Songwriter and composer Evan “Kidd” Bogart has unveiled a clever secret behind the second verse of Rihanna’s 2006 hit single “SOS.” According to Bogart, the entire verse is composed of 80s No. 1 song titles, strung together to form sentences—a playful nod to the era that he thought was “super clever.” This unique lyrical twist added an extra layer of nostalgia to the track, which is fueled by a sample of Soft Cell’s 1981 classic, “Tainted Love.”
“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 hanging on, the way you make me feel” are all No. 1 songs from the 1980s Bogart explained.
The song which marked a pivotal moment in Rihanna’s rise to global superstardom was the lead single from her second studio album A Girl like Me. J.R. Rotem is also a writer on the R&B track, with additional writing credit to Ed Cobb who penned “Tainted Love.”
“SOS” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks, marking Rihanna’s first chart-topping hit in the U.S. It also hit No. 1 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Songs and Mainstream Top 40 and is currently Certified triple platinum by the RIAA for sales and streams surpassing 3 million units. Internationally, “SOS” enjoyed similar success, particularly in Australia, where it held the number one spot for eight consecutive weeks.
Interestingly, “SOS” was initially meant for Christina Milian, Kidd revealed, saying it was Rihanna’s manager Jay Brown who bought the record. However, after Milian passed on the track, Def Jam’s then-CEO L.A. Reid offered it to Rihanna. “Jay Brown was like actually we have this other artist,” Kidd said.
Three music videos were created for the track: the official video, directed by Chris Applebaum has surpassed 145 million views on YouTube. Two promotional campaign videos for Agent Provocateur and Nike.
