| Walks Like Rihanna | |
| Cover: | the wanted - walks like rihanna.png |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | The Wanted |
| Album: | Word of Mouth |
| B-Side: | Drunk on Love |
| Released: | 10 May 2013 |
| Recorded: | 2012 |
| Genre: | Dance-pop |
| Label: | Global Talent |
| Chronology: | The Wanted |
| Prev Title: | I Found You |
| Prev Year: | 2012 |
| Next Title: | We Own the Night |
| Next Year: | 2013 |
"Walks Like Rihanna" is a song by the British-Irish boy band The Wanted. It was released in Australia on 10 May 2013, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 23 June 2013, as the third single from their third studio album Word of Mouth (2013). The song was written by Andy Hill, Henrik Michelsen, and Edvard Førre Erfjord, and it was produced by Dr. Luke and Cirkut, with additional production by Michelsen and Erfjord under their stage name Electric.
The title of the song is a reference to Barbadian singer Rihanna. It peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart and number three in the Republic of Ireland.
In a press conference announcing their reunion in September 2021, band member Tom Parker said that he did not like the song, saying "That song just should not exist. Go in the bin forever. It’s the f****** worst song ever."[1] Bandmates Nathan Sykes and Jay McGuiness countered that "without being hateful, it is a fan favourite, it’s part of our history – and Rihanna liked it!" and "She was very flattered, which is nice."
The music video premiered on 7 May 2013, at a total length of three minutes and thirty-four seconds.[2] It features parodies of three other well-known boy bands' videos: "Bye Bye Bye" by NSYNC, "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys, and "Back for Good" by Take That.
| Peak position | |
| Brazil (Billboard Brasil Hot 100)[4] | 95 |
|---|---|
| Brazil Hot Pop Songs | 27 |
| Slovenia (SloTop50)[5] | 27 |
| Position | ||
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6] | 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Russia Airplay (TopHit)[7] | 76 | |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 96 | |
| Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[9] | 48 |
| Date | Format | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 10 May 2013[10] | Digital download | |
| United States | 28 May 2013[11] | ||
| United Kingdom[12] | 23 June 2013 | ||
| Ireland[13] | |||
| Germany | 28 June 2013 |