Birthday Cake (song)

Music critics were divided on "Birthday Cake", with the majority both praising and criticising the song's sexual lyrical content.

Several critics compared the song to the previous track on the album "Cockiness (Love It)", which also consists of sexually explicit lyrics.

[4][5][6] The instrumentation of "Birthday Cake" consists of a heavy bass, schoolbells, engine sounds, claps, and electro beats.

Jayson Lipshutz of Billboard praised the interlude, writing "We're all for birthday-themed naughtiness in pop music form, but only 78 seconds of 'Birthday Cake' is just not enough of a celebration!

[14] Sam Lansky of MTV Buzzworthy was complimentary of "Birthday Cake", writing, "The only misstep on the album – not because it's not amazing (it is!

"[15] Pip Ellwood of Entertainment-Focus noted that "Birthday Cake", along with "Cockiness (Love It)", "leave you under no misunderstanding that Rihanna is as sexual as she's ever been throughout her career.

"[18] A reviewer for Flavour had a mixed reaction to the lyrical content, writing, "I can't exactly say it is a bad song.

[11] Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times commented that the lyrics on "Birthday Cake" "wouldn't seem out of place on Spinal Tap's 'Smell the Glove'.

The song entered the South Korea Gaon International Chart at number 67 on November 26, 2011, with sales of 6,661 digital downloads.

[23] Due to strong airplay spins, the interlude of "Birthday Cake" peaked at number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

[24] "Birthday Cake" was certified two-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of over 2,000,000 units.

[26] The performance started with the original interlude version "Birthday Cake" and featured Rihanna in an all black outfit with a giant spiders web as the backdrop behind her.

Despite receiving negative attention regarding Rihanna's choice of collaborator from the media and fans alike, the singer defended her decision saying that it is simply music.

American rappers Fabolous, Rick Ross and Busta Rhymes appeared on additional remixes of the song.

Responding to requests from fans, Rihanna posted a message via her official Twitter account, promising that a full version of "Birthday Cake" was coming.

[30] Katherine St. Asaph of PopDust criticized the notion, writing "Honestly, at this point Rihanna and Def Jam would be better off just calling 'Birthday Cake' an interlude, not an incomplete version, because otherwise that's saying the album is released but essentially unfinished.

[34] Reports surfaced after the pair were photographed leaving Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles at separate times and Brown being invited to Rihanna's birthday party.

[34] The reports gained worldwide media controversy, because Brown and Rihanna were involved in a physical altercation on the evening of the 2009 Grammy Awards.

[34] The full length version, eventually revealed to feature Brown, was released on Rihanna's birthday, February 20, 2012.

"[35] Brown delivers his vocals in an aggressive and manipulative manner as he sings "Give it to her in the worst way, can't wait to blow her candles out.

"[40][41] At the end of the song, Rihanna performs new lyrics which were not included on the original 1 minute and 18 second interlude; "Remember how you did it/ If you still wanna kiss it/ Then come and get it.

"[40] According to Ben Rayner of the Toronto Sun, the instrumentation of "Birthday Cake" consists of "snaky, slurpy, bass-droppin' beats.

"[41] Beth Hardie for the Daily Mirror wrote that the remix came as a shock, because of how Brown "beat her virtually senseless in a car three years ago just before the Grammys", and noted that Rihanna would face harsh criticism from journalists and fans alike for not setting a good example to younger girls.

Hardie continued to state that although the collaboration came as a surprise, "We have to admit, it's a pretty amazing stroke of genius in terms of publicity and messing with people’s minds.

"[35] Regarding the collaboration on the remix Jo Usmar from Daily Mirror compared the collaboration to the physical altercation between Rihanna and Brown at the 2009 Grammy Awards, writing "In case you've been living in a cave for the last two years this is extraordinarily controversial as Brown was convicted of assaulting Rihanna in 2009 and there was a restraining order issued against him.

"[41] Jon Caramanica for The New York Times commented that the remix of "Birthday Cake", as well as the original, was "very much so" a good song.

Collaboration suggests a personal relationship, and our eavesdropping on that interplay conjures up a feeling of intimacy between audience and artist that is very powerful.

The problem is, the strategy won't work; because of an infamous leaked photograph, we were also virtually present in the car that night three years ago when Brown beat Rihanna till her face was bruised and bloodied.

[42]Rihanna performed "Birthday Cake" Remix at Radio 1's Hackney Weekend on May 24, 2012, as the fifth song on the set list.