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Welcome to Song of the Week #39! This week, we’ll listen to The Way I Am, which was first featured on The Marshall Mathers LP!

The Way I Am was released on December 27, 2000 as the second single from his highly acclaimed album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000). It is also 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 songs that he has a sole songwriting credit and features a much darker and emotionally driven sound than the album’s lead single, which was “The Real Slim Shady”.

The song features the first beat Eminem produced on his own, featuring an ominous bass line, a piano loop, and chimes. In the song, Eminem lashes out at people he feels are putting too much pressure on him, including overzealous fans and record executives expecting him to top the success of his hit single “My Name Is”, though in fact he went on to do so with “The Real Slim Shady,” as well as other songs. Em delivers each line very aggressively, almost shouting them out. The song contains the line “When a dude’s gettin bullied and shoots up his school…”, referring to either Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold, the bullied perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre which took place the previous year. In 2008, Eminem released an autobiography titled The Way I Am.

The song was received really well. Sputnik Music 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 M. Mathers 100% of the writing credits.” IGN praised the song: “Eminem is an angry a$$ 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. The throbbing, tubular bell and piano laced beat only add to the intensity of the track.” Before Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2012 NBA Playoffs, Miami Heat forward LeBron James is seen in the locker room rapping along to the track during his pregame preparation.

The music video that was released plays a slow instrumental of his song “Kim” at the beginning along with a part of the “Steve Berman” skit (which is the track before this song on the album), and when the song starts, it shows him about to jump out the window of a tall building, and shows him falling through the sky, in a sequence inspired by the Coen brothers film The Hudsucker Proxy. Marilyn Manson appears behind Eminem when the song refers to him—and a few more times thereafter. Other shots show fans coming up to him, asking for his autograph, as well as Eminem in his neighborhood in front of an old house. At the end of the video, when Eminem hits the ground, it bounces him safely like a giant mattress. It was named the 19th Best Music Video of 2000s by Complex magazine. The song is angst-ridden and ostensibly directed towards the record executives who had greatly stressed Eminem to top the success of his last album.

Every week there will be a new song that gets featured on top of the page. Users can leave a comment and the song that gets the most votes will be the Song of the Week. Suggestions for improving the next post are encouraged.

This weeks Selector: masonistheshit

The Song: The Way I Am

Length: 4:49

Recorded: 2000

Release: December 27, 2000

Album(s): The Marshall Mathers LP, Curtain Call

Media: Single Cover | Album Cover 1 | Cover 2 | Cover 3 | Album Back 1 | Back 2 | Back 3

Label: Interscope, Aftermath

Format: Digital, Disc

Producer(s): Eminem

Extra: Lyrics | The Way I Am on YouTube

NOTE: All Spotify links open in a web version of Spotify so no download needed!

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