SOS

"SOS" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna, and included in her second studio album, A Girl like Me (2006). It was released on February 14, 2006 through Def Jam Recordings as the lead single of the album. "SOS" was written by J. R. Rotem and E. Kidd Bogart, with additional credit assigned to Ed Cobb for inspiration built around a sample of Soft Cell's 1981 recording of "Tainted Love". This song was written by Cobb in 1965, later influencing the creation of "SOS". Production of the dance and dance-pop song was handled by Rotem. Critical reception of "SOS" was generally positive, with the majority of music critics praising the inclusion of the "Tainted Love" sample. Some critics compared "SOS" to Rihanna's debut single, "Pon de Replay". "SOS" became a commercial success. In the United States, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three consecutive weeks, becoming Rihanna's first number one single on the chart. "SOS" peaked at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart and Mainstream Top 40 chart. "SOS" was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales and streams of 3,000,000 units. The song was also successful in Europe as well as Australia, where it spent eight consecutive weeks at number one. Three music videos were shot for "SOS"; aside from the official music video, directed by Chris Applebaum, promotional campaign videos were shot for lingerie brand Agent Provocateur and Nike. "SOS" was performed live at the 2006 MTV EMA awards in Copenhagen, Denmark. "SOS" was included on the set list of the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour (2007–09) and the Last Girl on Earth (2010–11), which saw Rihanna perform a rock-tinged version of the song. Background and conception "SOS" was written by J. R. Rotem and Evan "Kidd" Bogart, with production helmed by Rotem. The song was recorded at Bartmitzvah Hall Studios, Century City, California, and Loft Recording Studios, Bronxville, New York, after which it was mixed by Phil Tan at Silent Sound Studios in Atlanta. "SOS" contains a sample of "Tainted Love", written by Ed Cobb in 1964, and popularized by English synthpop duo Soft Cell in 1981. Cobb was assigned a writing credit because of the sample. In an interview with HitQuarters, Rotem explained the song's conception, saying "I heard 'Tainted Love' and wanted to take the bass line and update it with a new swing.