Pon de Replay

"Pon de Replay"
Single by Rihanna
from the album Music of the Sun
B-side "Should I?"
Released May 24, 2005 (2005-05-24)
Format
Recorded 2004; The Loft Recording Studios (Bronxville, New York)
Genre
Length
  • 4:06 (album version)
  • 3:34 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Vada Nobles
  • Carl Sturken
  • Evan Rogers
Rihanna singles chronology
"Pon de Replay"
(2005)		 "If It's Lovin' that You Want"
(2005)

"Pon de Replay"
(2005)		 "If It's Lovin' that You Want"
(2005)
Music video
"Pon de Replay" on YouTube

"Pon de Replay" is the debut single recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun (2005). It was written and produced by Vada Nobles, Alisha Brooks, Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. Her debut single, the song was released on May 24, 2005 as the lead single from the album. Prior to signing a six album record deal with Def Jam Recordings, "Pon de Replay" was one of three songs which was recorded for her demo tape to be sent to record labels. It is a dance-pop, dancehall and R&B song that features elements of pop and reggae. The lyrics revolve around Rihanna asking a DJ to turn the volume of her favorite songs up louder. The name means "play it again" in Bajan Creole, one of Barbados' two official languages.

"Pon de Replay" received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who praised the song's composition and its choice as the singer's debut single. The song was a commercial success, peaking at number one in New Zealand and on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It also reached number two on both the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and the UK Singles Chart, whilst achieving top five positions in eight other countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, and Switzerland. It was certified two times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America denoting shipments of over 2,000,000 copies. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Little X, and features Rihanna in a club with her friends, who ask the DJ to play their favorite song repeatedly.

Background

Prior to signing a record deal with Def Jam Recordings, Rihanna was discovered in her home country of Barbados by American record producer Evan Rogers, who made the necessary arrangements for her to fly to New York. There, she recorded a collection of demos for a demo tape to be sent to record labels.[4] One of the demos recorded was that of "Pon de Replay", which was written and produced by Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers and Vada Nobles in 2004.[5][6] The first to respond to the demo tape was Jay-Z, who had recently been appointed as president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings, where Rihanna auditioned for him and music executive L.A. Reid, in his office.[5][7] Looking back on the audition and meeting Jay-Z, Rihanna explained during an interview how she felt before walking into the room, saying: "That's when I really got nervous ... I was like: 'Oh God, he's right there, I can't look, I can't look, I can't look!' I remember being extremely quiet. I was very shy. I was cold the entire time. I had butterflies. I'm sitting across from Jay-Z. Like, Jay-Zee. I was star-struck."[5] During the audition, Rihanna performed Whitney Houston's cover of "For the Love of You", "Pon de Replay" and "The Last Time", the latter two of which would go on to be included on her debut album, Music of the Sun.[5] Initially, Jay-Z was skeptical about signing Rihanna, because he felt "Pon de Replay" was too big for her, saying "when a song is that big, it's hard [for a new artist] to come back from. I don't sign songs, I sign artists".[8] "Pon de Replay" was released via iTunes on July 26, 2005, through Def Jam Recordings.[9]

Composition

"Pon de Replay" is a dance-pop, dancehall and R&B[2][3] song that infuses a reggae style.[10] According to the digital music sheet published at musicnotes.com, the song is written in the key of F-sharp minor and is set in common time with a moderated dance groove, with a metronome of 100 beats per minute.[10] Rihanna's vocal range in the song spans from the low note of F♯3 to the high note of C♯5.[10] Lyrically, the song is about asking the DJ to play the protagonist's favorite song, as well as the fulfillment of dancing in a club.[11] Doug Rule of Metro Weekly commented on the lyric "Hey Mr. DJ, won't you turn the music up?" and that it follows in the footsteps of recent songs which also incorporated "Hey Mr. DJ", including Madonna's "Music" and Jennifer Lopez's "Play".[11]

In an interview with Kidzworld, Rihanna explained the lyrical content of the song, saying: "It's just language that we speak in Barbados. It's broken English. Pon is on, de means the, so it's just basically telling the DJ to put my song on the replay."[12] Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic wrote about the song's composition and musical influences, "[Pon de Replay] is driven by booming dancehall-lite beats and a reggae vocal cadence (and title spelling), it's a simple dance-pop song at its core, with standard English-language singing as well as a can't-miss singalong hook."[1] Barry Walters of Rolling Stone also commented on the song's composition and concurred with Birchmeier's opinions of the song, writing that the song is "a poppy piece of dancehall reggae with slapping, syncopated beats recalling big-band jazz".[13]

