RihannaвЂ™s вЂњUmbrellaвЂќ appeared on The Best Of Now ThatвЂ™s What I Call Music! 10th Anniversary, alongside other favorites like Katy PerryвЂ™s вЂњI Kissed A GirlвЂќ and Kanye WestвЂ™s вЂњStronger.вЂќ Looking for more stories behind musicвЂ™s biggest hits? Check out the Now! ThatвЂ™s What I Call Music page.The summer jam of 2007 can be summarized in seven syllables: 'ella, ella, ay, ay, ay.'Д¬onsider, for a moment, the early singles of Rihanna. вЂњUmbrellaвЂќ had certainly proved a song worth fighting for. Its success also gave Rihanna the confidence and clout to take charge of her own destiny. Worldwide success quickly followed: вЂњUmbrellaвЂќ reigned supreme at the top of the UK charts for 10 weeks and has sold more than six million copies worldwide.

The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks and paved the way for the multi-platinum success of RihannaвЂ™s coming-of-age album, Good Girl Gone Bad. вЂњUmbrellaвЂќ got its official release on March 29, just over two months after Nash and Stewart wrote it.

Stewart later told MTV that any doubt over the singer was cast aside in the studio, вЂњWhen she recorded the вЂellas,вЂ™ you knew your life was about to change if you had anything to do with that record.вЂќ Once RihannaвЂ™s vocals were laid down, she called upon her mentor and Def Jam label boss, rapper Jay-Z, to add a verse вЂ“ a ringing endorsement and sign that вЂњUmbrellaвЂќ had massive hit potential. NashвЂ™s lyrics mightвЂ™ve felt overly sentimental had they not been sung with her attitude the harsh, minimal beats and cinematic strings of StewartвЂ™s music may not have worked without RihannaвЂ™s sass and grit. In Rihanna, Nash and Stewart found the perfect voice for their stormy R&B power ballad. Tricky would put the next chord on there, and I was singing it out: вЂWhen the sun shines, weвЂ™ll shine together.вЂ™ I was like, вЂOh, my God, this is crazy.вЂ™ I was getting goosebumps.вЂќ I ran over to the vocal booth and started singingвЂ¦ The first verse was written in 60 seconds. Nash broke down the writing of вЂњUmbrellaвЂќ in a 2007 interview with Blender, beginning with his reaction when he heard a hi-hat loop that Stewart was working on: вЂњIвЂ™m like, вЂOh, my God, what is that beat?вЂ™ Then Tricky starts putting some chords over it, and immediately the word popped into my head: umbrella. The song itself вЂ“ an offering of shelter from an emotional storm вЂ“ came easy.

Listen to RihannвЂ™s вЂњUmbrellaвЂќ on Apple Music or Spotify. IвЂ™m gonna fight you if I donвЂ™t have this song.вЂ™вЂќ Eventually, I just went up to one of the managers and was like, вЂThis song is mineвЂ¦. I thought it had one of the most original sounds of any song that IвЂ™ve ever heardвЂ¦. Once Rihanna heard the demo, she was determined to make it her own, as she told The Ellen Show in 2007, вЂњThe first time I heard вЂUmbrellaвЂ™ I just knew how much I loved the song. The song вЂ“ written by Christopher вЂњTrickyвЂќ Stewart and Terius вЂњThe DreamвЂќ Nash вЂ“ was originally offered to Britney Spears and then to Mary J. Her career to date had seen her flirting with genres and image as she found her feet вЂ“ from the moment she coolly intoned the вЂњella ella ehвЂќ hook she became the edgier, more sophisticated Rihanna whoвЂ™d go on to conquer the pop world.

But вЂњUmbrellaвЂќ marked the point where Rihanna not only enjoyed one of the biggest international hits of the decade, but also found an identity of her own. вЂњSOSвЂќ went one better the following year, securing the top spot in the US and establishing Rihanna as a global force. 2 in the US and hitting Top 10s worldwide. The Barbados-born pop sensation had burst onto the scene in 2005 with вЂњPon De Replay,вЂќ reaching No. вЂњUmbrellaвЂќ changed everything for Rihanna.

Umbrella remix by rihanna