Oh Rihanna, I'm surprised you're on your fifth album. When you first came out you made largely forgettable poppy, dancy music, and like most females in music today you started sexing it up to keep your status as a superstar.
I'm not against sexy music. I appreciate that music that.. well... that music that is for consenting adults doing adult activities. I have a problem when music like that is from artists that are aimed at teens. And Rihanna has always been aimed at teens. Though she has sexed up her image to appeal to adults, a large chunk of her fan base is younger. With my moralizing out of the way, I bring you today's song:
Oh na na? More like "Oh no no." Rihanna doesn't exactly have the greatest voice, and it's evident in the Oh na na opening to the song. I hear her say it and want to reach for the off switch. Not a great start, but more of a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of the song.
I know this is trying to be a sexy, flirty song. However, there is ZERO subtlety, and that is apparent from the opening lines from Drake.
"I heard you good with them soft lips
Yeah you know word of mouth
the square root of 69 is 8 something
cuz I've been tryna work it out, oooow"
Wow! What seductive technique you have their Drake, "the square root of 69 is 8 something." Hey ladies, Drake likes simultaneous oral sex. Nothing about loving the woman yet, he just wants to investigate the truth of what he's heard of her oral abilities. At this point, wouldn't most women just slap him or walk off? I don't know many women who would take "I've heard you give good oral sex and would like to sample your abilities" very well.
"good weed, white wine
I come alive in the night time
okay, away we go
only thing we have on is the radio
ooooh, let it play, say you gotta leave
but I know you wanna stay
you just waiting on the traffic jam to finish girl
the things we could do in twenty minutes girl
say my name, say my name
wear it out, its getting hot, crack a window, air it out
I can get you through a mighty long day
soon as you go the text that I write is gon say... "
Now Drake has slipped into the pedestrian, though I do give him props for the "only thing we have on in the radio" line. Points for cleverness, as it's the only stand out thing in the song thus far.
Rihanna's turn!
"Not everybody knows how to work my body
knows how to make me want it
but boy you stay up on it
you got that something that keeps me so off balance
baby you're a challenge, let's explore your talent"
Sex sex sex sex sex sex sex. I should hope that not everyone knows how to work your body. How many people have tried to exactly? Beyond that point (lest I be accused of slut shaming for calling out a woman who puts her sexuality in to practice), her words boil the man down to his sexual function, his ability to inspire her libido.
What does the chorus have in store for us?
"hey boy I really wanna see if you can go downtown with a girl like me
hey boy, I really wanna be with you
cause you just my type"
-Go downtown... Rihanna is taking cues from Drake on lack-of-subtlety.
"Baby you got me, and ain't nowhere that I'd be
then with your arms around me
back and forth you rock me
so I surrender, to every word you whisper
every door you enter, I will let you in"
We get it Rihanna, you like sex with this guy, and you'll do anything. This is especially evident in the ultra-breathy utterance of "I will let you in". Coming right after "every door you enter" we all know exactly what she's not so subtly talking about.
"You're so amazing, you took the time to figure me out
that's why you take me, way past the point of turning me on
you bout to break me, I swear you got me losing my mind "
He took the time to figure you out. This is the first real time in the song the relationship between these people has been mentioned, and it's in the context of how that makes the sex better.
This is a song about sex. It's not a sexy song. Can you include some blatant declarations of the activities you want to engage in? Sure. But you need to BUILD to those. Start out with some musical wink, nod, nudge moments, before you get to the main event. Look at "Til the Cops Come Knockin'" by Maxwell. He starts off talking about rubbing her back and the first time he kissed her lips. The chorus is obvious, but tasteful. It's not until over half way through the song that anything blatant is mentioned ("Please you tease you eat, make you feel so good inside"). That's how you do it. Don't start off with talks about 69 and going downtown.
Okay so...I like this song. LOL Sorry, love!
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's the unobtrusive beat...the catchy echo of "Oh Na Na"s...maybe even the fact that JIMMY is in the video and I like his rapping. It's a bit less in your face than most rap songs nowadays and there are a couple of clever subtle lines. I just don't share your disdain for Rhianna's singing voice. It's not the best, but it's not the worst. (Katy Perry's worse!)
That said, you're absolutely right that this generation is in NO way as witty or clever with subtle word play as previous ones. How I long for the lyricism of Maxwell (good reference by the way), pine for the smooth talk of Ronald Isley, and yearn for the spine tingling crooning of Eric Benet. Le sigh!
I haven't heard this song yet, but I'm not a huge fan of Rihanna's singing voice. She's terrible live. I do like Jimmy though (I refuse to call him Drake. That kid will always be Spinner's bff on Degrassi.)
ReplyDeleteOne song I do actually like that has Rihanna on it is 'Love the Way You Lie'. Not in an I really want to listen to this awesome song all the time way, just that it's an honest portrayal of the awful cycles in abusive relationships. It's one of the deeper songs I've heard come out lately. What I dislike is hearing couples declaring it as their song and exchanging it via ring/ringback tones like telling someone if they ever try to leave you that you will tie them to the bed and burn the house down around them is romantic.
I agree with you and Sharon too about the lack of depth in today's sexual songs. There have always been shallow, straight to the point songs, but we had Maxwell and Eric Benet to balance that out. Now it's just a string of people who make me want to bang my face on a table.