In the beginning, Rihanna is the one who has to put in the work for the relationship. When looking at the chorus, a couple of different things now become clear. Work, work, work, work, work, workHe said me haffiWork, work, work, work, work, work!He see me do miDirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt!So me put inWork, work, work, work, work, workWhen you ah guhLearn, learn, learn, learn, learnMeh nuh cyar if himHurt, hurt, hurt, hurt, hurting So, perhaps that's the overall idea that Rihanna is trying to bring about with this song? However, even if you accept that, there's no denying how random the song's chorus is in spite of that overall message. There could be a mix between feeling like you're the one at fault and hating that other person. When distance and work tear two people apart, things can get complicated.
When I see potential, I just gotta see it through." So, is the song focused on two people who want to be together but haven't been honest with themselves? Or is it about a relationship that failed because one party wasn't treating the other person right? Honestly, when listening to the song, the perspective changes so much that you don't know which one of your weird life relationship situations you can connect the song to. From Drake's point of view, he's trying to win her over with the lyrics, "Long distance, I need you. Don’t leave me stuck here in the streets."Īnd then, by the time you get to Drake's verse, the whole perspective of the song seems to be skewed again. You mistaken, my love, I brought for you for foundation." However, by the time Rihanna gets to the song's second verse, she's suddenly apologizing as if she's the one at fault in the relationship: "Baby, don't you leave. This can be seen from the lyrics stating, "You took my heart on my sleeve for decoration. In the song's first verse, she's talking about feeling like she's been strung along and wasn't treated right. Instead, she seems to be flip-flopping her perspective as the song goes on. My issue with the song is that Rihanna just can't seem to pick one focus for it. Because Rihanna's "Work" lyrics make no sense.Įven after you acknowledge Rihanna's use of Jamaican Patois within the song, the lyrics still fail to grab your complete understanding. Aside from the very lyrics, "Work work work work work," the rest of the song leaves listeners trying to figure out why she's saying the word "Work" in the first place. And, while some die-hard Rihanna fans may disagree, it's hard to deny the feeling of disconnect that exists between the song's verses and chorus. The overall message of the song "Work" is just not that clear. However, there's one little issue when it comes to relating to the actual meaning of the song.
As soon as the song starts, the urge to belt out the lyrics and move your hips to the song's rhythm can not be contained. Rihanna chose a path to be part of this generic culture, and that may work for her, but it doesn’t mean that is the best decision.There's no denying just how catchy the beat of Rihanna's latest song "Work" is. However, pop is what sells nowadays and songs like “Work” are the ones played on the radio constantly. However, the tone she gave this new album was different it was more of an R&B/Soul genre. She still classifies “ANTI” as pop, just as she did with her older albums. Since then, her style and approach seems to have changed. Since her last album, “Unapologetic,” which was released back in November 2012, Rihanna took a break from her music. There were other songs on this album that were better and were actually meaningful, such as “ Close To You” and “ Same Ol’ Mistakes.” “Work” was part of Rihanna’s eighth studio album, “ANTI,” released on Jan. The real question I have is: why was this song, out of all of the songs in Rihanna’s recent album release, the one that got all the attention? Specifically in Rihanna’s “Work,” not only were the lyrics petty, but her voice and Drake’s sound were so monotone that it ruined whatever catchy beat the song had. Of course, the beats can be catchy and everyone loves to dance to these type of songs but that doesn’t make them worth listening to. They just addressed what stereotypical teenagers view work as: twerking and intercourse. Yet none of them addressed what real work actually is. There have been many “work” songs like Rihanna’s, such as “ Work” by Iggy Azalea, “ Work From Home” by Fifth Harmony (recently released) or “Work B****” by Britney Spears. After hearing it once, I kept asking myself the same question over and over again: what is so special about it? Rihanna’s new single, “Work,” featuring Drake, has become a recent hit and is spreading like wildfire on social media. “Work, work, work, work, work…” The song just keeps going - same lyrics, same beat.