"S&M;" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna (pictured) from her fifth studio album, Loud (2010). The song was released in January 2011 as the fourth single from the album. Written by the American songwriter Ester Dean in collaboration with its producers StarGate and Sandy Vee, "S&M;" borrows from Depeche Mode's 1984 song "Master and Servant". The lyrics make reference to sadomasochism, bondage, and fetishes. The song reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaked at number one in Australia, Canada, and Poland, and reached the top five in France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, and the UK. Critical response was mixed; some praised its sound and composition while others criticized its overtly sexual lyrics. An accompanying music video that portrays softcore sadomasochistic acts and fetishes was banned in many countries and restricted to nighttime television in others. Critics complimented Rihanna's sensuality and the vibrant colors. Photographer David LaChapelle filed a lawsuit alleging that the video incorporates ideas from his photographs.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%26M_(song)

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

321:

Emperor Constantine I decreed that Sunday, the day honoring the sun god Sol Invictus, would be the Roman day of rest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus

1871:

José Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco, became Prime Minister of the Empire of Brazil, starting a four-year rule, the longest in the state's history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Paranhos,_Viscount_of_Rio_Branco

1945:

World War II: In Operation Lumberjack, Allied forces seized the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine, enabling them to establish and expand a lodgement on German soil that changed the entire nature of the conflict on the Western Front. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludendorff_Bridge

1965:

African-American Civil Rights Movement: Civil rights demonstrators marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, were brutally attacked by police on Bloody Sunday. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_to_Montgomery_marches

1985:

The charity single "We Are the World" by the supergroup USA for Africa was released, and would go on to sell over 20 million copies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_the_World

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

phillumenist: A person who collects match-related items, like matchbox labels, matchboxes, matchbooks, or matchbook covers. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/phillumenist

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

One swallow does not make a summer, nor does one day; and so too one day, or a short time, does not make a man blessed and happy.   --Aristotle https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aristotle