Fading (song)
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"Fading" is a song by Barbadian recording artist
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
from her fifth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
, '' Loud'' (2010). The song was written by Darnell Dalton, Jamal Jones, Lamar Taylor, Quinton Amey and William Hodge, with production by
Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In 2011, K ...
, Willy Will, Veronika Bozeman and Jones under his production moniker Polow da Don. Originally, the song sampled Irish instrumentalist and singer-songwriter
Enya Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961; anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of over 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is the best-selli ...
s "One by One", though this was later removed post-album release. Lyrically, the song is about leaving a man in a relationship. After ''Loud'' had strong digital download sales in the United Kingdom, "Fading" charted at number 187 on that country's singles chart in November 2010. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised da Don's production, but one critic criticized Rihanna for copying herself and failing to create something different. Some critics also compared it to one of Rihanna's previous singles, " Take a Bow". The song has also been performed on select dates of the
Loud Tour The Loud Tour was the fourth overall and third world concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Performing in over twenty countries in the Americas and Europe, the tour was launched in support of Rihanna's fifth studio album '' Loud'' ...
(2011).


Background and composition

Recording sessions for ''Loud'' began in February 2010, and continued for six months, overlapping with Rihanna's
Last Girl on Earth Tour Last Girl on Earth was the third concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. The tour visited Europe, North America and Australia to support her fourth studio album, '' Rated R'' (2009). The tour was announced through MTV News in Dece ...
and during the production of her debut feature film, ''
Battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...
''. At the beginning of March 2011, Rihanna asked fans to help her select her next single, following the release of " S&M". Via
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, fans were asked to choose from "
Cheers (Drink to That) "Cheers (Drink to That)" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, from her fifth studio album, ''Loud (Rihanna album), Loud'' (2010). The song impacted American Contemporary hit radio, mainstream and Rhythmic contemporary, rhythmic radio o ...
", " Man Down", "
California King Bed "California King Bed" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her fifth studio album, '' Loud'' (2010). The song was written and produced by Andrew Harr and Jermaine Jackson, of the American production duo the Runners, with Priscilla Renea, ...
" or "Fading". The most popular choice would have its video filmed at the end of March 2011. On March 12, 2011, it was confirmed that fans had selected "California King Bed" as the next single to be released from the album in the United States. In August 2011, a new version of "Fading" was unveiled sans the Enya sample. The original version, however, is still playable on the album's Japan edition in some music streaming services including
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and
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
. "Fading" was written by Darnell Dalton, Jamal Jones, Lamar Taylor, Quinton Amey and William Hodge, with production by
Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In 2011, K ...
, Willy Will, Veronika Bozeman and Jones under his production moniker Polow da Don. The song was recorded by
Sandy Vee Sandy Julien Wilhelm (; born 22 April 1975), better known by his stage name Sandy Vee, is a French music producer, DJ and songwriter. He gained much commercial and critical recognition for co-producing Rihanna's " Only Girl (In the World)", Katy ...
at The Bunker Studio's in Paris, France in 2010. Musically, the song features a piano and violin led instrumental whilst lyrically, "Fading" is about the female protagonist leaving her boyfriend because she feels that they have become distant and their relationship has faded. The lyrics of the song feature Rihanna adopting a vocal diction which urges her boyfriend to leave and walk away from the relationship, "Go on, be gone/ Bye bye so long/ Can't you see we're fading away". As noted by Emily Mackay of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'', the song is reminiscent of one of the singer's previous songs about a relationship gone awry, " Take a Bow", in lyrical content and musicality.


