This is the laziest opinion by a critic I have ever heard…lol. “Critics … have called “Russian Roulette” disappointing because it fails to send such a cut-and-dry message about picking up and moving on.” This happened to me and it can happen to anybody.” Beyond that, Rihanna (the person) deserves credit for surviving, for ultimately leaving Brown, and for speaking frankly about her experiences. Still, Rihanna (and the pop empire behind her) deserve props for creating a somewhat nuanced song that goes beyond the typical two-option pop depiction - staying or going - and expresses the entrapment and the difficulty of leaving.
Unfortunately but inevitably, Rihanna contributes to some of the sensationalizing she is after all making an album that will sell millions of copies, so “Russian Roulette” is not exactly an unequivocal feminist triumph. The greatest lesson in the Chris Brown/Rihanna abuse case is the way that popular culture sensationalizes and fails to understand dating violence. I’m more convinced that it’s justifiable in this case than in Keri Hilson’s “Knock You Down,” for example.
Still, the violent language in this song seems to be used in the service of understanding the violent phenomenon of abuse. Plus, the song ends with a gunshot: a disturbing image that might urge acceptance or glorification of violence, rather than discouraging it. The song’s violent imagery echoes the fixation on guns and violence that permeates much pop music these days. It’s hard to tell if her artistic choices are meant to express her true pain or to try to capitalize on it.
In images advertising the song and album, Rihanna appears wrapped in barbed wire with an eye patch supposedly intended to symbolize her bruised face. “Russian Roulette” was apparently written by her (male) collaborator Ne-Yo. Rihanna herself is both a person and a carefully crafted, marketable image. As with any pop music creation, it’s important to remember all the layers of money-centered manufacturing behind the song. The song’s categorization of conflicting emotions (“I’m terrified, but I’m not leaving”) speaks more honestly to the complexities of abuse.īut let’s not get too optimistic. It’s likely that many fans wanted to see Rihanna stamping out such a straight-up revenge ballad - something more along the lines of her earlier hit, “Take a Bow,” where she warns her cheating partner to get off her lawn before the sprinklers come on.īut “Russian Roulette” is a more complicated song, and one that, in the end, does more to further popular understandings of abuse than songs like “Take a Bow.” As Rihanna noted in a recent interview on ABC, women in abusive relationships attempt to break up with their partners an average of seven, eight, or even nine times (depending on different estimates) before they actually leave for good. So just pull the trigger.”Ĭritics have compared the song these-boots-were-made-for-walking-esque breakup songs (a la Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”), and have called “Russian Roulette” disappointing because it fails to send such a cut-and-dry message about picking up and moving on. The chorus expresses a sense of the entrapment and self-blame that often characterize abuse: “I’m terrified, but I’m not leaving. Russian roulette - a game in which the players alternate pulling the trigger of a gun containing only one bullet while the gun is pressed to each of their heads in turn - appears to be a metaphor for the feeling of helplessness that can come with abuse: the feeling that violence or death could strike at any moment.
The lyrics compare dating violence to a game of Russian roulette, in which an unnamed “him” forces “her” to play the deadly game. The single’s release comes as Rihanna has begun speaking openly about her relationship with Brown in interviews with ABC and Glamour magazine. Her new single, “Russian Roulette,” is Rihanna’s first attempt to make marketable pop out of her experience. Ever since the infamous break-up of Rihanna and her abusive partner, Chris Brown, fans have been waiting for Rihanna to release a song about Brown’s violence.