Claim: Melina Matsoukas directed We Found Love's music video.

`` We Found Love '' is a song recorded by Bajan singer Rihanna from her sixth studio album , Talk That Talk -LRB- 2011 -RRB- . It was written and produced by , and features Scottish DJ Calvin Harris ; the song was also featured on his third album 18 Months -LRB- 2012 -RRB- . `` We Found Love '' premiered on September 22 , 2011 , on the Capital FM radio station in the United Kingdom , and was made available to download on the same day as the lead single from Talk That Talk . `` We Found Love '' is an uptempo electro house song , with elements of techno and Europop . The song 's lyrics speak of a couple who `` found love in a hopeless place '' .   `` We Found Love '' was met with mixed reviews from music critics , who praised the song 's composition and Rihanna 's vocal performance ; however , some critics felt that the lyrical content was sparse and came second to Harris ' production . The song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for ten non-consecutive weeks , becoming the longest running number-one single of 2011 . The single also surpassed `` Umbrella '' and became Rihanna 's longest running number one single . It was the singer 's eleventh song to top the Hot 100 , placing her in third place among female recording artists amassing the most number one singles . `` We Found Love '' topped the charts in twenty-five other countries including Canada , Ireland , New Zealand , Switzerland and the United Kingdom . According to Billboard it is the 24th most successful single of all time in the US . As of 2015 , the single has sold 10.5 million copies worldwide , thus being one of the best selling singles of all time . This was the first of multiple collaborations by Rihanna and Harris , including `` Where Have You Been '' and `` This Is What You Came For '' .   The song 's accompanying music video , directed by Melina Matsoukas , depicts the singer as a drug-abusing thrill-seeker in a relationship that quickly spirals downward into addiction and violence . The video received a mixed response from critics , as they noted that it profoundly alludes to ex-boyfriend Chris Brown 's assault on Rihanna , two years prior . It attracted criticism from political commentators , who questioned the video for its suggestive sexual nature . However , the video won a Grammy for `` Best Short Form Music Video '' at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards and `` Video of the Year '' at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards . The song has been performed on both the UK and US versions of The X Factor , as well as at the 2012 Grammy Awards and the 2012 BRIT Awards . Multiple recording artists have covered `` We Found Love '' including alternative rock band Coldplay and English singer Jessie J . The song also used for the trailer of 2012 comedy-drama film Magic Mike , in the TV series Sherlock , and in the film American Honey