S&M

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Lore & Background

The song was written by Ester Dean, who explained its conception to Billboard: "The first thing that came to me was 'Come on, come on.' I'm thinking, 'I don't know what in the hell this is about to be.' And I remembered I'd seen something that said, 'Sticks and stones may break my bones.' Then came 'But chains and whips excite me.'" Dean stated that she originally wrote the song for Britney Spears. Rihanna told Rolling Stone about her interest in bondage and sadomasochism: "I like to take charge, but I love to be submissive ... being submissive in the bedroom is really fun. You get to be a little lady, to have somebody be macho and in charge." The song was recorded during Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth tour. Instrumental parts were recorded by Eriksen and Miles Walker at Roc the Mic Studios in New York City and Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, and by Vee at The Bunker Studios in Paris. Rihanna's vocals were recorded by Kuk Harrell and produced by Harrell, Josh Gudwin and Marcos Tovar. The song was mixed by Vee at The Bunker Studios and by Phil Tan at The Ninja Beat Club in Atlanta, Georgia. After the solo version reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, a remix featuring Britney Spears was released on April 11, 2011, following Twitter messages between the two artists that sparked speculation. The remix helped the song become Rihanna's tenth and Spears' fifth number 1 single on the chart.

In Their Own Story

The song opens with the hook, "Na, na, na, c'mon." During the chorus the lyrics include, "'Cause I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it / Sex in the air, I don't care, I love the smell of it." The post-chorus features an interpolation from The Cure's 1982 song "Let's Go to Bed." Lyrics include, "Sticks and stones may break my bones / But chains and whips excite me." Rihanna told Spin magazine that the lyrics are metaphoric, saying she thought the song was mainly about having confidence in one's identity and being impervious to rumors and criticism. The music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas, was in part Rihanna's response to disparaging critics. It portrays softcore sadomasochist acts and fetishes. The video was banned in many countries and restricted to nighttime television in others. Photographer David LaChapelle filed a lawsuit alleging that the video incorporates ideas from his photographs; Rihanna settled the case for an undisclosed sum of money.

Reader's Guide

Production relies on Stargate's and Sandy Vee's work, with instrumentation from synthesizers, a keyboard and a guitar. The song is composed in the key of E-flat minor using common time and a moderate dance tempo of 128 beats per minute. Rihanna's vocal range spans one octave, from the low note of B♭3 to the high note of D♭5. The song was sent to contemporary hit and rhythmic radio stations in the US on January 23, 2011, and to urban playlists on February 27, 2011. In the United Kingdom, "S&M" was deemed too explicit for daytime airplay; it was edited to remove references to sex, chains and whips, and was renamed "Come On" for BBC Radio 1. The song peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart on March 5, 2011, where it remained for three consecutive weeks. It was number 1 on the UK R&B Chart for five consecutive weeks. By December 2011, "S&M" had sold 643,000 copies in the UK and was certified quadruple Platinum by the BPI in February 2026. In Australia, the song peaked at number 1 on February 13, 2011, for five non-consecutive weeks and was certified six times Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association. In New Zealand, it peaked at number 2 and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand.

Did You Know?

• Ester Dean originally wrote "S&M" for Britney Spears.
• The post-chorus features an interpolation from The Cure's 1982 song "Let's Go to Bed."
• In the UK, the song was renamed "Come On" for BBC Radio 1 due to explicit content.
• Photographer David LaChapelle filed a lawsuit alleging the music video incorporated ideas from his photographs; Rihanna settled for an undisclosed sum.
• The song was certified sextuple Platinum by the RIAA and in Australia.