Rihanna 'Man Down' Female Version Of Bob Marley's 'I Shot The Sheriff'

The songwriting brothers behind Rihanna's new single 'Man Down' have said they wanted the track to be the female version of 'I Shot The Sheriff'.

The song, taken from the singer's recent album 'Loud', has come under fire after its video was unveiled last month.

The video shows Rihanna shooting a man who it later transpires had tried to sexually assault her.

"We wanted the song to be something to where everybody had an opinion," Theron, a.k.a. Da Spokesman, said. "Some people felt it was literal, some people felt it was a metaphor."

His brother brother Timothy 'Don't Talk Much' Thomas told MTV News: "When we wrote the song, me and my brother was trying to re-create in the best way possible, you know, like, Bob Marley 'I Shot the Sheriff'. The female version of what that would be."

The duo added that they were happy that the video had courted attention.

Rihanna - Loud Tour photos