Reaper (song)

Not to be confused with Reapers (song).

"Reaper"
Single by Sia
from the album This Is Acting
Released29 May 2017 (2017-05-29)
GenrePop
Length3:39
LabelInertia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Sia singles chronology
"To Be Human"
(2017) 		"Reaper"
(2017) 		"Free Me"
(2017)
Audio video
"Reaper" on YouTube

"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,[1] before being released as an official single, the fifth from the album, in Australia, on 29 May 2017.[2][3]

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

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"Reaper" came about when Sia was writing songs for Rihanna's eighth studio album Anti.[4] 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.[5] Sia and West had previously collaborated on the latter's song "Wolves".[6] "Reaper" was one of four rejected by Rihanna which ended up on This Is Acting, alongside "Bird Set Free", "Cheap Thrills", and "Space Between".[4] 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".[5] Her manager pushed for the song to be featured on the album:

I don't care about the song. I know in print that will look bad, but what I mean is I'm not emotionally attached to it. I thought it was a fun song. I think it's a good, fun song, but I didn't anticipate it being on the record. But my manager really likes it so I put it on for him.

— Sia on "Reaper", Rolling Stone[5]

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.[7] 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.[8] The day after, "Reaper" was released as the fourth promotional single from the album.[1][9]

Sia performed the song on Good Morning America on the morning of This Is Acting's release.[10] It was eventually released as a single in Australia – the fifth from the album – on 29 May 2017,[11] directly following the announcement of the Australian leg of the Nostalgic for the Present Tour.[3][12]

Composition

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"Reaper" is a pop song[13] about cheating death.[14] The song, featuring Sia's "eccentric art-pop vocals", begins mellow before building into a "dramatic" chorus.[15] At a length of 3 minutes and 38 seconds,[16] 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.[17] The song is written in the key of F-sharp major.[18]

Reception

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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".[14] 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".[19] Writing for The Arts Desk, Katie Colombus described "Reaper" as a "huge life [anthem] that celebrate[s] every breath you are able to take",[20] and Soul Bounce writer B. Cakes called the song "oddly-inspiring" and "jaunty".[21] DIY's El Hunt described it as "simple yet effective".[22] 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".[23]

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."[24] Similarly, Cameron Cook of Pitchfork opined that the song "falls a little flat, missing the punch that its intended artist [Rihanna] would have provided".[25]

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of This Is Acting.[26]

  • Sia – songwriting
  • Kanye West – songwriting, production
  • Noah Goldstein – songwriting, production
  • 88-Keys – songwriting, production
  • Dom $olo – songwriting, production
  • Jesse Shatkin – production, drums, drum programming, bass programming, synth programming, piano, engineering
  • Jake Sinclair – production
  • Chris Wrays – keyboards, guitar
  • Jaime Wosk – additional engineering
  • Julian Burg – additional engineering
  • Suzy Shinn – additional engineering
  • Manny Marroquin – mixing
  • Emily Lazar – mastering

Charts

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Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[27] 89
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[28] 78
France (SNEP)[29] 89
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[30] 92

Release history

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Country Date Format Label Ref.
Worldwide 7 January 2016
  • Monkey Puzzle
  • Inertia
  • RCA
 [16][31]
Australia 29 May 2017 Contemporary hit radio Inertia [11]

References

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  1. ^ a b Plaugic, Lizzie (7 January 2016). "Listen to Sia's new song 'Reaper,' written and produced by Kanye West". The Verge. Archived from the original on 19 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Singles Report: Selena Gomez sneaks past Liam Payne at radio". The Music Network. 29 May 2017. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Sia releases new single "Reaper"". The Partae. 29 May 2017. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b Cridlin, Jay (9 March 2016). "Rihanna's 'Anti,' Sia's 'This Is Acting' approach pop stardom in divergent ways". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Spanos, Brittany (3 December 2015). "Sia's Reject Opus: Songwriter on Reclaiming Adele, Rihanna's Unwanted Hits". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  6. ^ Robinson, Will (5 January 2016). "Preview Sia's song Reaper, co-written by Kanye West". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 3 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  7. ^ Minsker, Evan (6 January 2016). "Sia and Kanye West Team on "Reaper"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  8. ^ Thompson, Eliza (7 January 2016). "Listen to a New Sia Song Meant for Rihanna and Made With Kanye West". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  9. ^ Silverberg, Nicole (7 January 2016). "Oh Man, This New Sia-Kanye West Collaboration Is Actual Fire". GQ. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  10. ^ Grebey, James (29 January 2016). "Sia Performs 'Reaper' on 'Good Morning America' With Dancers Who Had Dalmatian Face Paint". SPIN. Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Australian Singles Report" (PDF). The Music Network. 29 May 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  12. ^ Styles, Aja (28 May 2017). "Sia brings first Australian tour in five years to Melbourne, Sydney only". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  13. ^ Kramer, Kyle (7 January 2016). "Listen to Sia's New Song "Reaper," Co-Written and Co-Produced by Kanye West". Vice. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  14. ^ a b Zoladz, Lindsay (28 January 2016). "Sia's This Is Acting Is Full of Hits, Misses, and Some Great What-Ifs". Vulture. Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  15. ^ Murphy, Sarah (7 January 2016). "Sia Further Details 'This Is Acting,' Drops "Reaper" Featuring Kanye West". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  16. ^ a b Sia (7 January 2016). "Reaper". Spotify. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Sia / Reaper / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  18. ^ Furler, Sia; West, Kanye. "Reaper / Digital Sheet Music". MusicNotes, Inc. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  19. ^ Day, Laurence (7 January 2016). "Listen to Sia and Kanye West's upbeat collaboration "Reaper"". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  20. ^ Colombus, Katie (28 December 2016). "Albums of the Year: Sia - This Is Acting". The Arts Desk. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  21. ^ Cakes, B. (7 January 2016). "Sia Dodges The 'Reaper' With An Assist From Kanye West". Soul Bounce. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  22. ^ Hunt, El (29 January 2016). "Sia - This Is Acting". DIY. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  23. ^ "The 100 Best Deep Cuts by 21st Century Pop Stars: Critics' Picks". Billboard. 21 November 2017. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  24. ^ Kritselis, Alex (7 January 2016). "Hear The Song Sia & Kanye West Wrote For Rihanna". Bustle. Archived from the original on 21 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  25. ^ Cook, Cameron (28 January 2016). "Sia: This Is Acting". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  26. ^ This Is Acting (booklet). Sia. Monkey Puzzle Records/RCA Records. 2016. 88875180552.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ^ "Sia ARIA chart history, received from ARIA in May 2024". ARIA. Retrieved 12 July 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  28. ^ "Sia Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  29. ^ "Sia – Reaper" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  30. ^ "Sia – Reaper". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  31. ^ Fitz-Gerald, Sean (7 January 2016). "Listen to Sia's 'Reaper,' Written With Kanye for Rihanna". Vulture. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
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