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine praised the song, and compared it to Beyoncé's 2003 chart topper "Baby Boy", because of how both songs feature "a dancehall-pop mixture".[14] Barry Walter of Rolling Stone called the song "sexy and savvy".[15]

Chart performance

"Pon de Replay" was barred from the number one position on the US Billboard Hot 100 by Mariah Carey's (pictured) "We Belong Together", which spent a total of 14 non-consecutive weeks at number one.[16]

In the United States, "Pon de Replay" debuted at #97 on June 11, 2005, and ascended into the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart at #9 in the issue dated July 16, 2005, and became the "Greatest Airplay Gainer" that week.[17] In the issue dated July 30, 2005, the song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, being held off of the top spot by Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together", which spent a total of 14 non-consecutive weeks at number one.[16][18] "Pon de Replay" spent a total of 12 weeks inside the top ten of the Hot 100 and 23 weeks on the chart in total.[19][20] The song also peaked at number one the US Billboard Dance Club Songs and Digital Songs charts,[19] number two on the US Mainstream Top 40 chart,[19] and 24 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[19] The song was also certified two times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on December 19, 2012, denoting shipments of over 2,000,000 copies.[21]

In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 37 on the New Zealand Singles Chart on August 15, 2005, and peaked at number one in its ninth week on the chart, after having been locked at number two for four weeks previous.[22] The song spent a total of seven weeks inside the top five chart positions and 16 weeks on the chart in total.[22] In Australia, "Pon de Replay" debuted at number 13 on the Australian Singles Chart on September 25, 2005, and peaked at number six in its ninth week on the chart.[23] The song spent a total of 10 weeks in the top ten chart positions and twenty-two weeks on the chart in total[23] and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association, denoting shipments of over 70,000 copies.[24]

Elsewhere, the song achieved moderate commercial success in Europe, peaking inside the top ten of eight different charts. In Switzerland, the song debuted at number eight on the Swiss Music Charts on September 11, 2005, and peaked at number three for three consecutive weeks.[25] The song spent a total of 41 weeks on the chart.[25] The song also debuted at number four on the Norwegian Singles Chart and peaked at number three in its fifth week; the song spent a total of 15 weeks on the chart.[26] "Pon de Replay" also peaked inside the top five in Denmark, Austria and Sweden, peaking at numbers four, five and five, respectively.[27][28][29] "Pon de Replay" also peaked inside the top ten in Italy and Finland, peaking at numbers six and eight, respectively.[30][31] However, the song was less successful in other territories, peaking at number 15 in The Netherlands[32] and number 18 in France and Spain, respectively.[33][34] In the United Kingdom, "Pon de Replay" debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart on September 3, 2005, behind Oasis's "The Importance of Being Idle", which debuted at number one.[35] The song stayed at the number two position for a further week, and stayed inside the top ten for four weeks.[36][37]

Music video

The music video for "Pon de Replay" was directed by Little X.[38] The video is set in a nightclub[39] and begins with Rihanna and two of her friends arriving at a nightclub where the atmosphere appears lackluster; due to the low volume of the music (referencing the song's lyrics), the people in the club seem bored and are not dancing. Subsequently, Rihanna vows to make the DJ turn up the music, thus stepping up onto a platform, wearing a silver belly top with baggy jeans, beginning to perform to the song, causing the DJ, played by DJ Cipha Sounds, to turn the music up. With this, the people previously bored now begin dancing to Rihanna's track, including Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, who also makes a cameo appearance.[40] Scenes of people dancing in the club are shown, with intercut images being juxtaposed of Rihanna leaning against a wall with the word "Bar" in LED lights. She dons a light blue short dress, singing to the lyrics of the song. Rihanna can be seen belly dancing on the stage, with neon green laser lights broadcast above her. After Rihanna gets the crowd moving, she runs off of the platform onto a dance floor, where the crowd later join her. The video's final scenes show the people in the club all gathered on the middle of the dance floor, performing various dance moves. These include a line of people featuring Rihanna, and male performers who make a human bicycle from their bodies.[41]

Live performances

"Pon De Replay" was the opening song on the set list of Rihanna's 2007–09 Good Girl Gone Bad Tour, her first world tour.[42] The singer's performance in Manchester was released in the United Kingdom through iTunes,[43] and is featured on the Good Girl Gone Bad Live DVD.[44] Rihanna performed "Pon de Replay" complete with Barbadian flags and colorful carnival attire at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards pre-show in Miami on August 28, 2005.[45] Rihanna has performed the song at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in November 2005.

