"Desperado" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

for her eighth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''

Anti Anti may refer to: *Anti-, a prefix meaning "against" *Änti, or Antaeus, a half-giant in Greek and Berber mythology *A false reading of ''Nemty'', the name of the ferryman who carried Isis to Set's island in Egyptian mythology * Áńt’į, or ...

'' (2016). It was written and produced by

Mick Schultz Michael Abram Schultz (born March 30, 1989) is an American music producer and songwriter. His most notable accomplishments to date include the production of Jeremih’s debut and second albums, including the multi-platinum hits "Birthday Sex", " ...

with additional writing by Krystin "Rook Monroe" Watkins, Rihanna, Iman Jordan,

James Fauntleroy James Edward Fauntleroy II (born May 16, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. He is best known for writing credits on tracks by high-profile artists such as Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, Kendrick ...

and Derrus Rachel. During the recording process of ''Anti'', Rihanna rented a house in Malibu over several months and started extensively writing and composing music with her team consisting of various musicians. One of the songwriters in the house was Krystin "Rook Monroe" Watkins. He together with American producer

worked on the song. Their efforts resulted in mid-tempo song feature deep synths and vocal samples. Following the album's release "Desperado" was met with positive reviews who praised the song for its

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

themes. On June 9, 2017, a dance remixes

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

was released via the

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for digital download and streaming on

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and

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. It topped the US

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart, becoming her fifth to do so in 2017; Rihanna became the only act to score as many number ones within a year. "Desperado" also became her seventh from ''Anti'', the second only album to have produced as many, and her thirty-second single in total.

Writing and recording

During the writing and recording process for Rihanna's eighth studio album, ''

'', the singer was staying in a rented house in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...

where she was accompanied by various musicians. One of the songwriters in the house was Krystin "Rook Monroe" Watkins. He together with American producer

had previously worked on a track, so he invited him over to the house, as he thought that Rihanna might be interested in the song. In an interview for ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', Schultz recalled, "I hadn’t even heard anything she was doing, so it was like completely a blind thing. But my friend Rook, who wrote the song, he was over there and he invited me to come over, so that was like a random chain of events that turned out to work but that’s not always the case. I don’t usually just bring in something like that randomly." Westlake Recording Studios

Work on "Desperado" continued during Schultz and Monroe's stay in the house, where they were joined by Rihanna,

and Derrus Rachel for the final result. For the developing process of the song, Schultz, who also produced it, commented, "One thing led to another and she cut it but I actually never really presented the record to her. Hey but if I did, I would’ve probably been like, "Hey, this is Rihanna. This is crazy." "Desperado" was recorded at the Westlake Beverly Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Rihanna's vocals were recorded by Marcos Tovar and

Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream, Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In ...

; the latter also did the vocal production of the song. The recording process was assisted by Thomas Warren. In addition to co-writing it, Watkins and Fauntleroy also provided additional vocal arrangement to "Desperado"; the latter also sang additional

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

. The

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

in the track was played by Mick Schultz, while the

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

was provided by Brian Schultz. The mixing of Desperado was done by Manny Marroquin at the Larabee Studios in Universal City with Chris Galland and Ike Schultz serving as the mixing assistants. Chris Gehringer did the mastering at the Sterling Sound Studios in New York City. On June 9, 2017, a dance remixes

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

was released via the

for digital download and streaming on

and

. The EP features four remixes of "Desperado" done by MK, 3LAU,

Andrelli Andrej Kamnik, better known by his stage name Andrelli, is a Swedish DJ and producer. He is best known for remixing Hearts & Colors' song Lighthouse and Lady Gaga's song " Million Reasons". Early life and career Kamnik started playing the pi ...

and Fairlane.

Composition and lyrical interpretation

"Desperado" is a song with a length of three minutes and six seconds. It features a "mid-tempo groove, bell ringing and shuddering drums, along with deep synths and vocal samples." Jordan Bassett of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' described the track as "brooding" and "tense" and according to him, it has "buzzy"

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, or classical music for the low-pitched Part ( ...

and "ghostly" background vocals. Lyrically, it sees Rihanna running towards her love interest who although doesn't seem impressing, she still sings, "There ain’t nothing for me here any more / But I don’t wanna be alone." Bianca Gracie of

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

described the song as one of the more chilling tracks on the album and suggested that on it, Rihanna channels "her inner sinister

anti-hero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...

". In his review of ''Anti'', Billy Johnson Jr. of

Yahoo! Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Man ...

stated that the title of the song, "Desperado", has multiple meanings; firstly, it references American West movies with phrases like "saddle up" and second "Rihanna is obviously desperate to skip town". ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

Amanda Petrusich Amanda Petrusich (born c. 1980) is an American music journalist. She is a staff writer at ''The New Yorker'' and the author of three books: ''Pink Moon'' (2007), '' It Still Moves: Lost Songs, Lost Highways, and the Search for the Next American M ...

analyzed the line "I can be a lone wolf" during which her vocals crack deeply. According to her, the song is about "self-isolation, and how being good at being on your own can become its own kind of albatross, a cage that bars from the inside." Jason Lipshutz of

Fuse Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...

wrote that in the song Rihanna is "swaying between the decision to stay and the impulse to leave".

