 " S & M " received mixed responses from music critics . Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine described " S & M " as an ode to sadomasochism that compares to Janet Jackson 's The Velvet Rope . Conner felt that " S & M " , as well as other Loud tracks " What 's My Name ? " and " Skin " , were songs which allowed Rihanna to boast about how good she is in certain situations , as she did on Rated R. He chose the lyrics " I may be bad / but I 'm perfectly good at it ... Chains and whips excite me " as an example of her vaunt . USA Today 's Steve Jones opined that " Loud 's pulsating opener , ' S & M , ' makes it clear from the jump where [ Rihanna is ] headed as she acknowledges that ' chains and whips excite [ her ] ' " , while Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly called " S & M " an " explicitly carnal opener " with " late @-@ night @-@ Cinemax naughtiness " . 
