It’s About Time You Released “Where Have You Been”, Rihanna

Posted by Katherine St Asaph on 04/11/2012 at 12:29 PM News

The Popdust Files: rihanna, where have you been

Did you know “Where Have You Been” is the fifth single off Talk That Talk? And that there’ve been five singles off that album already, which is disturbingly close to a single a month? It’s a Rihanna album, so we were warned, but still–this is less like a singles campaign and more like a fritzing conveyor belt, one that spits out underperforming things like “You Da One” in between its Calvin Harris smashes.

It’s particularly weird considering that “Where Have You Been” was the obvious single from Talk That Talk from the the first time we heard it, and it’s still got everything it needs to become the “We Found Love” chart-topper she’s yet to achieve:

- “Only Girl (in the World)” with a better chorus.
- Speaking of the chorus: you wanted a hook in the intro, a hook in the pre-chorus, a hook in the chorus and a hook in the bridge? This has about two per.
- Already its own club remix, buildups and breakdowns included. At 12:30 a.m. under certain conditions, this could seem really meaningful.
- About 20 chances to do that “yeah” schwa thing that’s more or less her trademark–think “Umbrella,” “Rude Boy”, etc.
- No queasifying duet partners.

Isn’t it great to have a single that truly tries? Where has this been all our 2012 lives? If it doesn’t go top ten, we don’t understand the charts anymore.

By the way, that up top is Rihanna’s cover art. Snap judgment: the blurriness is good, the scarf could go either way, the Instagram is whatever.

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