Maps of Music

Good Girl Gone Bad (2007)

Where the lyrics of Good Girl Gone Bad take you, and where it was really made.

The lead single 'Umbrella' was first written with Britney Spears in mind, but her label rejected it before she could hear it.

Key places

Recorded at Westlake Recording Studios (2007)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — The album was recorded in Westlake Recording Studios and Conway Studios in Los Angeles. The source names Los Angeles, and the point is placed at the studio coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Conway Studios (2007)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — Conway Studios in Los Angeles is named as one of the studios where the album was recorded. The source gives no session dates for this studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Battery Studios in New York City (2007)

Recording site Battery Studios — Battery Studios in New York City is named as a recording location for the album. The source does not date the session, so the point shows the studio only. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Chicago Recording Company (2007)

Recording site Chicago Recording Company — Chicago Recording Company is one of the Chicago studios named as recording locations. The source places the album's recording in Chicago but gives no session date for this studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Phase One in Toronto (2007)

Recording site Phase One Audio Group — The album was recorded at Phase One Audio Group in Toronto. The point is placed at the studio candidate, and the source gives no session date. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded in Bridgetown, Barbados (2007)

Recording site Lethal Studios — Lethal Studios in Bridgetown, Barbados is named as a recording location. The point is set at the city centre because the studio's exact building is not confirmed here. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded in Oslo (2007)

Recording site Espionage Studios — Espionage Studios in Oslo is named as a recording location. The point is set at the city centre because the studio's exact building is not confirmed here. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool (2007)

Recording site Parr Street, Liverpool — Parr Street Studios in Liverpool is the last studio named in the recording credits. The source gives no session date for this studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Good Girl Gone Bad is the third studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna
• Released May 31, 2007 by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records
• Pop, dance-pop and R&B record with 1980s music influences
• Inspired by Brandy's fourth studio album Afrodisiac (2004)
• Described as a turning point in Rihanna's career
• Departs from the Caribbean sound of her previous releases, Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl Like Me (2006)
• New image alongside the new sound: from innocent young woman to an edgier, more mature look
• Producers include Tricky Stewart, The-Dream, Neo Da Matrix, Timbaland, Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers and Stargate

Background

• A Girl Like Me, released April 2006, was pop-oriented with dancehall and R&B influences
• That album drew mixed reviews, and many critics felt Rihanna's style was too close to Beyoncé
• Early 2007: Rihanna began work on the third album
• In an MTV News interview she said the new music was going in a different direction and she wanted something fresh and mostly uptempo
• The same year she dropped the innocent image for a new hairstyle inspired by Charlize Theron's bob cut in Æon Flux (2005)
• Rihanna said she wanted the album to keep people dancing while staying soulful
• In May 2007 she explained the title as a reflection of her bolder, more independent image

Recording

• Recorded in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Bridgetown (Barbados), Oslo and Liverpool
• During the week of the 2007 Grammy Awards she worked with Ne-Yo, who gave her vocal lessons
• She and Ne-Yo wrote and sang 'Hate That I Love You', co-written and produced by Stargate
• 'Umbrella' was written by Tricky Stewart and The-Dream with Britney Spears in mind; the label rejected it, and it reached Rihanna through L.A. Reid of Def Jam
• Jay-Z added rap vocals to 'Umbrella'
• Timbaland composed and produced 'Rehab', 'Sell Me Candy' and 'Lemme Get That'; the 'Rehab' session started after a Justin Timberlake tour date in Chicago

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career beginnings

• Robyn Rihanna Fenty, born February 20, 1988 in Saint Michael, Barbados
• Signed with Def Jam Recordings in 2005 after an audition for Jay-Z and Antonio "L.A." Reid
• Debut album Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl Like Me (2006) both reached the US Billboard 200 top ten
• "SOS" became her first US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single

Peak pop era

• Good Girl Gone Bad (2007) marked a shift to dance-pop and R&B and is her best-selling album, with about nine million copies sold
• "Umbrella", "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia" each topped the Billboard Hot 100
• Rated R (2009), Loud (2010), Talk That Talk (2011) and Unapologetic (2012) followed
• Unapologetic was her first US Billboard 200 number-one album

Later career

• Moved from Def Jam to Roc Nation; Anti (2016) became her second US number-one album
• Headlined the Super Bowl LVII halftime show in February 2023, the most-watched halftime show in history
• Has released sporadic singles since 2016 and acted in films including Battleship (2012), Ocean's 8 (2018) and Smurfs (2025)
• Sales estimated above 250 million records

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave generally positive reviews of the album
• Reviews praised its composition and Rihanna's new musical direction
• Some reviews criticized the album's lyrics and inconsistency
• Uncut called it a shiny, trans-atlantic blend of Europop vim, R&B grit and Caribbean bounce
• Andy Kellman of AllMusic called it quintessential pop music and said each track was a potential hit
• Quentin B. Huff of PopMatters described it as more raw, perhaps edgier and more risqué than Rihanna's previous material
• Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times wrote that the album sounds as if it were scientifically engineered to deliver hits
• Peter Robinson of The Observer said Rihanna lacks her peers' charisma but is a great vessel for exhilarating mainstream pop
• Tom Breihan of Pitchfork Media found the album varied and satisfying
• Neil Drumming of Entertainment Weekly said the album goes bad when Rihanna tries treacly ballads, but at times is a thrilling throwback
• Rodney Dugue of The Village Voice, in a mixed review, felt the album never settles on a sound and cited only its three Timbaland-produced songs as highlights
• Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine criticized the lyrics, particularly those written by Justin Timberlake
• Alex Macpherson of The Guardian found Rihanna ill-suited for its dance-pop songs
• Robert Christgau of MSN Music cited 'Umbrella' as a choice cut

Reappraisal

• Metacritic average score of 72 based on 17 reviews
• Margeaux Watson of Entertainment Weekly said Rihanna's staying power was remarkable for a pop star once dismissed as incapable of more than one hit per album
• Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic concluded the album made Rihanna a full-fledged international pop star
• Nick Levine of Digital Spy described it as the closest thing to a Thriller that 2007/08 is likely to produce
• Da'Shan Smith of Billboard commented on its impact on Rihanna's career at the album's tenth anniversary

Records

• US Billboard 200 debut at number two, 162,000 copies in the first week
• Fell to number seven the next week with 81,000 copies
• Canada: debuted atop the Canadian Albums Chart, her second number-one album there
• UK: debuted at number one with 54,000 copies in the first week, her first album to top the chart
• Switzerland: peaked at number one
• Ireland: debuted at number three, reached the top after four weeks
• Australia: peaked at number two
• RIAA certified seven-times platinum in the United States
• BPI certified eight times platinum in the United Kingdom
• ARIA certified triple platinum in Australia
• Music Canada certified quintuple platinum
• Sold over 9 million copies worldwide as of the source date
• 2008 Grammy Awards: seven nominations and one win, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for 'Umbrella'
• 2008 Juno Awards: International Album of the Year

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The Good Girl Gone Bad title reflects Rihanna's bolder and more independent image, which she explained in May 2007
• During the week of the 2007 Grammy Awards, Ne-Yo gave Rihanna vocal lessons while they wrote and sang 'Hate That I Love You'
• The album's first tour, the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour, was banned from performing in Malaysia after its conservative Islamic party cited her outfits
• The album was reissued as Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded in June 2008 with three new songs, including 'Take a Bow' and 'Disturbia'
• Rihanna dismissed her innocent image with a new bob hairstyle inspired by Charlize Theron's bob cut in Æon Flux (2005)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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