"Don't Stop the Music" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna recorded for her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). It was written by Tawanna Dabney, Michael Jackson, Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen with its production helmed by the latter two under their stage-name Stargate. The song was released as the album's fourth single on July 15, 2007 worldwide. "Don't Stop the Music" is a dance-pop and techno song that features a wide variety of rhythmic devices used mainly in hip hop music. The song samples the line, "Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa" which is taken from Jackson's 1983 single "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' ". For using the line, both Rihanna and Jackson faced a lawsuit from the Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango, who claimed that the hook is originally from his 1972 song "Soul Makossa".
"Don't Stop the Music" received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics with many of them praising the interpolation of the "Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa" hook into the song. It was nominated for several accolades, eventually winning the award for Best International Song at the 2008 NRJ Music Awards. "Don't Stop the Music" was commercial success, reaching number-one in over ten countries worldwide including Australia, Austria, France, Germany and Switzerland. The single peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The song was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling more than 3 million copies in the US.
Anthony Mandler shot the accompanying music video for the song in Prague, the Czech Republic. It features Rihanna together with two of her friends sneaking into the back of a candy store where there is a secret club. Other scenes include Rihanna partying with the people in the club. Since its release, "Don't Stop the Music" has become a staple in Rihanna's live performances. It was part of the set lists of her three major tours, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007–09), Last Girl on Earth (2010–11) and the Loud Tour (2011). English recording artist Jamie Cullum recorded a jazz version of the song for his 2009 studio album The Pursuit.
Music video[]
Main article: Don't Stop the Music (music video)
The song's music video was directed by Rihanna's regular director, Anthony Mandler,[1] and filmed in a nightclub in Prague, the Czech Republic.[2] The video was digitally released on iTunes on July 26, 2007.[3] It was uploaded on Rihanna's Vevo channel on YouTube on November 21, 2009.[4]
In the video, Rihanna and two friends arrive at a nightclub in a yellow taxi and enter a candy store where a boy is standing with his mother. Rihanna tells the boy not to tell anyone where they are going, and the singer and her friends sneak into the back of the store (where there is a secret nightclub entrance). The narrative is intercut with Rihanna singing the song against a wall and dancing in the club. After she enters the club, she checks her makeup in a restroom as she sings.
Rihanna returns to the dance floor for the chorus, dancing and singing with her friends. Her fellow club-goers clap along with the sample from "Wanna Be Startin' SomethinTemplate:'". VH1's Christopher Rosa ranked the video 18th on his list of Rihanna's 20 sexiest videos: "This dance-by-numbers song gets a facelift with its brisk, energetic video featuring R as the undisputed queen of the clubs".[5]
- ↑ "Don't Stop the Music – Rihanna". MTV Videos. http://www.mtv.com/videos/rihanna/179697/dont-stop-the-music.jhtml.
- ↑ Template:Cite book
- ↑ "iTunes – Music Videos – "Don't Stop the Music" by Rihanna". January 2007. https://itunes.apple.com/us/music-video/dont-stop-the-music/id260829367.
- ↑ "Rihanna – Don't Stop the Music". Vevo. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd8jh9QYfEs.
- ↑ Rosa, Christopher (February 20, 2015). "Rihanna's 20 Sexiest Music Videos Ranked". VH1. http://www.vh1.com/news/54781/rihanna-sexiest-videos/.