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[24] Platinum 70,000
Denmark (IFPI)[73] Gold 10,000
Sweden (IFPI)[74] Gold 20,000
United Kingdom (BPI) Gold 259,500[75]
United States (RIAA)[21] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

Release history

Country Date Format Label
United States[76] May 24, 2005 Vinyl single Def Jam Recordings
Australia[77] August 22, 2005 Digital download
Austria[78]
Belgium[79]
Brazil[80]
Canada[81]
Denmark[82]
Finland[83]
France[84]
Germany[85]
Germany[86] CD single, Maxi
Ireland[87] Digital download
Italy[88]
Mexico[89]
Netherlands[90]
New Zealand[91]
Norway[92]
Spain[93]
Sweden[94]
Switzerland[95]
United Kingdom[96]
United States[9] August 26, 2005
France[97] September 26, 2005 Enhanced Remix CD single, Maxi
United Kingdom[98] October 11, 2005 Enhanced CD single, Maxi

References

  1. 1 2 Birchmeier, Jason. "Music of the Sun". AllMusic. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Sanneh, Kelefa (April 24, 2006). "Critic's Choice: New CD's". The New York Times. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Perpetua, Matthew (December 13, 2011). "Rihanna vs. Beyonce: Who Reigns Supreme?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  4. ↑ Paton, Maureen (November 21, 2007). "The dark secret in raunchy pop sensation Rihanna's past". Daily Mail. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Patterson, Sylvia (August 27, 2007). "Singing in the rain". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  6. ↑ Birchmeier, Jason. "Music of the Sun – Rihanna". AllMusic. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  7. ↑ Jones, Steve (August 1, 2005). "Rihanna has her day in the sun". USA Today. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  8. ↑ Reid, Shaheem. "Jay-Z's Picks: Teairra Mari, Rihanna, Ne-Yo". MTV. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  9. 1 2 3 "Pon de Replay – EP". iTunes (US). Apple Inc. July 26, 2005. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 "Digital Sheet Music, Rihanna 'Pon de Replay'". Musicnotes.com. 2005. MN0096694 (Product Number).
  11. 1 2 3 Rule, Doug (May 4, 2006). "Soundwaves: Rihanna, Cascada, Duran Duran, more". Metro Weekly. Sean Bugg, Randy Shulman. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  12. 1 2 "Rihanna Interview". Kidzworld. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  13. ↑ Walters, Barry (September 5, 2005). "Rihanna – Music of the Sun – Def Jam". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  14. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (August 31, 2005). "Rihanna: Music Of The Sun, Music Review". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  15. ↑ "A Girl Like Me : Rihanna : Review : Rolling Stone". Archived from the original on February 12, 2008.
  16. 1 2 "Mariah's 'Together' Holds Off 'Replay' Charge". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Mariah Still No. 1 As 'Idols' Fade". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Mariah Matches Hot 100 Milestone". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Rihanna Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Kanye Keeps Digging No. 1 Single". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  21. 1 2 "RIAA searchable database: Rihanna". Recording Industry Association of America. October 26, 2007. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  22. 1 2 3 "Rihanna – Pon de Replay – Song". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. August 15, 2005. Archived from the original on November 13, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  23. 1 2 3 "Rihanna – Pon de Replay – Song". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on December 13, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  24. 1 2 "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Singles". 2006. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  25. 1 2 3 "Rihanna – Pon de Replay" (in German). swisscharts.com. September 11, 2005. Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  26. 1 2 "Rihanna – Pon de Replay". norwegiancharts.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  27. 1 2 "Rihanna – Pon de Replay". Tracklisten. Archived from the original on June 15, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  28. 1 2 "Rihanna – Pon de Replay" (in German). austriancharts.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  29. 1 2 "Rihanna – Pon de Replay". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  30. 1 2 "Rihanna – Pon de Replay". italiancharts.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  31. 1 2 "Rihanna – Pon de Replay". finnishcharts.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  32. 1 2 "Rihanna – Pon de Replay" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  33. 1 2 "Rihanna – Pon de Replay" (in French). lescharts.com. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  34. 1 2 "Rihanna – Pon de Replay". spanishcharts.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  35. 1 2 "Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive – September 3rd 2005". Official Charts Company. September 3, 2005. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  36. ↑ "Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive – September 10th 2005". Official Charts Company. September 10, 2005. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  37. ↑ "Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive – October 1st 2005". The Official Charts Company. October 1, 2005. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  38. ↑ "Rihanna Interview (pg. 2)". Kidzworld. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  39. ↑ Eells, Josh (June 1, 2011). "Rihanna, Queen of Pain: Rolling Stone's 2011 Cover Story". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  40. ↑ "Kardinal Offishall's Biography". Last.fm. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  41. ↑ "Rihanna – Pon de Replay". Universal Music Group. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  42. ↑ "Good Girl Gone Bad Live (DVD)". AllMusic. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  43. ↑ "Don't Stop the Music (Live)". iTunes Store (GB). Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  44. ↑ "Good Girl Gone Bad (Live)". iTunes Store (GB). Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  45. ↑ "A look back at Rihanna's biggest MTV VMA's moments". August 28, 2016..
