Rihanna's Classics Return As Her New Single Vanishes Almost Immediately

Forbes

a day ago

Last week, the world was treated to a new song by Rihanna, which is a fairly rare occurrence these days. The singer is otherwise preoccupied with being a mother and running her massively successful cosmetics brand, Fenty Beauty, but she does deliver a track or two here and there, and they are usually associated with film projects.
"Friend of Mine" is set to be featured in the upcoming animated Smurfs film, which is expected later this summer. While there was plenty of excitement when the tune was announced, it didn't prove to be a massive commercial success. Just days after its debut, the cut has already faded, while several of Rihanna's time-tested smashes are back.
Two of Rihanna's most popular songs reappear on the Official Hip-Hop and R&B Singles chart this week. The pair rebounds together and sit side-by-side, as "Don't Stop the Music" reenters the list of the bestselling tracks in those genres at No. 36, while "Love the Way You Lie," one of her collaborations with Eminem, is back at No. 37.
"Don't Stop the Music" and "Love the Way You Lie" rank among Rihanna's 14 No. 1s on the Official Hip-Hop and R&B Singles chart. Nearly half of the 33 tracks she's pushed into the top 10 on the genre-only tally have spent time in the highest spot, and most have racked up more than one frame on the throne.
Rihanna currently fills three spaces on the 40-rung roster. "Stay," her collaboration with Mikky Ekko and a former runner-up, dips from No. 24 to No. 27, and is joined this frame by both 'Don't Stop the Music' and 'Love the Way You Lie.'
"Friend of Mine" didn't reach the Official Hip-Hop and R&B Singles chart, as it was classified under a different genre by the Official Charts Company. Instead, it launched at No. 19 on the Official Dance Singles chart — but it can no longer be found on that ranking. In fact, even though "Friend of Mine" opened on four song rosters across the U.K. just days ago, it now appears on none of them.
The tune started at No. 72 on the Official Singles chart, No. 75 on the Official Singles Downloads list, and No. 79 on the Official Singles Sales ranking. It only managed one frame on each tally, at least so far. That's quite a stark contrast when compared to tracks like "Stay" and "Love the Way You Lie," which have both racked up more than 100 weeks on the Official Hip-Hop and R&B Singles chart.