| "Kiss It Better" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byRihanna | ||||
| from the albumAnti | ||||
| Released | March 30, 2016 (2016-03-30) | |||
| Recorded | 2014 | |||
| Studio | Jungle City, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:13 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Jeff Bhasker | |||
| Rihanna singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| Kiss It Better onYouTube | ||||
"Kiss It Better" is a song by the Barbadian singerRihanna from her eighth album,Anti (2016). It was written and produced byJeff Bhasker and Glass John, with additional writing byTeddy Sinclair and Rihanna. The song was serviced to radio stations in the United States on March 30, 2016, together with "Needed Me". "Kiss It Better" is asynth-rock andR&Bballad, which features influences from the1980s and1990s-music ballads. The song's lyrics focus on a destructive relationship that the singer finds irresistible. It also deals with themes of mending broken fences and getting back together with a lover.
The single received critical acclaim, with critics praising its 1980s style ballad, lyrics, and Rihanna's vocals. It received aGrammy Award nomination forBest R&B Song at the59th ceremony. "Kiss It Better" peaked at number 62 on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart and was certified 4x Platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also reached number four on theSouth African radio chart. The song's music video was directed byfashion photographerCraig McDean and premiered on March 31, 2016. The video was inspired bydadaism andsurrealism, and depicts Rihanna against a dark background. The song was included on theAnti World Tour setlist as the closing song.
In January 2021, the song gained notoriety again on radio andTikTok with the release of rapperFat Joe's single "Sunshine (The Light)" featuringDJ Khaled andAmorphous. The song heavily samples the first verse of "Kiss It Better" as its chorus, using Rihanna's vocals.
On December 8, 2014, "Kiss It Better" was registered throughHarry Fox Agency, an agency "who handles publishing rights for physical and digital music formats."[1] The same day, Australian FM radio station2Day FM and other websites reported that the song was allegedly going to be released as thelead single of her then-upcoming eight studio album.[1][2] A day later, Rihanna teased a snippet of the track on herInstagram account, featuringExtreme's guitaristNuno Bettencourt working on a solo electric melody.[3][4] On July 7, 2015, English singerTeddy Sinclair confirmed she was one of the songwriters of the song.[5]
On December 27, 2015, Glass John, who also co-wrote and co-produced the song, viaTwitter expressed his dissatisfaction about the delay of the song's release and its parent album. He eventually leaked a minute-long demo of the song and also described it as "the best damn song."[6][7] Through her Twitter account, Rihanna confirmed that "Kiss It Better" alongside "Needed Me" were going to be released as the follow-up singles fromAnti (2016) and impacted radio on March 30, 2016.[8] She also revealed the artwork for both singles, with "Kiss It Better" having a close-up of Rihanna's face.[9]
"Kiss It Better" was written and produced byJeff Bhasker and Glass John, while Sinclair and Rihanna provided additional writing. The song was recorded at theJungle City Studios in New York City. American producerKuk Harrell provided the vocal recording and vocal production of the song. Blake Mares was responsible for additional recording, while Brendan Morawski was the recording assistant. Themixing of the single was done by Manny Marroquin at the Larrabee Studios inNorth Hollywood; Chris Galland and Ike Schultz served as the mixing assistants. Bettencourt played the guitar and Chris Gehringermastered it at the Sterling Sound Studios in New York City.[10] "Kiss It Better" is asynth-rock and "electro-chargedR&B"power ballad[11][12][13][14][15] that lasts 4 minutes and 13 seconds.[16] It is written in the key ofF♯ major[17] with anandante moderatotempo of 95 beats per minute.[18] It features "deep snaking synths",[19][20] "gleaming" electric guitar riffs and drums,[21] that were influenced by 1980s and 1990s power ballads.[11][19]
Lyrically, the song focus on a destructive relationship that the singer knows is wrong for her, but one she finds irresistible, which can be seen in the lines, "Who cares when it feels like crack?."[19] In the chorus, she "hauntingly asks over and over, 'What are you willing to do? / Oh, tell me what you’re willing to do,'"[11] in which she responds, "Kiss it, kiss it better, baby."[21] During the song, she seeks reconciliation from a lover,[15] and "relies on [sex] to smooth over a conflict," singing: "Mmm, do what you gotta do, keep me up all night."[22] Julianne Shepherd ofBillboard and Adam R. Holz ofPlugged In (publication) also noted that the song has themes of sex.[22][23] Patrick Ryan ofUSA Today noted that her "sultry, towering vocals call to mind past hits 'Take a Bow' and 'Cheers (Drink to That)'.[21]Billboard's Shepherd andRolling Stone's Brittany Spanos found similarities between "Kiss It Better" andPrince's "Purple Rain",[23][24] with Bianca Gracie of Idolator agreeing, adding that it also resemblesTLC's "Red Light Special".[25]
