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The Way I Am (Eminem song)

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"The Way I Am"
Single by Eminem
from the album The Marshall Mathers LP
ReleasedOctober 3, 2000[1]
Recorded2000
GenreHardcore hip hop
Length4:50
Label
Songwriter(s)Marshall Mathers
Producer(s)Eminem
Eminem singles chronology
"The Real Slim Shady"
(2000)
"The Way I Am"
(2000)
"Stan"
(2000)
Music video
"The Way I Am" on YouTube

"The Way I Am" is a song written, produced, and performed by American rapper Eminem from his third album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000). It was released as the second single from the album on October 3, 2000, later being featured on his 2005 compilation album, Curtain Call: The Hits. In the tradition of most of Eminem's follow-up singles, "The Way I Am" is one of the rare songs for which he has sole songwriting credit. It features a much darker and emotionally driven sound than the album's lead single "The Real Slim Shady". "The Way I Am" peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside the United States, "The Way I Am" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Belgium (Wallonia), Finland, Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Background

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The song was written by Eminem to express the negative side of the fame that he had gained. The song makes points such as him not being able to go out in public and live a normal life due to him being harassed by fans. He also vents about the pressure put on him to top his earlier work on The Slim Shady LP. The line, "If I wasn't then why would I say I am" was taken from the song "As the Rhyme Goes On" by Eric B. & Rakim from their album Paid in Full. The song has also been remixed by Danny Lohner featuring Marilyn Manson, who has performed the song with Eminem live on stage. "The Way I Am" was certified Gold in Sweden, selling over 20,000 copies. The lyrics "When a dude's getting bullied and shoots up his school / And they blame it on Marilyn (On Marilyn) / And the heroin / Where were the parents at? (Parents at?) / And look where it's at! / Middle America, now it's a tragedy / Now it's so sad to see, an upper-class city / Having this happening," refer to the Columbine High School massacre with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.[2]

In 2008, Eminem released a second autobiography titled The Way I Am.

Critical reception

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The song received critical acclaim. Aspects lauded were the vocal delivery, rhyme pattern, production and political material covered. Cynthia Fuchs of PopMatters was positive: "In 'The Way I Am', Eminem expounds, 'Since birth I've been cursed with this curse to just curse / And just blurt this berserk and bizarre shit that works / And it sells and it helps in itself to relieve / All this tension, dispensin' these sentences.' So there it is: he's performing therapy."[3] AllMusic highlighted the song.[4] Sputnikmusic described this song as "Amityville's portrayal of the Detroit he grew up in; 'The Way I Am' as a whole". Same critic listed it in Recommended Downloads and praising the single: "Built over doomy, gothic arpeggios, rumbling bass, and church bells, Eminem lays down one of the most perfectly formed lyrics of his career, weaving in and out of a tight rhyme scheme that echoes the loping piano motif. Interesting aside: this is one of the first Eminem songs that gives him 100% of the writing credits."[5] IGN praised the song: "Eminem is an angry ass white boy and the vitriol continues on 'The Way I Am', in which he soundly states 'I am whatever you say I am / If I wasn't why would I say I am?' And when he complains that he's 'so sick and tired of being admired...', one almost believes that he'll hang up the mic and disappear (but Em obviously loves the attention so that's not an option at this point in the game). The throbbing, tubular bell and piano laced beat only add to the intensity of the track (incidentally it was crafted by Em himself and it's one of the more stellar examples of his often hit or miss production techniques)."[6] Sal Cinquemani called this song: "He (Eminem) revels in the fact that there's teen violence in upper-class cities on the epic 'The Way I Am'".[7] The song was named the 35th Best Song of the decade by the magazine Complex.[8] The same magazine, in April 2011, ranked the song at #3 on their 100 Best Eminem Songs list.

Music video

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The music video at the beginning plays an instrumental of Eminem's song "Kim". After the "Kim" instrumental is played, the song carries on as normal and when the song starts, it shows Eminem about to jump out of the window of a tall building. He jumps and falls through the sky in a sequence inspired by the Coen brothers film The Hudsucker Proxy, in which the hero also falls slowly from a skyscraper window.[9] Marilyn Manson appears behind Eminem when the song refers to him — and a few more times thereafter. Other shots show fans coming up to Eminem, asking for his autograph. Eminem and Manson were accused of being one of the causes of the Columbine High School massacre because of their violent lyrics. The rapper refuted these accusations by saying in "The Way I Am" that it is up to parents to raise their children. Manson was invited by Eminem to participate in the music video. Manson also performed the song live with Eminem. The scene when Eminem throws a chair at his The Slim Shady LP platinum plaque was inspired by the pressure he felt by his label to write a hit as the first single for The Marshall Mathers LP. In the video, Proof is in the scene when Eminem holds a radio interview and flips the DJ off. The little boy who asks for Eminem's photo in the public bathroom is his half-brother, Nathan. It was released by Paul Hunter as well as Eminem in his neighborhood in front of his old house, the same house that is depicted on the cover of The Marshall Mathers LP. At the end of the video, when Eminem hits the ground, he bounces off of it safely, as if it is a giant mattress.

