Kiss It Better

"Kiss It Better" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her eighth studio album, Anti. It was written by Natalia Kills, aka Teddy Sinclair of the band Cruel Youth, & Rihanna together with the song's producers Jeff Bhasker and Glass John. It impacted the radio stations in the United States on March 30, 2016 together with "Needed Me". "Kiss It Better" was written by Rihanna, Jeff Bhasker, John Glass and Teddy Sinclair, whilst production was handled by Jeff Bhasker and Glass John. Rihanna recorded the song at Jungle City Studios, New York City, whilst the vocal recording and production was carried out by Kuk Harrell. Musician Nuno Bettencourt played guitar on the track before finally being mixed by Manny Marroquin at Larrabee Studios and was assisted by Chris Galland & Ike Schultz at Larabee Studios North Hollywood, CA. The song was finally mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, NYC. Through her official Twitter account the singer confirmed that "Kiss It Better" alongside "Needed Me" were released as follow up singles and impact radio on March 30, 2016. Writing and production "Kiss It Better" is a pop and R&B power ballad that lasts 4 minutes and 13 seconds. Chris Gerard of Pop Matters labeled the song an "electro-charged R&B" track, which featured soul and confidence. Jeff Benjamin of Fuse stated the song features an electric guitar riff and a chanting hook, which takes influence from a ‘80s and ‘90s-pop power ballad. Critical reception Idolator's Bianca Gracie praised the song: "I’ve been pushing #JusticeForKissItBetter promo ever since that Instagram snippet surfaced back in December 2014, and I — along with many other fans who couldn’t get the guitar loop out of their heads for a year — am so glad it has now become one of the strongest tracks off ANTI [sic]. With credits by Glass John, Natalia Kills and the musical master who is Jeff Bhasker, “Kiss It Better” is a toxic thrill about an addicting love that slipped through her fingers — and now she wants it back even if it feels like crack. It is a little bit of ’80s Prince, a splash of TLC’s “Red Light Special” and all-around beautifully intimate. And that heartbreaking electric guitar riff alone deserves a couple of future nominations." Julianne Shepherd of Billboard stated that "Kiss It Better" was "a slinky '80s ballad that disguises a deeply depressing ode to ex sex as lustrous and pained as a Purple Rain single." Brittany Spanos from Rolling Stone shared similar sentiments and wrote "Rih has her Purple Rain moment on the shimmering, funky "Kiss It Better," which serves as the album's most direct pop moment by far." Music video The accompanying music video for "Kiss It Better" was directed by British fashion photographer Craig McDean and premiered on March 31, 2016. It was shot in Los Angeles over a "very long night". A teaser for the video was released day earlier on March 30 via Rihanna's Vevo account on YouTube. Keeley Gould and Ciara Pardo served producers for the visual which was shot entirely in black-and-white. In an interview with The Fader, McDean explained that the inspiration for the video was based on ideas which were inspired by dadaism and surrealism, "It all comes from you as a person, your inner inspiration and ideas you've had inside for a lifetime." Jessie Katz of Billboard described the storyline of the video, it "features the singer intermittently standing, writhing on the ground and floating through space through various stages of undress while she sings to the Prince-esque synth and electric guitar track. In fact, Rihanna is the entire video -- there's no backdrop at all." Cosmopolitan's Eliza Thompson wrote that "the clip shows Rihanna rolling around under sheets while dice roll up and down her body, writhing on the floor in sheer lingerie, and stripping off her oversize business-lady suit." According to McDean the idea to include dice in the video came from him and his creative partner Masha, "Sometimes it's all about combining things that might not make any sense, [like] subconsciousness and dreams. Dice is such a graphic and surrealistic object so it came into play." The video ends with Rihanna walking away slowly into a dark background. Natalie Weiner of Billboard thought that the video for the song was one of the 11 best videos ever done by Rihanna and described it as a "fitting flex" for the singer and represents that the sexiness she presented in the visual for her 2013 single, "Pour It Up" "was just the beginning of her pulse-quickening powers." Laura Bradley of Slate magazine described the video as a departure for the both videos for "Work" with regards to her decision to star alone and shot the video only in black-and-white, reasons which ultimately gave the video a different vibe according to her. Maeve McDermott of USA Today described the video as "somewhat" NSFW regarding the language and the partial nudity and concluded by asking, "but would you expect anything less from a Rihanna video?" Vogue's Mackenzie Wagoner wrote, " In every instance, however free her nipple, she manages to look empowered, not vulgar—speaking to an obvious body confidence that, especially in the spotlight, can be hard-won." Further, she called Rihanna "evolved rule-breaking" and wrote that she is not a "factory-bred" sex symbol, but a woman who is fully comfortable with her body image.

[Intro] Kiss it, kiss it better, baby Kiss it, kiss it better, baby [Verse 1] Been waitin' on that sunshine, boy I think I need that back Can't do it like that No one else gon' get it like that So why argue? You yell, but cha take me back Who cares, when it feels like crack? Boy, ya know that you always do it right [Pre-Chorus] Man, fuck yo pride Just take it on back, boy, take it on back, boy Take it back all night Just take it on back, take it on back Mmm, do what cha gotta do, keep me up all night Hurtin' vibe, man, it hurts inside when I look you in yo eye [Chorus] What are you willing to do? Oh, tell me what you’re willing to do (Kiss it, kiss it better, baby) Oh, what are you willing to do? Oh, tell me what you’re willing to do (Kiss it, kiss it better, baby) [Verse 2] Been waitin' on that sunshine, boy I think I need that back Can't do it like that No one else gon' get it like that So why argue? You here, here to take me back Who cares, when it feels like crack? Boy, ya know that you always do it right [Pre-Chorus] Man, fuck yo pride Just take it on back, boy, take it on back, boy Take it back all night Just take it on back, take it on back Mmm, do what cha gotta do, keep me up all night Hurtin' vibe, man, it hurts inside when I look you in yo eye [Chorus] What are you willing to do? Oh, tell me what you’re willing to do (Kiss it, kiss it better, baby) Oh, what are you willing to do? Oh, tell me what you’re willing to do (Kiss it, kiss it better, baby) [Verse 3] I’ve been waitin' up all night Baby tell me what’s wrong? You're gonna make it right, make it all night long I’ve been waiting up all night Baby, tell me, what’s wrong? Going to make it right, make it all night long [Pre-Chorus] Man, fuck yo pride Just take it on back, boy, take it on back, boy Take it back all night Just take it on back, take it on back Mmm, do what cha gotta do, keep me up all night Hurtin' vibe, man, it hurts inside when I look you in yo eye [Chorus] What are you willing to do? Oh, tell me what you’re willing to do (Kiss it, kiss it better, baby) Oh, what are you willing to do? Oh, tell me what you’re willing to do (Kiss it, kiss it better, baby) What are you willing to do? Oh, tell me what you’re willing to do (Kiss it, kiss it better, baby) Oh, what are you willing to do? Oh, tell me what you’re willing to do (Kiss it, kiss it better, baby) [Outro] Kiss it, kiss it better, baby Kiss it, kiss it better, baby