Rihanna’s song Diamonds, from her 2012 album Unapologetic, was co-written by Sia and produced by Benny Blanco.
In a Howard Stern interview, Blanco said, “Sia writes a song in under five minutes—it’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life! She was waiting for a cab, this was before Uber, and they said it was going to take 15 minutes. She said, ‘Oh, well, just load up another thing.’ The melody, lyrics, harmonies—everything was all done before the cab came. And she was like, ‘Yeah, that’s pretty good!'”
Blanco continued, “a lot of these artists, you have to remember, a lot of people are songwriters, so sometimes they put out songs, and you never know how a song’s going to feel or how it’s going to hit you. You know, Rihanna is such a special artist that the second her voice touches something, it’s like a firework; she has so much tone and personality.”
“When we first made the demo, I was like, ‘This is cool.’ I don’t know, because we wanted to give the song at the time to Kanye or Eminem, and actually, Eminem recorded a song to it, but he didn’t say anything until like a year later, until it was about to come out. It was crazy. I just remember in that moment being like, ‘Oh, this is cool,’ but then once Rihanna sang it, I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is something,'” said Blanco.
The official press release promoting the song states: “Fresh off her spectacular opening performance at the 2012 MTV VMAs—where she won the night’s biggest award, Video Of The Year for ‘We Found Love’—worldwide superstar Rihanna opens the next chapter of her reign as this century’s Queen of the Billboard Hot 100 with her new single, ‘Diamonds.’ ‘Diamonds’ will make its premiere on Wednesday, September 26 with an 8:00 AM EST launch at radio. An hour later, at 9:00 AM EST, ‘Diamonds’ will be available on iTunes.”
Before the song dropped, Rihanna said the vibe of Diamonds is that “you’re not sad or dancing. You’re happy and hippie. It’s laid-back, but it’s hopeful. It gives me such a great feeling when I listen to it. The lyrics are very hopeful and positive, but it’s about love and the gears are a little different from what people would expect. I’m excited to surprise them sonically.”
The song premiered on Z100’s “Elvis Duran and the Morning Show” and syndicated to other Clear Channel radio stations. A press release two weeks later said, “In just over two weeks, ‘Diamonds’ is already #12 at Top 40 radio.”
On November 17, 2012, Diamonds reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States and topped the charts in several countries, including the UK, Canada, and France. Two days later, on November 19, 2012, Rihanna released her album Unapologetic.
Lyrically: Diamonds
The opening lyrics urge you to put happiness first, declaring, “Shine bright like a diamond / Find light in the beautiful sea / I choose to be happy.”
You and I, you and I, we’re like diamonds in the sky
You’re a shooting star I see, a vision of ecstasy
When you hold me, I’m alive, we’re like diamonds in the sky
These lyrics reveal a strong bond between two. They compare their love to “diamonds in the sky.” The “shooting star” symbolizes beauty and possibly the fleeting moments. The words “vision of ecstasy” elevates the bond to a spiritual level.
I knew that we’d become one right away
Oh, right away
At first sight I felt the energy of sun rays
I saw the life inside your eyes
These lyrics emphasize that the connection between the two was destined to “become one,” with the combined energy, symbolized by “sun rays,” enhancing a joint life together.
Palms rise to the universe as we moonshine and molly
Feel the warmth, we’ll never die, we’re like diamonds in the sky
“Palms rise to the universe” suggests a shared spiritual experience. It evokes surrender and openness. “Moonshine” refers to the glow of the moonlight, or drinking moonshine. “Molly” takes a sharp turn and introduces a sense of euphoria, as it’s a common term for MDMA, which is also known as ecstasy—perhaps a quest to meet the ‘vision of ecstasy’ in the previous verse.
The rest of the song is repetitive. Most lyrics reinforce its core message: to celebrate love. The phrases “shine bright” and “beautiful like diamonds in the sky” are a reminder to find brilliance in ourselves and others.
Diamonds carries a deeply personal connection for Rihanna, as it honours the memory of her grandmother, Dolly Braithwaite, who passed away from cancer shortly before the song’s release in 2012. Rihanna stated that the song is “connected to my grandma; I literally think of her every single time I perform that.”
