Farewell (Rihanna song)

"Farewell"
Song by Rihanna from the album Talk That Talk
Recorded 2011; Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg (Paris) ; Fasthalle Venue Dressing Room (Frankfurt)
Genre
Length 4:16
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Talk That Talk track listing

"Watch n' Learn"
(10)		 "Farewell"
(11)		 "Red Lipstick"
(12)

"Farewell" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk (2011). The song was written by Ester Dean and Alexander Grant, with production helmed by Grant under his production name Alex da Kid. Instrumentation consists of a piano.

Music critics were divided in their response to "Farewell". Rihanna's vocal performance was praised and criticized alike, with some critics citing the song as her best vocal performance to date, while others wrote it lacked any sense of feeling. It also received comparisons to Beyoncé's "Halo" and Adele's "Someone like You", as well as Rihanna's own "Fire Bomb" (from her album Rated R). Upon the release of Talk That Talk, the song debuted at number 69 on the South Korea Gaon International Chart and number 155 on the UK Singles Chart.

Composition and lyrics
"Farewell"
A 20-second sample of the song's chorus, which features the lyrics "Even though it kills me that you have to go/ I know I'd be sadder if you didn't hit the road". Melissa Maerz for Entertainment Weekly described Rihanna's execution of the lyrics as "[wailing]."[1]
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The song was written by Ester Dean and Alexander Grant, with production helmed by Grant under his production name Alex da Kid.[2] "Farewell" contains lyrics that revolve around saying goodbye to a lover who is not able to be physically present in the relationship for long periods of time.[1][3] Instrumentation consists of a piano.[4] The song was composed in the key of G major and set in common time signature, and has a moderately slow tempo of 88 beats per minute. Rihanna's vocals span from the low note of G3 to the high note of D5.[5] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard magazine noted that the song's structure was similar to Beyoncé Knowles' song "Halo",[6] while Priya Elan for NME wrote that the song was reminiscent of Rihanna's song "Fire Bomb", from her fourth studio album, Rated R (2009).[7] Lipshutz also noted that Rihanna delivered the bridge with "powerhouse" vocals.[6] A reviewer for Flavour Magazine wrote that Rihanna displayed "great vocals" in the lyric "Somebody's gonna miss you ... Farewell."[8] Melissa Maerz for Entertainment Weekly wrote that Rihanna "wails" the lyrics "'Even though it kills me that you have to go/ I know I'd be sadder if you didn't hit the road."[1]

Critical reception

Music critics were divided on "Farewell"; Rihanna's vocal performance was praised as well as criticized. Kyle Jamon for Parlé Magazine wrote that "Farewell" is a "fitting finish to an album that presents a brand new Rihanna."[9] He praised the song for not incorporating a "morbid" feel or "dark" tones, which were prominent on Rated R.[9] T'Cha Dunlevy for The Montreal Gazette described the song as "epic," and is a "stark contrast" to the songs which appear before it on the album, specifically "Roc Me Out" and "Watch n' Learn".[3] A reviewer for Flavour Magazine described the song as "epic" and "heart-curdling".[8] The reviewer concluded by writing that "Farewell" is a "winning end" to Talk That Talk.[8] Pip Ellwood for Entertainment-Focus wrote that the song "puts paid to any criticism concerning Rihanna's vocal ability."[10] Claire Suddath for Time Entertainment did not praise nor criticize "Farewell," but simply wrote that it is an "obligatory torch ballad that every female pop singer is required to include on an album these days."[11]

Andy Kellman from Allmusic was critical of the ballads "Farewell" and "We All Want Love", labeling the former as "bombastic" and the latter "drippy."[12] Jon Caramanica for The New York Times called "Farewell" the most "bombastic" song on Talk That Talk, and cited his reason as "it's tough to tell if the words have feeling, because Rihanna's voice doesn't."[13] Nathan Slavik for DJ Booth was critical of the song, writing that it lacked any originality.[14] Slavik continued to write that the song is not necessarily bad, but it is "not good in any meaningful way."[14] Simon Price of The Independent slated "Farewell", writing that it is a "shameless rewrite" of Adele's "Someone like You".[15]

Track listing

  1. "Farewell" – 4:16

Credits and personnel

Recording
Personnel

  • Songwriting – Ester Dean, Alexander Grant
  • Production  – Alex da Kid
  • Vocal recording and production – Kuk Harrell, Marcos Tovar
  • Assistant vocal recording – Jennifer Rosales
  • Mixing – Manny Mannoquin
  • Assistant mixing – Erik Madrid, Chris Galland
  • Additional instrumentation (Bass, guitar and piano) – J. Browz

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Talk That Talk, Def Jam Recordings, SRP Records.[2]

Charts

Upon the release of Talk That Talk, "Farewell" charted in South Korea and the United Kingdom on the strength of digital download sales. The song debuted on the South Korea Gaon International Chart at number 69 on November 26, 2011, with sales of 6,547 digital downloads.[17] It also debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 155 in the chart issue December 3, 2011.[18]

Chart (2011) Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon Chart)[17] 69
UK Singles Chart (OCC)[18] 155

References

  1. 1 2 3 Maerz, Melissa (2011-11-17). "Talk That Talk review  – Rihanna Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2011-11-17.
  2. 1 2 Talk That Talk (liner notes). Rihanna. Def Jam Recordings, SRP Records. 2011.
  3. 1 2 Dunlevy, T'Cha (2011-11-21). "Review: Rihanna's Talk That Talk". The Montreal Gazette. Alan Allnutt. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  4. ↑ Thrills, Adrian (2011-11-18). "It seems even pop's most provocative princess is a romantic at heart... Rihanna reveals she just wants love". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  5. ↑ "Rihanna – Farewell Sheet Music (Digital Download)". Musicnotes.com. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Lipshutz, Jason (2011-11-17). "Rihanna, 'Talk That Talk': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
  7. ↑ Elan, Priya (2011-11-18). "Album Review: Rihanna  – 'Talk That Talk'". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
  8. 1 2 3 "Flavour Review: Rihanna – 'Talk That Talk'". Flavour Magazine. 2011-11-23. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  9. 1 2 Jarmon, Kyle. "'Talk That Talk' – Rihanna album review". Parlé. Parlé Magazine. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
  10. ↑ Ellwood, Pip (2011-11-24). "Rihanna – Talk That Talk". Entertainment-Focus. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  11. ↑ Suddath, Claire (2011-11-21). "Music Monday: Rihanna's Talk That Talk". Time Entertainment. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  12. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Talk That Talk  – Rihanna". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  13. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (2011-11-21). "Rihanna's 'Talk That Talk' Synth-Perfect for an Earlier Time". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  14. 1 2 Slavik, Nathan. "Rihanna – Talk That Talk". DJ Booth. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  15. ↑ Price, Simon (2011-11-20). "Album: Rihanna, Talk That Talk (Mercury)". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  16. ↑ "Talk That Talk (Deluxe Edition)-Rihanna". iTunes Store (US). Apple. 2011-11-11. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  17. 1 2 "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: November 20, 2011 to November 26, 2011)". Gaon Chart. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  18. 1 2 "UK Singles Chart: CLUK Update (3.12.2011 – week 48)". Zobbel.de. Retrieved December 18, 2011.

External links

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