Without Me (Eminem song)

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"Without Me"
Song

"Without Me" is a hip-hop/rap song by American rapper Eminem. It was released as the lead single from his fourth studio album titled The Eminem Show in 2002, and re-released on his greatest-hits compilation album Curtain Call: The Hits in 2005. "Without Me" is one of Eminem's most successful singles, reaching #2 in the U.S. and #1 in many countries worldwide.

Content

The song was Eminem's return after the successful The Marshall Mathers LP, intended as a sequel to "The Real Slim Shady" and essentially saying that he is back to save the world. It also refers to Eminem's role in the music industry and his cultural effects.

The song mocks a number of Eminem's critics, including Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne Cheney, the FCC and MTV, Chris Kirkpatrick, Limp Bizkit and Moby, as well as lampooning comparisons of Eminem to Elvis Presley as a white man succeeding commercially in a predominantly African-American art form. A line in the song also attacks his own mother for the lawsuit she filed against him for the lyrics of his debut single "My Name Is".

The opening lyric "Two trailer park girls go round the outside" is based on the single "Buffalo Gals" by Malcolm McLaren, while the introduction which is spoken by Obie Trice "Obie Trice, real name no gimmicks." is sampled from his own track "Rap Name". The round the outside lyric could be considered a subliminal diss to Canibus, who used a similar line in Box Cutta Blade Runna, released on "C! True Hollywood Stories" which makes numerous disses against Eminem.

A sample from the track, the phrase "nobody listens to techno", became an underground techno bootleg anthem produced by Deep Dish and Danny Howells under the alias Size DDD (Deep Dish Danny). The song was played by many well-known DJs to satirize the claim. The song was also parodied on All That, a skit show on Nickelodeon, as "Without Meat". It was also parodied on MADtv, a skit show on FOX, as "Whats on TV?". In the second verse a line samples the intro from "The Real Slim Shady". It was also parodied by LittleKuriboh, creator of "Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series", titled "Without Yugi".

The background saxophone riff was sampled for Drunkenmunky's 2002 club hit "E"ⓘ.

Some of the lyrics are altered on the clean version, such as "This is about to get heavy". Also, "Jiggle your hips" is placed to get rid of a sexually explicit remark in the 1st verse.

The line I know that you got a job Ms. Cheney/but your husband's heart problem's complicating is a reference to the then Vice-President Dick Cheney's constant and recurring heart problems. Cheney has had four heart attacks since 1976.

Chart performances and awards

"Without Me" was Eminem's most successful single at that point. The song reached the number one position in many charts from various countries, including the U.K., Australia and New Zealand for 7 weeks. It also reached the number two spot in the U.S. Hot 100. "Lose Yourself" and "Crack a Bottle" are his only songs to have ever charted higher than "Without Me" on the Hot 100, both of which reached number one.

"Without Me" was nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards of 2003 (losing to Norah Jones' song "Don't Know Why"), being Eminem's first song to receive a Grammy nomination in a major category. It also received a nomination for Best Male Rap Solo Performance but lost that award as well to the song "Hot in Herre" by rapper Nelly.

Music video

The music video of the song features a number of scenarios built around its context, including Eminem and Dr. Dre as parodies of comics in general, specifically Batman, Robin and Blade trying to save a child who bought a copy of The Eminem Show that has a Parental Advisory sticker. Eminem and his band of heroes rush to the rescue before the child puts the CD in and he snatches it away from him, and showing that his CD has explicit lyrics. Eminem also appears barefoot throughout some of the video where he is on a hospital bed being pushed through a ward (a reference to ER, which here is called EM drawing from the rapper's stage name). Porn star Jenna Jameson and fitness model Kiana Tom appear in bed with Eminem at the beginning of the video. Eminem also dressed up in various costumes as Osama bin Laden as he is chased by D-12, a TV ad salesman shocking a Dick Cheney-look alike, his mother Debbie Mathers-Briggs (also played by Eminem himself) being flipped off, and Moby getting bodyslammed. The video also features a Lamborghini Murcielago.

This video received MTV Video Music Awards for Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Rap Video, and Best Direction (for Joseph Kahn, who directed it), as well as gaining nominations for Best Editing and Viewer's Choice. It also won Best Short Form Music Video at the Grammy Awards of 2003.

Clips of the video for "Without Me" can also be seen playing in a number of other music videos, including 50 Cent's "In da Club" and Tony Yayo's "I Know You Don't Love Me".

