Pon de Replay
Encyclopedia
"Pon de Replay" is a song recorded by Barbadian
recording artist Rihanna
, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun
(2005). The song was made available to download via iTunes
on August 26, 2005, released as the album's lead single. The song was written and produced by Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers
and Valda Nobles. Musically, the song draws influence from dance-pop
and R&B
; lyrically, the song is about asking the DJ
to play the protagonists favourite and the fulfillment of dancing in a club.
The song received positive reviews from critics, who praised the dance-pop and R&B composition and vocal stylization. "Pon de Replay" achieved moderate chart success, and peaked at number one in New Zealand. The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard
Hot 100
chart and UK Singles Chart
, and attained top five positions in Austria, Switzerland and Norway. The music video was directed by Little X
, and features Rihanna in a club with her friends, who ask the DJ to play their favourite song repeatedly.
, Rihanna was discovered in her home country of Barbados
by American record producer Evan Rogers
. The pair met in December 2003 through mutual friends of Rihanna's and Rogers' wife, whilst the couple was on vacation in Barbados, because of how Rihanna's friend had told Rogers' wife how the aspiring singer was always singing and performing. After meeting for the first time, Rogers' asked Rihanna and her two friends to come to his hotel room to audition for him, where she performed renditions of Destiny's Child
s "Emotion" and Mariah Carey
s "Hero
". Rogers' was so impressed with Rihanna's renditions that it prompted him to fly the singer to New York
, where she was accompanied by her mother, Monica, to record some demo
tapes which could be sent to record labels. Production of the demo tapes took about year, due to Rihanna only being able to record during school holidays. At the age of 16, Rihanna was signed to Rogers' and Carl Sturken
s production company, Syndicated Rhythm Productions, where she was given her own lawyer and manager, before the complete demo tape was distributed to various record labels around the world in late 2004. The first to respond to the demo tape was Jay-Z
, who had recently been appointed as president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings
, where Rihanna auditioned for him and music mogul L.A. Reid, in his office. Looking back on the audition and meeting Jay-Z, Rihanna explained during an interview how she felt before walking into the room, saying:
During the audition, Rihanna performed Whitney Houston
s cover of "For the Love of You", "Pon de Replay" and "The Last Time", the latter two of which would go on to be included on her debut album, Music of the Sun. Initially, Jay-Z was skeptical about signing Rihanna, because he felt "Pon de Replay" was too big for her, saying "when a song is that big, it's hard [for a new artist] to come back from. I don't sign songs, I sign artists". The audition resulted in Rihanna signing a six album record deal with Def Jam Recordings in February 2005, on the same day of the audition, with Jay-Z saying "There's only two ways out. Out the door after you sign this deal. Or through this window ...", meaning that he was not going to let her leave with signing a record deal. After signing with Def Jam Recordings, Rihanna cancelled multiple other meetings with record labels and relocated herself from Barbados to New York to live with Rogers' and his wife.
and Valda Nobles and was recorded during recording sessions for Rihanna's demo tape in 2004. The song was included on Rihanna's debut album, Music of the Sun, and was released via iTunes
on July 26, 2005, through Def Jam Recordings. Musically, "Pon de Replay" draws influence from the musical genres of dance-pop
and R&B
infused beats. According to the digital music sheet published at musicnotes.com, the song is written in the key of F-sharp minor and is set in common time
with a moderated dance groove
, with a metronome of 100 beats per minute. Rihanna's vocal range in the song spans from the low note of F♯3 to the high note of C♯5. Lyrically, the song is about asking the DJ
to play the protagonists favourite song, as well as the fulfillment of dancing in a club. Doug Rule of Metro Weekly
commented on the lyric "Hey Mr. DJ, won't you turn the music up?" and that it follows in the footsteps of recent songs which also incorporated "Hey Mr. DJ", including Madonna
s "Music
" and Jennifer Lopez
s "Play
". In an interview with Kidzworld, Rihanna explained the lyrical content of the song, saying: "It's just language that we speak in Barbados. It's broken English. Pon is on, de means the, so it's just basically telling the DJ to put my song on the replay." Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic wrote about the songs composition and musical influences, "[Pon de Replay] is driven by booming dancehall-lite beats and a reggae vocal cadence (and title spelling), it's a simple dance-pop song at its core, with standard English-language singing as well as a can't-miss singalong hook." Barry Walters of Rolling Stone
also commented on the song's composition and concurred with Birchmeier's opinions of the song, writing that the song is "a poppy piece of dancehall reggae with slapping, syncopated beats recalling big-band jazz".
