page_title: Love on the Brain
section_title: Composition and lyrical interpretation
hierarchical_section_title: Love on the Brain / Composition and lyrical interpretation
caption_attribution_description: English: Amy Winehouse at the Eurockéennes of 2007
context_page_description: "Love on the Brain" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her eighth studio album, Anti. It was written and produced by Fred Ball, with additional writing by Joseph Angel and Rihanna. The song was sent to the US rhythmic contemporary and urban contemporary radio stations on September 27, 2016, as the album's fourth and final single. "Love on the Brain" is a doo-wop and soul ballad inspired by 1950s and 1960s music. Its instrumentation consists of a guitar arpeggio, swirling organ, a simple chord progression, syncopated strings, and orchestra. Lyrically, the song has themes of swinging back and forth between the highs and lows of toxic love.
  "Love on the Brain" reached number one on the Polish Singles Chart, as well as the top-twenty in France and New Zealand, and top-forty in Austria, Canada, and Germany. The song reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart; it became Rihanna's 22nd top-five single breaking her tie with Elvis Presley as the artist with the 5th most top-five singles, and it was also her 30th top-ten single tying her with Madonna and The Beatles. It was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
context_section_description: "Love on the Brain" is a mid-tempo '50s and '60s inspired doo-wop and soul ballad, with a "rock edge". Its instrumentation consists of a "guitar arpeggio," "swirling organ", a "simple chord progression", syncopated strings, and "a wave of an orchestra". Written in the key of G major, it has a tempo of 57 beats per minute in compound quadruple () time. The song follows a chord progression of G–Am–Em–D, and Rihanna's vocals span from D₃ to G₅.
  Rihanna's vocals were noted as being acrobatic ranging from her "trademark snarl", to high notes, complemented by all-tenor backing vocals. Forrest Wickman of Slate magazine commented that the song "seems designed as a showcase for Rihanna’s vocal versatility: She starts out singing high and sweet, then drops into her chest to show off the lower part of her range and finally gets into powerful belting. She even does a few seconds of what sounds like Frankie Valli's falsetto." Jordan Bassett of NME compared her high notes to those of Mariah Carey, while Vibe magazine and USA Today noted similarities with the work of Erykah Badu. Amy Winehouse, Etta James and Sam Cooke were also perceived as influences by critics, with Michigan Daily's Christian Kennedy citing Winehouse's song "Wake Up Alone" as the song that Rihanna had borrowed from "stylistically."
  "Love on the Brain" has dark lyrics that depict a destructive, yet addictive relationship, with themes of "swinging back and forth between the highs and lows of love". Some critics believed the song was an "ode to a violent lover", possibly referring to Chris Brown after the pair's highly published domestic violence case. Lyrical examples include "It beats me black and blue but it fucks me so good / That I can't get enough / Must be love on the brain." Adam R. Holz of the conservative organization Focus on the Family's website PluggedIn.com noted the song "mingles nihilism, lust and at least the metaphorical presence of physical abuse". Jessica Eggert of Mic agreed, noting that "Rihanna wears her heart right on her sleeve and takes no prisoners in expressing the pain of a metaphorically and physically damaging-yet-undying love."
caption: According to some reviewers, Rihanna channels Amy Winehouse (pictured) on the track.[11][12][13]
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