Rihanna "Man Down" Song

"Man Down" is a song performed by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from her fifth studio album Loud (2010). The song was sent to US rhythmic and urban radio on May 3, 2011 and was released as the album's fifth overall single in the United States. The song was written by Shama "Sham" Joseph, Timothy & Theron Thomas, and Shontelle Layne. Production was completed by Shama "Sham" Joseph. Reception of "Man Down" has been positive, with critics calling it a comeback of Rihanna's Caribbean-tinged rhythm. The song is also included on the set list of the Loud Tour.At the beginning of March 2011, Rihanna asked fans to help her select her next single. Via Twitter, fans were asked to choose from "Cheers (Drink to That)," "Man Down," "California King Bed" or "Fading". The most popular choice would have its video filmed at the end of March 2011. On March 12, 2011 it was confirmed that fans had selected "California King Bed" as the next single from the album. In the US, "Man Down" was released to the US rhythmic and urban radio on May 3, 2011. However internationally, "California King Bed" served as the fourth single, as it was announced.

"Man Down" received generally positive reviews from critics, with Jon Pareles of The New York Times saying that Rihanna plays up her West Indian accent in the electro-reggae of “Man Down” about shooting a man in central station. August Brown of Los Angeles Times commented, “Man Down reasserts her Caribbean lilt with a swaggering murder ballad that one can’t help but hear as a warning shot across the radio dial to Chris Brown’s Deuces. Entertainment Weekly writer Leah Greenblatt said that the rum-pa-pum ragga "Man Down" burrows neck-deep in island rhythms. Emily Mackay of NME commented that the album's experiments feel more organic, its tone better paced because of the Caribbean-tinged anthem for doomed youth of "Man Down". James Skinner of BBC Online viewed "Man Down" as a Caribbean rhythm, where Rihanna relays a break-up as murder metaphor in thick Barbadian patois. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine named the song the album's biggest highlight, a full-fledged reggae tune about a woman who shoots a man. He praised the song saying that Rihanna is surprisingly agile in this genre and is one of her finest, most confident vocal performances to date.

Rihanna "Man Down" Song

The music video for "Man Down" was shot in Jamaica in April 2011, and was directed by Anthony Mandler, who worked with Rihanna for most of her music videos. On May 1, 2011, Rihanna posted three images from the shoot via Twitter. One of the images showed her on a beach wearing a white Dolce & Gabbana dress, while another image showed her riding a bike in Portland Parish. In an interview with MTV News on May 16, 2011, Mandler discussed the music video more in depth: We shot the video last month in Jamaica and it's my favorite song she's ever recorded, so I was really excited to get involved. And it's just one of those songs that demands a strong narrative and visual, and let's just say she let me go all the way. So I think you can expect something that's dramatic and shocking and intense and emotional and uplifting and enlightening.

The video begins on a dramatic note when Rihanna shoots a man making his way through a busy train station. After committing her crime, the camera focuses on the shot man and later Rihanna flees the scene. So as to give viewers some history, the video travels back in time to the previous day, when the singer is seen riding her bike and meeting with people in Kingston, Jamaica. There are also scenes of Rihanna alone inside a bedroom at dusk. Then, at a nightclub, Rihanna begins to dance and flirt with another club-goer, the man who she is seen shooting at the video's beginning. After she leaves the club, the singer's dance-floor partner follows her outside and begins to get violent. The video then cuts straight to the scene of a disheveled Rihanna crying in the street, after what appears to have been a sexual assault. The video concludes with the singer running to her home where she grabs a gun hidden in a dresser drawer, after which the beginning scene is replayed where she shoots him.

The Parents Television Council (PTC), a non-profit organization which advocates responsible entertainment, criticized Rihanna for "cold, calculated execution of murder" in the video. The council disagreed with Rihanna's suggestion that killing a rapist is a proper form of justice and her rationale that it "sends a very strong underlying message 4 girls like me." They also stated "If Chris Brown shot a woman in his new video and BET premiered it, the world would stop. Rihanna should not get a pass." PTC also criticized BET for airing the video. In response to the PTC, Rihanna stated: I'm a 23 year old singer who doesn't have kids. What's up with everybody wanting me to be a parent [to their children]? I'm just a girl, I can only be our voice. We all know it's difficult and embarrassing to communicate touchy subject matters to anyone, especially our parents. The music industry isn't "Parent's 'R Us." We have the freedom to make art; let us! It's your job to make sure your children don't turn out like us. You can't hide your kids from society, or they'll never learn how to adapt. This is the real world!

Rihanna sexy body pose

Rihanna performance at her video clip "Man Down"

Rihanna "California King Bed" Song

"California King Bed" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her fifth studio album, Loud (2010). Written by The Runners, Priscilla Renea and Alex Delicata, and produced by The Runners, it was released on May 13, 2011 as the album's fourth international single. The track has charted moderately well, peaking within the top ten in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The song is being featured in the 2011 "100 Years of Skin Care" Nivea Commercial campaign.At the beginning of March 2011, Rihanna asked fans to help her select her next single. Via Twitter, fans were asked to choose from "Cheers (Drink to That)", "Man Down", "California King Bed" or "Fading". The most popular choice will have its video filmed at the end of March 2011. On March 12, 2011 it was confirmed that fans had selected "California King Bed" as the next single from the album. But in the US, "Man Down" was sent to radio before "California King Bed".