  46. ↑ "Pon De Replay (Radio Edit) – Single". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  47. ↑ iTunes – Música – Pon de Replay – Single de Rihanna
  48. ↑ Rihanna "Pon de Replay" buy on Coveralia.com
  49. ↑ "Pon De Replay [Single, Enhanced, Maxi]". Amazon.com. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  50. ↑ "Pon de Replay [Germany CD]". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  51. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Rihanna – Pon de replay" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  52. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Rihanna – Pon de Replay" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  53. ↑ "Rihanna – Chart history" European Hot 100 for Rihanna.
  54. ↑ "Musicline.de – Rihanna Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  55. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  56. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  57. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 37, 2005". Irish Singles Chart.
  58. ↑
  59. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2005". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  60. ↑ "Austrian Year-end singles for 2005". Ö3 Austria Top 40. Archived from the original on September 12, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
  61. ↑ "Belgian Flanders Year-end singles chart for 2005". Ultratop 50. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  62. ↑ "Belgian Wallonia Year-end singles chart for 2005". Ultratop 40. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  63. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2005" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  64. ↑ "Year End European Hot 100 Singles Chart 2005 01 – 2005 52" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  65. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  66. ↑ "MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 2005" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  67. ↑ "Classifiche annuali 2005 FIMI Nielsen, dominano gli artisti italiani" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  68. ↑ "Annual Top 50 Singles Chart 2005". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  69. ↑ "Årslista Singlar – År 2005" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  70. ↑ "Swiss Year-end singles chart for 2005". Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  71. ↑ "UK Best Selling Singles (1999–2009)" (PDF). British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  72. ↑ "Hot 100 Songs 2005". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  73. ↑ "Guld og Platin November/December/Januar (In English: Gold or Platinum November/December/January)" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Archived from the original on January 30, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  74. ↑ "Certnr Datum Artist" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 11, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  75. ↑ Myers, Justin (February 20, 2017). "Rihanna's Official Top 40 biggest selling singles". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  76. ↑ "Rihanna – Pon de Replay". Amazon.com. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  77. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  78. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Austria. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  79. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Belgium. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  80. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Brazil. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  81. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Canada. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  82. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Denmark. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  83. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Finland. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  84. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes France. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  85. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Germany. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  86. ↑ "Pon de Replay [Single, Maxi]". Amazon.com. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  87. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Ireland. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  88. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Italy. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  89. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Mexico. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  90. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Netherlands. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  91. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes New Zealand. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  92. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Norway. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  93. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Spain. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  94. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Sweden. Archived from the original on September 23, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  95. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes Switzerland. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  96. ↑ "Pon de Replay – Single". iTunes UK. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
  97. ↑ "Pon De Replay (4 Mixes) (4 Tracks) [Single, Enhanced, Maxi]". Amazon.com. Retrieved September 26, 2005.
  98. ↑ "Pon de Replay [Single, Enhanced, Maxi]". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 15, 2005.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.