Album: A Girl Like Me (2006)

Charted: 2 1

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Songfacts®:

• "SOS" is the Morse code signal for distress, chosen because it is a simple series of three dots ("S") followed by three dashes ("O"), and three more dots that can be repeated over and over until someone hears it. It was used in the days when the telegraph was used for communication, and while those days are long gone, the phrase "SOS" continues to be used as a symbol of distress.
  
  In the song, Rihanna sends out an SOS because she's confused over her feelings for a boy.
• This song is built on a sample from "Tainted Love," a 1981 hit by Soft Cell that was originally recorded by the soul singer Gloria Jones in 1964. Ed Cobb, who wrote "Tainted Love," made out well when his obscure soul song was covered into two #1 hits, meaning he receives songwriting credit and royalties on all these songs.
  
  Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love" is an electronica classic with intriguing synthesizer elements that get pirated in "S.O.S." Another Rihanna song built on a sample of a cover song is "Shut Up And Drive," which incorporates Orgy's cover of "Blue Monday," originally recorded by New Order.
• "SOS" was the first of 14 US #1 hits for Rihanna, counting her appearances as a featured artist. She's from Barbados, with musical influences in dancehall and R&B. She and two of her friends sang as a trio on the island, performing at showcases and talent shows. An American singer/producer named Evan Rogers auditioned the group in 2003 when he was there on vacation with his wife, who is Bajan. He wasn't impressed with the other two girls, but he could tell Rihanna, 15 at the time, had something special. Over the next year, he and his partner Carl Sturken wrote songs for Rihanna and recorded them when she could take trips to America. They put together a demo tape that got the attention of Jay-Z, who had recently been appointed president of Def Jam Records. In 2005, he signed Rihanna and, later that year when she was 17, released her first single, "Pon De Replay," which climbed to #2. That was followed by "If It's Lovin' That You Want," which reached #36.
  
  Instead of working more singles from the album, Def Jam had her quickly record another, A Girl Like Me, released in 2006 when she was 18. The first single was "SOS."
  
  Def Jam kept Rihanna on a breakneck schedule, furiously recording, touring, and promoting. She was really good at it and seldom complained. Her next album, Good Girl Gone Bad, includes "Umbrella," her biggest hit.
  
  She didn't slow down until 2013 when she left Def Jam and set up her own imprint on Jay-Z's label Roc Nation (Jay left Def Jam in 2007). She didn't release her next album, Anti, until 2016, and waited six more years to release any more music. By this time, Rihanna was a billionaire, thanks largely to her beauty line, Fenty.
• This song was written by J.R. Rotem and Evan "Kidd" Bogart, who also teamed up on some Sean Kingston hits, including "Take You There." They also produced the track along with Carl Sturken.
• It's not just the music from "Tainted Love" that are borrowed in this song. The line "I toss and turn, I can't sleep at night" also comes from that song.
• The song has two music videos. One is a Nike promotional video showing Rihanna dancing in a nightclub. In the official video, Rihanna shows up in various outfits in a very flirty state of distress. Both videos were directed by Chris Applebaum.
  
  The Nike video was an early indication of Rihanna's marketing appeal. She rocked the look and made the brand very cool to her young fans. Rihanna would later team with Armani, Puma, Dior, and other fashion brands before launching her own Fenty line.

Comments: 18

• Owen from AnonymousI love this song. It is quite applicable to studying, obviously lol. It is definitely one of the more underrated songs of Rihanna.
• Adam from Los Angeles, Casos is a cry for help she didn't think chris would catch it.
• Leah from Brooklyn, Ny"SOS" became one of hit music's only examples of a "sampling chain" when it sampled Soft Cell's 1981 "Tainted Love," which had itself sampled the 1960's hit by the Supremes "Where Did Our Love Go" at the end of the tune. Until I remembered this fact, I was also peeved.
• Jane from Austin, Txi used to think the Pussycat Dolls did this song.
• Jane from Austin, Txthere's also a reference to Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" where she sings "hold me closer 'cause i'm you're tiny dancer"
• Mike from Allentown, PaI despise Rihanna as an artist for sampling soft cell. I don't care if I get bashed for saying it too, because Soft Cell is a very underrated band for being a one hit wonder and actually came out with a great synth pop debut album which obviously featured Tainted Love, and thanks to people like Rihanna, the people who actually like the song have to hear that damn sample featured from the song a billion times on the radio.
• John from Mansfield, TxHey!!SOS is a cool song!!Great beat as well as just a fun song to listen to!!
  I'm surprised that no NFL Fans haven't adopted it!!
  All you people out there who hate it,you need to get a life!!
• Joshua from Little Rock, ArI too didn't recognize this as a Tainted Love sample for a while... lol But I love both songs!
• Joe from Grove City, OhThis is certainly not Rihanna's first song; it came from her second album. She had the #2 hit Pon de Replay from her first album, as well as another top 40 hit.
• Mjn Seifer from Not Listed For Personal Reason, EnglandDave, that's pretty normal I'd imagagine: There is one song that I can't stand, but I love (Yes LOVE!) a cover of it, maybe it can also happen with samples...
• Dave from Cardiff, WalesHow can you say you hate the original but love the sample - they're exactly the same song, just different lyrics!
• Mjn Seifer from Not Listed For Personal Reason, EnglandThis is the ONLY song she's ever done. And she refused to make anything else.
  I've heard of "One Hit Wonders" before, but never "One SONG Wonders"!!
• Marissa from Is This Optional?, OhI actually never noticed that there was anything from "Tainted Love" in the song -- probably because I was too busy being annoyed at our school dance team for practicing to it in the commons in the afternoon and getting the stupid thing stuck in my head. I can't stand it when they take good songs like "Tainted Love" and put them into dumb songs like this. Like some rap song (don't know what it's called) stole the intro from Ozzy's "Crazy Train". Sorry this was so long!
• Mjn Seifer from Not Listed For Personal Reason, EnglandThis songs ok, but kind of silly how it is a First/Last song. Beacuse is the first song Riana had done, and she's done NOTHING else!!!
• John from Millersville, MdSuch talent! If only more artists would take music and lyrics from other groups with actual musical aptitude...oh wait. They do. That's why we have most hip-hop and rap. This song is terrible. Tainted Love is a great song, and it hurts me to hear it mangled like this.
• Shannon Mulvany from Spokane, WaI absolutely LOVE this! It sounds great! Love the lyrics!
• Caitlin from Upper Township, Njlove the song! makes me wana dance everytime i hear it!
• Sam from Newcastle, AustraliaLove this song. I cant stand Soft Cell's Tainted Love but i love Rhianna's sample. This song is great.

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