Get ready to have your mind blown! The writer behind Rihanna’s hit “SOS” just revealed that the second verse is actually a clever string of ’80s song titles! Yep, the lyrics are packed with iconic tracks from the decade, and according to the writer, “no one” has ever figured it out—until now.
The verse goes:
“Take on me (a-ha), you know inside you feel it right / Take me on, I could just die up in your arms tonight / I melt with you, you got me head over heels / Boy, you keep me hangin’ on, the way you make me feel.”
Just to break it down for you, here are the ’80s songs referenced in the verse:
- “Take on Me” by A-ha (with the lyric “Take me on”)
- “I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight” by Cutting Crew
- “I Melt With You” by Modern English
- “Head Over Heels” by Tears for Fears
- “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (1986 cover by Kim Wilde)
- “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson
And it doesn’t stop there—the music itself pays homage to the ’80s by sampling “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell.
In a recent interview, the lyric writer said he did it because he thought it would be “super clever,” and surprisingly, no one seemed to pick up on the ’80s tribute hidden in plain sight.
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