"Only Girl (In the World)" is a song by Barbadian singerRihanna from her fifth album,Loud (2010). Serving as the album's lead single, it was released on September 10, 2010 byDef Jam Recordings.Crystal Johnson wrote the song in collaboration with producersStargate andSandy Vee. Rihanna contacted Stargate beforeLoud's production and asked them to create lively, uptempo music. "Only Girl (In the World)" was the first song composed for the album, and the singer decided to include it on the track list before she recorded her vocals. Backed by strongbass andsynthesizer, it is aEurodance,dance-pop and "rave"R&B song that has an electronic composition. Its lyrics describe Rihanna demanding physical attention from her lover.
Critical response to "Only Girl (In the World)" was positive; a number of critics praised its composition and Rihanna's decision to move away from the dark themes of her previous album,Rated R (2009). The song reached number one on the United States'Billboard Hot 100 chart two weeks afterLoud's second single, "What's My Name?", peaked at number one. It was the first time in the chart's history that an album's lead single reached number one after its second single. In the United Kingdom the song spent two weeks at number one and is the 19th-best selling single of all time by a female artist, with over a million copies sold. The song peaked at number one in Australia, Austria, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland, and reached the top five in France, Germany and Switzerland.
Sandy Vee(pictured) co-wrote and produced "Only Girl (In the World)".
"Only Girl (In the World)" was written byCrystal Johnson with the song's producers,Stargate andSandy Vee.[1] Rihanna had previously worked with Stargate on the singles "Hate That I Love You", "Don't Stop the Music" and "Rude Boy".[2] In February 2011, Stargate said that Rihanna approached the Norwegian production duo before she began recording the then-untitled project, saying that she wanted to have fun and produce happy, uptempo songs.[3] According to Tor Erik Hermansen of Stargate, "Only Girl (In the World)" was the first song created forLoud and Rihanna decided to include it on the album before recording her vocals.[3] Furthermore, American singerKaty Perry expressed interest in recording "Only Girl (In the World)", but the song was specifically composed by Stargate for Rihanna.[4] In a webchat with fans, Rihanna said that she wanted to take the next step as an artist:[5] "I didn't want to go backward and remakeGood Girl Gone Bad. I wanted the next step in the evolution of Rihanna, and it's perfect for us. You guys are always defending me, so now you've got some great songs to justify it."[6] The singer described "Only Girl (In the World)" as having a "bigger sound" than "Rude Boy".[6]
In preparation for recording "Only Girl (In the World)", Rihanna took a few days to mentally prepare and rest her voice.[7] Johnson recorded a demo of the song and sent it to Rihanna before she officially recorded it. All the elements, including the giggles and ad-libs in the first line of lyrics, were pre-planned and executed beforehand.[4] The instrumental of "Only Girl (In the World)" was recorded by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen of Stargate and Miles Walker at Roc the Mic Studios in New York City andWestlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, and by Vee at the Bunker in Paris. Kuk Harrell produced Rihanna's vocals, recording them with Josh Gudwin and Marcos Tovar. Inaam Haq, Dane Liska and Brad Shea recorded additional vocals. The song was mixed byPhil Tan at the Ninja Beat Club in Atlanta and by Vee at The Bunker, with engineering by Damien Lewis. Eriksen, Vee and Hermansen provided the instrumentation, and Johnson sang background vocals.[1] The cover of "Only Girl (In the World)" maintains the semi-nude aesthetic seen inRated R but introduces a red color scheme, serving as a bridge between the two themes. In the image, Rihanna is depicted kneeling in a field, holding a red dress to preserve modesty. Adorned with a necklace and sporting a bandage on her arm, the singer's hip tattoo is prominently visible. The 'R' symbol is situated in the upper left corner of the album cover, with the song title placed in the bottom middle.[8]
