"Stay" is a song by the Barbadian singer Rihanna featuring American singer Mikky Ekko recorded for Rihanna's seventh album, Unapologetic (2012). It was released as the second single from the album on December 13, 2012. "Stay" was co-written by Ekko and Justin Parker. The song's lyrics speak of temptation and the inability to resist true love. Music critics were generally positive in their opinion regarding the balladry and most described it as a standout track on the album.
Upon the release of Unapologetic, "Stay" charted on multiple charts worldwide. Following its release as a single, it reached number one in Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Israel and the top five in twenty-four countries worldwide including Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Rihanna's twenty-fourth top ten on the chart, thus surpassing Whitney Houston's tally. Furthermore, it has charted at number one on the US Mainstream Top 40 chart and 16 on the Dance Club Songs chart. The single has sold over 10 million units worldwide.
The song's accompanying music video, directed by Sophie Muller, depicts Rihanna naked in a bathtub filled with cloudy water, while Ekko sings in a separate bathroom. Critics likened the vulnerability and raw emotion in the video to the song itself. Rihanna premiered "Stay" on Saturday Night Live in the United States, while she performed the song in the United Kingdom on the ninth series of The X Factor. Rihanna and Ekko also performed "Stay" at the 2013 Grammy Awards. The track was included on the set list of the majority of her 777 Tour promotional tour dates, in support of the album, while it was included on Rihanna's fifth headlining tour, the Diamonds World Tour in the encore and the opening song of her seventh headlining tour, the Anti World Tour.
Production and release
Rihanna began working on the new sound for her seventh studio album in March 2012, even though she had not yet begun recording. During the production of the album, several musicians and producers were recruited including American singer Mikky Ekko and producer Justin Parker. According to Ekko, the production of the album was massive: "Their pace is insane. They had the studios we were working in booked out for three months, on a cycle. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before." "Stay" was written and produced by Parker, Ekko and Elof Loelv. Initially, when they wrote the song, Ekko didn't like it because of its vulnerability; however, collaborators convinced him to listen to "Stay" again. After another listen, he understood that the song was very important to him, adding that "the track had become so special to me as well, and knowing what the track means to me and what I think it means to her too."
Shortly after Rihanna's management took over the song, Ekko met her in Los Angeles where she told him she already sang the vocals, about which he reacted positively. Rihanna's and Ekko's vocals were recorded at two recording locations by three people: Mike Gaydusek at NightBird Recording Studios and Marcos Tovar and Kuk Harrell at Westlake Recording Studios, both in Los Angeles. Vocal engineering was done by Gaydusek and assisted by Blake Mares and Robert Cohen. Vocal production was completed by Kuk Harrell. It was mixed by Phil Tan at Ninja Club Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. Additional production was performed by Daniella Rivera. "Stay" was sent to French radio on December 13, 2012, as the second single from Unapologetic. It later impacted the United Kingdom on January 7, 2013. In the United States, "Stay" was released to adult contemporary radio stations on January 28, 2013, and to contemporary hit radio and rhythmic contemporary radio the next day, as the third single in the country following "Diamonds" and "Pour It Up". It was released as a CD single in Germany on February 15, 2013.
Composition and lyrics
"Stay" is a pop and R&B ballad that consists of piano and bass guitar instrumentation. It is written in the key of C major, having the chord progression of C-Dm-Am-F. The song has a moderate tempo of 112 beats per minute. Rihanna's vocal range in the song ranges from the low note of A3 to the high note of E5. Greg Kot for the Chicago Tribune described the song as being "stripped-bare". The lyrics revolve around "failing to resist true love", according to Dan Martin for NME, as Rihanna sings "Funny, you're the broken one/ But I'm the only one who needed saving." According to Jocelyn Vena for MTV, Rihanna "punctuates the emotions of the track" on the lyric "It's not much of a life you're living/ It's not just something you take [it's] given." Rihanna also makes a plea to her lover, singing "'Round and around and around and around we go/ 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." Lewis Corner for Digital Spy wrote that Rihanna's vocals glow over the simple yet effective piano riffs.