Chart performance

"Desperado" debuted inside the top 50 of the United States ''Billboard''

chart at number 42 on August 12, 2017, with a 'gains in performance' tag. It continued to make chart gains week on week before breaking into the top 10 at number nine on September 16, 2017."Desperado" made weekly gains in performance for four weeks prior to breaking into the top 10: * * * * It reached number-one for the chart issue dated October 14, 2017, in its eleventh week. The track became Rihanna's thirty-second number-one song on the chart, distancing herself from

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

in third position with 22 and narrowing the gap with record holder

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

who has 46. ''Billboard'' writer Gordon Murray commented that Rihanna is becoming ever closer to Madonna's record "at an astounding rate," and noted that she had attained nine number-ones since Madonna last topped the chart with "

Bitch I'm Madonna "Bitch I'm Madonna" is a song by American singer Madonna from her thirteenth studio album, ''Rebel Heart'' (2015), featuring guest vocals from rapper Nicki Minaj. The artists co-wrote the song with MoZella, Toby Gad, Ariel Rechtshaid, Diplo, a ...

" featuring

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

in August 2015. It is also her fifth number-one of 2017, following " Love on the Brain", "

Sex with Me "Sex with Me" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her eighth studio album, '' Anti'' (2016); it is one of three bonus tracks included on the deluxe edition. She wrote the song in collaboration with PartyNextDoor, Chester Hansen, ...

", "

Pose Human positions refer to the different physical configurations that the human body can take. There are several synonyms that refer to human positioning, often used interchangeably, but having specific nuances of meaning. *''Position'' is a gen ...

" and "

Wild Thoughts "Wild Thoughts" is a song by American musician DJ Khaled featuring Barbadian singer Rihanna and American singer Bryson Tiller. It was released on June 16, 2017, by We the Best Music Group, We the Best and Epic Records as the third single from Khal ...

" (by

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper. Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station WEDR, 99 Ja ...

featuring herself and

Bryson Tiller Bryson Djuan Tiller (born January 2, 1993) is an American singer and rapper. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he began his career in 2011 with a mixtape entitled ''Killer Instinct Vol. 1''. Tiller initially gained mainstream success in 2015 follow ...

), the most by an act in a calendar year in the 41-year history of the chart; Rihanna had previously topped the chart four times in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2016, as had Beyoncé in 2009,

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

in 2009 and 2010 and

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

in 2014. "Desperado" is additionally the seventh song from her eighth studio album ''

'' (2016) to reach number-one, following "

Work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an animal t ...

" (featuring

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

), "

Kiss It Better "Kiss It Better" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her eighth studio album, ''Anti'' (2016). It was written and produced by Jeff Bhasker and Glass John, with additional writing by Teddy Sinclair and Rihanna. The song was serviced to rad ...

", "

Needed Me "Needed Me" is a song by Barbadian singer and songwriter Rihanna from her eighth studio album, ''Anti'' (2016). It was written by Rihanna, Brittany Hazard, Charles Hinshaw and Derrus Rachel together with its producer DJ Mustard and its co-prod ...

", "Love on the Brain", "Sex with Me" and "Pose", tying it with '' Teenage Dream'' (2010) by Perry (who first scored seven between 2010–12) for the album with the most number-one songs.

Cover versions

In celebration of their fifteen year old EP "Black Rooster", American indie rock band

The Kills The Kills are an English-American rock duo formed by American singer Alison "VV" Mosshart and English guitarist Jamie "Hotel" Hince. They are signed to Domino Records. Their first four albums, '' Keep On Your Mean Side'', ''No Wow'', ''Midni ...

released an EP that featured acoustic versions of new and old songs. Included was an acoustic version of their original cover of Rihanna's "Desperado", which they originally unveiled in 2016. Accompanying the announcement, the band shared their latest rendition of "Desperado" on YouTube. The cover was released with a video featuring footage from the EP recording sessions.

Formats and track listing

*Dance Remixes – EP #"Desperado" ( MK Remix) – 3:35 #"Desperado" ( 3LAU Remix) – 3:24 #"Desperado" (

Remix) – 3:03 #"Desperado" (Fairlane Remix) – 3:29

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Rihanna's official website. Locations * Recorded at Westlake Beverly Recording Studios in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California * Mixed at Larrabee Studios in Universal City, California * Mastering at Sterling Sound Studios in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, New York Personnel * Rihanna – vocals, writing * Krystin "Rook Monroe" Watkins – writing, additional vocal arrangement * Mick Schultz – writing, production, guitar * Iman Jordan - writing, production * James Fauntleroy – writing, additional vocal arrangement, additional background vocals * Derrus Rachel – writing * Kuk Harrell – vocal production, vocal recording * Marcos Tovar – vocal recording * Kuk Harrell – vocal recording, vocal production * Thomas Warren – vocal recording assistant * Brian Schultz – bass guitar * Manny Marroquin – mixing * Ike Schultz – mixing assistant * Chris Galland – mixing assistant * Chris Gehringer – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2016 songs Songs written by Mick Schultz Songs written by Rihanna Rihanna songs Songs about loneliness Songs written by James Fauntleroy