American Oxygen
"American Oxygen" | ||||
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Single by Rihanna | ||||
Released | April 14, 2015 | |||
Recorded | 2014 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:20 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
Rihanna singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"American Oxygen" on YouTube |
"American Oxygen" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer
The song received mostly positive reviews from
Writing and production
She [Rihanna] just really made magic with that song and she made it her own. And the fact that her and Alex both helped craft the song and turned it into something that's bigger than me, it just means way more. The perspective that they gave to it, having it be this immigrant story, is something so cool and unique that I probably wouldn't have thought of had it not been for them.
—Sam Harris talking to Billboard about "American Oxygen"[1]
"American Oxygen" was written by Alex da Kid, Sam Harris, Candice Pillay and Rihanna. The production was done by Alex da Kid and the American rapper Kanye West.[2] The writing of the song began in 2014, and it continued over a course of one year. Originally, Alex da Kid sent the beats of the song to Harris who started writing some lyrics. In an interview with Billboard, Harris noted how "American Oxygen" really stuck with him and he started the chorus with a couple lines he wrote: "We worked on just that chorus for like three or four months, going back and forth, back and forth.... It goes to show you that sometimes these songs just appear out of nowhere and sometimes you just have to go at it like a block of marble and you're chipping away at it."[1] Harris explained how he and Alex da Kid wanted the chorus of the song to say a lot, even with a very small amount of lyrics in it. When they got the final chorus, the producer started to look for potential performers of the song.[1]
When the song came across Rihanna, she and Alex da Kid began to adjust the song. The singer and the producer co-wrote the verses together with Harris, "I wrote one thing and then Alex and Rihanna had the idea to turn it into this song about an immigrant story, coming to this country as an outsider... That was her idea, really, hers and Alex's, to turn it into that kind of song." Harris stated that the inspiration for starting to write "American Oxygen" was the 1984 single "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen.[1] According to Harris, "He [Springsteen] gets that there's pride to living here in this country. This country is great and has the potential to be something really, really incredible, but there are a lot of problems that we don't acknowledge and it's important to shed light on both those things. And if you can do that in a song, that's the best."[1] He also told the publication that they have their own version of "American Oxygen" too, however, according to him it means much more to be sung by Rihanna because she is a black female immigrant in the United States, "That is so powerful for a young kid to see her singing that song, it gets me choked up just thinking about it. It really was made so much more powerful by what she contributed to the songwriting and the performance of the song. I idolize her, and to have been given the opportunity to work with her is amazing."[1]
Release
"American Oxygen" was first featured on commercials which promoted the
Composition and lyrical interpretation
"American Oxygen" is a
Oh say can you see? This is the American dream
Young girl hustlin'
On the other side of the ocean.
You can be anything at all
In America, America.
I say, if you can't see,
Just close your eyes and breathe.[13]
Farber compared the lyrical content of the song to the one of the 2009 single "
Critical reception
"American Oxygen" attracted widespread praise by music critics.
Rob Le Donne of
Commercial performance
"American Oxygen" debuted at number 91 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for the issue dated May 2, 2015. For the week, it sold over 20,000 digital copies and was streamed 2.1 million times.[19] It peaked at number 78 on its second week on the chart and charted for four weeks total.
