"Work" was accompanied by twomusic videos directed byDirector X andTim Erem, and both were released on February 22, 2016. The first depicts Rihanna and Drake dancing in a club, and the second shows them in a room alone. Rihanna performed the song live at theBrit Awards and theMTV Video Music Awards, both in 2016, and it was included on the set list of herAnti World Tour. The single spent nine weeks atop the USBillboard Hot 100 and helped Rihanna surpassMichael Jackson as the artist with the fourth-most US number-one hits. It peaked at number one in Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, and South Africa, and received manymulti-platinum certifications, including a Diamond certification in France and the United States, as well as nine-times Platinum certification in Canada. It was the fourth-bestselling song of 2016 in the US. "Work" had sold 32.5 millionunits worldwide by January 2021.
At the time of its release, critical response to "Work" was mixed; reviews that praised the song highlighted Rihanna's return to the dancehall sound of her early career and embrace of Caribbean culture, while reviews that were less enthusiastic labeled its production as repetitive and the lyrics as insubstantial. However, critical opinion improved over time; the song was nominated forRecord of the Year andBest Pop Duo/Group Performance at the59th Grammy Awards, and publications such asNME andPitchfork ranked it among the best songs of the 2010s decade. Some journalists credit "Work" with reinvigorating dancehall in mainstream popular music in the mid-2010s.[citation needed]
Following the release of Rihanna's seventh studio album,Unapologetic, and its accompanying tour, Rihanna took a step back from music.[4] "I wanted to have a year to just do whatever I want artistically, creatively," the singer said. She then went on to state that this hiatus lasted only a week before she ultimately returned to the studio. Following the release of three singles in 2015—"FourFiveSeconds" (withKanye West andPaul McCartney), "Bitch Better Have My Money" and "American Oxygen"—Billboard announced that Rihanna was set to premiere a new single on January 27, 2016, at 8 amEST.[5] The same day, "Work" premiered on several radio stations worldwide, includingBBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom. Subsequently, it was made available fordigital download in most countries, worldwide, via theiTunes Store, and was added for streaming onApple Music,Spotify, andTidal.[6]
Thomas created a beat which wasdancehall-influenced; he later played it for Boi-1da to which he positively responded, "We're both Jamaican-Canadian. It was just something in our DNA, so it woke him up, and we started remembering all these old dancehall songs from the '90s." Boi-1da came with up idea for sampling an "old school dancehall rhythm" and after that the chords were made with Ritter and past it, "everything went organically". The most recognizable sampling found in the "Work"riddim is from the 1998 riddim "Sail Away" which was produced byRichie Stephens and Mikey 2000,[8] interpolatingAlexander O'Neal's "If You Were Here Tonight".[9]
When the song's music was finished, Boi-1da sent it to PartyNextDoor who wrote the lyrics. "He’s an incredible writer, and he's Jamaican as well. I think so that's how he's able to come up with those vibes and feels," noted Thomas. PartyNextDoor originally wrote the record as a breakup song;[10] after Drake heard the song and loved it, he decided to write and record a verse, as well . The original reference track contained Braithwaite's vocals and a tweaked verse from Drake. It leaked as a snippet in February 2016,[11] but the full version was released online in April of that year.[12] Initially, the intention was to keep the song as a collaboration between the two, or to give toAlicia Keys.[13] Shortly thereafter, Braithwaite stayed at Rihanna's home inMalibu, where he played her the song,[8] saying afterwards "it was all that she could sing around the house" and it was her "family's favourite song".[13]
Rihanna's vocals were recorded by Marcos Tovar andKuk Harrell atWestlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles; the latter also served as a vocal producer. Drake's vocals were recorded by Noel Cadastre andNoah "40" Shebib at the Sandra Gale Studios in California and the SOTA Studios in Toronto. The vocal recording was assisted by Thomas Warren, while additional vocals were provided by PartyNextDoor. Manny Marroquinmixed "Work" at the Larrabee Studios, while Noel "Gadget" Campbell and Shebib did the mixing at the Studio 360 and SOTA Studios in Toronto. Themastering was done by Chris Gehringer at theSterling Sound in New York City.[14] "Work" marked the third collaboration between Rihanna and Drake, following "What's My Name?" in 2010 and "Take Care" in 2012.[15]
