There’s a massive secret behind one of Rihanna’s biggest hits. During an appearance on the Behind the Wall podcast, songwriter Evan “Kidd” Bogart spoke about penning the pop star’s 2006 song, “SOS.”
“When I wrote it, I had no idea what I was doing,” Bogart said. “The whole second verse of that song is ’80s song titles strung together as sentences because I thought it would be super clever.”
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Indeed, the verse in question starts with Rihanna singing, “Take on me a-ha.” That first three words of that line are the title of a 1985 song, while the final word is the name of the band who performed the track, A-ha.
Later, she sings “I could just die up in your arms tonight.” That line references Counting Crows’ 1986 track “(I Just) Died in Your Arms.”
Next, Rihanna sings the line “I melt with you,” which is the title of Modern English’s 1982 song.
“You got me head over heels” comes next on the Rihanna track, which references Tears for Fears’ 1985 track of the same name.
Rihanna goes on to sing, “Boy, you keep me hanging on.” That particular line is borrowed from Kim Wilde’s “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” which was released in 1986.
The verse ends with Rihanna singing, “The way you make me feel.” That’s a ’80s reference too. Michael Jackson released “The Way You Make Me Feel” in 1987.
All the tracks he alluded to in the song, Bogart said, are “No. 1 songs from the 80s.” When the host expressed awe and surprise at the reveal, Bogart admitted that “no one” knew his writing secret until now.
“SOS” appeared on Rihanna’s second album, A Girl Like Me. Bogart co-wrote the track with J. R. Rotem. Ed Cobb also nabbed a writing credit for the song, as he penned “Tainted Love,” which “SOS” sampled. “SOS,” which was certified triple platinum, topped the Billboard chart for three weeks, marking Rihanna’s first No. 1 single.
