“FourFiveSeconds” features vocals by Rihanna and Kanye West, and instrumentals by Sir Paul McCartney. It has earned praise for its minimalist instrumentals, which include acoustic guitar, cello, and organ, and for blending pop, hip-hop, country, and folk — an unprecedented mash-up for all three performers.

It was expected to be on her eighth album ANTI, but was not included. The album art for the single reads “Four Five Seconds” in Braille.

In an interview with V Magazine, Rihanna said she was attracted to the song because of the tension between its sound and its lyrical content.

When you read the lyrics it’s a completely different song than what you are hearing. The music is easygoing, but the lyrical content is very loud and in your face.

Kanye has compared Rihanna’s vocals on the track to those of Scottish singer Annie Lennox (“the greatest white soul singer alive,” according to VH1).

The song peaked at number four on the Hot 100, becoming Rihanna’s 26th top ten song, McCartney’s 23rd (not counting his 34 with the Beatles), and West’s 15th. McCartney now holds the record for longest time between top ten hits, with 29 years between “FourFiveSeconds” and “Spies Like Us”, which charted on February 8th, 1986.