Rihanna's 'Wait Your Turn' Video – Dark And Inviting
Rihanna sounds sad and unstable on her comeback song "Russian Roulette." The lyrics are depressing, and the single gun shout sound effect that ends the song gives me chills. It makes me wonder if she is okay.
But she appears completely empowered in the video for her latest song, "Wait Your Turn," which premiered today on her website, RihannaNow.com. The black and white short has a dark edge. It feels like something that
falls in between a desolate alley scene in a Batman movie and a vampire flick.
Watch the "Wait Your Turn" video on RihannaNow.com.
Though Rihanna has always embodied a strong and confident woman, the images she takes on in the "Wait Your Turn" video are intensified. She wears an eye patch. Her couture is juxtaposed with gritty backdrops. Her facial expressions are emotionless.
Mix with that with lyrics that tout her matter-of-fact disposition--"I
pitch with a grenade, swing away if you're feeling brave" and "I'm such a f-king
lady, you don't have to be afraid."
The "you don't have to be afraid" lyric surprises me. I thought she wanted us to be scared of this Rihanna who could convincingly portray the next new bad ass heroin.
But a closer listen to the verses reveals that she is more welcoming than her exterior suggests. She is essentially saying, Don't be intimated. Come join me and "together, we gone be taking over."
Closer to the end of the song she sings, "Damn, I'm glad I
picked you, took a chance on love."
The video and song's mixed messages confuse me.
But maybe it's supposed to be like that cliché about the pit-bull with lipstick. You know, she might look tough out the outside, but she is still a little mushy in the center.
Rihanna's "Rated R" and first single "Russian Roulette" go on sale today.
Rihanna will address the Chris Brown assault later this week on "Good Morning America" and "20/20."
