The song's accompanying music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas, depicts the singer as a drug-abusing thrill-seeker in a relationship that quickly spirals downward into addiction and domestic violence.

[4][5] In September 2011, Rihanna again took to the social networking site to confirm that the plans had been scrapped, with the singer tweeting "I [thought about] a [re-release], but LOUD is its own body of work!

"[15] In October 2012, British singer Leona Lewis claimed that she was originally chosen to sing the song but ended up losing it to Rihanna when Harris went touring with the latter, commenting.

[19] Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly's The Music Mix criticized the song's artwork, writing "'We found love in a hopeless place,' Rihanna repeats over a David Guetta-ish synth beat.

[29] According to Elan, the keyboard work in the song bears resemblance to that in from "Only Girl (In the World)" and the melody is similar to that of "Complicated", a track included in Rihanna's 2010 studio album Loud.

Amanda Dobbins of New York magazine praised the composition of the song, writing "Harris's electro fingerprints are all over this one — it plays like a straight house track, with some dreamy Rihanna vocals added in over the beat.

[34] A reviewer for Instinct magazine praised the song, writing that "We Found Love" does not mark a departure from the dance-floor oriented material Rihanna debuted on Loud, but it certainly boasts "a higher-energy, peak-hour vibe".

[26] She continued by writing that instead of re-inventing the pop wheel, "We Found Love" has "a whiff of treading-water about it" and that "if there is a 'goosebump' moment to be had it comes after many multiple plays and, dare we say it, a glass of something strong.

"[29] Similarly, Amos Barshad of Grantland criticized the singer's vocal performance, calling it "a complete afterthought" before concluding, "People who regularly attend the Electric Zoo festival: Rihanna wants your money!

[37] Pitchfork Media commented, "Over a frantic, Calvin Harris-produced, Guetta-meets-'Sandstorm' beat on her sixth record's lead-off single, Rihanna repeats these words almost 20 times.

'We Found Love' ranks among Ri's best singles because it recognizes that there's not much more that needs to be said: in three and a half minutes, the line moves from being a great pop lyric to a triumphant mantra to something suggestive of a whole spectrum of unspoken emotion.

[40] The New York Times' writer commented "'We Found Love' almost criminally recalls the swinging Crystal Waters singles, with triumphant percussion somewhere between church and seventh-inning stretch.

"[41] Billboard magazine also praised the song, saying that: "Through a haze of glitter and bliss, Rihanna emerges to let us find a gorgeous hook in a hopeless place, and Calvin Harris becomes a household name.

[75] As of February 2013, the song has been certified six-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association, denoting shipments of 420,000 copies, marking Rihanna's best-selling single in the country as a lead artist.

[77] The following week, "We Found Love" rose to number nine, giving Rihanna the record for a solo artist to have amassed twenty top-ten singles in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the shortest amount of time.

[79] "We Found Love" spent 10 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, surpassing "Umbrella" as Rihanna's longest number-one single in the country, and was the longest-running number one of 2011.

[99] By February 2012, the single had racked up 1,006,460 copies in 19 weeks, making it Rihanna's second solo track (third overall) to reach the million sales plateau since October 2011, following "Love the Way You Lie" and "Only Girl (In the World)".

[111][112] Anticipation for the video grew in the United Kingdom when the national news picked up on the story of sixty-one-year-old Northern Ireland farmer Alan Graham withdrawing his permission to film in his barley field in Bangor, County Down after taking issue with Rihanna's clothing, focusing on her appearing topless and also wearing a red bikini top which he thought was an "inappropriate state of undress".

[113] Rihanna and her film crew departed amiably after Graham advised them to "be acquainted with God and to consider His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His death and Resurrection.

The two are shown as completely enamored with each other while engaging in fun activities together, including enjoying their time at an indoor skating centre and eating in fast food restaurants.

[119] One journalist wrote, "The song is probably one of the most talked about in the country following the Barbadian being told to 'find God' after running naked through a Northern Irish farmer's field.

"[120] It was described as a "disgrace" by an anti-rape campaigner,[121] and Christian commenters worried about the effects of the video and that "Rihanna is damaging the moral and self-worth of young impressionable teens.

[127] On February 12, 2012, Rihanna performed "We Found Love" at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, followed by her duet single "Princess of China" with Coldplay for first time.

[136] On September 9, 2012, Rihanna performed the single (along with "Princess of China" and "Run This Town") with Coldplay and Jay-Z at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, entering on a steampunk pirate ship and also suspended in the air on a metal bench.

[citation needed] On December 9, 2012, Rihanna performed "We Found Love" in a medley with a solo version of "Stay" on the final of ninth season of The X Factor UK.

[138] British alternative rock band Coldplay, with whom Rihanna would later collaborate on their song "Princess of China", covered "We Found Love" on October 27, 2011, during a performance at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.

[139][140][141][142] Jocelyn Vena of MTV News called the performance "flawless", writing "Lead singer Chris Martin's haunting vocals and the band's acoustic rendition, using drums, piano and guitar, play up the sadness of the track.

"[139] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard magazine also noted that the band used "piano flourishes, a kick drum and a simple guitar lick to convey the song's romantic declaration", while making a ballad which was "reminiscent of Bruno Mars' emotional reworking of Katy Perry's 'California Gurls'".

'"[158] Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone praised the remix of the song, saying that "once again, Flo Rida shows his true rapping skills over the beat of Rihanna's 'We Found Love'".

She noted, "Being that Rihanna's 'We Found Love' has enough beats and synths to be its own remix, not to mention it couldn't possibly be even more popular on the Hot 100... we find it pointless to release a new version of the single with Flo Rida.