"California King Bed" | ||||
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Single by Rihanna | ||||
from the album Loud | ||||
Released | May 13, 2011 | |||
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Recorded | 2010;
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Length | 4:12 | |||
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Rihanna singles chronology | ||||
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"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 and Alex Delicata. The song was chosen to be a single from the album through Twitter, and it was released as the album's sixth single on May 13, 2011, by Def Jam. "California King Bed" is a rock and R&B power ballad that lyrically discusses "the waking death of a relationship", where Rihanna asks her lover if he loves her with emotional weakness. Rihanna's vocals were commended by critics.
Commercially, the song topped the Polish and Slovakian charts, achieved the top-five in Australia, Austria, Czech Republic and Portugal, while also reaching the top-ten in Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and others. In the United States, it reached the top-forty on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topped the Dance Club Songs. The accompanying music video for the track was directed by Rihanna's longtime collaborator and director Anthony Mandler. Its tropical and romantic setting features an eighteen foot long bed designed specifically for the video. Rihanna promoted the track with live performances at the ACM Awards, along with Sugarland front woman Jennifer Nettles, as well as on American Idol, NBC's Today show, and on her Loud Tour (2011).
On March 1, 2011, Rihanna asked fans to help her choose the next single from Loud using Twitter, saying that she would film a music video within the next couple of weeks. After an influx of suggestions, the singer said she had narrowed the options down to four songs: "Man Down", "California King Bed", "Cheers (Drink to That)" and "Fading". On March 12, she confirmed that "California King Bed" had been selected as the next international single. However, the releases were switched, and "Man Down" was sent to rhythmic and urban radio stations in the United States on May 3 – before the May 13 release of "California King Bed" – making "Man Down" and "California King Bed" the fifth and sixth singles from Loud. The song was released digitally on May 13, 2011, through digital download via iTunes. It was first serviced to US hot adult contemporary radio on May 16, 2016, and later to US contemporary hit radio on May 31, 2011. Later, after their impact on radio, the song was also issued on CD single format in Europe and also as an extended play (EP) digital with nine remixes from the original track.