praised the song, and compared it to Beyoncé Knowles
2003 chart topper "Baby Boy", because of how both songs feature "a dancehall-pop mixture". Bill Lamb of About.com
gave the song four out of a possible five stars, and praised Rihanna's debut single as well as the singer herself, writing "Riahanna [sic] is a star in the making and this catchy dance tune will get her noticed. It sounds great dancing on a warm summer evening or blasting from the car stereo." Lamb continued to write that the song is "hypnotically catchy", and that her voice shows that she is capable of being able to provide variety in her vocal performances, and that the "exotic island beat feel" works to the song's advantage. However, Lamb's only criticism of the song was that the lyrics did not make the listener feel intellectually challenged or provoke thought as to what the song means.
chart at number nine on the issue dated July 16, 2005, and became the "Greatest Airplay Gainer" that week. On the issue dated July 30, 2005, the song peaked to number two on then Hot 100, being held off of the top spot by Mariah Carey
's "We Belong Together", which spent at total of 14 non-consecutive weeks at number one. "Pon de Replay" spent a total of 12 weeks inside the top ten of the Hot 100 and 23 weeks on the chart in total. The song also peaked at number one the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs and Digital Songs
charts, number two on the US Pop Songs
chart, and 24 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. The song was also certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
on October 26, 2007, denoting shipments of over 1,000,000 copies. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 37 on the New Zealand Singles Chart
on August 15, 2005, and peaked at number one in it's ninth week on the chart, after having been locked at number two for four weeks previous. The song spent a total of seven weeks inside the top five chart positions and 16 weeks on the chart in total. In Australia, "Pon de Replay" debuted at number 13 on the Australian Singles Chart
on September 25, 2005, and peaked at number six for in it's ninth week on the chart. The song spent a total of 10 weeks in the top ten chart positions and 22 twenty-two weeks on the chart in total and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
, denoting shipments of over 70,000 copies.
Elsewhere, the song achieved moderate commercial success in Europe, peaking inside the top ten of eight different charts. In Switzerland, the song debuted at number eight on the Swiss Music Charts
on September 11, 2005, and peaked at number three for three consecutive weeks. The song spent a total of 41 weeks on the chart. The song also debuted at number four on the Norwegian Singles Chart
and peaked at number three in it's fifth week; the song spent a total of 15 weeks on the chart. "Pon de Replay" also peaked inside the top five in Denmark, Austria and and Sweden, peaking at numbers four, five and five, respectively. "Pon de Replay" also peaked inside the top ten in Italy and Finland, peaking at numbers six and eight, respectively. However, the song was less successful in other territories, peaking at number 15 in The Netherlands and number 18 in France and Spain, respectively. In the United Kingdom, "Pon de Replay" debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart
on September 3, 2005, behind Oasis
s "The Importance of Being Idle
", which debuted at number one. The song stayed at the number two position for a further week, and stayed inside the top ten for four weeks.
. The video is set in a club, The video begins with Rihanna and two her friends arriving at a club where everybody is bored and not dancing because of the low music. She steps up on a platform, wearing a silver belly top with baggy jeans, and begins singing and dancing the song, causing the DJ, played by DJ Cipha Sounds, to turn the music up and for everybody to start dancing. Scenes of people dancing in the club are intercut with images being juxtaposed of Rihanna leaning against the wall wearing a light blue short dress, singing to the lyrics of the song. Rihanna is also featured belly dancing
in the video and Canadian rapper
Kardinal Offishall
makes a cameo appearance. The video ends with people in the club formed in a circle dancing in the middle of the dance floor.