On August 31, 2010, Rihanna posted an announcement onTwitter, taggingRyan Seacrest's username, that she would release a special song that everyone could listen to repeatedly just like the only girl in this world in less than 10 days.[9] A few days later, the singer announced that she would premiere "Only Girl (In the World)" on theOn Air with Ryan Seacrest website on September 7 at 3 a.m.PT.[2] The song officially became available as adigital download single on September 10 and 13 in various countries worldwide.[10][11] On September 21, 2010, Rihanna sent "Only Girl (In the World)" tocontemporary hit andrhythmic contemporary radio stations in the United States.[12][13]
Rihanna's voice spans one-and-a-halfoctaves in "Only Girl (In the World)", from F♯3 to C♯5,[16] and her vocal has a "silky", "seductive" tone.[17][18] In the song's lyrics Rihanna yearns for her lover's attention, which makes her feel like the only girl in the world.[18][20] The singer "pours her heart out" in thechorus: "Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world/ Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love/ Like I'm the only one who knows your heart/ Only girl in the world."[18][19][21] According toDigital Spy writer Nick Levine, the chorus "thumps like a rabbit having an epileptic fit."[22] Rihanna sings suggestively, "Baby, I'll tell you all my secrets that I'm keepin'/ You can come inside/ And when you enter, you ain't leavin'/ Be my prisoner for the night."[17] Fraser McAlpine of theBBC compared the song's message to that of the Germanfairy tale "Rapunzel"; Rihanna is not willing to throw her hair out of the castle for just any man to come and satisfy her, "particularly not someone who isn't prepared to make the climb up to her scarily high window."[23]
The song received a generally positive response frommusic critics. Chloe Govan remarked that "Only Girl (In the World)" symbolizes Rihanna's newfound and bold personality, reflecting not only a shift in style but also in sound.[24] Gerrick D. Kennedy of theLos Angeles Times called the track a "surefire hit" and something of a "comeback".[25]MTV News writer James Dinh praised the uptempo song, comparing it to the "stark" lead single "Russian Roulette" from Rihanna's previousRated R.[18] Monica Herrera wrote forBillboard that "Only Girl (In the World)" "aims squarely for dance-floor domination."[21] Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the song four stars out of five, calling it a "crowd-pleaser" but not overly original.[22]
According to Levine and Jim Farber of theNew York Daily News, "Only Girl (In the World)" was Rihanna's most pop-sounding song since "Don't Stop the Music".[22][26] Analyzing the song, the BBC's Fraser McAlpine questioned why "Only Girl (In the World)" leaves a "positive impression" on the listener despite its arrogant, domineering tone. Critical at first ("Listen to the pneumatic hiss at the heart of this song. Try and endure the pumping thrust without getting winded. There is simply too much pressure being stuffed into our ears, with too much brutal force"), he concluded that Rihanna sings the song with great passion and gave it four stars out of five.[23] James Dolan gave the song two-and-a-half stars out of five inRolling Stone, writing that "the trance beat won't keep you in the club unless someone else is paying for the drinks."[27]
In the United States, "Only Girl (In the World)" debuted at number 75 on theBillboard Hot 100 on September 25, 2010,[28] jumping to number three the following week, before peaking at number one (Rihanna's ninth) on November 25.[29]Loud's second single, "What's My Name?" (featuringDrake), topped the Hot 100 two weeks before; it was the first time in chart history that an album's first single reached number one after its second.[29] "Only Girl (In the World)" was Rihanna's fourth number-one song of 2010, and she was the first female and the first artist sinceUsher (in 2004) with four number-one singles in a calendar year.[29] The singer also had the most number-one singles (nine) since 2000.[29] "Only Girl (In the World)" appeared on theBillboard Hot 100 year-end chart in 2010 and 2011 at numbers 47 and 40, respectively.[30][31]
The song debuted on theDigital Songs chart at number one with sales of 249,000, Rihanna's eighth number-one single and her sixth to debut atop the chart (the most in both categories by any artist since the chart's 2005 introduction).[32] The singer set aMainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) radio-airplay chart record when "Only Girl (In the World)" rose from number two to number one on November 25, 2010, her seventh number-one.[33] The song was number 46 and number 33, respectively, on the 2011Billboard Digital Songs and Pop Songs year-end charts.[34][35] "Only Girl (In the World)" was Rihanna's twelfth number-one on theDance Club Songs songs chart and number 46 on the 2010Billboard year-end chart.[36][37] The song has been certified six times platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold 3.6 million copies in the US as of June 2015.[38][39] In Canada, "Only Girl (In the World)" debuted at number 65 on September 25, 2010, and rose to number one for a week the following week.[40] On November 6 the song returned to number one for three consecutive weeks,[41][42][43] remaining on the chart for a total of 35 weeks.[44]
