I need a doctor

I need a doctor
Dr. Dre feat. & Skylar Gray
publication	February 1, 2011
length	4:43
Genre (s)	Hip hop
text	A. Young , M. Mathers , H. Hafferman
music	Alex da kid
Award (s)	US: 2 × platinum UK: platinum

I Need a Doctor (English for: "I need a doctor") is a song by the American rapper and producer Dr. Dre , which he recorded with rapper Eminem and singer Skylar Gray . The song was released on February 1, 2011. The song premiered on Dr. Dr's website instead.

I Need a Doctor was produced by British producer Alex da Kid , who also collaborated with Eminem and Skylar Gray on the hit single Love the Way You Lie , which wrote the chorus that was later sung by Rihanna .

content

Song part	Artist
refrain	Skylar Gray
1st verse	Eminem
2nd stanza	Eminem
3rd stanza	Dr. Dre

The chorus is sung by Skylar Gray. In terms of content, it's about a person losing their mind and needing a doctor to bring them back to life. Eminem raps in the first verse about how much he owed Dre, who discovered him when he was completely down. Dr. Dre, unlike many other critics, was the only one to recognize Eminem's talent and promote him. Now is the time for Eminem to return the favor and bring his discoverer back into the rap business after he had to go through a difficult time due to the death of his second son in 2008. In the second stanza, Eminem focuses on making a return from Dr. Dre to reach his side. He points out that he was the only one who always believed in him and at that time risked his career for the "white boy" because he signed him against the will of his label colleagues. He says he can never give Dre that much back and that he needs him to keep going. The third stanza raps by Dr. Dre himself. He talks about how he remembers the first time he met Eminem and that everyone in the room joked about him until he stood at the microphone and his talent silenced everyone. Dre also talks about all the wrong friends who let him down during the difficult times. He announces that he's back one more time to release one last album.

Music video

The music video was produced by director Allen Hughes , who produced the hit films Menace II Society and The Book of Eli , among others . The video shoot took place in Los Angeles . The video premiered on the night of February 24th to 25th.

content

It begins with a look back at Dr. Dr's career, in which, among other things, excerpts from earlier music videos can be seen. Then Dre is shown driving a Ferrari on a coastal road, with flashbacks of his life being shown again. Dre accelerates more and more until the car finally swerves in a curve and overturns. This fictional accident is dated February 18, 2001, Dre's birthday, in the video. This is followed by scenes in a clinic that take place "a few years later": Dre is in a coma and Eminem raps his verses in Dres direction. Meanwhile, an angel, played by actress Estella Warren , hovers over them and appears to be singing the chorus. Skylar Gray herself appears as a doctor, but you never see her sing. Eventually Dre wakes up from a coma and goes into rehab. The video ends with Dre standing in front of Eazy-E's grave .

The video has a total length of 7:31 minutes, of which the song itself can only be heard 4:43 minutes.

Grammys

The song was first performed live at the 53rd Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011 by Dr. Dre, Eminem and Skylar Gray listed.

At the following Grammy Awards in 2012 , it was nominated in the categories of Best Rap / Vocal Collaboration and Best Rap Song , but was subject to Kanye West's All of the Lights .

Critical reception

Professional reviews
Reviews
source	rating
Digital spy

Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the song a positive rating of 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 Gray, 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. "

- Nick Levine

single

Cover design

The single cover is kept in green tones. It shows a wall in the corridor of a hospital with a sign on which, among other things, the words Dr. Dre featuring Eminem & Skylar Gray and I Need a Doctor .

Chart successes

After its release on CD, the single rose to number 25 in Germany and stayed in the top 100 for eight weeks.

Chart placements Charts Top ranking Weeks Chart placements  Germany (GfK) 25th (8 weeks) 8th  Austria (Ö3) 28 (13 weeks) 13  Switzerland (IFPI) 33 (15 weeks) 15th  United Kingdom (OCC) 8th (21 weeks) 21st  United States (Billboard) 4th (20 weeks) 20th

Annual charts Charts (2011) placement Annual charts (2011)  United States (Billboard) 51

Awards for music sales Country / Region Award Sales Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)  Australia (ARIA)  2 × platinum 140,000  United States (RIAA)  2 × platinum 2,000,000  United Kingdom (BPI)  platinum 600,000 All in all 5 × platinum 2,740,000

Publications country date Label format  Germany February 1, 2011 Interscope Download  United Kingdom Aftermath , Interscope  United States

Web links

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

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Premiere on Dr. Dr's website ( memento of the original from July 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ Producer Alex da Kid (mtv.com)
3. ↑ Lyrics
4. ↑ Eminem during video shoot ( Memento of the original from January 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ↑ I Need A Doctor video premiering today ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on marshallmathers.eu - Accessed February 24, 2011  
6. ↑ ^{a b} review by Nick Levine
7. ