Reaper (song) explained

Reaper
Cover:Reaper (Sia song) coverart.png
Border:yes
Type:single
Artist:Sia
Album:This Is Acting
Genre:Pop
Label:Inertia
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Prev Year:2017
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"Reaper" is a song by Australian singer and songwriter Sia which features on her seventh studio album, This Is Acting (2016). It was released as the fourth promotional single from This Is Acting on 7 January 2016, before being released as an official single, the fifth from the album, in Australia, on 29 May 2017.[1] [2]

The pop song, originally intended for Rihanna's album Anti (2016), was written by Sia, Kanye West, Noah Goldstein, Charles Njapa (better known by his stage name 88-Keys), and Dom $olo, and produced by West, Dom $olo, Goldstein, 88-Keys, Jesse Shatkin, and Jake Sinclair.

Background and release

"Reaper" came about when Sia was writing songs for Rihanna's eighth studio album Anti.[3] Both Rihanna and Kanye West were supposed to be a part of the session with her, but neither turned up, instead telling Sia what they wanted, leaving notes for her.[4] Sia and West had previously collaborated on the latter's song "Wolves".[5] "Reaper" was one of four rejected by Rihanna which ended up on This Is Acting, alongside "Bird Set Free", "Cheap Thrills", and "Space Between".[3] Sia stated in an interview with Rolling Stone that she "thought there was something about the chorus that seemed fun", but "never thought it would see the light of day".[4] Her manager pushed for the song to be featured on the album:

In January 2016, Sia revealed the track listing for This Is Acting by having theaters around the world display songs and track numbers on their marquees.[6] The songs "Reaper" and "House on Fire" were confirmed as the seventh and eighth tracks, respectively, on the marquee of Webster Hall in Manhattan, New York City, on 6 January.[7] The day after, "Reaper" was released as the fourth promotional single from the album.[8] [9]

Sia performed the song on Good Morning America on the morning of This Is Actings release.[10] It was eventually released as a single in Australia – the fifth from the album – on 29 May 2017, directly following the announcement of the Australian leg of the Nostalgic for the Present Tour.[2] [11]

Composition

"Reaper" is a pop song[12] about cheating death. The song, featuring Sia's "eccentric art-pop vocals", begins mellow before building into a "dramatic" chorus.[13] At a length of 3 minutes and 38 seconds, it was written by Sia, Kanye West, Noah Goldstein, 88-Keys, and Dom $olo, with the latter four handling production alongside Jesse Shatkin and Jake Sinclair.[14] The song is written in the key of F-sharp major.[15]

Reception

In her review of This Is Acting for Vulture, Lindsay Zoladz named "Reaper" as one of the album's best songs, calling it "a feel-good ode to cheating death".[16] Laurence Day of The Line of Best Fit opined that although the lyrics are "wounded and vulnerable", the song is an "endearingly optimistic track", likening its belying of the "gravity of the subject at hand" to that in Sia's "Chandelier".[17] Writing for The Arts Desk, Katie Colombus described "Reaper" as a "huge life [anthem] that celebrate[s] every breath you are able to take",[18] and Soul Bounce writer B. Cakes called the song "oddly-inspiring" and "jaunty".[19] DIYs El Hunt described it as "simple yet effective".[20] In 2017, staff of Billboard ranked the song as one of the best "deep cuts" by 21st century popstars, describing it as a "rumbling anthem" which "is a welcome dose of 'not today' attitude".[21]

Taking a more critical standpoint, Alex Kritselis of Bustle wrote, "After hearing 'Reaper', [...] it's easy to understand Sia's indifference. It's a catchy tune, sure [but] I'm not at all surprised Rihanna passed on it."[22] Similarly, Cameron Cook of Pitchfork opined that the song "falls a little flat, missing the punch that its intended artist [Rihanna] would have provided".[23]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of This Is Acting.[24]

