Rihanna songwriter reveals pattern in ‘SOS’ verse that’s gone unknown for nearly 20 years

A songwriter on Rihanna‘s ‘SOS’ has revealed a pattern on the song that’s gone unknown for nearly two decades – see what the pattern is below.

• READ MORE: Rihanna: every album ranked and rated

In a recent interview with Behind the Wall, songwriter Evan ‘Kidd’ Bogart — who co-wrote the song’s lyrics alongside Edward Cobb and Jonathan Rotem — unveiled new information about the 2006 hit. Bogart wrote the entirety of the song’s second verse, which he now reveals is a tribute to 1980s song titles.

Bogart said: “When I wrote it, I had no idea what I was doing. The whole second verse of that song is ’80 song titles strung together as sentences because I thought it would be clever… they’re all Number One songs from the ’80s.”

He went on to dissect a portion of the verse, which includes mentions of A-Ha‘s ‘Take On Me’, Cutting Crew’s ‘(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight’, Tears For Fears‘ ‘Head Over Heels’, Kim Wilde‘s ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ and Michael Jackson‘s ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’.

@danielswall

Replying to @N A N Z Why Rihanna’s First #1 Song Has a Secret In our conversation with Evan ‘Kidd’ Bogart, he reveals the surprising secret behind one of the biggest songs he wrote for Rihanna years ago—a detail no one ever noticed. Here’s a clip from our full conversation @kiddbogart @Rihanna #singer #songwriter #rihanna #sos #hitsong #80smusic #songwriting #demo #viralsong #popmusic #musicproducer #singing #secret #trendingsong #2000s #lyrics

♬ original sound – Daniel Wall

When asked if anyone knew of the pattern over the 18 years since the song’s release, Bogart said: “No one does…”

Rihanna has yet to release an album since 2016’s ‘Anti’. Her last song was 2022’s ‘Lift Me Up’ for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack – it was also her first song as a lead artist since ‘Anti’.

In July, Rihanna sent a DM to GloRilla asking about new music: “I know dis wild hypocritical, but when the album drop?”.

Recently, Rihanna shared details on her upcoming ‘R9’ LP. In April, the star said she had material she felt she “could make hits out of”. Additionally, she told Extra that she felt the album would represent “the evolution” of her sound.

In July, she spoke about the delay of her ninth record, saying she was “starting over” and “rediscovering” what she wanted ‘R9’ to be like.

The post Rihanna songwriter reveals pattern in ‘SOS’ verse that’s gone unknown for nearly 20 years appeared first on NME.