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"Umbrella"
Single by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z from the album Good Girl Gone Bad
Released	March 29, 2007 (U.S.) May 14, 2007 (UK) May 25, 2007 (EU)
Format	12" maxi single, CD single, digital download
Recorded	2007
Genre	Pop, R&B
Length	4:14 (radio edit) 3:46 (radio edit w/o rap) 4:35 (album version)
Label	Def Jam
Writer	Jay-Z, Terius "The Dream" Nash, Christopher Stewart
Producer	Terius "The Dream" Nash, Christopher Stewart
Rihanna singles chronology
"Break It Off" (2007)	"Umbrella" (2007)	"Shut Up and Drive" (2007)
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Hollywood" (2006)	"Umbrella" (2007)	"Kingdom Come" (2007)

"Umbrella" is a pop song written by Terius "The Dream" Nash, Christopher Stewart and Jay-Z for Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). Featuring vocals by Jay-Z, it was released the album's lead single during the second quarter of 2007 (see 2007 in music).

Contents 1 Grammy Awards Nomanations 2 Single release 2.1 Sample 3 Promotion 4 Music video 5 Chart performance 6 Charts 7 Remixes and Other Versions 7.1 Other remixes 8 Cover versions 8.1 Impact of weather 9 External links 10 References

The song received positive reviews, and charted highly around the globe, becoming Rihanna's biggest-selling single to date. "Umbrella" has recently been nominated for Song of the Year, Record Of The Year, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 50th Grammy Awards.

According to the songwriter The-Dream, "Umbrella" was actually offered to Mary J. Blige^[1] and Britney Spears^[2], before being picked up by Rihanna.

In many parts of the United States, the single was released on March 28, 2007,^[3] although its official release date was the following day.^[4] The song premiered on the New York radio station Hot 97 and on her official website on March 29 at 5:00pm EST.

"Umbrella" premiered on UK radio station BBC Radio 1 on the Scott Mills show. It was released digitally in Britain on May 14, 2007, with the physical CD release following exactly two weeks later, and one week before the release of the album.^[5][6]

Many major radio stations across the United States have played versions of the song that either shortened or completely removed Jay-Z's rap. On the issue dated April 28, 2007, "Umbrella" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety-one. It eventually went on to spend seven weeks at number-one and is Rihanna’s fifth Top 10 Hot 100 single in under two years.

The beat from "Umbrella" is called Vintage Funk Kit 03, and is a loop taken from Apple's GarageBand, a musical production application.

Rihanna made formal appearances all over the United Kingdom. She also performed three of her new songs in Preston at the BBC Radio One One Big Weekend event. At a mini/promotional concert, she performed "Umbrella", "Shut Up and Drive" and "Breakin' Dishes". Rihanna also performed "Umbrella" at the MTV Movie Awards 2007. In Germany, she performed the track exclusively at Viva Live, and the 42nd edition of the highly popular chart show The Dome. "Umbrella" was also performed live on Live Earth, GMTV, Loose Women, Blue Peter, Kiss Concert 2007, Sprint Concert, Zoopotia Show, Stripped Show, Canadian Idol, 106 & Park and The View.

The music video was shot on April 13, 2007,^[7] and was directed by Chris Applebaum. It premiered at 10:00a.m. on April 26, 2007 at http://www.thisisrihanna.com. Downloads were made available for those in the U.S. only. The video was released on the iTunes Store on May 11, 2007, and remained at number-one for eight weeks.

The video begins with Jay-Z rapping in a rain of sparks. Rihanna then starts singing in a steamy environment. During the first chorus, she can be seen apparently walking around en pointe. Later, she is seen nude and painted silver (which some people reference as based off of Madonna's music video 'Fever'). In the endcap of the video, she dances with her umbrella amid a shower of sparks falling like rain.

There are two different versions of the video. The version that premiered on MTV on April 30, 2007 differs from the online version in that water effects were added during the splashing sequence. This version is shown on television stations and on some websites. On May 14, 2007, the "Umbrella" video premiered on BET’s 106 & Park at number nine before reaching its peak of number four; it was Rihanna’s first video to chart on the countdown since her debut single, "Pon de Replay", in 2005. On May 1, 2007, "Umbrella" debuted on MTV’s Total Request Live at number ten, and by May 9, it had reached the number one spot and stayed there for fifteen days, making it the longest running number one for 2007.

The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards nominees were announced at 2:00p.m. on Tuesday, August 7, 2007, with "Umbrella" being nominated for five awards, including "Female Artist of the Year", "Video of the Year" and "Monster Single of the Year". It won the latter two.^[8]

The music video for "Umbrella" became the most played video ever on MTV Poland, beating Madonna’s "Hung Up".