CD maxi-single (European version)
German CD Single
iTunes EP
|- valign="top"
| width="50%"|
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Chart (2005)
! Peak
position
|-
! scope="row"| Australia (ARIA
)
| align="center"|6
|-
! scope="row"| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40
)
| align="center"|5
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"| Denmark (Tracklisten
)
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
! scope="row"| The Netherlands (Dutch Top 40
)
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista
)
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|-
! scope="row"| France (SNEP)
| align="center"|18
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"| Italy (FIMI
)
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"| New Zealand (RIANZ
| align="center"|1
|-
! scope="row"| Norway (VG-lista
)
| align="center"|3
|-
! scope="row"| Spain ( PROMUSICAE)
| align="center"|18
|-
! scope="row"| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan
)
| align="center"|5
|-
! scope="row"| Switzerland (Swiss Music Charts
)
| align="center"|3
|-
! scope="row"| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)
| align="center"|2
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard
Hot 100
| align="center"|2
|-
! scope="row"| US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard
)
| align="center"|1
|-
! scope="row"| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
(Billboard
)
| align="center"|24
|-
! scope="row"| US Hot Rap Songs
(Billboard
)
| align="center"|7
|}
|-
! End of year charts (2005-06)
! Position
|-
! scope="row"|Australian Singles Chart
| align="center"|39
|-
! scope="row"|Austrian Singles Chart
| align="center"|32
|-
! scope="row"|Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)
| align="center"|28
|-
! scope="row"|Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)
| align="center"|72
|-
! scope="row"|Dutch Top 40
| align="center"|82
|-
! scope="row"|European Hot 100 Singles
| align="center"|17
|-
! scope="row"|Hungarian Airplay Chart
| align="center"|77
|-
! scope="row"|Italian Singles Chart
| align="center"|43
|-
! scope="row"|New Zealand Singles Chart
| align="center"|43
|-
! scope="row"|Swedish Singles Chart
| align="center"|42
|-
! scope="row"|Swiss Singles Chart
| align="center"|19
|-
! scope="row"|UK Singles Chart
| align="center"|33
|-
! scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100
| align="center"|18
|-
|}
|-
! scope="col"| Country
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Provider
! scope="col"| Certification
|-
! scope="row"| Australia
| ARIA
| Platinum
|-
! scope="row"| Denmark
| IFPI
|Gold
|-
! scope="row"| Sweden
| IFPI
|Gold
|-
! scope="row"| United States
| RIAA
| Platinum
|}
! scope="col"|Country
! scope="col"|Date
! scope="col"|Format
|-
! scope="row"| United States
| May 24, 2005
| Vinyl single
|-
! scope="row"| United States
| August 26, 2005
| Digital download
|}
Barbadian people
Barbadians are people originating on the Caribbean island of Barbados whether they live there or in the Barbadian diaspora.Rihanna is by far the most popular Barbadian on the planet.-Diaspora:...
recording artist Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun
Music of the Sun
Music of the Sun is the debut album of Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released August 26, 2005 on Def Jam Recordings. Rihanna worked with several producers for the album, mainly Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers who produced and penned most of the tracks on the album. It features guest contributions by...
(2005). The song was made available to download via iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on August 26, 2005, released as the album's lead single. The song was written and produced by Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers are New York-based songwriters and music producers who are business partners and friends. They have produced hits for Ruben Studdard, Wild Orchid, Christina Aguilera, and Rihanna's debut album...
and Valda Nobles. Musically, the song draws influence from dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
and R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
; lyrically, the song is about asking the DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
to play the protagonists favourite and the fulfillment of dancing in a club.
The song received positive reviews from critics, who praised the dance-pop and R&B composition and vocal stylization. "Pon de Replay" achieved moderate chart success, and peaked at number one in New Zealand. The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and attained top five positions in Austria, Switzerland and Norway. The music video was directed by Little X
Little X
Julien Christian Lutz , better known as Little X, X or Director X, is a Canadian music video director. He also has his own clothing line X Fit...
, and features Rihanna in a club with her friends, who ask the DJ to play their favourite song repeatedly.
Background
Prior to signing a record deal with Def Jam RecordingsDef Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
, Rihanna was discovered in her home country of Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
by American record producer Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers are New York-based songwriters and music producers who are business partners and friends. They have produced hits for Ruben Studdard, Wild Orchid, Christina Aguilera, and Rihanna's debut album...