"Work" is adancehall,[16]reggae-pop[17] andR&B[18] song, with a length of three minutes and thirty-nine seconds.[19][20] Hugh McIntyre ofForbes described the song as "quite"urban and mixeship hop influences with "island vibes".[21] Zach Frydenlund ofComplex wrote that the song "is slower and very rhythmic with Rihanna showing off her vocal skills over the crafty production."[22] The song is in the C♯Dorian mode (written using the same key signature asG♯ minor) incommon time with atempo of 92 beats per minute. The vocals in the song span from F♯3 to E♭5.[23] Alexa Camp ofSlant Magazine called it "an understated midtempo jam in the vein ofJanet Jackson's recent 'No Sleeep', with a percolating beat, sinuous synth lines, and vocal samples stretched and pulled in a way that recallsJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis's masterful production work on Janet's 1997 albumThe Velvet Rope."[24]The Guardian's Harriet Gibsone wrote: "The glossy, modernist 'Work' skewers elements of dub and dancehall: her voice is at timesAuto-Tuned, and a distant sample of what sounds a little likeGrace Jones's "My Jamaican Guy" haunts its empty spaces."[25]
Rolling Stone's Daniel Kreps wrote the song contains "a tropical house vibe".[26] In contrary, Taj Ran fromBillboard wrote the song "isn't part of a new genre that many in the mainstream media are calling 'tropical house.'Anti's lead single is undeniably drenched indancehall, a genre with deep roots in Jamaica's club scene that spun off from reggae in the 1970s."[27] According toThe Atlantic's Spencer Kornhaber, the single has "strangely unfinished quality" that features itsverses,choruses andbridge fade into themselves, "forgoing soft-to-loud explosions or exciting rhythmic changes".[28] He also noted that, Boi-1da also tries to create "escalation" in the song by adding additional drums for the second chorus, flutes,autotuned harmonies and back-off piano.[28]The New York Times' Jon Caramanica noted Rihanna at times "barely even relies on words, truncating her syllables past patois to something far less exact."[29] Lyrically, "Work" is "about working for a paycheck no matter what else is going on in your life."[28] Additionally, it focuses on "a fragile relationship" that can be seen in the lines, "If I get another chance to, I would never, oh never, neglect you," which Rihanna sings.[17]
"Work" has received mixed reviews from critics. Editor Joe Lynch wrote that the track finds Rihanna "reteaming with frequent collaborator/ex Drake, but that's the only predictable thing about this song—while it's hardly a 180-degree turn for Rih, its minimal production subverts expectations of what you'd expect a major pop star to release when they're gearing up to drop their long-delayed new album."[30] Alexa Camp ofSlant Magazine wrote: "the new track has the potential to at least partly justify the gold crown on the album's cover."[24]BET's Kathy Iandoli called the song "comfortable, but still good."[31]Spin's Brennan Carley thought Rihanna made the "lackadaisical song gel."[32] Other critics were more skeptical. Hugh McIntyre ofForbes wrote "It's a well-produced song, but is it the pop hit that she needed?"[21]Idolator's Robbie Daw's review was mixed, writing "Musically, the track is a charming, if also somewhat sparse, affair that feels like it blew in on a tropical, warm June wind and nestled up beside our ears."[33]
Robin Reiff ofThe A.V. Club wrote: "the sheer repetition of the hook creates a built-in expiration date for when this song transitions from catchy to mildly annoying."[34]Taj Rani ofBillboard stated "Work" has brought the genre of dancehall to the forefront of American music (again), as it became the first dancehall song to top theBillboard Hot 100 since Sean Paul's "Temperature" in 2006. She opined that the song is a prime example of "an unapologetic black woman proudly showing her heritage at a time when our politics are dominated by #BlackLivesMatter and Donald Trump's racist,xenophobic andmisogynistic tirades." Rani continued to state that although mainstream critics are "uncomfortable" with Rihanna's use ofpatois (describing it as "gibberish"), she was able to displayWest Indian culture, front-and-center, withoutappropriation from mainstream culture.[35]
