“SOS” by Rihanna: ’80s Easter Eggs Before They Were Trendy!

Turns out, Rihanna’s “SOS” isn’t just a mid-2000s anthem, it’s also a nod to the 1980s. In a recent interview with Behind the Wall, songwriter Evan “Kidd” Bogart revealed a hidden gem in the 2006 hit’s second verse that he claims has been overlooked for nearly two decades.

“I had no idea what I was doing,” he confessed to host Daniel Wall. “The whole second verse is ‘80s song titles strung together as sentences because I thought it would be super clever.” 

Bogart detailed how each lyric corresponds to a song title, starting with “Take on me, ah-hah,” a nod to A-ha’s 1985 smash “Take On Me.” Rihanna then sings “I could just die up in your arms tonight,” referencingCutting Crew’s 1986 hit “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight,” followed by “I melt with you,” directly taken from Modern English’s 1982 track.

Other song titles in the verse include Tears for Fears’ 1985 “Head Over Heels,” Kim Wilde’s 1986 “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” and Michael Jackson’s 1987 “The Way You Make Me Feel.” As Rihanna belts out in “SOS”: “You got me head over heels/ Boy, you keep me hanging on, the way you make me feel.” Bogart also pointed out, many of these hidden tracks were Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits—a fitting detail considering “SOS” earned Rihanna her first of 14 total No. 1s on the chart. “Take On Me,” “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight,” and “The Way You Make Me Feel” all topped the charts, as well.

Seems like it wasn’t all The Weeknd and Dua Lipa; Rihanna’s “SOS” also secretly summoned a throwback vibe, acting as one of the earliest adopters of 1980s nostalgia. Who knew?