However internationally, "California King Bed" served as the fourth single, as it was announced.Stacey Anderson of Spin commented on the song: " 'California King Bed' is a wrenching ballad about the waking death of a relationship, the stage of limbo before the final crash; it's so well-delivered, in fact, that it's hard to hear." Ryan Dombell from Pitchfork Media said, "'California King Bed' is a 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing'-type power ballad genetically engineered to soundtrack a bi-coastal Kate Hudson rom-com." Boston Phoenix writer Daniel Brockman perceived the song as an innocuous soft jam. Andy Gill of The Independent viewed the song as a big break-up power-ballad and that it features Rihanna's best vocal performance. Andy Kellman of AllMusic, however, was disparaging of the song, labelling it an "overwrought rock weeper."

Rihanna "California King Bed" Song

NME's Emily Mackay also felt the song was a "howler of a ballad, with shlocky acoustic intro, trite piano and a faux-Slash solo." Robert Copsey from Digital Spy gave the song four out of five stars, saying that, "The fourth single proper from Loud may pull in the reins as far as the hectic dance beats and sado-masochistic lyrics go, but it's no less beefy and extravagant. Lilting acoustic guitars metamorphose into '80s rawk ones as she sings about the kind of separate-togetherness felt moments before a break-up. She belts out in a range well beyond her natural vocal ability." "California King Bed" was written by Andrew Harr, Jermaine Jackson, and Priscilla Renea. In the song, Rihanna sings of being in the same bed as her partner, but feeling emotionally distant ("In this California king bed / We're 10,000 miles apart"; "You gave me one last touch that made everything feel better / And even then, my eyes got wetter"), among other emotions. The song is written in the key of G major with a moderately slow tempo of 92 beats per minute. "California King Bed" follows a chord progression of G/B–C2 for the verses, and G–D–Em–C for the chorus.

Before officially being released as a single, "California King Bed" debuted on the Australian Singles Chart and New Zealand Singles Chart. In Australia, it debuted at number sixty-one on April 11, 2011 and has peaked at number four. In New Zealand, the song debuted at eighteen on April 18, 2011 and has peaked at five. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at thirty-six for the week of May 22, 2011 and rose to twenty the following week. The song reached a peak of number eight on June 5, 2011. In the United States, the song made its debut for the week ending June 4, 2011 at number eighty on the US Billboard Hot 100. On the Canadian Hot 100 it debuted at eighty-two for the week of May 28, 2011 and jumped to forty-two the week that followed.Rihanna filmed the music video for "California King Bed" in March 2011.

The shots took one day on a stage in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The video is almost entirely set in an open-air bedroom by the beach of an ocean. Director of the video was Anthony Mandler, who is a regular collaborator of Rihanna. He directed a dozen music videos for her, including "Russian Roulette" and "Only Girl (In the World)". About the video and his long collaboration with Rihanna, Mandler spoke to MTV News: I think it's something that is so unique about Rihanna whatever she's doing, whatever character she's playing, whatever side of herself she's showing, she's in it 1,000 percent... And I think the song and the theme of this song, she wanted to obviously show a softer side, a lighter side, one that's caught in maybe a tumultuous relationship... There's so much variety with her and it's been such a journey with her.The creative director, Ciarra Pardo, designed a custom bed that is 18 feet long and is capable of transporting Rihanna the full length of the bed. Another notable object in the bedroom is a sculptural "Strata" chair designed by Stew Design by Twentieth.

The video premiered Monday, May 9, 2011 on her official website Rihannanow.com and VEVO. Almost the whole video set is made in tropical and romantic setting. The video begins with a shot of Rihanna herself laying down in grass. Then scenes of Rihanna walking on the beach and Rihanna curling up on the chair are shown. This is followed by her own and her partner holding each other closely in bed, sitting on different sides of a large bed, and other scenes featuring Rihanna singing through sheer curtains and drapery. In the video there are also black-white scenes showing Rihanna touching to a stone wall. In this video, Rihanna returned to nature as in her video for her previous single, "Only Girl (In the World)", which features nearly the same colors as the California King Bed video. Rihanna's just rolled-out-bed appearance is completed by the modest, cream-colored attire in the airy, light-filled clip.

Rihanna first performed "California King Bed" in a country style, along with Sugarland front woman Jennifer Nettles, during the ACM Awards held by Academy of Country Music on April 3, 2011. She was also a special guest star on the tenth season of US series American Idol, on April 14, 2011, where she performed the song for a second time. Rihanna promoted the song with few performances in European cities such as Milan, Paris and Hamburg where she was appearing for her campaign with the Nivea skincare. It was also performed on May 27, 2011 on NBC's Today show, as a part of the Summer Concert Series, along with her US Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits from "Loud", Only Girl (In the World), "What's My Name?" and "S&M". The song is also included on the set list of the Loud Tour.