Beautiful (Eminem song)

Beautiful
publication	May 11, 2009
length	6:32 (album version) 4:12 (video version)
Genre (s)	Hip-hop , rap-rock
text	M. Mathers , L. Resto , J. Bass , D. Black , A. Hill
music	Eminem, Jeff Bass (Co)
album	Relapse

Beautiful (English for. " Beautiful ") is a song of the American rapper Eminem . The song is the fifth single from his sixth studio album Relapse and was released on May 11, 2009. It is the only track on the album that Eminem recorded back in 2007 when he was still under the influence of drugs .

content

The track is the only ballad on the Relapse album . Eminem recounts how he fell into depression and almost lost faith in the future due to drug addiction .

The song begins with a sample of the song Reaching Out by Queen + Paul Rodgers , in which the lyric self says it has been alone too long and it is difficult to reach your feelings. Eminem starts rapping about his depression and says that he can no longer get out of indolence and need help. He tries to put the pressure off his mind through texts, but can't cope with the thought that he might have to end his rap career and need a new balance. Eminem is difficult to replace in the rap scene and to really understand him, you have to walk a thousand miles. In the chorus, he speaks to the listener that he should symbolically swap shoes with him in order to see the world from his point of view, before forming a judgment about him. He also encourages everyone not to be told that they are not beautiful, but to trust their own strengths and be honest with themselves. The second verse takes up the topic of depression. Eminem thinks he's lost his sense of humor and is feeling cold. He avoids eye contact because he doesn't feel like paying attention and talking to other people. He doesn't need fans who crawl up his ass and laugh at every joke he makes, and they aren't even funny. Instead, he wants them to listen to his story in order to understand him. In the third verse, Eminem calls for everyone to take their life into their own hands and not let themselves be persuaded. He raps about his childhood growing up without a father and changing schools frequently. He always wanted to be a cool kid, even if that meant playing the class clown. Only when an action went wrong did he learn from it and no longer tried to impress his friends. Eminem tells the listener that they may have a completely different view of the things they are rapping about and asks them to take a walk together to exchange ideas. At the end of the song, he addresses his daughter Hailie and niece Alaina and tells them to be strong. He told his listeners that you should be proud of yourself and that everyone is unique.

Production and sample

The instrumental for the song was produced by Eminem in collaboration with Jeff Bass as co-producer. They used a sample of the song Reaching Out by Queen + Paul Rodgers . The recordings for the track took place in the 54Sound Studios in Ferndale.

Music video

When video Beautiful led Anthony Mandler directed. It is only 4:12 minutes long because the last verse has been left out.

Initially, two texts are faded in, stating that in 1950 Michigan was one of eight US states that together produced 36 percent of the world's gross domestic product and that Detroit was once the largest manufacturing city in the world. Then you see Eminem rapping at various locations in Detroit that date from this time and are already in disrepair. It is located first at Michigan Central Station , then at the Packard Building, and finally at Tiger Stadium , which was being demolished at the time. Corresponding people can be seen in all three places who are very sad. These include an old woman with a suitcase, several auto workers leaving the factory, and a youth baseball team .

single

Cover design

The single cover shows a view over snow-covered Detroit, including the Ambassador Bridge . At the top of the picture in the sky are the words Eminem and Beautiful in white .

Chart successes

The song reached the highest position in the German charts at number 39 and stayed in the top 100 for five weeks.

Chart placements

Charts	Top ranking	Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK)	39 (5 weeks)	5
Austria (Ö3)	39 (3 weeks)	3
Switzerland (IFPI)	44 (2 weeks)	2
United Kingdom (OCC)	12 (13 weeks)	13
United States (Billboard)	17th (6 weeks)	6th

Awards

In 2018, Beautiful was awarded a triple platinum record for more than three million sales in the United States . The song received a silver record for over 200,000 units sold in the UK and a gold record for over 7,500 sales in New Zealand .

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
New Zealand (RMNZ)	gold	7,500
United States (RIAA)	3 × platinum	3,000,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	silver	200,000
All in all	1 × silver 1 × gold 3 × platinum	3,207,500

Main article: Eminem / Music Sales Awards

At the Grammy Awards 2010 , Beautiful was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance , but was subject to the song DOA (Death of Auto-Tune) by Jay-Z .

Web links

• Lyrics with interpretations (English)
• Music video on YouTube.com

swell

1. ↑ Beautiful on MTV.com
2. ↑ Lyrics in the booklet
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US
4. ↑ US: 3x platinum