"SOS" is a dance-pop song which samples Soft Cell's 1981 recording of "Tainted Love", a song written by Cobb in 1965.
Some critics compared "SOS" to Rihanna's debut single, "Pon de Replay" (Music of the Sun, 2005).
In the United States, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three consecutive weeks, becoming Rihanna's first number one single on the chart.
"SOS" peaked at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart and Mainstream Top 40 chart.
"SOS" was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of over 1,000,000 copies.