Should 'Love On The Brain' have been ANTI's second single?

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Should 'Love On The Brain' have been ANTI's second single?

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Andrew. View member profile	Jun 27 2020, 12:49 AM Post #1
is in hibernation Joined: 24 August 2014 Posts: 11,385 User: 21,161	Although it charted almost 100 places higher in the UK, it would be difficult to argue 'Kiss It Better' is a more remembered Rihanna song than 'Love On The Brain'. In the US, KIB bombed out at #62 (while every other single from ANTI made the top 10 ) while LOTB was a top 5 hit Should they have swapped places as singles? The more I think about it, the more I think as brilliant and clever as it is KIB was a mistake as a single. In the UK it got majorly outdone by Needed Me even though that wasn't even pushed as a single here and got no airplay, and LOTB has came to be more iconic as a Rihanna hit, being certified gold here while Kiss is still silver. I have no idea why as it's f***ing gorgeous, but it kinda derailed the album campaign which already wasn't a massive success here compared to America D: LOTB as single 2, with the increased airplay and Spotify playlisting that status would've given it would've sold the album way better imo. Side note: WHY didn't they push Needed Me to radio here it spent six months in the top 75 It would've easily gone top 20 imo, god the ANTI campaign did fine in the end but could've been so much more.


Jordanlee View member profile	Jun 27 2020, 10:58 AM Post #2
Jord Joined: 12 March 2017 Posts: 10,760 User: 27,116	Needed Me would’ve been a bigger hit today in the UK than it was in 2016. Either way I think in 2016 Needed Me was never gonna be like a long running top 5/10 hit in the UK at that time. I think that type of genre amongst females has gotten bigger and bigger though over the recent years though but Needed Me isn’t really an album seller. Love On The Brain had so much potential. It’s kinda better remembered and more iconic than some of her actual top ten hits. It definitely could’ve performed similarly to Stay here in the UK if it had radio play, Spotify play-listing. I think if she’d performed Love On The Brain live at The BRITS it really could’ve propelled it in a huge way and been a massive moment for her. It’s also an album seller too the paid for sales could’ve definitely shot up on the back of that. ANTI really was such a strange campaign. The difference between UK and US for instance was very noticeable this era. Maybe it was too ahead of it’s time for her UK and European audiences.


vibe View member profile	Jun 27 2020, 11:08 AM Post #3
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 31 August 2010 Posts: 8,788 User: 11,763	No I don’t think so.


danG View member profile	Jun 27 2020, 11:25 AM Post #4
🔥🚀🔥 Joined: 30 August 2010 Posts: 74,540 User: 11,746	on the basis of would it have been a big hit, yes. Kiss It Better is a lot better though, an unjust underperformance.


Klumzee View member profile	Jun 27 2020, 11:36 AM Post #5
#TeamAnneMarie Joined: 3 July 2010 Posts: 18,270 User: 11,421	I agree! Kiss It Better has never really hit the spot for me, it's more 4th/5th single territory whereas Love On The Brain is stand out on first listen and would've attracted a wider audience. I think Needed Me would have done a bit better if it was the 3rd single but that always would've taken time to grow and probably would've been a long running top 30 hit I'd imagine at best.


Andrew. View member profile	Jun 27 2020, 07:07 PM Post #6
is in hibernation Joined: 24 August 2014 Posts: 11,385 User: 21,161	QUOTE(LJ JORD 7 @ Jun 27 2020, 11:58 AM) Needed Me would’ve been a bigger hit today in the UK than it was in 2016. Either way I think in 2016 Needed Me was never gonna be like a long running top 5/10 hit in the UK at that time. I think that type of genre amongst females has gotten bigger and bigger though over the recent years though but Needed Me isn’t really an album seller. QUOTE(Klumzee @ Jun 27 2020, 12:36 PM) I agree! Kiss It Better has never really hit the spot for me, it's more 4th/5th single territory whereas Love On The Brain is stand out on first listen and would've attracted a wider audience. I think Needed Me would have done a bit better if it was the 3rd single but that always would've taken time to grow and probably would've been a long running top 30 hit I'd imagine at best. I agree it's not an album seller, but I disagree Needed Me wouldn't have smashed with a UK push. It already made the top 40 without one, it only got 4 (!!) plays from Radio One in 2016 compared to over 50 for Love On The Brain and Kiss It Better (and Sledgehammer, which was her 2nd most played song on Radio One in 2016 :'))


Rush View member profile	Jun 28 2020, 03:52 AM Post #7
wayback machine gif rescuer Joined: 3 April 2013 Posts: 3,771 User: 18,564	The thing is, I think 'Needed Me' became the 2nd single organically? It was circling outside the US Spotify top 50 from album release up until it got a slight push (I can't remember in what form - maybe the video release and/or some playlisting), and immediately exploded in the US (and was dragged into the charts in the rest of the world thanks to the global top 50 effect). Kind of like 'Dark Horse' or 'Thinking Out Loud'. I think the problem with 'Love On The Brain' is that it never got enough of a concentrated push to lift it into the charts as a late post-album single, outside of on the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to radio. For ages, it wasn't on Today's Top Hits, then it finally got a low placing in February 2017, when it was already a year old, which gave it a bit of a boost into the Spotify global top 100 but didn't do much. I'm sure that's in part because it's not as streaming-friendly a song, but if it had gotten both (better) playlist support and a video, around September/October 2016, it probably would've charted higher. As is, I think it's fair to call it a big hit, just a very spread-out one. It gets the 3rd highest Spotify plays of her catalogue these days, after 'Umbrella' and 'Love The Way You Lie' (well, and 'BELIEVE IT' but I'm sure that'll be dead and buried before long). I know this thread is about the UK specifically and maybe ignoring 'Needed Me' and pushing 'Love On The Brain' at that point would've worked better for Europe, but would've come at the expense of a huge US hit.


-Jay- View member profile	Jun 28 2020, 10:46 AM Post #8
"Jayrusaleminians" - Umi. Pronouns: he/him Joined: 4 April 2007 Posts: 41,425 User: 3,217	QUOTE(dan-G @ Jun 27 2020, 12:25 PM) on the basis of would it have been a big hit, yes. Kiss It Better is a lot better though, an unjust underperformance. My thoughts, essentially! I'll never understand why Kiss It Better wasn't a smash