Release history

CountryDateFormatLabel
Worldwide7 January 2016[26] [27]
Australia29 May 2017Contemporary hit radioInertia[28]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 29 May 2017 . Singles Report: Selena Gomez sneaks past Liam Payne at radio . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230417192417/https://themusicnetwork.com/singles-report-may-29/ . 17 April 2023 . 17 April 2023 . The Music Network.
  2. Web site: 29 May 2017 . Sia releases new single "Reaper" . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230419153834/https://www.thepartae.com/sia-releases-new-single-reaper-first-ever-stadium-run-in-australia-first-australian-dates-in-six-years/ . 19 April 2023 . 19 April 2023 . The Partae.
  3. Web site: Cridlin . Jay . 9 March 2016 . Rihanna's 'Anti,' Sia's 'This Is Acting' approach pop stardom in divergent ways . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160502120318/https://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/music/rihannas-anti-sias-this-is-acting-approach-pop-stardom-in-divergent-ways/2268562/ . 2 May 2016 . 19 April 2023 . Tampa Bay Times.
  4. Web site: Spanos . Brittany . Brittany Spanos . 3 December 2015 . Sia's Reject Opus: Songwriter on Reclaiming Adele, Rihanna's Unwanted Hits . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20181103074432/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sias-reject-opus-songwriter-on-reclaiming-adele-rihannas-unwanted-hits-36006/ . 3 November 2018 . 19 April 2023 . Rolling Stone.
  5. Web site: Robinson . Will . 5 January 2016 . Preview Sia’s song Reaper, co-written by Kanye West . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160703035520/http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/05/sia-kanye-west-reaper-teaser . 3 July 2016 . 7 July 2016 . Entertainment Weekly.
  6. Web site: Minsker. Evan. Sia and Kanye West Team on "Reaper". Pitchfork. 6 January 2016. 7 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160108021901/http://pitchfork.com/news/62749-sia-and-kanye-west-team-on-reaper. 8 January 2016. live.
  7. Web site: Thompson. Eliza. Listen to a New Sia Song Meant for Rihanna and Made With Kanye West. Cosmopolitan. 7 January 2016. 7 July 2016. 13 August 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160813042514/http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/music/news/a51796/sia-reaper-this-is-acting/. live.
  8. Web site: Plaugic. Lizzie. Listen to Sia's new song 'Reaper,' written and produced by Kanye West. The Verge. 7 January 2016. 7 July 2016. 19 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160719070934/http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/7/10728968/sia-kanye-west-song-reaper-this-is-acting. live.
  9. Web site: Silverberg . Nicole . 7 January 2016 . Oh Man, This New Sia-Kanye West Collaboration Is Actual Fire . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220926124530/https://www.gq.com/story/oh-man-this-new-sia-kanye-west-collaboration-is-actual-fire . 26 September 2022 . 17 April 2023 . . Condé Nast.
  10. Web site: Grebey. James. Sia Performs 'Reaper' on ‘Good Morning America’ With Dancers Who Had Dalmatian Face Paint. SPIN. 29 January 2016. 7 July 2016. 23 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160723101538/http://www.spin.com/2016/01/sia-reaper-good-morning-america-watch-dog-face-paint/. live.
  11. Web site: Styles . Aja . 28 May 2017 . Sia brings first Australian tour in five years to Melbourne, Sydney only . 19 April 2023 . . 15 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220415042601/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/sia-brings-first-australian-tour-in-five-years-to-melbourne-sydney-only-20170528-gweqk4.html . live .
  12. Web site: Kramer . Kyle . 7 January 2016 . Listen to Sia's New Song "Reaper," Co-Written and Co-Produced by Kanye West . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230420210500/https://www.vice.com/en/article/rnwkkx/sia-reaper-kanye-west . 20 April 2023 . 20 April 2023 . Vice.
  13. Web site: Murphy. Sarah. Sia Further Details 'This Is Acting,' Drops "Reaper" Featuring Kanye West. Exclaim!. 7 January 2016. 20 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20160109135826/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/sia_further_details_this_is_acting_drops_reaper_featuring_kanye_west. 9 January 2016. live.
  14. Web site: Sia / Reaper / Credits. Tidal. 20 April 2023.
  15. Web site: Reaper / Digital Sheet Music. Furler. Sia. Sia. West. Kanye. Kanye West. MusicNotes, Inc.. 20 April 2023.
  16. Web site: Zoladz . Lindsay . 28 January 2016 . Sia's This Is Acting Is Full of Hits, Misses, and Some Great What-Ifs . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160708213229/https://www.vulture.com/2016/01/album-review-sias-this-is-acting.html . 8 July 2016 . 20 April 2023 . Vulture.
  17. Web site: Listen to Sia and Kanye West's upbeat collaboration "Reaper". Day. Laurence. 7 January 2016. 22 April 2023. The Line of Best Fit. https://web.archive.org/web/20230422223949/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/latest-news/listen-to-sia-and-kanye-wests-upbeat-collaboration-reaper. 22 April 2023. live.
  18. Web site: Colombus . Katie . 28 December 2016 . Albums of the Year: Sia - This Is Acting . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220809235051/https://theartsdesk.com/node/78828/view . 9 August 2022 . 22 April 2023 . The Arts Desk.
  19. Web site: Cakes . B. . 7 January 2016 . Sia Dodges The 'Reaper' With An Assist From Kanye West . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210622064625/https://soulbounce.com/2016/01/sia-dodges-the-reaper-with-an-assist-from-kanye-west/ . 22 June 2021 . 22 April 2023 . Soul Bounce.
  20. Web site: Hunt . El . 29 January 2016 . Sia - This Is Acting . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230625212830/https://diymag.com/review/album/album-review-sia-this-is-acting . 25 June 2023 . 25 June 2023 . DIY.
  21. Web site: 21 November 2017 . The 100 Best Deep Cuts by 21st Century Pop Stars: Critics' Picks . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220804091543/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/best-pop-album-tracks-21st-century-deep-cuts-8039437/ . 4 August 2022 . 20 April 2023 . Billboard.
  22. Web site: Kritselis. Alex. Hear The Song Sia & Kanye West Wrote For Rihanna. Bustle. 7 January 2016. 7 July 2016. 21 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160721065209/http://www.bustle.com/articles/134078-sias-new-song-reaper-isnt-her-best-effort-but-its-still-a-catchy-tune-listen. live.
  23. Web site: Cook . Cameron . 28 January 2016 . Sia: This Is Acting . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220816161821/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21481-this-is-acting . 16 August 2022 . 25 June 2023 . . Condé Nast.
  24. This Is Acting. Sia. 2016. booklet. Monkey Puzzle Records/RCA Records. 88875180552.
  25. Web site: Sia ARIA chart history, received from ARIA in May 2024. ARIA. Imgur.com. 12 July 2024. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  26. Web site: Reaper. Spotify. Sia. Sia. 17 April 2023. 7 January 2016. 17 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230417194110/https://open.spotify.com/album/4cZvCzmaSXgx42AMO222Nu. live.
  27. Web site: Fitz-Gerald. Sean. Listen to Sia's 'Reaper,' Written With Kanye for Rihanna. Vulture. 7 January 2016. 17 April 2023. 17 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230417195021/https://www.vulture.com/2016/01/sia-reaper-kanye-rihanna.html. live.
  28. Web site: 29 May 2017 . Australian Singles Report . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230417193329/https://images.thebrag.com/tmn/uploads/tmn_australian_singles_report_2017-05-29.pdf . 17 April 2023 . 17 April 2023 . . PDF.

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