Fans of Rihanna likely first got to know the star in the ’00s, when her first number one Billboard hot 100 hit SOS came out.
The song still stands up if you ask us ― it’s still pretty high up in my playlist.
But according to the song’s writer Evan ‘Kidd’ Bogart, its famous lyrics are riddled with secret references nobody’s noticed yet.
In an interview with Daniel Wall, the writer revealed that “the whole second verse of that song is ’80 song titles strung together as sentences because I thought it would be super clever.”
What?
Yep ― and when you hear the lyrics it makes total sense.
“Take On Me, Aha,” was one such reference, he said.
“I could just die up in your arms tonight” was yet another sneaky reference to Cutting Crew’s (I Just) Died In Your Arms.
“I Melt With You” was a play on Modern English’s song of the same name, while “you got me Head Over Heels” alluded to the Tears For Fears Song.
“Oh boy, you Keep Me Hangin’ On,” a reference Kim Wilde’s identically-named song, was placed just before a reference to Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel.”
Ed Cobb, who wrote Tainted Love, even has a credit on the track.
“They’re all number one songs from the ’80s,” Bogart shared.
When his interviewer said he had “no idea” about the links, Bogart said “no-one does.”
Wait ― what are those lyrics again?
The second verse of SOS in full reads:
“Just your presence and I second guess my sanity
Yes, it’s a lesson, it’s unfair, you stole my vanity
My tummy’s up in knots and when I see you, it gets so hot
My common sense is out the door, can’t seem to find the lock
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 hangin’ on, the way you make me feel.”
It’s like an Only Connect puzzle, isn’t it? Easy once you see it, next to impossible before it’s revealed (at least that’s what I’ll have to tell myself)...