Walks Like Rihanna by The Wanted

Album: Word Of Mouth (2013)

Charted: 4

License This Song

lyrics

Songfacts®:

The third single from Third Strike is a summer anthem that was inspired by Bajan babe, Rihanna. "We feel it's a little different from the usual Wanted sound," said Tom Parker, "we've stripped it back to pure pop, it's just a feel-good, fun track."
The Wanted worked with Dr. Luke on the track. The American producer has previously worked with the likes of Katy Perry, Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson.
The song's music video spoofs three classic boyband promos, starting with *N Sync's puppetry visual for "Bye Bye Bye," then the matching white suited Backstreet Boys' clip for "I Want It That Way" and finally Take That's black and white film for "Back For Good," which saw the quintet walking and dancing in the rain while wearing long coats. Tom Parker told The Daily Mirror: "Fun is a good way to describe the video... it has got a lot of character."
Asked by MTV UK whether Rihanna had heard the song, Tom Parker replied: "We met her manager Jay Brown in New York and he said that he really liked it and that she really liked it which is always a good sign 'cause if she hated it we'd be in a pretty bad place."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

Carrie AnneThe Hollies

The Hollies' 1967 hit "Carrie Anne" is about the British singer-actress Marianne Faithfull, but with "Marianne" changed to "Carrie-Anne" to disguise it. Faithfull dated Allan Clarke of The Hollies.

It really was so easy for Linda Ronstadt to score a hit with her Buddy Holly cover of "It's So Easy." She would sometimes change the lyric to: "It's so easy to have a hit, all you have to do is recycle it."

Party Rock AnthemLMFAO

"Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO was only the second #1 hit on the Hot 100 with "Party" in the title. The first was Lesley Gore's "It's My Party."

Black WidowIggy Azalea

Katy Perry co-wrote Iggy Azalea's hit single "Black Widow." Perry was originally going to sing on the track, but she couldn't fit it into her schedule, so Rita Ora provided the sung vocals instead.

The ReasonHoobastank

"The Reason" by Hoobastank took off on TikTok in 2021 when it soundtracked confessional #NotAPerfectPerson videos about mistakes and regrets. The band made one of their own with the caption: "Realizing 20 years later that you named your band Hoobastank."

Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)Shakira and Freshlyground

Shakira calls her sons Milan and Sasha her "Waka Kids" because she met their father, Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué, on the video shoot for "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)," the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Editor's Picks

Eric BurdonSongwriter Interviews

The renown rock singer talks about "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

La La Brooks of The CrystalsSong Writing

The lead singer on "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me," La La explains how and why Phil Spector replaced The Crystals with Darlene Love on "He's A Rebel."

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.