Awards Year Ceremony Award Result2013MTV Video Music Award Best Female Video 2014iHeartRadio Music Awards Song of the Year Best Collaboration rowspan="5" Grammy Award Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Teen Choice Awards Choice Music: Break-Up SongWorld Music Awards World's Best Song World's Best Video
Critical reception "Stay" received favorable reviews from music critics. Jon Dolan for Rolling Stone was complimentary of Rihanna's execution of the song, writing that she performs it "within an inch of its life" and "pleads at the piano." Dolan continued to state that it is "stark" and "shadowy" which is "confrontationally honest." Dan Martin for NME described "Stay" as Unapologetics highlight, writing that it is a "gorgeous piano ballad." Martin continued to write that the song "puts a vulnerable spin on the Brown situation, repeating another theme of the album", a reference to her relationship with Chris Brown. Smokey Fontaine for The Huffington Post also praised "Stay", placing emphasis on Rihanna's vocal performance. He wrote that "Three years ago, no one would have paid attention to a beautiful piano-ballad like 'Stay.' Not because of the events we all witnessed, but because of how honest and emotionally-connected her vocals are."
Lewis Corner for Digital Spy awarded "Stay" four out of five stars, commenting that Rihanna "doesn't need all the controversial romp to top the charts." Corner also compared "Stay" to the work of "some of 2012's most successful female balladeers" Emeli Sandé and Lana Del Rey and concluded by stating that Rihanna "never [follows] the pack" but "[airs] her seemingly complex emotions through music's current trend." The song garnered a mixed review from Genevieve Koski for The A.V. Club, writing that the album is "heavy on the sort of milquetoast ballads that have never been Rihanna's specialty" with regard to "Stay" and "What Now". In addition, Jon Caramanica for The New York Times negatively critiqued the song, calling it "dull" and one of the "least texturally confrontational" on the album.
Chart performance North America
Following Rihanna and Ekko's performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards on February 10, 2013, the song entered the US Digital Songs chart at number 25 for the issue dated February 23, seeing a 289% increase in sales to 67,000 copies sold. It subsequently debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 57, rocketing to number three the week after, following the chart's new policy that allowed YouTube streaming to count towards the single's chart performance. The surge was also due to the large 358% increase of digital downloads to 306,000 sales sold that week, rising to number two on the Digital Songs chart. With the new Hot 100 peak, Rihanna gained her 24th top 10 on the chart, surpassing Whitney Houston's tally of 23. The following week, the song slipped to number seven, selling 213,000 copies while bounding from number 57 to 36 on the Radio Songs chart. In its third total week on the Hot 100, "Stay" rebounded to number five, selling 211,000 downloads and charging from number 36 to 23 on the Radio Songs chart. In its fourth week on the Hot 100, the song again climbed to number four, surging from number 23 to 16 on the Radio Songs chart, and increasing 12% in download sales to 236,000 copies sold. With this, "Stay" passed the one million downloads-sold barrier, becoming Rihanna's 27th title (including featured appearances) to reach the sales milestone. The following week it rose to number 11 on the Radio Songs chart, selling 222,000 digital copies. For the issue dated April 6, "Stay" ascended to number six on the Radio Songs chart, marking Rihanna's 22nd top 10 on the chart. With this, she trails only Mariah Carey (23) for the most top tens in the tally's archives. For the date issued, May 11, 2013, "Stay" topped the Radio Songs chart, marking Rihanna's 11th number one on the chart, thus tying her with Mariah Carey for the most leaders dating to the BDS-based chart's December 1990 inception. With the ascension, the song climbed from six to its previous peak of number three on the Hot 100.
"Stay" first charted in the United States on the Mainstream Top 40 chart at number 34, on the issue dated February 16, 2013. On the issue dated March 30, 2013, the song climbed into the top 10 of the chart at number nine. For the issue dated May 4, 2013, "Stay" rose from number two to one on the Pop Songs chart, tallying her 10th leader. With this, she broke a tie with Katy Perry for the most toppers in the chart's 20-year history. Also notably, "Stay" is only the second piano-and-vocal-only number one to have ruled Pop Songs, following Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man". "Stay" debuted on the US Dance Club Songs chart at number 47 for the issue dated March 30, 2013. "Stay" also became Rihanna's third top ten on the Adult Pop Songs chart, charting at number two. Furthermore, it peaked at number five on the Adult Contemporary chart. By July 2013, "Stay" had sold over 3 million digital copies, marking Rihanna's 10th song to pass the three million sales mark. The song became the 10th best-selling song of 2013 in the US, with 3,854,000 copies sold for the year. As of June 2015, the song has sold 4,480,000 copies in the US.
The song entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number 58, for the week dated December 8, 2012. It re-entered the chart for the week of February 23, 2013, at number 37. The following week, it leaped to number three, where it remained for a further week before climbing to number two for the week of March 16, 2013. The following week, "Stay" reached number one, becoming Rihanna's eighth single to top the chart, and second consecutive following "Diamonds". It remained number one for three consecutive weeks.
Europe and Oceania