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SOS (Rihanna song)

"SOS" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna, and included in her second studio album, A Girl like Me (2006). It was released on February 14, 2006 through Def Jam Recordings as the lead single of the album. "SOS" was written by J. R. Rotem and E. Kidd Bogart, with additional credit assigned to Ed Cobb for inspiration built around a sample of Soft Cell's 1981 recording of "Tainted Love". This song was written by Cobb in 1965, later influencing the creation of "SOS". Production of the dance-pop song was handled by Rotem. Critical reception of "SOS" was generally positive, with the majority of music critics praising the inclusion of the "Tainted Love" sample. Some critics compared "SOS" to Rihanna's debut single, "Pon de Replay".

"SOS"

February 14, 2006 (2006-02-14)

3:59

J. R. Rotem

"SOS" became a commercial success. In the United States, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three consecutive weeks, becoming Rihanna's first number one single on the chart. "SOS" peaked at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart and Mainstream Top 40 chart. "SOS" was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales and streams of 3,000,000 units. The song was also successful in Europe as well as Australia, where it spent eight consecutive weeks at number one.


Three music videos were shot for "SOS"; aside from the official music video, directed by Chris Applebaum, promotional campaign videos were shot for lingerie brand Agent Provocateur and Nike. "SOS" was performed live at the 2006 MTV EMA awards in Copenhagen, Denmark.[1] "SOS" was included on the set list of the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour (2007–09) and the Last Girl on Earth (2010–11), which saw Rihanna perform a rock-tinged version of the song.[2]

Composition[edit]

"SOS" is an up-tempo dance-pop song.[7][9] The song includes synth riffs and machine beats as part of its instrumental.[8] The lyrical content of the song is based around the theme of a "boy meets girl" scenario; Quentin B. Huff of Popmatters provided a synopsis of the lyrical content, writing that "SOS" is a "classic tale of girl-sees-boy, girl-falls-head-over-heels, girl-dreams-of-boy-so-much-she-loses-herself, girl-sings-catchy-pop-song-about-boy, girl-sells-lots-of-records".[10] The song's instrumental composition is built around a prominent sample of "Tainted Love", which was originally written by Ed Cobb in 1965 and popularised by English synthpop duo Soft Cell, when they released their cover version in 1981.[11][12]


The use of the 'Tainted Love' sample was well received by critics. Ruth Jamieson of The Observer commented that the sample was an "outrageously hooky Soft Cell rhythm".[13] Jazzily Bass of Contactmusic.com complimented the inclusion of the "Tainted Love" sample, describing "SOS" as "superbly infectious".[12] Bass continued to praise the song for not making the sample too obvious, writing "I was accepting it to sound like every other song that has sampled the hook."[12] Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times described the inclusion the "Tainted Love" sample as being "brazen" and "astute".[14]

Release[edit]

"SOS" was first released in France on March 27, 2006, as a physical maxi single.[15] The maxi single included both the radio edit and instrumental versions of "SOS", as well as the album track "Break It Off", which features Jamaican reggae singer Sean Paul.[15] In Australia, the song was released to download digitally through the iTunes Store on April 3, 2006, with non-single track "Let Me" featuring as the B-side.[16] In the United States, "SOS" was released on April 11, 2006, as a CD single.[17] In Germany, the song was released on April 15, 2006, also as a physical maxi single.[18] The package consisted of the radio edit and instrumental versions of "SOS" and "Break It Off", in addition to the music video for "SOS".[18] In the United Kingdom, "SOS" was released on April 17, 2006, as a CD single.[19]

Recorded at Bartmitzvah Hall Studios in Century City, and Loft Recording Studios in Bronxville.

Mixed at Silent Sound Studios in Atlanta.

Contains elements from the composition "", written by Ed Cobb under Embassy Music Corporation (BMI).

Tainted Love

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of A Girl Like Me, Def Jam Recordings, SRP Records.[3]


Recording and sample


Personnel

List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 2006

List of Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number ones of 2006