I Need a Doctor
| "I Need a Doctor" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"I Need a Doctor", is the second official single by Dr. Dre from his third and final studio album, Detox. The song features rapper Eminem and Skylar Grey, and is produced by British producer Alex da Kid.[1]
Background
The official version premiered through Dre's official website.[2] It was produced by British producer Alex Da Kid, who is best known for co-writing Eminem's hit single "Love The Way You Lie". Kid told MTV News about the experience of working with Dre. "That was amazing. He's one of my favorite producers of all time. Everybody knows how much of a perfectionist he is: He's been working on his album for 11 years. For him to bring me in, trust me, not micro-manage me, and let me bring what I do to the table, I can't even describe how that makes me feel." The song contains Eminem rapping two verses about his mentor, thanking him for believing in him in his early days and now returning the favor, before Dre delivers the song's final verse (totalling to three verses altogether).[3]
Music video
A video for the track was recently shot with Allen Hughes, the director behind Menace II Society and The Book of Eli. Eminem was spotted on the set in downtown Los Angeles.[4][5]
Live performances
Dr. Dre, Eminem and Skylar Grey performed the song at the 2011 Grammy Awards as part of a medley with "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" performed by Rihanna, Adam Levine and Eminem.[6]
Critical reception
Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the song a very positive review - rating the song five stars out of five; "Why is 'I Need A Doctor' such a brilliant single? Well, first of all there's the production from British knob-twiddling whizz Alex Da Kid, which has a similar gravitas and bone-rattling bombast to his work on 'Love the Way You Lie' and 'Airplanes'. Then there's the haunting chorus, delivered by Diddy's 'Coming Home' bud Skylar Grey, which inhabits you from first listen. However, what elevates 'I Need A Doctor' from "very good" to "a little bit special" are the performances of Dre and Em. That single manly tear dribbling down your cheek? Entirely, entirely justified." [7]
Chart performance
The track first appeared on the UK Singles Chart, at number 21 on February 6, 2011—being Dr. Dre's sixth highest-charting single in the UK and his ninth Top 40 single. It debuted at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 with sales of 226,000[8], becoming his first top-ten single as lead artist on the chart in 18 years, since "Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')" reached #8 in 1993. It is also his second highest peak on the chart ever as lead artist, behind only "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" which peaked at #2 in 1993.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[9] | 43 |
| Canadian Hot 100 | 9 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten)[10] | 40 |
| France (SNEP)[11] | 52 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] | 58 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[13] | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[14] | 5 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom[citation needed] | January 30, 2011 | Digital download | Aftermath, Interscope |
| United States | February 1, 2011 | ||
| Germany [15] | March 4, 2011 | CD | Interscope (Universal) |
References
- ^ http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1652968/dr-dre-constantly-working-producer-alex-da-kid.jhtml
- ^ http://www.drdre.com/i-need-a-doctor/
- ^ http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=21490
- ^ http://www.rap-up.com/2011/01/31/dr-dre-relaunches-website-officially-debuts-single-with-eminem/
- ^ http://www.mwza.com/eminem-on-dr-dre-i-need-a-doctor-music-video-shoot/
- ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.13926/title.dr-dre-will-join-eminem-for-grammy-awards-performance
- ^ Dr Dre ft. Eminem, Skylar Grey: 'I Need A Doctor' Review by Nick Levine of Digital Spy. 2011-02-06
- ^ http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/74328/week-ending-feb-6-2011-albums-minaj-feels-like-a-million/
- ^ "Dr. Dre feat. Eminem & Skylar Grey – I Need a Doctor". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
- ^ "Dr. Dre feat. Eminem & Skylar Grey – I Need a Doctor". Tracklisten. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
- ^ "Dr. Dre feat. Eminem & Skylar Grey – I Need a Doctor" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
- ^ "Dr. Dre feat. Eminem & Skylar Grey – I Need a Doctor". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/hot-100
- ^ Released in Germany on Amazon.de