Rihanna’s hit, “Stay,” is a song about romantic desires that are held back by the fear of vulnerability.

Rihanna’s Process

Rihanna has said that her songwriting method is often reversed compared to what others in the industry might expect, and she believes this comes from her own limitations as a musician. Since she didn’t know how to play an instrument early in her career, she had to rely on her strong musical ear to create acapella loops. She would layer her voice over these loops and then add the fundamental rhythm elements afterward, such as stomps and claps. After that, she would start to think about what the bass should be doing.

In a YouTube video, Rihanna said, “While I was there on that first trip, I wound up writing Stay with Justin Parker. I was able to get in the room with people who were way better than me or sort of better than me or just had their own lane, and I was doing a lot of exploring.”

Rihanna went to the U.K. to find herself, hoping to find a place where she could define her sound and style without the pressure of name recognition, even though she didn’t feel very well-known in the U.S. at the time either. During this change of scene, she worked on the song with Justin Parker.

“Stay” is all about a struggle with intimacy and how vulnerable you are when you can see that you truly need someone. Sometimes when you’re afraid, it can make you inadvertantly ruin the very thing or person you so desperately wanted.

Rihanna sings about how she has distanced herself from others because of this fear, including the one she loves. She also suggests the underlying feeling that she needs to protect herself.

Lyrics That Waste No Time

The opening stanza sets a provocative tone:

“All along it was a fever / A cold sweat, hot-headed believer / I threw my hands in the air, said, ‘Show me something’ / He said, ‘If you dare, come a little closer'”

These lines suggest a tempestuous love affair that isn’t all chocolates and roses. The two are definitely vibing on each other, but there is a clear element of friction as well.

“It’s not much of a life you’re living / It’s not just something you take, it’s given”

These lines include a confession that the fear is still a struggle for her:

“Not really sure how to feel about it Something in the way you move / Makes me feel like I can’t live without you / It takes me all the way I want you to stay”

In the end, the song’s narrator decides she needs this man in her life too much, and so it no longer matters how afraid she is to be vulnerable.

“Oh, the reason I hold on / Oh, ’cause I need this hole gone”

Mikky Ekko, one of the song’s co-writers, felt quite strongly about his lyrics. It’s no surprise, then, that he “freaked out” once he heard that Rihanna had laid down her vocals.

Lyrics

All along it was a fever
A cold sweat, hot headed believer
I threw my hands in the air, said, “Show me something”
He said, “If you dare, come a little closer”

‘Round and around and around and around we go
Oh, now tell me now, tell me now, tell me now you know

Not really sure how to feel about it
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can’t live without you
It takes me all the way
I want you to stay

It’s not much of a life you’re living
It’s not just something you take, it’s given

Round and around and around and around we go
Oh, now tell me now, tell me now, tell me now you know

Not really sure how to feel about it
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can’t live without you
It takes me all the way
And I want you to stay

Ooh, the reason I hold on
Ooh, ’cause I need this hole gone
Well, funny you’re the broken one
But I’m the only one who needed saving
‘Cause when you never see the light
It’s hard to know which one of us is caving

Not really sure how to feel about it
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can’t live without you
It takes me all the way
I want you to stay
Stay
I want you to stay
Ooh

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: John Stephen Sudduth / Justin Parker / Mikky Ekko

Stay lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Listeners of music from the 2010’s, might also appreciate the song We are young by Fun