Background

I’ll run for miles just to get a taste of “Love on the Brain”. It beats me black and blue, but also brings colour and context to love.

“Love on the Brain” is a retro soul ballad recorded by Rihanna for her eighth era, Anti. The song was written by Fred Ball, Joseph Angel, and Rihanna herself, with the production led by Ball. At the time of writing, this was the last single Rihanna released from her own studio albums. For most of us, the last 10 years have been the longest.

Must Be Love on the Brain

Following the rules of logic, love simply has no place in the human brain. Being beaten black and blue and fist fighting with fire are just pain and suffering. A rational mind would avoid situations that make us deal with such a troubled environment. But the sporadic moments of feeling good and feeling loved often push our relationships beyond its expiration date. Addiction takes over and all established rules go out the window.

Who hasn’t gone through this intoxication? How many messages do we wish we hadn’t sent? How many times have we forgiven only to be forgotten? How many friends have we considered masochists? Rihanna’s logic is flawed but is all of us in “Love on the Brain”.

I’m Tired of Being Played Like a Violin

Rihanna has racked up a discography that 99% of artists would envy. She is mostly known for her uptempo pop, dance and R&B hits. And that’s why “Love on the Brain” occupies a special place in her body of work. It showcases her versatility in style, and most importantly, her vocal abilities.

Even though she always possessed the range and the soulfulness to be considered legendary, the use of auto-tune in some of her records scales back critical and fan appreciation. But restraining the production puts her raw and powerful voice centre-stage. And I just can’t get enough!

Don’t Quit Loving Me

Nowadays, chart success is determined by how many remixes are released, what vinyl variants are pressed, and whether Tiktok dances go viral. Organic demand through word of mouth and fan recommendations rarely make a difference.

But “Love on the Brain” had a natural ascent. It started as a deep cut before becoming a crowd favourite. There were no gimmicks. The song creeped up the charts slowly but surely. It was the fourth release in a period where most follow ups to lead singles tend to struggle.

She achieved massive success in the streaming era, surpassing 2 billion streams on Spotify for “Love on the Brain”, her fifth song to do so. This is despite the track not being 1 of her 14 #1s on the Hot 100. This feeds into the long known narrative that impact is not a battle, but a war. The single has longevity and continued relevance.

Conclusion

Whether I use the love in my heart or the logic in my brain, I can’t get enough of “Love on the Brain”. And the only thing that beats me black and blue is that Rihanna has not yet released a studio album in a decade.