorded the song at Jungle City Studios, New York City, whilst the vocal recording and production was carried out by Kuk Harrell. Musician Nuno Bettencourt played guitar on the track before finally being mixed by Manny Marroquin at Larrabee Studios and was assisted by Chris Galland & Ike Schultz at Larabee Studios North Hollywood, CA. The song was finally mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, NYC.[1] Through her official Twitter account the singer confirmed that "Kiss It Better" alongside "Needed Me" were released as follow up singles and impact radio on March 30, 2016.[2]

"Kiss It Better" is a pop and R&B power ballad[3][4] that lasts 4 minutes and 13 seconds.[5] Chris Gerard of Pop Matters labeled the song an "electro-charged R&B" track, which featured soul and confidence. Jeff Benjamin of Fuse stated the song features an electric guitar riff and a chanting hook, which takes influence from a ‘80s and ‘90s-pop power ballad.[3] Built over deep synths the track features an electric guitar and lyrics that focus on a destructive relationship that the singer knows is wrong for her, but one she finds irresistible.[6][7]

Critical reception

Idolator's Bianca Gracie praised the song: "I’ve been pushing #JusticeForKissItBetter promo ever since that Instagram snippet surfaced back in December 2014, and I — along with many other fans who couldn’t get the guitar loop out of their heads for a year — am so glad it has now become one of the strongest tracks off ANTI [sic]. With credits by Glass John, Natalia Kills and the musical master who is Jeff Bhasker, “Kiss It Better” is a toxic thrill about an addicting love that slipped through her fingers — and now she wants it back even if it feels like crack. It is a little bit of ’80s Prince, a splash of TLC’s “Red Light Special” and all-around beautifully intimate. And that heartbreaking electric guitar riff alone deserves a couple of future nominations."[8] Julianne Shepherd of Billboard stated that "Kiss It Better" was "a slinky '80s ballad that disguises a deeply depressing ode to ex sex as lustrous and pained as a Purple Rain single."[9] Brittany Spanos from Rolling Stone shared similar sentiments and wrote "Rih has her Purple Rain moment on the shimmering, funky "Kiss It Better," which serves as the album's most direct pop moment by far."[10]

Music video

There is something hypnotic about the song, the way some of it repeats and you don't know where is the beginning and end. It is very intimate in this sense and we wanted it to be about a very personal moment—both a physical journey through an abstract space and an inner reflection at the same time.

—Craig McDean talking to The Fader about shooting Rihanna only by herself in the video[11]

The accompanying music video for "Kiss It Better" was directed by British fashion photographer Craig McDean and premiered on March 31, 2016.[12] It was shot in Los Angeles over a "very long night".[13] A teaser for the video was released day earlier on March 30 via Rihanna's Vevo account on YouTube.[11] Keeley Gould and Ciara Pardo served producers for the visual[12] which was shot entirely in black-and-white.[11] In an interview with The Fader, McDean explained that the inspiration for the video was based on ideas which were inspired by dadaism and surrealism, "It all comes from you as a person, your inner inspiration and ideas you've had inside for a lifetime."[13]

Jessie Katz of Billboard described the storyline of the video, it "features the singer intermittently standing, writhing on the ground and floating through space through various stages of undress while she sings to the Prince-esque synth and electric guitar track. In fact, Rihanna is the entire video -- there's no backdrop at all."[14] Cosmopolitan's Eliza Thompson wrote that "the clip shows Rihanna rolling around under sheets while dice roll up and down her body, writhing on the floor in sheer lingerie, and stripping off her oversize business-lady suit."[15] According to McDean the idea to include dice in the video came from him and his creative partner Masha Vasyukova, "Sometimes it's all about combining things that might not make any sense, [like] subconsciousness and dreams. Dice is such a graphic and surrealistic object so it came into play."[13] The video ends with Rihanna walking away slowly into a dark background.[16]

Natalie Weiner of Billboard thought that the video for the song was one of the 11 best videos ever done by Rihanna and described it as a "fitting flex" for the singer and represents that the sexiness she presented in the visual for her 2013 single, "Pour It Up" "was just the beginning of her pulse-quickening powers."[17] Laura Bradley of Slate magazine described the video as a departure for the both videos for "Work" with regards to her decision to star alone and shot the video only in black-and-white, reasons which ultimately gave the video a different vibe according to her.[18] Maeve McDermott of USA Today described the video as "somewhat" NSFW regarding the language and the partial nudity and concluded by asking, "but would you expect anything less from a Rihanna video?"[19] Vogue's Mackenzie Wagoner wrote, " In every instance, however free her nipple, she manages to look empowered, not vulgar—speaking to an obvious body confidence that, especially in the spotlight, can be hard-won." Further, she called Rihanna "evolved rule-breaking" and wrote that she is not a "factory-bred" sex symbol, but a woman who is fully comfortable with her body image.[20]

