Umbrella

In this song, Rihanna comforts her partner by singing about how she will be there for him in good times and bad. She knows there will be some rough times, which she articulates in the lyrics: Baby 'cause in the dark you can't see shiny cars And that's when you need me there With you I'll always share The umbrella is a metaphor for her support, which she promises to provide. "An umbrella is protection, it protects you from rain," Rihanna explained. "The rain in this case is negativeness and vulnerability."

"Umbrella" was undoubtably the song of the summer in 2007. In America, it hit #1 in early June and stayed at the top for seven weeks.

Jay-Z, who signed Rihanna and was her label boss at Def Jam, does the rap at the beginning, adding some serious star power to the track. Jay kicks off the action with some weather metaphors to set the stage: No clouds in my stones Let it rain, I hydroplane in the bank His verse also introduces Rihanna with a sly movie reference: Little Miss Sunshine, Rihanna, where you at? The movie Little Miss Sunshine, released the previous year, was a surprise hit and picked up a bunch of awards.