"Kiss It Better" was highly acclaimed by music critics. Brittany Spanos ofRolling Stone called it "the album's most direct pop moment by far," describing it as a "shimmering,funky" track.[24] Jordan Bassett ofNME agreed, calling it "the album’s best and most full-bodied track, replete with snaking synths and two swooning, overlapping vocal refrains."[19]AllMusic'sStephen Thomas Erlewine and USA Today's Patrick Ryan both agreed that the song was an album highlight,[21][27] with Ryan adding that it was "perhaps Rihanna's best shot at scaling the pop charts with Anti and praised the "effectively catchy" hook.[21] Chris Gerard ofPopMatters defined it as "a moment of classic Rihanna—edgy, soulful and confident, complimenting the "sinuous melody" and the "terrific vocal arrangement."[12]Spin's editors Safy-Hallan Farah and Eve Barlow named it "a highlight" and "as triumphant a Prince jam as it gets" respectively.[26] Zach Bernstein of Pretty Much Amazing observed that the song is "one of ANTI’s best offerings and a pure shot of old-school Rihanna—a stuttering, hypnotic beat, complimented [sic] by ahard-rock guitar riff and an innuendo about as subtle as a sledgehammer."[28]
Corbin Reiff ofThe A.V. Club was very positive with the "gorgeous array of ’80s power rock electric guitar lines,"[29] with Bianca Gracie of Idolator sharing the same sentiment, writing that "th[e] heartbreaking electric guitar riff alone deserves a couple of future nominations," and labelled it "one of the strongest tracks off ANTI" and "all-around beautifully intimate."[25] Jeff Benjamin ofFuse also commended the "mesmerizing electric guitar riff."[11] ForAlexis Petridis, a writer ofThe Guardian, "Kiss It Better" is the "closest it comes to the stuff thatStargate orSia Furler have sold her in the past," due to the "ineffaceable chorus."[30] Jon Caramanica ofThe New York Times considered it "an ostentatious sex jam" and "one of several songs on 'Anti' on which Rihanna's singing takes center stage."[14] In a positive note, Nolan Feeney ofTime went on to call it a "stellar slow-jam [that] opens with a guitar solo straight out of the ‘80s, but if today’s high school seniors are smart, they'll put this on their prom playlists."[31] Jessica McKinney ofVibe appreciated the track due to "the rock-inspired vibe [and] the desperation in her voice that makes the song feel so heavy and ultimately enjoyable."[32] Claire Lobenfeld ofFact defended the song for being "one of many examples of how Rihanna has refined her ability to do romantic despondency with confident precision. Instead of washing those feelings in huge productions, everything is stripped down to its emotional core."[33]
"Kiss It Better" received a nomination forBest R&B Song at the59th Annual Grammy Awards.[34]Paste considered it the thirteenth-best song on their "50 Best Songs of 2016" list.[35]Billboard named the single the second best on their list Best R&B Songs of 2016, while later placing it at number 51 on their "100 Best Pop Songs of 2016" list.[36][37] In the annualVillage Voice'sPazz & Jop mass critics poll of the year's best in music in 2016, "Kiss It Better" was ranked at number 29, tied withMaren Morris' "My Church" andThe Weeknd's "Starboy".[38]
In the United States, "Kiss It Better" debuted at number eighty on the USBillboard Hot 100, following the release of the song's music video. Its debut was driven primarily by streaming (73 percent of its chart points), which saw a 31 percent to 4.8 million U.S. streams. It also opened at number thirty-six on the USPop Songs, marking Rihanna's record-extending 43rd entry.[39] It eventually peaked at number sixty-two on the Billboard Hot 100. Though it was the promotional focus at pop radio, "Kiss It Better" reached as far as number twenty-four on the Pop Songs chart, leadingDef Jam Recordings to release "Needed Me" - an initially "urban radio priority" - to pop radio as well, due to its success.[40] As of January 2021, "Kiss It Better" has accumulated over one 360 million and 313,000 downloads in the United States.[41]
Although the single did not manage to chart on the New Zealand chart, it did manage to chart at number three on the New Zealand Heatseekers chart, which comprises that week's fastest-rising titles outside the Top 40 Singles Chart.[42] In Australia, the song only spent one week inside theARIA Charts, reaching number forty-eight.[43] In the United Kingdom, the song fared better, spending 13 weeks inside theUK Singles Chart; it debuted at number fifty-one on the chart dated April 14, 2016, after the music video's release. A week later, the song descended to number sixty, before moving to number fifty-seven. After two weeks fluctuating on the charts, the song managed to move to number forty-six, which became its peak position. It later remained seven further weeks on the chart.[44]
There is something hypnotic about the song, the way some of it repeats and you don't know where is the beginning and end. It is very intimate in this sense and we wanted it to be about a very personal moment—both a physical journey through an abstract space and an inner reflection at the same time.
