Song of the Week: Rihanna – FourFiveSeconds ft. Kanye West & Paul McCartney

People were going on about the new Kanye West and Sir Paul McCartney song, and  with all of the discussions about how this was a new direction for West, I thought Only One was being brought up again. It was a touching autotuned ballad where a new father was being coached by a man who brought love into music decades before. If anyone can teach us about compassion, it’s Paul McCartney. It seems like this musical father figure, now a grandfather in these respects, is teaching these artists how to pass on their tools of the trade much like he has unto them. Kanye West isn’t a new face anymore, and there are many who have tipped their hats to West as an influence and their own musical father figure.

It seems relevant to continue to talk about West and McCartney’s work, because it has happened again. This time, they worked together with Rihanna on the song FourFiveSeconds, what is easily Rihanna’s most mature song musically. Rihanna, like her musical companions of her generation, is also no longer a new face. She has worked alongside West for many years. Hell, she has even worked with big names within a song next to West before (remember all of the many names, including Sir Elton John, in All of the Lights?). This song is different, because neither West or Rihanna are wide eyed fans saying they have rocked out with the biggest musicians. Both musicians can successfully say they have truly worked with a great and have gotten to know a different side of music.

McCartney took the backseat here and only played the instruments featured in the song (simply an acoustic guitar, cello and organ). It is a country pop song that features the usual kind of lyricism Rihanna and West are used to (words like trash and spaz probably won’t be leaving West’s diction no matter how mature he gets). The song feels like it was written on lined paper on a desk in a house in Oklahoma, where the times had gotten tough and everyone involved just wanted to be happy. They want to make it through not just the day and not just the week but through life. They simply need the break once a week or so to be able to survive. That’s the kind of goal your everyday person would have, and it feels good to relate to people as large as Rihanna and Kanye West for once (even if they are possibly inhabiting characters in this song).

RIhanna has never sounded better, as her voice is raw and piercing. This is the kind of vocal performance that made Eminem’s pop rap ballad Love The Way You Lie such a big success. We weren’t used to Rihanna’s honesty back then, and it still startles us now. We get to hear it in full here, and it’s anyone’s wonder why Rihanna doesn’t sing this stripped down more often. Maybe she can control the stage with her boastful pop singing, but it’s times like these when her soulful vocals are a big reminder that she does, indeed, possess this kind of talent. West’s singing is good and candid in its own nature. Of course West won’t be competing with RIhanna anytime soon, but I doubt he wants to be. He may have pride and not know what lines are in the media, but whenever it comes to his music, West almost always knows what is needed. His singing is quaint enough to be a supplement to the song and loud enough to still be an impact. Rihanna doesn’t get upstaged here, and it’s just another sign that so many things about FourFiveSeconds is well crafted.

With all of that in mind, FourFiveSeconds is not a song that broke down my door. It did open the door and ask to come in, where it then told an interesting story and know when to leave. It’s a polite and gentle song and one that will likely sit well with most listeners (assuming you’re not one of the people who think it is blasphemous that McCartney is still working with West at all). While the song hasn’t floored me yet, it has gotten my attention. It may end up being the quiet song that speaks louder as the year goes by. I don’t have an inkling to have this one on repeat, but I will be happy to listen to it if it were to pop up somewhere. It’s a nice surprise and one full of small town hospitality.

Download FourFiveSeconds on iTunes