Rolling Stone named "Work" as one of the 30 best songs of the first half of 2016: "What would even you call aminimalist banger? One of America's most reliable singles artists createdan arch, moody album instead of a handful of chart-ready pop confections, but we still couldn't resist this barely-there tune with a beat like a dancehall wisp and lyrics like a freestyle."[36]The Guardian named it "best track of 2016", writing that "Work was off-kilter, lacked a big chorus and weaved in a dubious 80s ballad. It also clicked perfectly, a song that captured two era-defining artists and one all the more infectious for its rule-defying restraint."[37] The British magazineNME named "Work" the best song of 2016 in their year-end critics' poll.[38]NPR andConsequence of Sound both placed the song at number fifteen on their respective year-end lists.[39][40] ForPitchfork, it was the seventh best song of the year.[41]Billboard ranked "Work" at number 25 on their "100 Best Pop Songs of 2016" list, noting "Its hypnotic chorus burrowing its way into the year's subconscious."[42] In the annualVillage Voice's "Pazz & Jop" mass critics' poll (of the year's best in music) for 2016, "Work" was tied at number 9 withDavid Bowie's "Blackstar".[43] The song was additionally ranked among 2010s-decade-end lists byNME,[44]Consequence of Sound,[45]Slant Magazine,[46] andPitchfork.[47]
"Work" debuted at number nine on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart issue dated February 13, 2016. It became the 27th top-ten hit for Rihanna and 15th for Drake. With this feat, Rihanna tiedMariah Carey,Janet Jackson andElton John as the artists with the fifth-most top-ten songs on the chart.[50] The singer scored 27 top-ten singles on the Hot 100 in a span of 10 years and eight months between her first single, "Pon de Replay" and "Work", and became the fastest solo artist to reach the plateau.[51] It also became Rihanna's 50th song to chart on the Hot 100.[52] "Work" debuted at number one on the USBillboardDigital Songs chart with over 126,000 downloads sold in only just over a day of tracking. Additionally, "Work" launched at number 27 on the USBillboardRadio Songs chart with 44 million audience impressions, becoming the highest debut of her career.
The following week, "Work" sold an additional 156,000 copies and moved up to number seven on the Hot 100 chart.[53] In its third week, "Work" jumped 7–4 on the Hot 100 chart, earning Rihanna her milestone 20th top-five hit, tying her withMichael Jackson andStevie Wonder as the artists with the fifth-most top-five songs on the chart[54] In its fourth week, "Work" reached the summit of the Hot 100 chart and became Rihanna's fourteenth number-one song in the United States. Subsequently, she became the artist with the fourth-most number-one songs on the chart followingThe Beatles with 20,Mariah Carey with 19 andElvis Presley with 18 chart toppers. She broke a tie with Michael Jackson, who had reached 13 chart-toppers on theBillboard Hot 100 in his lifetime. Additionally, "Work" became Drake's second number-one single on the chart, the previous being the pair's 2010 collaboration, "What's My Name?". For the same issue, it rose to number 10 on the Radio Songs chart and became her 24th top-ten single, surpassing Mariah Carey's lead of 23 top-tens on that chart. The song remained at number-one on the Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks and was unseated byDesiigner's "Panda".[55]
The song was most successful on theBillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs where it debuted atop the chart, becoming Rihanna's fifth chart-topper and Drake's fourteenth.[50] As of January 2021, "Work" has accumulated over 1.4 billion streams and 1,906,000 downloads in the United States.[56]
In France, "Work" peaked at number one on the chart for two weeks, becoming Rihanna's sixth number-one in the country, the second-highest amount of all time, and Drake's first ever. The single also broke the record for the most streams in a single week, with 2.056 million streams.[57] By January 2021, the single had sold an estimated 32.5 million units worldwide.[58]
Director X (left) directed the first of the song's two accompanying videos which was filmed in The Real Jerk restaurant (right).