. The pair met in December 2003 through mutual friends of Rihanna's and Rogers' wife, whilst the couple was on vacation in Barbados, because of how Rihanna's friend had told Rogers' wife how the aspiring singer was always singing and performing. After meeting for the first time, Rogers' asked Rihanna and her two friends to come to his hotel room to audition for him, where she performed renditions of Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
s "Emotion" and Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
s "Hero
Hero (Mariah Carey song)
"Hero" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on October 19, 1993 by Columbia Records as the second single from Carey's third studio album, Music Box . Originally intended for Gloria Estefan, the song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff...
". Rogers' was so impressed with Rihanna's renditions that it prompted him to fly the singer to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where she was accompanied by her mother, Monica, to record some demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
tapes which could be sent to record labels. Production of the demo tapes took about year, due to Rihanna only being able to record during school holidays. At the age of 16, Rihanna was signed to Rogers' and Carl Sturken
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers are New York-based songwriters and music producers who are business partners and friends. They have produced hits for Ruben Studdard, Wild Orchid, Christina Aguilera, and Rihanna's debut album...
s production company, Syndicated Rhythm Productions, where she was given her own lawyer and manager, before the complete demo tape was distributed to various record labels around the world in late 2004. The first to respond to the demo tape was Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, who had recently been appointed as president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
, where Rihanna auditioned for him and music mogul L.A. Reid, in his office. Looking back on the audition and meeting Jay-Z, Rihanna explained during an interview how she felt before walking into the room, saying:
That's when I really got nervous ... I was like: 'Oh God, he's right there, I can't look, I can't look, I can't look!' I remember being extremely quiet. I was very shy. I was cold the entire time. I had butterflies. I'm sitting across from Jay-Z. Like, Jay-Zee. I was star-struck.
During the audition, Rihanna performed Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
s cover of "For the Love of You", "Pon de Replay" and "The Last Time", the latter two of which would go on to be included on her debut album, Music of the Sun. Initially, Jay-Z was skeptical about signing Rihanna, because he felt "Pon de Replay" was too big for her, saying "when a song is that big, it's hard [for a new artist] to come back from. I don't sign songs, I sign artists". The audition resulted in Rihanna signing a six album record deal with Def Jam Recordings in February 2005, on the same day of the audition, with Jay-Z saying "There's only two ways out. Out the door after you sign this deal. Or through this window ...", meaning that he was not going to let her leave with signing a record deal. After signing with Def Jam Recordings, Rihanna cancelled multiple other meetings with record labels and relocated herself from Barbados to New York to live with Rogers' and his wife.
Composition
"Pon de Replay" was written and produced by Carl Sturken, Evan RogersCarl Sturken and Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers are New York-based songwriters and music producers who are business partners and friends. They have produced hits for Ruben Studdard, Wild Orchid, Christina Aguilera, and Rihanna's debut album...
and Valda Nobles and was recorded during recording sessions for Rihanna's demo tape in 2004. The song was included on Rihanna's debut album, Music of the Sun, and was released via iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on July 26, 2005, through Def Jam Recordings. Musically, "Pon de Replay" draws influence from the musical genres of dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
and R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
infused beats. According to the digital music sheet published at musicnotes.com, the song is written in the key of F-sharp minor and is set in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
with a moderated dance groove
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
, with a metronome of 100 beats per minute. Rihanna's vocal range in the song spans from the low note of F♯3 to the high note of C♯5. Lyrically, the song is about asking the DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
to play the protagonists favourite song, as well as the fulfillment of dancing in a club. Doug Rule of Metro Weekly
Metro Weekly
Metro Weekly is a free weekly magazine-style publication for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. It was first published on May 5, 1994. Metro Weekly includes local news, interviews with community leaders and politicians, community event calendars,...
commented on the lyric "Hey Mr. DJ, won't you turn the music up?" and that it follows in the footsteps of recent songs which also incorporated "Hey Mr. DJ", including Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
s "Music
Music (Madonna song)
"Music" is the first single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 8th studio album Music and was released on August 21, 2000, by Maverick Records. It was also released on DVD single, a debut in this format by Madonna. It earned two Grammy Award nominations in 2001, for Record of the Year...
" and Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
s "Play
Play (Jennifer Lopez song)
"Play" is the second single from Jennifer Lopez's second album, J.Lo. Singer Christina Milian co-penned the song for Lopez before hitting the music scene herself. She has also allegedly provided vocals for the chorus...
