Songwriter Reveals Crazy Fact About How Rihanna’s “SOS” Track Was Written

A lot goes into making a hit record, and it’s always a treat to learn more about process behind how a song was created. Esteemed songwriter Evan “Kidd” Bogart recently stopped by the Behind The Wall podcast and explained his interesting method for writing Rihanna’s track “SOS.”

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The 2006 song served as the lead single for A Girl like Me , the Barbadian singer’s sophomore album released via Def Jam Records. “SOS” became a commercial success, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three consecutive weeks and peaking at No. 1 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs. While people all over the globe were chanting the catchy lyrics, many listeners probably didn’t realize each line was actually a different hit from the ’80s.

“I had no idea what I was doing,” Bogart says in the clip. “The whole second verse of that song is ’80s song titles strung together as sentences because I thought it would be super clever.”

Sure enough, the lyrics to the second verse are these song titles put together: “Take On Me” by A-Ha, “(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight” by Cutting Crew, “I Melt With You” by Modern English, “Head Over Heels” by Tears For Fears, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by Kim Wilde, and “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson.

In addition to “SOS,” Bogart has an illustrious catalogue of hits he has penned throughout the years. He also wrote chart successes like “Halo” Beyoncé, “Loud” by RiRi, “Take You There” by Sean Kingston, and plenty more. He has written for artists like The Pussycat Dolls, Brandy, Jessica Simpson, Keke Palmer, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Derulo, and Britney Spears.

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Check out the full episode of Behind The Wall here, and revisit Rihanna’s “SOS” music video below.

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