Rihanna fans have been left stunned after it was pointed out that there is a hidden meaning behind the lyrics to her hit track SOS, and the songwriter behind the tune has been dubbed a ‘genius’
Rihanna’s fans have been left stunned after discovering the hidden meaning behind her iconic song, SOS.
The track, which landed Rihanna in the number one spot in the charts, was released 18 years ago and has since become a party playlist staple. However, fans are only now noticing a significant pattern in the lyrics that had previously gone unnoticed.
The revelation came when songwriter Evan ‘Kidd’ Bogart appeared on the Behind the Wall podcast with Daniel Wall and discussed his experiences in the music industry. He co-wrote the lyrics to SOS with Edward Cobb and Jonathon Rotem. “When I wrote it, I had no idea what I was doing,” he admitted.
Evan revealed that he cleverly incorporated all the lyrics in the second verse as a tribute to 1980s song titles. He elaborated: “The whole second verse of that song is 80s song titles strung together as sentences because I thought it’d be super clever.”
He then dissected a part of the verse, which includes nods to A-Ha’s Take On Me, Cutting Crew’s (I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight, Tears For Fears’s Head Over Heels, Kim Wilde’s You Keep Me Hangin’ On and Michael Jackson’s The Way You Make Me Feel.
“They’re all number one songs from the ’80s,” he added. The interviewer responded with surprise: “That’s incredible. I had no idea.” “No one does,” said the brilliant lyricist.
The lyrics to the song go: ‘Just your presence and I second guess my sanity/Yes, it’s a lesson, it’s unfair, you stole my vanity/My tummy’s up in knots and when I see you, it gets so hot/My common sense is out the door, can’t seem to find the lock/Take on me (Uh-huh), you know inside you feel it right/Take me on, I could just die up in your arms tonight/I melt with you, you got me head over heels (Over heels)/Boy, you keep me hangin’ on, the way you make me feel.’
The news has gone viral has after Wall shared a snippet of his podcast on TikTok, amassing more than 19million views. Fans have been pouring in with comments like: “That’s actually really creative. Pretty cool.”
One other wrote: “This is genius.” Another commented: “He’s a genius. Song titles as lyrics – he created a masterpiece from masterpieces.”
One admirer expressed: “Brilliant. Cannot explain how much more that makes me love this song.” Another added: “I love this song so much more now,” not realizing the secret woven into the lyrics.
Rihanna’s fans are still waiting for new music her last album was released in 2016. In the meantime she has found success with her Savage Fenty lingerie line, her Fenty beauty empire, and has had two children RZA and Riot with partner A$AP Rocky. The Pon De Replay hitmaker dropped the bombshell about her second pregnancy during her electrifying 2023 Superbowl halftime show.
The mother-of-two sparked excitement among her followers earlier this year when she discussed her intentions to drop a ninth studio album. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she revealed, “I’m rediscovering things. I have been working on the album for so long that I put all that stuff aside, and now I’m prepared to go back in the studio.”
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