Critical reception

Upon ''Loud''s release, multiple music critics wrote about "Fading" as part of their review, many of whom praised the production of the song. Emily Mackay of ''NME'' wrote about the song as part of an overall review of the album, writing "A weird baroque pop opening, violin stabs and treated vocals, builds slowly into a rolling and shuddering beat and soft, sad-toned piano. Mesfin Fekadu of ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' called the track "exceptional" and compared the lyrical content to that of one of Rihanna's previous singles "Take A Bow", writing that Rihanna is skilled at putting out songs about being the woman in a relationship who leaves the man, as she does in "Fading". Jon Pareles of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' praised Polow da Don's production of the song, writing "Fading' strategizes with long and short elements—sustained choruses and staccato verses, edgeless keyboard chords, and notes that are suddenly truncated—to capture the ambivalence of a failing romance." Melissa Maerz of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' commented that the singer manages to remain "serene" on the song, even with the sampling of Enya's "One by One", and added that "maybe the good girl gone bad is getting better?", in reference to Rihanna's third studio album title, ''
Good Girl Gone Bad ''Good Girl Gone Bad'' is the third studio album by Barbadian singer, Rihanna. It was released on May 31, 2007, by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. Rihanna worked with various producers on the album, including Tricky Stewart, The-Dream, Neo ...
'' (2007). Leah Greenblatt of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' simply wrote of "Fading" that the song, a "walk away ballad", is a "gorgeously synthesized moment of sweet defiance". David Driver of Sputnikmusic wrote that "Fading", along with "California King Bed", are both "well-done, soulful ballads" and that they are "completely free" of the sulky tones which could be found on some compositions on Rihanna's previous album, ''
Rated R Rated R refers to movies (and also to TV shows and video games in certain systems) that have been given a "restricted" rating according to one of the following film rating systems or classification boards: * Australian Classification Board * Canadi ...
'' (2009). Colin Gentry of
4Music 4Music was a British music television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. Launched on 15 August 2008, the original incarnation, replacing The Hits television channel, showed a mix of music and entertainment pr ...
also noted in his review that the song communicates a passionate expression of grief to the listener. Ryan Burleson of
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. History ''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...
wrote that the song was one of the best on the album, commenting that it stands out "sonically". Burleson added that it is "a hopeful, piano and string-based R&B" song, and compared to the work of late 1990s artists such as
Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...
and
Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. Evans initially performed as ...
. Ryan Dombell of
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...
criticized "Fading" as well as Rihanna herself, for copying " erown lightweight R&B formula so much it's redundant".


Chart performance

Upon the release of ''Loud'', "Fading" charted in three territories. The song debuted at number 37 on the South Korea Gaon International Chart for the issue dated November 14, 2010. The following week, it fell to number 79. "Fading" charted at number 187 on the UK Singles Chart for the issue dated November 27, 2010. The song was more successful on the
UK R&B Chart Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, and previously the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and ...
, where it peaked at number 34 in the same chart issue. In the United States, "Fading" peaked at number 42 on the R&B/Hip-hop Digital Songs chart on December 3, 2010.


Live performances

Though the song has never been performed live as part of a televised performance, the song was featured on the set list of select dates of the
Loud Tour The Loud Tour was the fourth overall and third world concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Performing in over twenty countries in the Americas and Europe, the tour was launched in support of Rihanna's fifth studio album '' Loud'' ...
. Rihanna performed the song on June 6 and 7, 2011, at the
Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena (SBA), formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and t ...
in
Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, Canada, where the song was featured near the end of the set. As noted by Jane Stevenson of the ''
Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...
'', after performing a selection of ballads from the singer's repertoire, including " Unfaithful", "
Hate That I Love You "Hate That I Love You" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her third studio album, '' Good Girl Gone Bad'' (2007). It features vocals by American singer and songwriter Ne-Yo, who co-wrote the song with its producers Stargate. Def ...
" and "
California King Bed "California King Bed" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her fifth studio album, '' Loud'' (2010). The song was written and produced by Andrew Harr and Jermaine Jackson, of the American production duo the Runners, with Priscilla Renea, ...
", Rihanna re-appeared on stage wearing a rainbow colored feathered coat, denim bra and short shorts to perform " What's My Name?", "
Rude Boy Rude boy is a subculture that originated from 1960s Jamaican street culture. In the late 1970s, there was a revival in England of the terms ''rude boy'' and ''rude girl'', among other variations like ''rudeboy'' and ''rudebwoy'', being used t ...
", "Fading", " Don't Stop the Music" and "Take a Bow".


Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from the liner notes of ''Loud''. ;Locations *Recorded at No Excuses Recording Studios,
Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
; The Bunker Studios,
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France *Mixed at Ninja Club Studios,
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
. ;Personnel *Rihanna – vocals *
Ester Dean Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1982), known professionally as Ester Dean, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. She rose to prominence as a pop songwriter in the late 2000s and wrote numerous hit songs for singers including R ...
background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...
*Quintin Amey, Alex Gazaway –
songwriting A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...
*
Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977 or 1978), known professionally as Polow da Don, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career as a recording artist in the late 1990s, leaving college to pursue a career with ...
production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...
*
Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In 2011, K ...
, Josh Gudwin and Marcus Tovar – vocal recording *Kuk Harrell – vocal production *Veronika Bozeman – additional vocal production *Damien Lewis – additional/assistant engineering *Phil Tan at The Ninja Beat Club, Atlanta, GA – mixing *
Sandy Vee Sandy Julien Wilhelm (; born 22 April 1975), better known by his stage name Sandy Vee, is a French music producer, DJ and songwriter. He gained much commercial and critical recognition for co-producing Rihanna's " Only Girl (In the World)", Katy ...
at The Bunker Studios, Paris –
recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...


Charts


References

{{authority control Rihanna songs 2010 songs 2010s ballads Songs written by Polow da Don Pop ballads Contemporary R&B ballads Song recordings produced by Kuk Harrell