". In an interview with Kidzworld, Rihanna explained the lyrical content of the song, saying: "It's just language that we speak in Barbados. It's broken English. Pon is on, de means the, so it's just basically telling the DJ to put my song on the replay." Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic wrote about the songs composition and musical influences, "[Pon de Replay] is driven by booming dancehall-lite beats and a reggae vocal cadence (and title spelling), it's a simple dance-pop song at its core, with standard English-language singing as well as a can't-miss singalong hook." Barry Walters of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
also commented on the song's composition and concurred with Birchmeier's opinions of the song, writing that the song is "a poppy piece of dancehall reggae with slapping, syncopated beats recalling big-band jazz".
Critical reception
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Sal Cinquemani of Slant MagazineSlant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
praised the song, and compared it to Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
2003 chart topper "Baby Boy", because of how both songs feature "a dancehall-pop mixture". Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
gave the song four out of a possible five stars, and praised Rihanna's debut single as well as the singer herself, writing "Riahanna [sic] is a star in the making and this catchy dance tune will get her noticed. It sounds great dancing on a warm summer evening or blasting from the car stereo." Lamb continued to write that the song is "hypnotically catchy", and that her voice shows that she is capable of being able to provide variety in her vocal performances, and that the "exotic island beat feel" works to the song's advantage. However, Lamb's only criticism of the song was that the lyrics did not make the listener feel intellectually challenged or provoke thought as to what the song means.
Chart performance
In the United States, "Pon de Replay" ascended into the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart at number nine on the issue dated July 16, 2005, and became the "Greatest Airplay Gainer" that week. On the issue dated July 30, 2005, the song peaked to number two on then Hot 100, being held off of the top spot by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
's "We Belong Together", which spent at total of 14 non-consecutive weeks at number one. "Pon de Replay" spent a total of 12 weeks inside the top ten of the Hot 100 and 23 weeks on the chart in total. The song also peaked at number one the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs and Digital Songs
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
charts, number two on the US Pop Songs
Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart...
chart, and 24 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. The song was also certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
on October 26, 2007, denoting shipments of over 1,000,000 copies. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 37 on the New Zealand Singles Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
on August 15, 2005, and peaked at number one in it's ninth week on the chart, after having been locked at number two for four weeks previous. The song spent a total of seven weeks inside the top five chart positions and 16 weeks on the chart in total. In Australia, "Pon de Replay" debuted at number 13 on the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
on September 25, 2005, and peaked at number six for in it's ninth week on the chart. The song spent a total of 10 weeks in the top ten chart positions and 22 twenty-two weeks on the chart in total and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
, denoting shipments of over 70,000 copies.
Elsewhere, the song achieved moderate commercial success in Europe, peaking inside the top ten of eight different charts. In Switzerland, the song debuted at number eight on the Swiss Music Charts
Swiss Music Charts
The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...
on September 11, 2005, and peaked at number three for three consecutive weeks. The song spent a total of 41 weeks on the chart. The song also debuted at number four on the Norwegian Singles Chart
VG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...
and peaked at number three in it's fifth week; the song spent a total of 15 weeks on the chart. "Pon de Replay" also peaked inside the top five in Denmark, Austria and and Sweden, peaking at numbers four, five and five, respectively. "Pon de Replay" also peaked inside the top ten in Italy and Finland, peaking at numbers six and eight, respectively. However, the song was less successful in other territories, peaking at number 15 in The Netherlands and number 18 in France and Spain, respectively. In the United Kingdom, "Pon de Replay" debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on September 3, 2005, behind Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
s "The Importance of Being Idle
The Importance of Being Idle (song)
"The Importance of Being Idle" is a song by the English rock band Oasis from their sixth album, Don't Believe the Truth, written and sung by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. It was the second single released from the album in the UK, on 22 August 2005, where it debuted at number one...
", which debuted at number one. The song stayed at the number two position for a further week, and stayed inside the top ten for four weeks.
Music video
The music video for "Pon de Replay" was directed by Little XLittle X
Julien Christian Lutz , better known as Little X, X or Director X, is a Canadian music video director. He also has his own clothing line X Fit...