"Umbrella" spent seven weeks at number-one in the United States and dominated radio airplay for the first half of the summer. On the issue dated June 9, 2007, "Umbrella" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart after a jump of forty places, from number forty-one to the top; the track was downloaded a total of 277,000 times in the United States alone, the highest debut-week sum since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking downloads in 2003.^[9] "Umbrella" was Rihanna’s second number-one single (after "SOS"), and both songs have records for two of the biggest jumps to number-one on the Hot 100 chart. At the same time, the song spent a month at number-one in Canada, where it became the first song to top the new Canadian Hot 100 chart.

On the Billboard's year end charts, the song ranked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 recap, only behind Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" ^[10].

"Umbrella" can be described as Rihanna's breakthrough song outside the big markets. She topped the chart in countries where none of her previous songs had charted. For example, the song became a number-one hit in most of the Hispanic American countries and in some Eastern European countries.

The song is officially the biggest song of 2007 on the United World Chart, gaining more than 8 million points in less than 9 months. It is also the 9th most successful song in the last decade.

"Umbrella" topped the UK Singles Chart in May 2007 and stayed there for a phenominal 10 weeks making it the longest chart topper of the year. The song was then eventually knocked off in July 2007 by Timbaland.

On the 16 December 2007 the song re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 38.

Chart (2007) Peak position Argentina Top 40 1 Australian ARIA Singles Chart[11] 1 Austrian Singles Chart[11] 1 Belgian Ultratop 50 Chart[11] 1 Brazilian Hot 100[12] 1 Canadian Hot 100 1 Chile Top 100[13] 3 Czech IFPI radio top 100[14] 2 Dutch Top 40 Singles Chart[11] 2 Dannish Top 20 8 Ecuadorian Airplay Chart[15] 1 Euro 200[16] 1 Finnish Singles Top 20[17] 2 French Top 100 6 European Singles Chart[18] 1 German Singles Chart[11] 1 Greek Singles Chart[11] 1 Irish Singles Chart[11] 1

Chart (2007) Peak position Italian Singles Chart[19] 3 Latin America Top40[20] 2 México Top 100 Singles Chart[21] 8 New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[11] 1 Norwegian Singles Chart[11] 1 Paraguay Airplay Chart[22] 1 Peru Top 100[23] 13 Philippine Top Hits 1 Poland Airplay Chart[24] 1 Portuguese Airplay Chart[25] 1 Romanian Top 100 1 Spain's "Los 40 Principales"[26] 1 Swedish Singles Chart[27] 2 UK Singles Chart[11] 1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11] 1 U.S. Billboard Pop 100[28] 1 U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[29] 1 U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[30] 4 United World Chart[11] 1

Preceded by "Baby's Coming Back/Transylvania" by McFly	UK Singles Chart number-one single May 20, 2007 - July 28, 2007	Succeeded by "The Way I Are" by Timbaland feauturing Keri Hilson and D.O.E.
Preceded by "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes featuring Patrick Stump	UK Download Chart number-one download May 23, 2007 - July 18, 2007	Succeeded by "The Way I Are" by Timbaland feauturing Keri Hilson and D.O.E.
Preceded by "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne	Irish Singles Chart number-one single May 25, 2007 - July 13, 2007	Succeeded by "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
	Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single June 4, 2007 - July 9, 2007	Succeeded by "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
Preceded by "Give It to Me" by Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake "Katharsis" by Doda	Poland Singles Chart number-one single July 8, 2007 - August 5, 2007 August 12, 2007 August 26, 2007 - September 16, 2007	Succeeded by "Katharsis" by Doda "A Gdy Jest Już Ciemno" by Feel
Preceded by "Because of You" by Ne-Yo	New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart number-one single June 4, 2007 - July 9, 2007	Succeeded by "Bartender" by T-Pain featuring Akon
Preceded by "Makes Me Wonder" by Maroon 5	Billboard Hot 100 number-one single June 9, 2007 - July 21, 2007	Succeeded by "Hey There Delilah" by Plain White T's
Preceded by "Makes Me Wonder" by Maroon 5	Billboard Pop 100 number one single June 9, 2007 - July 21, 2007	Succeeded by "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
Preceded by "Beautiful Liar" by Beyoncé and Shakira	Billboard Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single June 15, 2007 - August 23, 2007	Succeeded by "The Way I Are" by Timbaland feauturing Keri Hilson and D.O.E.
Preceded by "Survivalism" by Nine Inch Nails (on the Canadian Singles Chart)	Canadian Hot 100 number-one single (chart’s first number-one single) June 16, 2007 - July 7, 2007	Succeeded by "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
Preceded by "Makes Me Wonder" by Maroon 5	United World Chart number-one single June 16, 2007 - August 14, 2007	Succeeded by "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
Preceded by "All Good Things (Come to an End)" by Nelly Furtado	Hot Dance Club Play number-one single July 7, 2007 - July 14, 2007	Succeeded by "My Destiny" by Kim English
Preceded by "The World Is Mine" by David Guetta featuring J.D. Davis	Billboard Hot Dance Airplay number-one single June 23, 2007-August 4, 2007	Succeeded by "Makes Me Wonder" by Maroon5
Preceded by "When the Stars Go Blue" by The Corrs and U2	Spain Los 40 number-one song (first run) September 22, 2007 - October 13, 2007	Succeeded by "Monsoon" by Tokyo Hotel
Preceded by "Nada Que Perder" by Conchita	Spain Los 40 number-one song (second run) November 10, 2007	Succeeded by "Me Enamora" by Juanes
Preceded by "Me Enamora" by Juanes	Argentina Top 40 number-one single November 30, 2007 - December 7, 2007

