Top 10 Rihanna Songs

In just over four years Rihanna went from a teenage unknown to one of the biggest pop stars of the decade. She has already appeared on more than 10 top 10 pop singles. Sales have grown with each successive release of albums. Her singing style and fashion and hairstyle sense have set trends for others to follow. This is a guide to her 10 best songs.

1. "Umbrella" featuring Jay-Z (2007)

Rihanna's #1 smash hit "Umbrella" is a defining song of the decade. The song was written with Britney Spears in mind with hopes of being a comeback hit for her. However, her label, Jive, rejected it saying they had enough songs for her upcoming album already. The song eventually made its way to Rihanna and became the first single from her Good Girl Gone Bad album. It was a #1 hit around the world and made many critics' lists as one of the top 10 songs of the year.

2. "We Found Love" featuring Calvin Harris (2011)

Rihanna headed into the studio with one of the world's top dance music producers, Scotland's Calvin Harris, and the result was magic. This dance floor smash became the biggest chart hit of Rihanna's career and served as the lead single for the Talk That Talk album.

3. "Disturbia" (2008)

"Disturbia" was the third single from Rihanna's re-release of her album Good Girl Gone Bad. It was written by Chris Brown and his team of writers for him to record. He decided it was more appropriate for a female singer and passed it on to Rihanna. The song is creepy, disturbing, and an impressive dance song. It went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks at the end of summer 2008. Rihanna performed "Disturbia" to open the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.

4. "Only Girl (In the World)" (2010)

Shaking off the cool, detached mood of the Rated R project, Rihanna returned with a towering dance pop anthem as the first single from her Loud album. It reached #1 on the pop singles chart but not until "What's My Name?" had been there first.

5. "S.O.S." (2006)

"S.O.S." borrowed key elements from Soft Cell's 1981 top 10 pop hit "Tainted Love" to put together a banging club hit. It was produced by the upcoming J.R. Rotem. "S.O.S." is the first single from Rihanna's album A Girl Like Me. It became her first #1 pop hit in the US and spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

6. "Don't Stop the Music" (2007)

Rihanna tried on retro Euro-disco sounds for this single from Good Girl Gone Bad. It also samples the historic disco predecessor "Soul Makossa" by Manu Dibango. Stargate produced the record, and it very quickly became a #1 dance hit for Rihanna. Later the song climbed pop radio airplay charts and ultimately ended up hitting #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

7. "What's My Name" featuring Drake (2010)

Rihanna is in a sweet, charming, romantic mood here. The accompanying music video with Drake fits the mood perfectly. "What's My Name?" headed straight to #1 on the charts beating "Only Girl (In the World)," the first single from Loud, to the mark.

8. "Take a Bow" (2008)

This song is not to be confused with Madonna's song of the same name. Stargate and Ne-Yo cowrote the hit. Her spoken, "Please!" and then a dismissive giggle are particularly memorable here. The deadpan delivery of news to an ex-lover is devastating. "Take a Bow" became Rihanna's third #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 15 weeks in the top 10.

9. "Rude Boy" (2010)

"Rude Boy" is arguably Rihanna's most upbeat song from the Rated R album. As such, it was almost as if fans breathed a sigh of relief sending it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Rude Boy" became her fifth solo single to achieve that feat.

10. "Pon de Replay" (2005)

Rihanna was just 17 when "Pon de Replay" bounded on to the charts in the summer of 2005. The song was part of Rihanna's original four-song demo that helped her earn a recording contract. The request of the DJ to "turn the music up" was an instant hit in dance clubs going clear to the top of the dance charts, and it almost made it there on the pop charts as well. Rihanna's initial hit peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.