Once Upon A Hit: “We Found Love” by Rihanna & Calvin Harris

We’re turning back the clock with a brand-new Throwback Thursday feature on Hits 96 called Once Upon a Hit!

Each week, Gino D revisits a song that was sitting at #1 on the charts at least 15 years ago, sharing a little music history and a few surprising facts along the way.

For our very first edition, we’re traveling back exactly 15 years to November 12, 2011, when Rihanna and Calvin Harris reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with their massive dance-pop anthem, “We Found Love.”

And believe it or not, Rihanna almost wasn’t the voice behind this iconic hit!

Before Rihanna turned “We Found Love” into a worldwide smash, British singer Leona Lewis had actually recorded her own version of the song with Calvin Harris. However, her version was never officially released, and the song eventually found its way to Rihanna.

But Leona wasn’t the only artist who had an opportunity to record it!

Former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger later revealed that she had also been offered the song but passed on it because she was busy and wasn’t looking to record another dance track at the time.

Talk about a couple of major musical what-ifs!

Rihanna’s version of “We Found Love” reached the top of the the chart, replacing Adele‘s “Someone Like You.” The song would go on to spend an incredible 10 weeks at number one, becoming one of the defining pop hits of the early 2010s.

Fifteen years later, it’s still one of Rihanna’s most recognizable hits!

Join Gino D every Thursday on Hits 96 as we revisit the songs that once ruled the charts, uncover the stories behind them, and take a trip back to some of pop music’s biggest moments.

SOURCES: Billboard, NME, & Capital FM