You Da One

Album: Talk That Talk (2011)
Charted: 16 14
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This island-flavored tune was written by songwriter Ester Dean, who also penned another of Rihanna's Caribbean-inspired hits, "Rude Boy." Dr. Luke, who has worked with the likes of Britney Spears and Katy Perry, produced the song.
  • The song finds Rihanna singing of good loving, and the Bajan singer told Ryan Seacrest that its message of the power of love is what attracted her to the tune. "This is one of those records, it becomes very addictive," she said on his KIIS FM radio show. "To me, it's very infectious: the more you listen to it, the more you want to listen to it. It had a reggae vibe, but it's a sweet little love letter. I love the record. It's kind of dirty, I love it."
  • The black and white video was filmed on November 26 and 27, 2011, in Northern Ireland. It was directed by Melina Matsoukas, who was also responsible for "We Found Love"'s visual, which was also shot in Ireland.

    The video lasts three and a half minutes and we counted Rihanna grabbing her crotch 11 times during its running time. Rihanna's white bowler hat, cane, and smoky eye makeup are a homage to Stanley Kubrick's 1971 controversial movie, Clockwork Orange.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

When Rock Belonged To Michelob

When Rock Belonged To MichelobSong Writing

Michelob commercials generated hits for Eric Clapton, Genesis and Steve Winwood in the '80s, even as some of these rockers were fighting alcoholism.

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?