Chris Brown wrote an answer song titled "Cinderella" with the same melody but different lyrics, and was broadcast to radio stations on June 12, 2007. Brown's verse replaces Rihanna’s second verse, although the third verse is shared between Rihanna and Chris Brown. His chorus, however, differs from Rihanna's; instead of: "You can stand under my umbrella", he sings: "You can be my Cinderella". The track is officially titled "Cinderella Under the Umbrella".

Recently, Rihanna went back into the studio and recorded an acoustic version of the song with a new arrangement and some added lyrics. You can download it here.

• Travis Barker Remix
• Remix featuring Lil Mama
• The Lindbergh Palace Remix
• Dancehall Remix featuring Elephant Man
• Seamus Haji and Paul Emanuel Remix*
• Spanglish Version featuring Jay-Z & Ana Velasco
• Parody Rock Cover by Vanilla Sky
• Will Mellor, parody by Comedy Dave and Chris Moyles

• Indie singer-songwriter Scott Simons released a version of "Umbrella" on Myspace and his website which soon became an internet favorite and received radio play on several stations in the U.S. and overseas.^[31]

• Upcoming singer Marié Digby released an acoustic version of "Umbrella" through iTunes under Hollywood Records on August 3, 2007. The single was previously released on the Los Angeles based radio station STAR 98.7 as a 'You Oughta Hear' feature. Canadian ska punk band illScarlett and Terra Naomi (a singer who was discovered on YouTube), have also recorded acoustic versions.

• Pop singer and actress Mandy Moore performed her own version of the song in a slower, more ballad-like arrangement. Moore stated that while she is not the biggest fan of pop music, "...you just can't deny how melodic this song is."^[32]

• During a show on their Projekt Revolution tour, My Chemical Romance did a brief cover of the chorus.^[33] Ross Copperman (an American singer), performed a cover of "Umbrella", using only his voice and a piano; pianist David Sides posted a video of himself on YouTube playing the song entirely on piano, with no vocal accompaniment. Additionally, "Umbrella" has been covered by Biffy Clyro during an appearance on BBC Radio One's Live Lounge.^[34]

• Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls, despite her blog entries questioning the quality of the song, has covered "Umbrella" numerous times live, aided by a beatboxer and mandolin.

• The Italian pop-punk band Vanilla Sky recorded "Umbrella" for an exclusive on their MySpace in September 2007, receiving over 30,000 plays in its first week online.^[35] The music video has also been shown on VH1e.

• Indie pop group Tegan and Sara performed a cover of the song during shows in Kelowna, British Columbia, Calgary, Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, London, Ontario, Tucson, Arizona, Boston, Massachusetts, Washington DC, Boulder, Colorado and Brisbane, Australia.

• Swedish metal band Lillasyster made a hard metal version of Umbrella and also a video for their version of the song under Gain Music Entertainment. This version of the song has received a lot of attention in Sweden, Norway, Germany and even in Thailand, and went on Swedish national radio in September 2007 and received radio play on several stations in Sweden. The video is due to be released on October 10th on Myspace, Lillasyster's website and MTV and Swedish MTV did a piece on the making of the video which was aired October 3 and October 7.^[36]

• In the fourth series of British talent show The X Factor, girl group Hope performed a slower version of "Umbrella" on October 20, 2007, for the first live show.

• Irish/English Freakfolk artist Patrick Wolf performed a cover version of the song at the Lowlands festival in the Netherlands in 2007.

• British pop band, McFly have also recently covered "Umbrella," which has been released on their latest single, "The Heart Never Lies".

