Where Have You Been Deconstructed

What do you get when some of today’s top songwriters collaborate on a track for one of the world’s hottest recording artists? A top charting hit, of course!

Where Have You Been was the 5th single released from Rihanna’s Talk That Talk album, and to-date has landed in the top 10 on twenty-three charts in sixteen Countries, and is currently topping the U.S. and UK. Dance charts.

There were numerous elements that worked together in making Where Have You Been such an engaging, infectious and memorable song. Some of the many factors explored within the report include:

It Provides Multiple Payoffs for the Listener
Most songs provide the listener with one “payoff,”, usually occurring in the chorus. Where Have You Been provides the listener with THREE, one of which occurs via the initial tension relief at the onset of the Chorus coming out of the build in Pre-Chorus-B.

It Breaks The Rules
Where Have You Been breaks “traditional Pop rules” when it comes to form and total section composition. For example, most dance oriented hit Pop songs allocate the vast majority of time to the chorus, followed by the verse (averaging a mid-40% / mid-20% split). Where Have You Been devotes just 25% of the song to the Chorus, the same amount of time that it devotes to the pre-chorus. Additionally, the Instrumental Break sections are given as much weight as the verses, encompassing 19% of the total song.

Tension Build & Release
One of the strongest aspects of Where Have You Been is the manner in which the tension and momentum builds and releases throughout the song, brought about both in Rihanna’s vocal delivery and in the music. The result is that the listener is always kept on the “edge of their seat,” waiting for that release that comes in the “payoff” sections.

Read this report to:

• Get an in-depth rundown of all of the elements that went into making Where Have You Been a global hit, including structure, lyrics, melody, momentum & much more.

• Get tips on how to incorporate these elements into your own songwriting and producing to help take your craft to the next level!