In the United Kingdom "Only Girl (In the World)" debuted at number two on theUK Singles Chart on October 31, 2010, with 126,000 copies sold.[45][46][47]Cheryl Cole debuted at number one with "Promise This", selling 157,000 copies, and Cole and Rihanna had the highest and second-highest debut sales figures of the year.[46][47] The song rose to number one the next week for two consecutive weeks.[48][49] It was Rihanna's fourth UK number-one single, following "Umbrella" (2007), "Take a Bow" (2008) and "Run This Town" (2009).[50] By December 2011 "Only Girl (In the World)" was the 108th song to sell more than a million copies in the United Kingdom, the fifteenth by a female artist, Rihanna's first as primary artist and second overall; the 107th million-seller wasEminem's "Love the Way You Lie" six weeks before, on which Rihanna was featured.[51]
Rihanna was the second non-United Kingdom, non-North American million-selling artist; the first was Danish singerWhigfield with her 1994 song, "Saturday Night".[51] Although at the time the only other female two-song million-seller was Canadian singerCeline Dion, two of Rihanna's subsequent singles—"We Found Love" (2011) and "Diamonds" (2012)—have also sold more than a million copies each.[52] "Only Girl (In the World)" is the nineteenth-bestselling single by a female artist and the 99th overall of all time in the United Kingdom.[53][54] The song was the fourth- and 68th-bestselling single, respectively, of 2010 and 2011.[55][56] Certified platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments exceeding 600,000 copies, it has sold 1,080,000 copies.[54][57] "Only Girl (In the World)" peaked at number one on theUK Single Downloads Chart and the ScottishSingles Chart.[58][59]
Internationally, and particularly in Europe, the song had widespread acclaim and achieved massive success, topping several charts and reaching top ten-hits on music markets.Thus, "Only Girl (In the World)" debuted at number 22 on WallonianUltratop 50. Three weeks later, the song peaked at number one, becoming Rihanna's third chart-topper in the Wallonian region in Belgium.[60] "Only Girl (In The World)" will spend 25 weeks.In the Flemish region, the song failed to top the charts but peaked at number 2, blocked by "Barbra Streisand" byDuck Sauce.[61]There, the song will spend 21 weeks.The song also topped the AustrianÖ3 Austria Top 40, which it debuted at number 12 in mid-October 2010 and peaked the summit end of the month, becoming Rihanna's fourth number one after "Umbrella" (2007), "Don't Stop the Music" (2007) and "Love The Way You Lie" with Eminem (2010).[62]In Norway, "Only Girl (In The World)" debuted with success at number one immediately, becoming Rihanna's first number one debut in the country and fourth number one overall after "Umbrella" (2007), "Russian Roulette" (2009) and "Love The Way You Lie" (2010). The song spent 22 weeks in total in the Norwegian Singles Chart.[63]The song topped theItalian Singles Chart, the Croatian Singles Charts and the Polish Singles Chart.[64]"Only Girl (In the World)" peaked at number 2 in Germany,[65] Finland,[66] Netherlands,[67] Sweden[68] and Spain.[69]
In France, the song debuted immediately at second position due to strong digital sales, blocked by "Mignon Mais Gros" by "René La Taupe". It spent 5 weeks at number 2. "Only Girl" will spend 13 weeks in top ten and 72 weeks overall in theFrench Singles Chart from 2010 to 2024, due to many re-entries. The longest-running charting song by Rihanna in the country, it will be later surpassed by "Man Down" (2010), fromthe same album, which stayed 73 weeks in total on the Singles Chart, then "We Found Love" (2011), who would spend 111 weeks, which would be surpassed by "Diamonds" (2012), two years later.[70][71]
In a scene from the video Rihanna, wearing a large white shawl, is standing on a mountain trail surrounded by large balloons in assorted colors. The video was praised by critics for its simplicity and colorful, pleasant imagery.
