Only Girl (In the World)

Story of Song

Rihanna approached the Norwegian producers Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen, saying that she wanted to have fun and produce happy, up-tempo songs. Hermansen explained further: “’Only Girl in the World’ was the first song created for Loud, and Rihanna decided to include it on the album before recording her vocals.” In a web chat with fans, Rihanna talked about the evolution of her album Loud, saying: “I didn’t want to go backward and remake Good Girl Gone Bad. I wanted the next step in the evolution of Rihanna, and it’s perfect for us. You guys are always defending me, so now you’ve got some great songs to justify it.”

Release date

Released September 10, 2010

Songwriter/s

Crystal Johnson – Mikkel S. Eriksen – Tor Erik Hermansen – Sandy Wilhelm

Label

Def Jam – SRP

Chart Rankings

In the UK, the song topped the Official Charts Company, selling over 1.115 million copies. The British phonographic Industry (BPI) certified it Double Platinum. In the US, ‘Only Girl’ became Rihanna’s fourth number 1 single, making her the first ever female artist to reach that many number 1 hits in a single year. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it 6 times Platinum for sales over 3.6 million copies. It was also the first time in the chart’s history that an album’s lead single reached number 1 after its second single. This worldwide hit topped the charts in several countries around the world, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, and Slovakia. The song reached the top 5 in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Romania.  ‘Only Girl’ was certified 7 times Platinum in Australia, and Double Platinum in Switzerland. In Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain, and Sweden, it was certified Platinum.

 

Artist’s age on release date

Robyn Rihanna Fenty, aka Rihanna, was 22 years old when she released this song.

Cover Versions

Katy Perry – Ellie Goulding – Ariana Grande – Boyce Avenue – Teemid & Makeda Purple – Stepan (The Voice Kids) – Tori Kelly – Hot Play – FLR Project – Aston Band – Hobbie Stuart – Leander Rising – Adam Lee (Guitar cover) – Conor – Mike Tompkins (A Capella cover) – Other amateur artists covered this song on Youtube.