The video was named the 19th Best Music Video of the 2000s by Complex magazine. In the music video version of the song, wind sound effects can be heard when Eminem sings the intro, the first & last chorus. This can't be heard in the album version.[10]

Credits

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  • Singing and lyrics : Eminem
  • Production : Eminem
  • Mixing : Eminem
  • Guitar and bass : Mike Elizondo
  • Keyboard : Mike Elizondo, Tommy Coster
  • Composer : Eminem
  • Executive Producer : Dr. Dre
  • Producer Video : Nina Huang Fan
  • Director : Paul Hunter
  • Appearances in the clip: Marilyn MansonProof, Nathan Mathers

Track listing

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UK CD single[11]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Way I Am"4:50
2."Bad Influence"3:40
3."My Fault" (pizza mix)
  • Mathers
  • J. Bass
  • M. Bass
  • Bass Brothers
  • Eminem
3:54
4."The Way I Am" (video)  4:52
Total length:17:16
UK Cassette
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Way I Am"4:50
2."Bad Influence"3:40
Total length:8:30
Australian CD single[12]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Way I Am" (unedited version)4:50
2."The Way I Am" (clean)
  • Mathers
  • Eminem
4:49
3."The Kids" (uncensored version)5:07
4."'97 Bonnie & Clyde"
  • Mathers
  • J. Bass
  • M. Bass
  • Bass Brothers
  • Eminem[a]
5:17
5."Steve Berman" (skit)Mathers 0:56
6."The Real Slim Shady" (video)  4:44
Total length:25:43
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer.

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[37] 3× Platinum 210,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[38] Gold 45,000
Sweden (GLF)[39] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Platinum 600,000
United States (RIAA)[41] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "The Way I Am - Eminem | Release Info". AllMusic.
  2. ^ "(Guld & Platina) ÅR 2000" [(Gold & Platinum) Year 2000] (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. pp. 8, 10. Archived from the original ("The Way I Am" at #2131) on March 4, 2012.
  3. ^ "Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP - PopMatters Music Review". Archived from the original on 22 April 2006. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  4. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP (album review 15) - Sputnikmusic". Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  6. ^ "The Marshall Mathers LP". IGN. 12 November 2004. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  7. ^ Sal Cinquemani (16 January 2001). "Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP - Album Review - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Complex - Style, Music, Sneakers, Entertainment, Girls, Technology". Best.complex.com. Archived from the original on 2009-12-05. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
  9. ^ "The Hudsucker Proxy Trailer". YouTube. 2008-02-23. Retrieved 2011-08-25.[dead YouTube link]
  10. ^ "Complex | Style, Music, Sneakers, Entertainment, Girls, Technology". Best.complex.com. Archived from the original on 2009-11-20. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
  11. ^ "Way I Am: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  12. ^ "Way i Am: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  13. ^ "Eminem – The Way I Am". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  14. ^ "Eminem – The Way I Am" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  15. ^ "Eminem – The Way I Am" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  16. ^ "Eminem – The Way I Am" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  17. ^ "Top 50 Singles". Jam!. Archived from the original on December 6, 2000. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  18. ^ "HR Top 20 Lista". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on November 19, 2000. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  19. ^ "Eminem – The Way I Am". Tracklisten. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  20. ^ "Eminem: The Way I Am" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  21. ^ "Eminem – The Way I Am" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  22. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Way I Am". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  23. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 2000" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  24. ^ "Eminem – The Way I Am" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  26. ^ "Eminem – The Way I Am". Singles Top 100. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  27. ^ "Eminem – The Way I Am". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  29. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  30. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  31. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  32. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  33. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2000". Ultratop. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  34. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2000". Top 40. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  35. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2000". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  36. ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 2000" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  37. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  38. ^ "Danish single certifications – Eminem – The Way I Am". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  39. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2000" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  40. ^ "British single certifications – Eminem – The Way I Am". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  41. ^ "American single certifications – Eminem – The Way I Am". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 8, 2022.