Skin (Rihanna song)
"Skin" | |
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Studio at the Palms (Paradise, Nevada) | |
Genre | R&B |
Length | 5:04 |
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | |
Audio video | |
"Skin" on YouTube |
"Skin" is a song by
The song received generally positive reviews from critics, as part of their overall review of Loud, praising "Skin"'s compositions as well as Rihanna's sensual vocal performance. The song was included on the set list of the Loud Tour (2011), where Rihanna retrieves a man or woman from the audience near the end of the song, and performs a lap-dance whilst on an elevated platform. "Skin" was also used in Rihanna's advertisement campaign for Armani Jeans.
Background and composition
"Skin" was written by
Critical reception
Of the multiple music critics who commented on the song, the majority praised "Skin"'s musical structure and Rihanna's vocal performance. Apart from writing about the song's composition, Daw called the ballad "smoldering" and compared the last minute of the song to Sade's "No Ordinary Love" for the song's sensual content, but noted that Adu's song is not as lyrically graphic as "Skin".[6] Jon Pareles of The New York Times commented that Rihanna's sensuality in the song is evoked though her use of sexually suggestive moaning and heavy breathing, adding to the "slow, torrid buildup".[8] Colin Gentry of 4Music noted that Rihanna appears to be transitioning from singing songs about partying and dancing in clubs to singing about her sexual fantasies and desires, writing "Rihanna swaggers through the album as a woman on the prowl, taking her conquests from the clubs to the bedroom. Demanding to know 'why are you standing over there with your clothes on?' on sultry track Skin, the Barbadian clearly means business."[9] Ryan Dombell of Pitchfork concurred with Stern with regard to "Skin" being the singer's most mature song to date, writing "'Skin' is her sexiest song yet, a haunted, near-dubstep stunner that wouldn't sound totally out of place on Massive Attack's Mezzanine."[4]
Ryan Burleson of
Armani Jeans campaign
The song was also used in Rihanna's advertisement campaign for
The advertisement received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics, with
Live performances
Though the song has never been performed live as part of a televised performance, the song was featured on the set list of the
The sexually suggestive performances of "Skin" have been met with mixed reactions from critics. A review for the
Credits and personnel
- Robyn "Rihanna" Fenty – Vocals
- Kenneth Coby, Robyn Fenty and Ursula Yancy – Songwriting
- Soundz – Producer
- Makeba Riddick – Vocal production
- Kuk Harrel – Additional vocal production
- Nuno Bettencourt – guitar
- Rob Katz and Bobby Campbell – Assistant Engineering
- Mixed by Jayden Joshua at Larrabee Sound Studios, Los Angeles, California – Mixing
- Jesus Garnica – Assistant mixing
- Chad "C Note" Roper at Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles – Music recording
- Recorded by Kuk Harrel, Josh Gudwin and Marcus Tovar at Studio, Palms Casino Resort, Paradise, Nevada – Vocal recording
Credits and personnel adapted from the liner notes of Loud.[1]
Charts
Upon the release of Loud, "Skin" charted at number 66 on the
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
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South Korea Gaon International Chart[33]
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66 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA)[34] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ a b c Loud (liner notes). Rihanna. Def Jam Recordings. 2010. p. 6.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Peer International Music Publishing. 2010. MN0096704 (Product Number).
- ^ "25 R&B songs that will turn a lady into a freak". AMB Mag. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ Pitchfork Media. Ryan Schreiber. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
- ^ a b Mackay, Emily (2010-11-03). "Rihanna, 'Loud' — Album First Listen". NME. Archived from the original on 2011-03-21. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
- ^ Idolator. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
- ^ a b Conner, Thomas (2010-11-12). "'Loud' a well-deserved party for Rihanna". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2010-11-27. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (2010-11-15). "Critics' Choice: New CDs". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
- ^ Gentry, Colin (2010-11-12). "News: Rihanna — Loud Review". 4Music. Archived from the original on 2012-05-29. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "Loud – Rihanna". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2012-01-22. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
- ^ Jones, Steve (2010-11-16). "Listen Up: Rihanna is living out 'Loud' on new album". USA Today. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
- ^ Shriver, Jerry (2010-11-19). "Rihanna lightens up, in her life as well as in her music". USA Today. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
- ^ Skinner, James (2010-11-15). "Review of Rihhana – Loud". BBC Online. BBC. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
- ^ a b c Radović, Katarina (2011-10-09). "Rihanna For Armani". Branding Magazine. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- ^ "Rihanna Flirts with Danger in Armani Jeans Short Film (Video)". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. 2011-10-06. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
- ^ DelliCarpini Jr., Gregory (2011-10-11). "Hooked: Rihanna Strips For Armani, Kanye Defends His Fashion Line". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- ^ "Watch Rihanna get into her Armani jeans". The Daily Telegraph. London. 2011-10-10. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- ^ "Rihanna Stars In Armani Jeans Short Film". RTTNews. 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- ^ a b "Striptease! Rihanna sizzles in Armani". Hindustan Times. 2011-10-07. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- ^ Passariello, Christina (2011-10-06). "Armani Revamps Website With Rihanna". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- ^ Moore, Booth (2011-10-06). "Giorgio Armani launches e-flagship". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- The Huffington Post. AOL. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- ^ "First Look: Rihanna's New Armani Video". Stylist. Glenda Marchant. Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- ^ Vince, Jessica (2011-10-07). "Watch Rihanna's Saucy Striptease for Armani!". Grazia. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- ^ a b c d Stevenson, Jane (2011-06-07). "Rihanna is loud, sexy and larger than life". Toronto Sun. Mike Power. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
- ^ Herrera, Monica (2011-05-22). "Britney Spears, Rihanna Kick Off Billboard Music Awards". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
- ^ "Rihanna Gives Female Fan Sexy Lap Dance On Tour!". MTV, Viacom. 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ^ "Rihanna performs lap dance on female fan at Miami show". Herald Sun. 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
- Evening Herald. 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- ^ Boyle, Jules (2011-10-11). "Review: Rihanna live at the SECC, Glasgow". Daily Record. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- ^ "Rihanna gives journalist a saucy lap dance!". The Times of India. 2011-10-16. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- ^ a b "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: November 14, 2010 to November 20, 2010)". Gaon Chart. 2010-11-14. Archived from the original on December 19, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ "American single certifications – Rihanna – Skin". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
External links
- "Skin" on YouTube