Two music videos were released for the single; the first was directed byDirector X who had previously worked with Rihanna on her debut video "Pon de Replay"[59] while the second was directed byTim Erem.[60] Harv Glazer and Melissa Larsen served as a producer of the visual, while Daniel Bouquet and Alexi Zabes were the director of photography. Laura McMillan and Nick Rondeau were the editors of the video, while Nick Cortes served as the production coordinator. Missy Galanida, Isaac Rice and Taj Critchlow, served as the videos executive producers while Dave Hussey of Company 3 was the colorist.[61]
Rihanna later announced its premiere date to be February 22, 2016 via herTwitter account, while also releasing a videoclip viaYouTube.[62]Filming of the first accompanying music video took place at the Real Jerk restaurant inToronto on February 5.[63]Director X stated that when filming the video they wanted to make it look like they were in a West Indian neighborhood, in a West Indian restaurant.[64]The second video for the single directed byTim Erem was discussed between the director, Rihanna and Drake in the studio at 4 a.m., where they were attempting to come up with ideas to add a tropical vibe to their already existing footage. After thirty minutes they came up with the idea of shooting a video in a whole pink room.[65]
The first video opens with a shot of "The Real Jerk" carpark, in which Rihanna and Drake enter separately. The shot switches to Rihanna dancing in the nightclub, in front of a mirror. Drake enters the scene in which he raps. The video ends with credits written in a red, green and yellow typeface. The second video is shot in one piece, as it shows Rihanna and Drake in a room full of neon pink lights and styled with sofas and house plantsaesthetics.Hazel Cills of MTV noted Rihanna's and Drake's chemistry as "playful and confrontational", which was "ultimately made for the viewer's pleasure". Cills continued to state that the second video "luxuriates in our voyeurism."[66] Christopher Hooton from The Independent also picked upon the videos sense ofvoyeurism and compared the second video to Drake's previous single "Hotline Bling" andNicki Minaj's "Anaconda".[67]Popsugar called the songs accompanying videos "relatively simple," but stated they were an "instant classics", while RollingStone noted the videos as being "steamy".[68][69]
"Work" was nominated for the "Video of the Year" award as the 2016BET Awards, as well as being nominated for the "Best Female Video" award as the 2016MTV Video Music Awards.[70][71]Time Magazine listed the video at number eight on their Top 10 Pop Music Videos of 2016,[72] whilePitchfork Media placed it at number twenty-five on their list of The Best Music Videos of 2016.[73] As of June 2018, the video has received over 1.0 billion views onYouTube.[74]
On February 9, 2016, rapperASAP Ferg released his remix of "Work" viaSoundCloud.[78] On February 17, 2016, Nigerian artistBurna Boy released a remix of "Work", along with a lyric video.[79] On March 6, 2016, American rapperLil Mama released a remix of the song; her version features the same production and chorus, but is accompanied by new rap bars. Lil Mama's version was also released with a video, in which she recreated the original along with newly-choreographed dance moves.[80]
On March 8, 2016,DJDS released an '80s-inspired remix via SoundCloud.[81] On March 19, 2016, Work (Remixes) EP was officially released via Tidal[82] IncludingR3HAB REMiX (Extended Remix and Extended Instrumental),Burns' Late Night Rollin' Remix,Bad Royale Remix (Bad Royale Remix), andLost Kings Remix (and Extended Remix). American producersOokay & Yultron released a remix of the song as well, giving it a hybridtrap-inspired beat. The remix was released via SoundCloud on Yultron's page.[83]
On April 11, 2016,Spanish singer-songwriterBad Gyal uploaded a tribute video of "Work" to herYouTube channel with new lyrics in theCatalán language, her mother tongue. The cover, entitled "Pai" (Catalán for "money"), has a nearly-identical sound to Rihanna's "Work", albeit in a different language with completely different words, and features Bad Gyal's signature use ofautotune effects. "Pai" has garnered over four million views on YouTube, is one of Bad Gyal's earliest music videos.[84]
^Weingarten, Christopher R. (June 22, 2016)."30 Best Songs of 2016 So Far". Billboard.Archived from the original on November 21, 2017. RetrievedJune 23, 2016.
^Petridis, Alexis (December 19, 2016)."Best track of 2016".The Guardian.Archived from the original on January 30, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 29, 2017.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201609 into search. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
^"Top singles 2016".Pure Charts (in French). chartinfrance.net. January 6, 2017.Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 9, 2017.
