Needed Me

"Needed Me" is a powerful anthem of female independence and emotional dominance. Lyrically, the song details a reversal of traditional gender roles in a casual relationship. Rihanna positions herself as the emotionally detached and powerful figure, while the male counterpart is depicted as the one who becomes too attached and needy. The central theme is a blunt rejection of romantic sentimentality. Rihanna makes it clear that the relationship was purely physical and for her own amusement ("You was just another nigga on the hit list"). She rebuffs the man's attempts to make it something more, scorning the cliché fairytale ending ("Fuck your white horse and a carriage"). The song's meaning is rooted in self-worth and unapologetic assertiveness. Rihanna declares her self-sufficiency from the beginning ("I was good on my own, that's the way it was") and asserts that the man needed her to fix his own "inner issues" and to feel something more, while she required nothing from him. It's a declaration that she is not a prize to be won or a partner to be possessed, but a "savage" who operates on her own terms.

The narrative begins by establishing a state of self-sufficient contentment. The protagonist was perfectly fine on her own, living her life without needing anyone else. A man entered the picture, and their connection was casual and based on fleeting physical moments, described as a "faded love." Despite the casual nature of their interactions, the man starts complaining and acting emotionally wounded, or "jaded." The protagonist dismisses his feelings, reminding him that their time together was just for fun and that she was always upfront about her intentions. She acknowledges they had some good times, but firmly corrects any notion he might have had that it was something more significant.

The core message is then delivered with cutting clarity. The man is told not to misinterpret the situation; he was just another person on her list, a temporary figure she entertained. She suggests he was trying to use her, a "bad bitch," to fix his own insecurities and personal problems. She questions if he wasn't warned about her "savage" nature, someone who doesn't conform to traditional romantic ideals. The fairy-tale imagery of a "white horse and a carriage" is contemptuously dismissed, highlighting that she never promised him a conventional love story or gave him any reason to believe he could possess her. The central theme is reinforced in the hook: he was the one who needed her, not the other way around. He needed her to experience deeper feelings and to have someone to desire, even if he gave little in return. She knows he hates to admit his dependency, but the truth is undeniable—he needed her presence in his life far more than she needed his.

The second verse continues this theme of emotional detachment and self-assurance. While he's out getting caught up in feelings, she's nonchalantly rolling up and staying in her own lane. She confronts him directly, questioning if he is serious about his emotional state and asking how he truly feels, almost mocking his vulnerability. Again, she reiterates that their connection was never a real relationship, a true "us." It was a transient experience that he has blown out of proportion. She repeats the admission that they had fun, but immediately follows it with the sharp reminder not to get it twisted. The chorus repeats, hammering home the central point of the power imbalance in their dynamic. He was the one seeking validation and emotional fulfillment from her, while she remained independent and self-contained, a fact he can't escape.

"Needed Me" was created for Rihanna's eighth studio album, Anti, released in 2016. The song was written by a team of songwriters including Rihanna (credited as Robyn Fenty), DJ Mustard (Dijon McFarlane), Brittany "Starrah" Hazzard, Charles Hinshaw, Derrus Rachel, and co-producers Twice as Nice (Nick Audino, Lewis Hughes) and Frank Dukes (Adam Feeney). The recording sessions took place at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles. DJ Mustard revealed that he had created around fifty tracks in hopes of getting a placement on Anti, and "Needed Me" was one of the last ones he worked on. He almost didn't go to the studio session, feeling discouraged, but the collaboration ultimately proved successful. Songwriter Prince Charlez recalled being in a session in Malibu with Rihanna, Starrah, and DJ Mustard when Rihanna heard the beat and asked them to write to it, with the song being completed in about twenty minutes. When they played it for her the next day, she loved it and recorded it immediately. The track was officially released to US urban contemporary radio on March 30, 2016, as a joint single along with "Kiss It Better".

"Needed Me" features a languid, atmospheric rhythm that defines its moody character. The song is set in the key of G minor with a moderate tempo of 111 beats per minute. Its rhythmic structure is built around a heavy, downtempo trap and dubstep-influenced beat, creating a hypnotic and somewhat hazy feel. The percussion is characterized by prominent, hard-hitting bass triggers and a throbbing pulse. Rihanna's vocal rhythm plays against the instrumental in a compelling way. Her phrasing in the verses often utilizes tuplets—triplets or other groupings—that create a conversational, slightly off-the-beat flow, enhancing the song's nonchalant and assertive attitude. The rhyme scheme is relatively loose and irregular, closer to free verse, which complements the song's conversational and confessional tone. Rhymes often occur internally or as slant rhymes (e.g., "twisted"/"hit list"/"bitch"), rather than following a strict, predictable pattern. This avoidance of a rigid structure contributes to the track's modern, raw, and unpolished feel, making the lyrical content feel more like a genuine, unfiltered thought process than a structured pop song.

