Chart Beat

At first blush, Rihanna’s “Friend of Mine” does not sound like a single from a kids movie. Unlike the superstar’s previous soundtrack work for films like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Home, which tended to veer toward sweeping pop balladry, “Friend of Mine” is a thumping club track, with Rihanna’s voice positioned as an elliptical refrain over a house beat.

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Jon Bellion, who co-wrote and co-produced the track last year, was initially surprised to hear that the song would be featured in the upcoming Smurfs film, in which Rihanna is voicing Smurfette. Then he considered the sonic profile of “Friend of Mine,” and understood its mass appeal. “From a product standpoint, I don’t think you get such major chords and such a positive [message] over a dance record that doesn’t sound like a kids movie too often,” he tells Billboard. “So when do you nail the feel-good, family-friendly, high-taste, deep ‘90s nostalgia, that can also be played into the kids movie? Shoot it out into the world!”

That’s exactly what Rihanna did on Friday (May 16) with “Friend of Mine,” which precedes the Smurfs soundtrack (out June 13 through Roc Nation Distribution) and her star turn in the Smurfs film (in theaters July 18). Three years after her last music release, Rihanna has offered “Friend of Mine” as a long-awaited check-in with fans, and an unexpected song of the summer bid.

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The song came together during one of Bellion’s writing camps at his vacation home in the Hamptons last summer, with the studio veteran producing the song with Pete Nappi and Fallen, and all three receiving co-writing credits along with Elijah Noll, Elkan, Tenroc and Rihanna. That group of writers and producers are part of Beautiful Mind Projects, Bellion’s management, publishing and label company, and Bellion — who’s helped artists like Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Maroon 5 score pivotal hits in recent years — says that the energy heard on “Friend of Mine” is a reflection of his collective’s collaborative spirit.

“It was a bunch of people having a blast, doing a music camp together, jamming on some DJ s–t and playing chords and just having fun,” he says. “And I think that that’s probably why it ended up sounding so new. It just felt like a natural thing, with a bunch of guys who like being around each other and want to make great s–t.”

“Working with [Jon] is always exciting because you know you’re going to walk away with a real song,” the producer Fallen, who’s also worked with artists like Doja Cat and Summer Walker, tells Billboard in a statement. “He sees things through. He’s the kind of person who will spend an entire week on a single track if that’s what it takes. We spent about three days on ‘Friend of Mine,’ just refining and dialing it in. Coming from the hip-hop world, I’m used to making five songs in a single session, so this level of detail was new for me. But it’s been the most valuable lesson I’ve learned working with him.”

One of Bellion’s earliest hits as a co-writer was “The Monster,” the 2013 smash from Eminem and Rihanna that topped the Hot 100 chart for four weeks. In the decade-plus since that breakthrough, he’s stayed in touch with Rihanna’s team, and says that he’s contributed “a couple songs” to her camp over the years that have yet to be released.

Considering that Rihanna’s output has been scant since her 2016 album ANTI, Bellion was uncertain that “Friend of Mine” would see the light of day, but the spontaneity of the track’s creation stood out in his mind when it came together last year. “The song is raw — like, she didn’t really mix it further than the two track that we sent out,” he says. “We [sent] it out, and I had it on my phone for a few days, and I just remember, every morning I’d wake up listening to it. I’d listen to it in the shower, like, ‘This is kind of jamming!’”

Bellion couldn’t recall another Rihanna single that sounded quite like “Friend of Mine” — and he says that, at some point after the song was finished, the realization hit him that unexplored territory was exactly what she had been searching for. “She’s not looking for ‘We Found Love 2.0,’ or ‘Work 2.0,’” he says. “The arrangement and the feel feels all very new — very cutting-edge, in front of what the next wave will be, because she usually tries to do that every time she puts something out.”

“Friend of Mine” arrives shortly before Bellion’s third studio album, Father Figure, is released on June 6; the project marks his first solo full-length in seven years, and features guest turns from Luke Combs, Pharrell Williams and Jon Batiste. While Father Figure includes deeply personal reflections on fatherhood and its challenges, Bellion is glad that “Friend of Mine” has arrived a few weeks beforehand, to give him a chance to pull off something he has yet to accomplish professionally.

“My whole career, I’ve wanted [a song] that plays at all the events — all the baby showers and sweet sixteens and wedding and Bar Mitzvahs,” Bellion says with a laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever really had one of those, so it feels great, and hopefully it does well.”

Connie Francis’ legacy on Billboard’s charts predates the Aug. 4, 1958, inception of the Billboard Hot 100. Once the chart originated, her dominance continued, as she scored historic No. 1s and linked a string of enduring classics.

In spring 1958, Francis’ version of “Who’s Sorry Now,” originally a hit in the 1920s, rose to No. 4 on Billboard’s Top 100 chart. Upon the Hot 100’s start, “My Happiness” became the then-20-year-old’s first top 10 on the ranking, reaching No. 2 in January 1959.

On the Hot 100 dated June 27, 1960, Francis’ “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” hit No. 1 — becoming the list’s first leader by a solo woman. That September, her “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own” became the third such No. 1 (after Brenda Lee’s “I’m Sorry”).

By the time Francis had tallied her 15th and last Hot 100 top 10 to date, “Vacation,” in September 1962, she boasted the most among women — with only Elvis Presley having notched more, with 16. By the end of the ‘60s, her top 10 haul (all on the MGM label) still stood as the best among solo women, outpaced overall only by The Beatles (30), Presley (22) and the Supremes (18). Plus, Francis led all women soloists with her three No. 1s during the ‘60s.

A key to Francis’ chart success? “If I love the title, I always record the song,” she told Fred Bronson for The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. She shared that when “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own” co-writer Howard Greenfield called her to tell her the song’s name, she said, “‘That’s a smash! Great title!’ ‘You haven’t heard the song yet,’ he said. ‘Doesn’t matter — it’s a great title!’ ”

Francis additionally grew her avid fandom thanks to starring movie roles, among them 1960’s Where the Boys Are. The film’s title song hit No. 4 on the Hot 100 in March 1961. (Still, she confessed to Bronson, “If you’ve ever seen any of my movies, you know I’m not an actress … I was amateurish. I used to keep a book of all the bad reviews because they were hilarious.”)

As Francis’ music is being welcomed by a new generation, thanks to the TikTok-fueled virality of her 1962 deep cut “Pretty Little Baby,” browse below her 10 biggest career hits on the Hot 100. (Notably, “Who’s Sorry Now” is not among them, since, as detailed above, its peak run occurred just before the chart began.)

Connie Francis’ Biggest Billboard Hits chart is based on actual performance on the weekly Hot 100 chart from its Aug. 4, 1958, inception, through May 17, 2025. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.

“Mama”