The accompanyingmusic video for "Kiss It Better" was directed by Britishfashion photographerCraig McDean and premiered on March 31, 2016.[46] It was shot inLos Angeles over a "very long night".[47] A teaser for the video was released a day earlier on March 30 via Rihanna'sVevo account onYouTube.[45] Keeley Gould and Ciara Pardo served producers for the visual[46] which was shot entirely inblack-and-white.[45] In an interview withThe Fader, McDean explained that the inspiration for the video was based on ideas which were inspired bydadaism andsurrealism, "It all comes from you as a person, your inner inspiration and ideas you've had inside for a lifetime."[47]
Jessie Katz ofBillboard described the storyline of the video, it "features the singer intermittently standing, writhing on the ground and floating through space through various stages of undress while she sings to thePrince-esque synth and electric guitar track. In fact, Rihanna is the entire video -- there's no backdrop at all."[48]Cosmopolitan's Eliza Thompson wrote that "the clip shows Rihanna rolling around under sheets whiledice roll up and down her body, writhing on the floor in sheer lingerie, and stripping off her oversize business-lady suit."[49] According to McDean the idea to include dice in the video came from him and his creative partner Masha Vasyukova, "Sometimes it's all about combining things that might not make any sense, [like] subconsciousness and dreams. Dice is such a graphic and surrealistic object so it came into play."[47] The video ends with Rihanna walking away slowly into a dark background.[50]
Natalie Weiner ofBillboard thought that the video for the song was one of the 11 best videos ever done by Rihanna and described it as a "fitting flex" for the singer and represents that the sexiness she presented in the visual for her 2013 single, "Pour It Up" "was just the beginning of her pulse-quickening powers."[51] Laura Bradley ofSlate magazine described the video as a departure for the both videos for "Work" with regards to her decision to star alone and shot the video only in black-and-white, reasons which ultimately gave the video a different vibe according to her.[52] Maeve McDermott ofUSA Today described the video as "somewhat"NSFW regarding the language and the partial nudity and concluded by asking, "but would you expect anything less from a Rihanna video?"[53]Vogue's Mackenzie Wagoner wrote, " In every instance, however free her nipple, she manages to look empowered, not vulgar—speaking to an obvious body confidence that, especially in the spotlight, can be hard-won." Further, she stated that Rihanna "evolved rule-breaking" and wrote that she is not a "factory-bred"sex symbol, but a woman who is fully comfortable with her body image.[54]
Rihanna was scheduled to perform "Kiss It Better" at the58th Annual Grammy Awards, however her performance was cancelled last minute per her doctor's order to go on a "vocal rest". The performance was supposed to feature a 1980s talk-show theme where the singer was to be joined by television hostJames Corden.[50] Rihanna performed "Kiss It Better" at theAnti World Tour as the closing song of each show.[55]
American singerMiguel covered the song during his performance at the Spotify House, part of SXSW concerts.[56] Indie rock singerFather John Misty covered "Kiss It Better" during his 2016 tour in support of his studio album,I Love You, Honeybear. According to Jon Blistein he delivered a "faithful, rousing rendition of the track while grinding and dancing around the stage".[57]
At herhalftime performance for theSuper Bowl LVII, Rihanna did not actually perform "Kiss It Better", but interpolated a snippet of its refrain into "Rude Boy".
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kiss It Better" (R3hab Remix) | 3:04 |
| 2. | "Kiss It Better" (Four Tet Remix) | 4:56 |
| 3. | "Kiss It Better" (Kaytranada Edition) | 5:25 |
| 4. | "Kiss It Better" (Feenixpawl Remix) | 3:53 |
Credits adapted from Rihanna's official website.[10]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[81] | 2× Platinum | 120,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[82] | 2× Platinum | 160,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[83] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| France (SNEP)[84] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[85] | 3× Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Poland (ZPAV)[86] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[87] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[88] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000‡ |
| Summaries | ||
| Worldwide | — | 5,500,000[89] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | March 30, 2016 | Contemporary hit radio |
| [8][90] |
| Italy | May 20, 2016 | [91] | ||
| United States | June 1, 2016 | Streaming (remixes) | [92] |
