"Umbrella" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna, released worldwide on March 29, 2007, through Def Jam Recordings as the lead single and opening track from her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007).

Its featured artist, American rapper Jay-Z, co-wrote the song with its producers Tricky Stewart and Kuk Harrell, with additional writing contributions coming from The-Dream.

"Umbrella" has been covered by several notable performers across various musical genres, including All Time Low, the Baseballs, Train, Manic Street Preachers, McFly, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, OneRepublic, Taylor Swift, and Vanilla Sky.

American songwriter and producer Christopher "Tricky" Stewart convened with Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Kuk Harrell in January 2007 at the Atlanta-based Triangle Studios to create new material.

[1] The song was written with American pop singer Britney Spears in mind, whom Stewart had previously worked with on her 2003 single "Me Against the Music".

However, Blige failed to hear the song in full due to her obligations to the Grammys at the time and "had to sign off on the record before her reps could accept it".

[3][5] Finally, Reid "stepped in, trading on his power-broker status and longstanding relationship with Stewart", and admits, "I made the producers an offer they couldn't refuse.

According to Entertainment Weekly magazine, the song's beat can be recreated through a drum loop from the Apple music-software program GarageBand (Vintage Funk Kit 03).

Andy Kellman of AllMusic commented: "'Umbrella' is [Rihanna's best song] to date, delivering mammoth if spacious drums, a towering backdrop during the chorus, and vocals that are somehow totally convincing without sounding all that impassioned – an ideal spot between trying too hard and boredom, like she might've been on her 20th take.

"[18] Alex Macpherson of British newspaper The Guardian, "Umbrella" is "evidence" that Rihanna's "strict work ethic is paying off", adding that she "delivers [in the song] an impassioned declaration of us-against-the-world devotion".

[21] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine wrote "That the song is just plain good, regardless of genre, proves that Jay and Rihanna, who's already scored hits across several formats with a string of singles that couldn't be more different from each other, are dedicated to producing quality hits—however frivolous they may be.

"[23] Jonah Weiner of Blender magazine called the song the album's highlight and stated that it "would be far less engrossing if it wasn't for the way Rihanna disassembles its ungainly title into 11 hypnotic, tongue-flicking syllables".

It spent six consecutive weeks at the top,[27] and has since earned a 5× Platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association, denoting sales of 350,000 copies.

[30] The song received a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand, denoting sales of 15,000 copies,[31] subsequently becoming the country's best-selling single of 2007.

[37] Prior to its physical release, "Umbrella" achieved the biggest debut in the six-year history of iTunes in the United States, breaking a record previously held by Shakira and Wyclef Jean's "Hips Don't Lie".

The single became the highest digital debut in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking downloads in 2003, surpassing Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack" 250,000 sales record in 2006.

[53] In February 2023, the song re-entered the US Billboard Hot 100 following Rihanna's performance at the halftime show of Super Bowl LVII, peaking at number 37.

[58] Having reached nine straight weeks at number one on the chart, it broke the record of American group Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" as the longest chart-topper of the decade.

[61] By the end of 2008, "Umbrella" had sold over 600,000 copies, making it her biggest-selling single at the time, before being succeeded by "Love the Way You Lie", a collaboration with Eminem two years later in 2010.

[82] A key part of the video is a 24-second visual effects sequence in which Rihanna is surrounded by silvery strands of liquid that crisscross the frame in graceful arcs in response to her movements.

[92] In his book The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory, John Seabrook wrote: Two albums into her career, it still wasn't clear who Rihanna was.

[98][99] "Umbrella"'s reign at number one in the United Kingdom occurred as the country was hit by the unseasonal extreme rainfall and flooding, which led the British national newspaper The Sun to humorously suggest the two events were related, with the media referring to it as the "Rihanna Curse."

"[100] 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 its history.

[102] With the record-breaking success of the single and the reported coincidence with the weather, Def Jam's marketing team collaborated with British umbrella manufacturer Totes.

American rock band Train covered the song in 2010 and was released in the deluxe edition of their album Save Me, San Francisco.

Two additional versions (acoustic and Grand Slam mix) were later made available on iTunes, and the trio is now released together on an Umbrella EP; a video for the cover is available on the band's official website.

An article by Blender magazine, which dismissed Jay-Z's version, said "Lil Mama actually seems to understand the song's metaphorical themes of protection and loyalty".

[234] American punk band Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker remixed the song, adding to the track "quicksilver snare flourishes and... real-life guitars".

[235] Singer Chris Brown created an answer song titled "Cinderella", replacing some of the verses and part of the chorus of "Umbrella" with his own lyrics.

On October 15, 2015, Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox released a "Singin' in the Rain" style cover, featuring Casey Abrams & the Sole Sisters, surpassing 15 million views.