"Needed Me" employs a range of stylistic techniques, both musically and lyrically, to create its distinctive atmosphere. Musically, the song is characterized by its "mellowish" dubstep-influenced electro-R&B sound, built on a downtempo and loose production. The production by DJ Mustard is a departure from his upbeat club style, featuring a "pulpy, throbbing beat," "heavy bass triggers," and a "buzzing, grinding bassline." A notable production element is the use of a reversed synth pad sound that accelerates into the kick drum, manipulating the track's microrhythmic dynamics. Rihanna's vocal delivery is crucial; she uses a unique, warbling style and employs tuplets in her phrasing during the verses, giving the melody a distinctive, interlocking texture with the beat. Lyrically, the song's power comes from its direct and confrontational narrative voice. Rihanna adopts a cool, assertive, and dismissive tone. The lyrics utilize stark, memorable declarations ("Didn't they tell you that I was a savage?") and dismissive rhetorical questions ("Shit, what the fuck you complaining for?") to establish a clear power dynamic. The rejection of romantic clichés ("Fuck your white horse and a carriage") serves as a powerful anti-ballad statement.

"Needed Me" became a significant cultural touchstone from Rihanna's album Anti, solidifying her image as an unapologetic and powerful female figure. The song was a major commercial success, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and giving Rihanna her 29th top 10 hit, tying her with Michael Jackson for the third-most top-tens at the time. Notably, it became her longest-charting song on the Hot 100, spending 45 weeks on the chart, a testament to its sustained popularity and resonance. The song received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance. Its themes of female empowerment and the reversal of traditional relationship dynamics led many critics and fans to label it a feminist anthem. The music video, directed by the controversial filmmaker Harmony Korine, garnered significant attention for its graphic depiction of violence, nudity, and drug use, further cementing the song's rebellious and "savage" identity. Released on April 20 (4/20), the video's aesthetic and narrative—Rihanna as a nonchalant assassin taking out a man in a strip club—sparked discussions about the glamorization of violence and its role in challenging gender stereotypes in music videos. The song's enduring popularity is highlighted by its massive streaming numbers, surpassing one billion streams by early 2021.

The lyrics of "Needed Me" are rich with symbolism and metaphors that reinforce its themes of power and independence.

• "Hit list": The line "You was just another nigga on the hit list" metaphorically frames past lovers not as romantic partners but as targets or conquests. This subverts the typical narrative of a woman being a notch on a man's belt, instead portraying her as the one in control, systematically moving from one person to the next without emotional attachment.
• "White horse and a carriage": This is a powerful and direct rejection of fairytale romance. The white horse and carriage symbolize the traditional, idealized love story where a prince charming figure rescues a damsel. By explicitly cursing this image, Rihanna repudiates the idea that she needs or wants to be saved, asserting her independence from conventional relationship expectations.
• "Savage": Calling herself a "savage" is a key piece of imagery. It symbolizes a wild, untamable nature that operates outside societal norms and expectations for women. It's an embrace of a fierce, unapologetic persona that contrasts sharply with the supposed vulnerability of the man trying to "fix his inner issues" with her.

The most prominent recurring motif in "Needed Me" is the central hook and title phrase: "You needed me." This phrase is repeated throughout the chorus and serves as the song's thematic core. Its repetition hammers home the central argument: the power imbalance in the relationship was defined by his dependence versus her independence. The line is often followed by the taunting, melodic "Oooh, you needed me," which emphasizes the point with a sense of finality and even pity. Another key recurring phrase is "Didn't they tell you that I was a savage?" This line acts as a rhetorical anchor in the pre-chorus, defining Rihanna's self-perception within the song's narrative. It's a defiant embrace of a persona that is untamable and unwilling to conform to romantic expectations. The repetition of "that's the way it was" in the opening verse establishes a baseline of self-sufficiency from the very beginning, a fact that she keeps returning to. Musically, the producer tag "Mustard on the beat, ho!" at the very beginning acts as a sonic signature, setting the stage for the specific mood and production style to follow.