Top 5 Rihanna Singles

   So, for those who actually read this blog, I am currently in the midst of my top ten favorites movies countdown. But, I had to take a break for personal reasons aka mourning Roger Ebert, the only reason why I am such a movie fan. Anyway, I was listening to Rihanna like anyone who listens to top 40 radio and realized that Rihanna is an anomaly along her fellow pop stars. She is pretty much always either on tour and/or in the recording studio. The only break she seemingly had due to the incident we shall not name. (More about that later.) Much like her fellow pop stars, she is all about the evolution and transformation from one persona into another. Unlike them, she can do this from one music video to the next. It is shocking to believe that she has been a popstar for 8 YEARS (yeah 8 years.) She is only 25 years old which is also shocking. She has sold 30 million albums worldwide and she has twelve number 1 singles, which is astonishing.

   On that note, I decided to count down my top 5 favorite Rihanna singles. A few disclaimers: I'm only counting down singles and not album cuts. Also, I'm not counting any singles that Rihanna pops up on to do a guest track like "Love The Way You Lie" or "All of the Lights". I'm also not discussing the Grammy Night Incident or any of her personal life in extreme detail. I might touch on it vaguely and allude to it, but I'm not encouraging people to rant on her life decisions. This is about her as an artist.

   Anyway, my number 5 is "Shut Up and Drive"

This is just a fun song and one of the first ones to show her maturing sound as an artist. It is low on the list because it is a little too silly/sexual to crack any higher. Also, I think that if this was released by anybody else, it would be a hit. It doesn't scream Rihanna to me, if this makes sense. Still fun to sing along though

   Number 4 is "What's My Name?"

Speaking of sexual, yes, this song is higher than "Shut Up and Drive". Yes, the Drake verse is slightly terrible with the maybe the worse come on ever. However, the difference between these two songs is simple. This narrator wants the intimate and emotional connection between lovers and not just the quick and aggressive sex in "Shut Up and Drive". This song is also a fun one but I cannot resist.

Number 3 is "Umbrella"

Yes, Umbrella isn't my favorite Rihanna single. In fact, I somehow missed the summer of Umbrella because I can honestly say I have only heard the song in full 5 times. It is still a great song and the one that finally declared Rihanna a big big star. "SOS" showed us she wasn't an one hit wonder, "Umbrella" showed that she was going to be a major pop star.  The one detraction for me is Jay-Z's verse. Is it entirely necessary? I would say no. That may be why it is not any higher, but still a great song.

Number 2 is "Rehab"

Yeah, this is an actual song. It is a beautiful song that unfortunately got muddled in the time around The Incident to not make a more major or staying impact on the pop charts. But, it is still a strong song. Unfortunately, the timing of the release couldn't have been worse for her public and private personas. In fact, it is probably one of her more overlooked singles but check it out. It's a good one.

Number 1 is "Stay"

Holy crap, this song. You might see that I like Rihanna when she sings about somewhat sucky relationships.  This song shows Rihanna entirely swept away in the lyrics and the feelings of the song. Anytime she performs it live, she almost breaks down (including the MUSIC VIDEO! Oh my gosh, I can't watch it anymore.) It is weird but perfect that this song is on an album called "Unapologetic" because sure, she is unapologetic about how she lives her life, but she is unapologetic about letting the listeners into this life of a potentially on and off relationship.
Speaking of live performances, did you see her at the Grammys perform this song? Wow, this proves that she can truly sing. I wish she would do it more often.

 

Those were my top 5 favorite Rihanna singles. Agree or disagree? Comment. I will return with my favorite movies countdown shortly.