Live performances and covers

Rihanna was scheduled to perform "Kiss It Better" at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, however her performance was cancelled last minute per her doctor's order to go on a "vocal rest". The performance was supposed to feature a 1980s talk-show theme where the singer was to be joined by television host James Corden.[16] Rihanna performed "Kiss It Better" at the Anti World Tour as the closing song of each show.[21]

American singer Miguel covered the song during his performance at the Spotify House, part of SXSW concerts.[22] Indie rock singer Father John Misty covered "Kiss It Better" during his 2016 tour in support of his studio album, I Love You, Honeybear. According to Jon Blistein he delivered a "faithful, rousing rendition of the track while grinding and dancing around the stage".[23]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Rihanna's official website.[1]

Locations
Personnel
  • Rihanna – vocals, writing
  • Jeff Bhasker – writing, production
  • Glass John – writing, co-production
  • Teddy Sinclair – writing
  • Nuno Bettencourt – guitar
  • Marcos Tovar – vocal recording
  • Kuk Harrell – vocal recording, vocal production
  • Blake Mares – additional recording
  • Brendan Morawski – assistant recorded
  • Manny Marroquin – mixing
  • Chris Galland – mixing assistant
  • Ike Schultz – mixing assistant
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[24] 48
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[25] 54
France (SNEP)[26] 76
New Zealand Heatseekers (Recorded Music NZ)[27] 3
UK Singles (OCC)[28] 51
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 67
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[30] 26
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[31] 24

References

  1. ^ a b "Anti (Deluxe Edition) | Rihanna | Credits". Rihannanow.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  2. ^ "#KISSITBETTER and #NEEDEDME will both be serviced to radio tomorrow morning at 7am EST. #ANTI". Twitter. March 29, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Rihanna's 'ANTI' Album: Track-by-Track Review". Fuse. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  4. ^ Gerard, Chris (January 29, 2016). "Rihanna: Anti". PopMatters. Retrieved March 30, 2016. R&B belter {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "ANTI (Deluxe) by Rihanna". iTunes. January 28, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ Neil McCormick, (January 28, 2016). "Rihanna, Anti, track by track". The Telegraph.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  7. ^ "Rihanna's Anti : Track-By-Track Review". NME. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  8. ^ "Rihanna's 'ANTI': A Track-By-Track Album Review". Idolator. January 29, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  9. ^ "On 'Anti,' Being Rihanna Isn't Easy: Album Review". Billboard. February 1, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  10. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/rihanna-anti-20160201
  11. ^ a b c Plaugic, Lizzie; Cox, Jamieson (March 31, 2016). "Watch Rihanna's black-and-white video for new single 'Kiss It Better'". [[The Verge (website)|]]. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  12. ^ a b Gottlieb, Steven (March 31, 2016). "Rihanna 'Kiss It Better (explicit)' (Craig McDean, dir.)". Video Static. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  13. ^ a b c Tanzer, Myles (April 1, 2016). "Rihanna's 'Kiss It Better' Video Director Explains His Dadaist Vision". The Fader. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  14. ^ Katz, Jessie (March 31, 2016). "Rihanna Goes Topless for Intimate, Black & White 'Kiss It Better' Video". Billboard. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  15. ^ Thompson, Eliza (March 31, 2016). "Rihanna's Super-Sexy "Kiss It Better" Video Has Arrived". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Spanos, Brittany (March 31, 2016). "Watch Rihanna's Striking 'Kiss It Better' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  17. ^ Weiner, Natalie (March 31, 2016). "Rihanna's 11 Best Videos: From 'Umbrella' to 'BBHMM'". Billboard. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  18. ^ Bradley, Laura. "Rihanna's "Kiss It Better" Video Is Here, and It Is Steamy". Slate. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  19. ^ McDermott, Maeve (March 31, 2016). "Rihanna's ultra-sexy 'Kiss It Better' video has arrived". USA Today. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  20. ^ Wagoner, Mackenzie (March 31, 2016). "Why Rihanna's "Kiss It Better" Video Is a Study in Bold Body Confidence". Vogue. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  21. ^ "Rihanna Kicks Off 'Anti World Tour'". Rap-Up. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  22. ^ Camp, Zoe (March 15, 2016). "Miguel Covers Rihanna's "Kiss it Better," Checking Lyrics on His Phone: Watch". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  23. ^ Blistein, Jon (March 31, 2016). "Watch Father John Misty's Steamy Cover of Rihanna's 'Kiss It Better'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  24. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  25. ^ "Rihanna Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  26. ^ "Rihanna – Kiss It Better" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  27. ^ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  29. ^ "Rihanna Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  30. ^ "Rihanna Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  31. ^ "Rihanna Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
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