. The video is set in a club, The video begins with Rihanna and two her friends arriving at a club where everybody is bored and not dancing because of the low music. She steps up on a platform, wearing a silver belly top with baggy jeans, and begins singing and dancing the song, causing the DJ, played by DJ Cipha Sounds, to turn the music up and for everybody to start dancing. Scenes of people dancing in the club are intercut with images being juxtaposed of Rihanna leaning against the wall wearing a light blue short dress, singing to the lyrics of the song. Rihanna is also featured belly dancing
Belly dance
Belly dance or Bellydance is a "Western"-coined name for a traditional "Middle Eastern" dance, especially raqs sharqi . It is sometimes also called Middle Eastern dance or Arabic dance in the West, or by the Greco-Turkish term çiftetelli...
in the video and Canadian rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall
Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...
makes a cameo appearance. The video ends with people in the club formed in a circle dancing in the middle of the dance floor.
Track listing
Radio Edit- "Pon de Replay" (Radio edit) — 3:34
CD maxi-single (European version)
- "Pon de Replay" — 3:36
- "Pon de Replay" (Cotto's Replay Dub) — 6:48
- "Pon de Replay" (Instrumental) — 4:05
German CD Single
- "Pon de Replay" (Album Version)
- "Pon de Replay" (Cotto's Replay Dub)
iTunes EP
- "Pon de Replay" (Pon De Club Play Version) — 7:32
- "Pon de Replay" (Cotto's Replay Dub Version) — 6:47
Charts
{| width="0%"|- valign="top"
| width="50%"|
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Chart (2005)
! Peak
position
|-
! scope="row"| Australia (ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
)
| align="center"|6
|-
! scope="row"| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...
)
| align="center"|5
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"| Denmark (Tracklisten
Tracklisten
Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl...
)
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
! scope="row"| The Netherlands (Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
)
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista
Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland
Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland ry, or Musiikkituottajat for short, is the umbrella organization of recording producers active in Finland, with 23 record labels as its members.-Activity:...
)
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|-
! scope="row"| France (SNEP)
| align="center"|18
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"| Italy (FIMI
Federation of the Italian Music Industry
The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy....
)
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|-
! scope="row"
|-
! scope="row"| New Zealand (RIANZ
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
| align="center"|1
|-
! scope="row"| Norway (VG-lista
VG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...
)
| align="center"|3
|-
! scope="row"| Spain ( PROMUSICAE)
| align="center"|18
|-
! scope="row"| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
)
| align="center"|5
|-
! scope="row"| Switzerland (Swiss Music Charts
Swiss Music Charts
The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...
)
| align="center"|3
|-
! scope="row"| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)
| align="center"|2
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
| align="center"|2
|-
! scope="row"| US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
)
| align="center"|1
|-
! scope="row"| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
(Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
)
| align="center"|24
|-
! scope="row"| US Hot Rap Songs
Hot Rap Songs
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
(Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
)
| align="center"|7
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"|-
! End of year charts (2005-06)
! Position
|-
! scope="row"|Australian Singles Chart
| align="center"|39
|-
! scope="row"|Austrian Singles Chart
| align="center"|32
|-
! scope="row"|Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)
| align="center"|28
|-
! scope="row"|Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)
| align="center"|72
|-
! scope="row"|Dutch Top 40
| align="center"|82
|-
! scope="row"|European Hot 100 Singles
| align="center"|17
|-
! scope="row"|Hungarian Airplay Chart
| align="center"|77
|-
! scope="row"|Italian Singles Chart
| align="center"|43
|-
! scope="row"|New Zealand Singles Chart
| align="center"|43
|-
! scope="row"|Swedish Singles Chart
| align="center"|42
|-
! scope="row"|Swiss Singles Chart
| align="center"|19
|-
! scope="row"|UK Singles Chart
| align="center"|33
|-
! scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100
| align="center"|18
|-
|}
Certifications
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"|-
! scope="col"| Country
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Provider
! scope="col"| Certification
|-
! scope="row"| Australia
| ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
| Platinum
|-
! scope="row"| Denmark
| IFPI
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland...
|Gold
|-
! scope="row"| Sweden
| IFPI
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland...
|Gold
|-
! scope="row"| United States
| RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
| Platinum
|}
Release history
{| class="wikitable"! scope="col"|Country
! scope="col"|Date
! scope="col"|Format
|-
! scope="row"| United States
| May 24, 2005
| Vinyl single
|-
! scope="row"| United States
| August 26, 2005
| Digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
|}