• Natalie Gauci also performed "Umbrella" on Australian Idol 2007 Top 6. During the show, the contestants sang two songs, one chosen by themselves and the other by the judges. Gauci chose to sing an acoustic version of "Umbrella", to the delight of not only the crowd, but also the judges. She received a 'touchdown' from Mark Holden.

• Post Hardcore band Articuno covered "Umbrella" at an October 2007 concert.

• "Umbrella" has also been the attack of numerous satirists. Comedy band Exactly Midnight parodied the song, changing it to talk about Salmonella.^[37]

• Starsailor covered the song while playing their song "Fidelity" on their Latin American tour.

• Daniel McPhillips covered the song with his band The Bensons on XFM.

• Plain White T's has also done a cover version of the song

• The Mint Chicks performed covered this song on New Zealand television show Live At Yours

• The Axis of Awesome parodied this song in two videos for the 2007 Australian Federal Election, presented by the Sydney Morning Herald. In both videos, ex-federal treasurer Peter Costello is seen playing piano and rhyming to "Peter Costello" instead of "Umbrella"

• Tone Radio recorded a version of the song in November 2007 to raise money for Gloucestershire Flood Relief. Each presenter from the station sang a different line. The song can be downloaded from the University of Gloucesetershire's Students' Union website.

• Filipino celebrity KC Concepcion covered the song for her documentary special called "Kc.. From Paris to Pinas".

• Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro covered the song for Jo Whiley's Live Lounge

• The brazillian singer Pitty also covered it in a few live concerts.

The song's reign at number-one in Britain happened when the country was hit by extreme rainfall and flooding, which led some people to jokingly suggest the two events were related, calling it the "Rihanna Curse". Interestingly, the precise day the song was knocked from the No.1 position, the sun was shining and the weather cleared. A similar situation occurred in New Zealand, where the song hit number-one in the early winter of 2007 as the country was experiencing some of the worst storms in history.^[38] Interestingly, in Greece, "Umbrella" was released at a time when people were suffering through a summer of several major heatwaves topping 47C/117F, and the worst forest fires of modern history, killing 60 people. When the song peaked at #4 in the Greek singles chart in October 2007 (being one of the most successful international releases), the country began experiencing a rainy spell. It gained high airplay on radio, proving that it was one of the most successful international releases there (along with Nelly Furtado's "Say It Right"). In Spain - where "Umbrella" topped the downloads chart for seven consecutive weeks and the Los40 Principales chart for four weeks in August, September and the beginning of October - the country had seen one of the wettest summers in decades, and the coldest August since the beginning of the 20th century.

• Chris Applebaum (Umbrella’s Director) on MySpace
• "Umbrella" lyrics on LyricWiki
• "Umbrella video" on YouTube

The references in this article would be clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking.

v • d • e Rihanna
Albums	Music of the Sun · A Girl like Me · Good Girl Gone Bad
Singles	"Pon de Replay" · "If It's Lovin' That You Want" · "SOS" · "Unfaithful" · "We Ride" · "Break It Off" · "Umbrella" · "Shut Up and Drive" · "Don't Stop the Music" · "Hate That I Love You" · "Breakin' Dishes"
Related articles	Discography · Awards and nominations · Good Girl Gone Bad Tour

v • d • e Jay-Z
Albums	Reasonable Doubt · In My Lifetime · Hard Knock Life · Life and Times of S. Carter · Roc La Familia · The Blueprint · The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse · The Black Album · Kingdom Come · American Gangster
Compilations	Jay-Z: Unplugged · Chapter One: Greatest Hits · The Blueprint 2.1 · Bring It On: The Best of Jay-Z · Greatest Hits
Collaborations	The Best of Both Worlds · Unfinished Business · Collision Course
Singles	"Can't Knock the Hustle" · "Feelin' It" · "Dead Presidents" · "Ain't No Nigga" · "The City Is Mine" · "Who You Wit II" · "(Always Be My) Sunshine" · "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" · "Jigga What, Jigga Who" · "Money, Cash, Hoes" · "Can I Get a..." · "It's Alright" · "Money Ain't a Thang" · "Big Pimpin'" · "Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)" · "Jigga My Nigga" · "Girl's Best Friend" · "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" · "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" · "Change the Game" · "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" · "Girls, Girls, Girls" · "Jigga that Nigga" · "Song Cry" · "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" · "Excuse Me Miss" · "Change Clothes" · "Dirt off Your Shoulder" · "Encore" · "What More Can I Say" · "99 Problems" · "Show Me What You Got" · "Lost One" · "30 Something" · "Blue Magic" · "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)..."
Related articles	Discography · Roc-A-Fella Records · Nas vs. Jay-Z feud · Def Jam Recordings · Songs