DirectorAnthony Mandler filmed the music video for "Only Girl (In the World)" at a location two hours fromLos Angeles in August 2010.[72] Prior to shooting the music video, Rihanna proactively shared photos and reference videos with several directors, aspiring to materialize the specific concept she envisioned. However, the scripts developed by most directors seemed inauthentic and failed to resonate with the singer. Eventually, Rihanna found Anthony Mandler's approach to be the most fitting. Mandler curated a selection of diverse photos, ranging from the most recent to those dating back nine years, which he sent to Rihanna for her approval.[73] Rihanna told JustJared.com that the video was filmed in a "big landscape" so she was the only person in the frame, echoing the song's title.[72][74] While filming, the Barbadian singer faced challenges due to the presence of numerous insects and snakes at the location. Despite these difficulties, she maintained a positive outlook, believing that the end result would be stunning and worth the effort.[7] The singer is also "frolicking in a red field and lying in a bed of flowers."[75] The video features large balloons in different colours, a swing hanging from the sky and a tree with multi-colored lights.[75] Rihanna's outfits include amohair sweater, a floral miniskirt and a white-bra-and-boyshorts two-piece.[75]
Entertainment Weekly writer Tanner Stransky praised the video's simplicity, noting that it seems "as if Rihanna is speaking directly to you, the viewer, and she is your one and only amid swallowing rolling, beautiful, swallowing landscapes. It's an effect that makes you focus squarely on [Rihanna], who's ensconced in flirty outfits."[72] According to Joyce Lee ofCBS, Rihanna appeared to have progressed from the "edgy" music videos of theRated R singles to a more feminine, colourful tone.[76] Seth Sommerfield ofSpin echoed Lee's comments, calling it "whimsical [and] beautiful".[77]Billboard reviewer Jason Lipshutz described the tree with flashing lights as "surreal imagery."[75]
Rihanna performing "Only Girl (In the World)" on theLoud Tour (2011)
Rihanna performed "Only Girl (In the World)" and a solo version of "What's My Name?" onSaturday Night Live in New York City on October 30, 2010.[81][82] The next day, she flew to London to perform the song onThe X Factor.[83] On November 7 she performed the song at theMTV Europe Music Awards in Madrid.[84] Two days later, Rihanna sang "Only Girl (In the World)" on the Italian version ofThe X Factor in a floral-print bikini, boots and a redpigtail.[85] The next day she flew to France to sing the song onLe Grand Journal, on a set covered with white balloons.[86]
The singer returned to London on November 11 to record an interview forThe Graham Norton Show, which included a live performance of "Only Girl (In the World)".[87] Rihanna opened theAmerican Music Awards with a medley of songs fromLoud. She began with ana cappella version of "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)", sitting on a stylized tree of lights above "a field of sable-colored blades of grass."[88] Rihanna then sang a solo version of "What's My Name?" and a short version of "Only Girl (In the World)".[88] According to Mawuse Ziegbe of MTV News, the singer "kicked up the island theme" as drummers in tribal dress circled her.[88]
Rihanna performed a short version of "Only Girl (In the World)" at the31st Brit Awards on February 15, 2011,[89] as part of a medley with two other singles fromLoud: "S&M" and "What's My Name?".[90] She had planned to perform "S&M" only (to coincide with its United Kingdom release), but was asked by the British Phonographic Industry to "tone down the sexual references in the song's lyrics". Rihanna was reportedly angered at the request and a related one to perform a different song. She made the changes because the BPI wanted to avoid complaints like those received after theseventh-series finale ofThe X Factor on December 11, 2010.[91][92][93] Rihanna performed "Only Girl (In the World)", "California King Bed", "What's My Name?" and "S&M" onNBC's May 27, 2011Today as part of its summer concert series.[94][95] The song, which was included on theLoud,[96] 777[97] and theDiamonds World Tours,[98] was the opener for her performance atRadio 1's Hackney Weekend on June 24, 2012.[99] She also performed the song at the2016 MTV Video Music Awards.[100] She performed the song as part of her setlist during thehalftime show ofSuper Bowl LVII, mashed up with "Where Have You Been".
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^Empire, Kitty (November 25, 2012)."Rihanna - review".The Guardian. RetrievedJanuary 23, 2026.Only Girl, meanwhile, is a magnificent stab of rave R&B, the unstoppable mutant genre that's taken over pop.
^Vĩnh Ngọc (May 28, 2011)."Rihanna khoe vẻ quyến rũ với tóc đỏ" [Rihanna shows off her charm with red hair].Dân Trí (in Vietnamese).Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. RetrievedDecember 9, 2023.
^Loud Tour Live at the O2.SRP,Def Jam (DVD, Blu-ray Disc). 2012.
^"Media Forest – Weekly Charts".Media Forest.Note: Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
^"Media Forest – Weekly Charts".Media Forest.Note: Select 'Songs – TV'. Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
Oliver, Sarah (2011).Rihanna: The Only Girl In The World. London, United Kingdom: John Blake Publishing. pp. 192–215.ISBN978-1-84358-423-0.OCLC751806423.
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