Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 2016


Sledgehammer (Rihanna song)

Buy Sledgehammer (Rihanna song) now from Amazon

First, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.

Wikipedia article




{{Infobox song

| name = Sledgehammer

| cover = Sledgehammer (Rihanna single).png

| alt =

| border = yes

| type = single

| artist = Rihanna

| album =

| released =

| recorded =

| written = 2014

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = * Electropop

| length = 3:31

| label = * Westbury Road

* Roc Nation

| writer = * Robyn Fenty

* Jesse Shatkin

* Sia Furler

| producer = * Kuk Harrell

* Jesse Shatkin

| chronology = Rihanna

| prev_title = Nothing Is Promised

| prev_year = 2016

| next_title = Too Good

| next_year = 2016

| misc =

}}

"'Sledgehammer'" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on June 27, 2016, through Westbury Road Entertainment and Roc Nation as a single to promote 'Star Trek Beyond' (2016). It plays during the film's closing credits but is not included on the film's soundtrack. Rihanna wrote the song with Sia Furler and Jesse Shatkin, who produced it with Kuk Harrell. A music video for the song was released on June 30, 2016, and shows Rihanna performing magical acts on a foreign planet. The video was shot entirely on IMAX cameras. Musically, "Sledgehammer" is a mid-tempo electropop ballad, featuring an anthemic chorus, heavy synthesizers and electronic rhythms.

Background and release



On June 26, 2016, Rihanna hinted that she would release a new song, stating on Instagram, "Got something for y'all tomorrow". Over two years prior, Rihanna tweeted, "You're just another brick and I'm a sledgehammer", hinting that she had been working on the song since 2014. The song was written collaboratively by Rihanna, Sia and Jesse Shatkin. Rihanna and Sia had previously worked together on the former's 2012 song, "Diamonds".

A new trailer for 'Star Trek Beyond' featuring "Sledgehammer", was released on June 27, 2016, the same day that the song was released. Rihanna subsequently said that she had been a fan of the 'Star Trek' franchise since she was a child, after being introduced to it by her father. She explained that "This is something that's been a part of me since my childhood, it's never left me, I love 'Star Trek'. It was automatic. I would do anything in terms of music. It's such a big deal not only as a fan, as a musician... because 'Star Trek' is such a big deal across the globe."

Composition



The song is a piano ballad written in the key of D major with a slow tempo of 65.5 beats per minute in common time. It follows a chord progression of DB (B/C in the coda)Gm, and Rihanna's vocals span from G3 to F5.

Critical reception



Camila Cassidy of 'The Edge' gave the song a generally positive review stating, "She pretty much nailed it it feels tone perfect. It's a little orchestral, swooping, but with a strong enough chorus and verse pattern to be commercially successful." However she also stated, "As a dramatic theatrical piece? It's a little weak, too much fuss with the lyrics while instrumentation takes a back seat. As a radio hit? The vocals aren't prominent enough...Both are excellent, but both just need to be more." Daniel Kreps from 'Rolling Stone' wrote, "Rihanna sings on the aching chorus, which sports a monster hook typical of Sia's work." Rachel Sonis from Idolator gave the song a 7/10, stating, "The Aussie singer-songwriter knows exactly how vast Rih[anna]s vocal abilities are and isn't afraid to push them. No doubt, this probably came in handy, since Sledgehammer from Rihanna's haunting drones to the song's thunderous melody is a monster of a track." A Bit of Pop Music wrote, "Sledgehammer is a powerful pop ballad with a huge chorus, that should do well in combination with the probable success of its movie...but it might be time for Sia to shake up her formula a bit, as Sledgehammer is in no way a surprising composition."

Music video



A music video for the song premiered June 30, 2016 in IMAX theaters at 9:00am EST. The video was then released onto Vevo and Tidal an hour later. The music video was the first to be shot entirely with IMAX cameras. The music video features Rihanna dressed in a sci-fi costume performing magical acts, with Swarm Ships from Star Trek Beyond flying around her. At the video's ending, Rihanna turns into a celestial god, face to "face" with the USS 'Enterprise'.

The video was shot at the Trona Pinnacles by director Floria Sigismondi.

Charts



Weekly charts



Year-end charts



Release history



Notes



References



Category:2010s ballads

Category:2016 singles

Category:Rihanna songs

Category:Songs written by Sia (musician)

Category:Music based on Star Trek

Category:Songs written by Jesse Shatkin

Category:Songs written by Rihanna

Category:2016 songs

Category:Roc Nation singles

Category:Music videos directed by Floria Sigismondi

Category:Pop ballads

Category:Songs written for films

Buy Sledgehammer (Rihanna song) now from Amazon

<-- Return to songs from 2016



This work is released under CC-BY-SA. Some or all of this content attributed to http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1108571960.