Track listings

CD maxi
  1. "Without Me" (album version) — 4:53
  2. "The Way I Am" (Danny Lohner remix) (featuring Marilyn Manson) — 4:55
  3. "Without Me" (a cappella) — 4:10
  4. "Without Me" (instrumental) — 4:47
  5. "Say What You Say" (featuring Dr. Dre)

Certifications

Country Certification Date Sales certified
Australia[1] 3x Platinum 2002 210,000
Austria[2] Platinum December 30, 2002 30,000
Belgium[3] Platinum July 13, 2002 40,000
France[4] Gold Fabruary 5, 2003 250,000
Germany[5] Gold 2003 150,000
New Zealand[6] 4x Platinum September 22, 2002 60,000
Norway[7] 2x Platinum 2002 20,000
Sweden[8] Gold June 13, 2002 10,000
Switzerland[9] Platinum 2002 40,000
UK[10] Gold June 21, 2002 400,000
U.S.[11] Gold May 19, 2005 500,000

Charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[12] 1
Austrian Singles Chart[12] 1
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[12] 2
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[12] 1
Canadian Singles Chart[13] 4
Danish Singles Chart[12] 1
Dutch Singles Chart[12] 1
Finnish Singles Chart[12] 2
French SNEP Singles Chart[12] 3
Irish Singles Chart 1
Italian FIMI Singles Chart[12] 2
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[12] 1
Norwegian Singles Chart[12] 1
Romanian Singles Chart [14] 1
Swedish Singles Chart[12] 1
Swiss Singles Chart[12] 1
UK Singles Chart[15] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[13] 2
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks[13] 13
U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks[13] 5
Preceded by Norwegian VG-Lista number-one single
22/2002 - 24/2002 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
"Here Come The Good Times" by Ireland World Cup Squad
 Irish IRMA number-one single
May 25, 2002 - June 8, 2002 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by UK Singles Chart number-one single
May 26, 2002 - June 1, 2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
"Supernatural" by Supernatural
 Swedish number-one single
May 30, 2002 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
"Vi ska till vm!" by Magnus Uggla
Preceded by Danish number-one single
May 31, 2002 - June 14, 2002 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
"65 Roses" by Wolverines
 New Zealand RIANZ number-one single
June 2, 2002 - July 14, 2002 (7 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by ARIA (Australia) number-one single
June 2, 2002 - June 9, 2002 (2 weeks)
June 23, 2002 (1 week)
July 21, 2002 - July 28, 2002 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Swiss number-one single
June 2, 2002 - August 4, 2002 (10 weeks)
August 18, 2002 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Ö3 Austria Top 40 number-one single
June 9, 2002 - July 7, 2002 (5 weeks)
August 11, 2002 - August 25, 2002 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Was is' mit du?" by Professor Kaiser
"Herbert Grönemeyer by Mensch
Preceded by
"Dansplaat" by Brainpower
 Dutch Top 40 number-one single
June 15, 2002 - June 22, 2002 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
"L'Agitateur" by Jean-Pascal Lacoste
 Belgian (Wallonia) number-one single
June 15, 2002 - June 29, 2002 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Un enfant de toi" by Phil Barney and Marlène Duval

References

  1. ^ Australian certifications aria.com (Retrieved January 4, 2009)
  2. ^ Austrian certifications ifpi.at (Retrieved January 4, 2009)
  3. ^ Belgian certifications Ultratop.be (Retrieved January 4, 2009)
  4. ^ French certifications Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved January 4, 2009)
  5. ^ German certifications musikindustrie.de (Retrieved January 4, 2009)
  6. ^ New Zealand certification"Chart #1327: Without Me 4x Platinum certification". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. rianz.org.nz. September 22, 2002. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  7. ^ Norwegian certifications Ifpi.no (Retrieved January 4, 2009)
  8. ^ Swedish certifications Ifpi.se (Retrieved January 4, 2009)
  9. ^ Swiss certifications Swisscharts.com (Retrieved January 4, 2009)
  10. ^ UK certifications Bpi.co.uk (Retrieved January 4, 2009)
  11. ^ U.S. certifications riaa.com (Retrieved January 4, 2009)
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Without Me", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved January 4, 2009)
  13. ^ a b c d Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved January 4, 2009)
  14. ^ Romanian Top 100
  15. ^ "Without Me", UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved January 4, 2009)
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