Music video
Development and synopsis
The
The video begins with Rihanna standing on the stairs of a building on which wall is a big American flag. During the moment, shadows of a number of people are screened on the wall. Scenes are intercut with a moment from the inauguration of the first ever black American president, Barack Obama. As the song begins Rihanna is shown singing the lyrics in front of a giant American flag. Other scenes such as rising up the flag, peaceful protests and imagery of a typical American family are also shown. Those are followed by inserts which include Martin Luther King Jr. and an American slave. Other scenes such as immigration in the country, the Apollo 11, the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute, Beatlemania, Occupy Wall Street, September 11 attacks and Black Lives Matter are also presented throughout the clip.[22][26][27][28] At one point Rihanna is seen wearing a parachute suit while a big parachute is hanging on her back, struggling to crawl with it. It ends with Rihanna losing off her parachute. She looks in the camera "intently" and "tilts her head in a mildly defiant, almost challenging way".[13]
Reception
In a review of the video, Alex Ungerman of
Daniel Kreps of
Live performances
On April 4, 2015, Rihanna performed at the Final Four of the
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2015[35] | MTV Video Music Award
|
Best Video with a Social Message | Nominated |
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Certifications
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Release history
Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | April 14, 2015 | Digital download |
|
[5] |
Brazil | [66] | |||
France | [67] | |||
Germany | [68] | |||
Italy | [69] | |||
New Zealand | [70] | |||
Spain | [71] | |||
United Kingdom | [72] | |||
Canada | April 16, 2015 | [6] | ||
United States | [73] | |||
April 20, 2015 | Hot/Modern/AC radio | [7] | ||
April 21, 2015 | Contemporary hit radio | [8] |
References
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- ^ Lewis, Corner (April 15, 2015). "Rihanna to release new song 'American Oxygen' on iTunes". Digital Spy. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ a b Kreps, Daniel (April 5, 2015). "Rihanna Debuts 'American Oxygen,' Slams RFRA at March Madness Fest". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ Lidner, Emilee (April 5, 2015). "Rihanna Gifts The Earth With New Song, American Oxygen'". MTV News. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- ^ a b "Music – American Oxygen – Single by Rihanna". iTunes Store (AU). Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ a b "Music – American Oxygen – Single by Rihanna". iTunes Store (CA). Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- ^ a b "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- ^ a b "Top 40/Mainstream Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
- ^ Daily News. New York. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- ^ Bacle, Ariana (April 5, 2015). "Rihanna debuts soulful 'American Oxygen' on Tidal". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- ^ Vulture. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Flanagin, Jake (April 16, 2015). "Rihanna's new video is a surprisingly powerful statement on immigration". Quartz. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
- ^ a b Tietjen, Alexa (April 16, 2015). "Rihanna Drops 'American Oxygen' for Everyone Who Doesn't Use Tidal". VH1. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- ^ Ramirez, Erika (April 6, 2015). "Rihanna Debuts 'American Oxygen' Video on Tidal". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- ^ "Rihanna's 'American Oxygen' Song Teased on Instagram". CBS Radio. March 9, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- Irish Times. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- ^ Le Donne, Rob (April 16, 2015). "Is Rihanna's American Oxygen an anthem for Eric Garner?". The Guardian. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
- ^ Trust, Gary (April 24, 2015). "Hot 100 Chart Moves: Rihanna Breathes Life Into Chart With 'American Oxygen'". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
- ^ Gottlieb, Steven (November 15, 2013). "Rihanna 'What Now' (Jeff Nicholas, Jonathan Craven, Darren Craig, dir.)". Videostatic. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
- ^ a b Gottlieb, Steven (April 17, 2015). "Rihanna 'American Oxygen' (Darren Craig, Jonathan Craven, Jeff Nicholas, dir.)". Videostatic. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Video: Rihanna - 'American Oxygen'". Rap-Up. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- Pitchfork Media. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- ^ a b Boardman, Madeline (April 16, 2015). "Video: Rihanna's Stunning "American Oxygen" Music Video Tells the Country's Story: Watch". Us Weekly. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
- ^ "Music Videos — American Oxygen by Rihanna". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved April 17, 2015.
- ^ a b Ungerman, Alex (April 6, 2015). "Rihanna Debuts 'American Oxygen' Video: Everything You Need to Know". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- ^ a b c Kreps, Daniel (April 6, 2015). "Watch Rihanna Get Political on 'American Oxygen' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Fleischer, Adam (April 6, 2015). "Rihanna Takes Us Through U.S. History With Her 'American Oxygen' Video". MTV News. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- ^ "WATCH: Rihanna Drops Patriotic Video For New Song 'American Oxygen'". Capital FM. April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- ^ Anastasiou, Zoe (April 16, 2015). "Rihanna Segues From Fashion to Activism in Latest Video, and More of Today's News". Style.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
- ^ Feeney, Nolan (April 6, 2015). "Watch Rihanna Get Political in 'American Oxygen' Video". Time. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
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- ^ "2015 VMA Nominations". MTV.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (April 25, 2015). "ARIA Singles: Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth Spend Third Week On Top". Noise11. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
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External links
- "American Oxygen" music video on YouTube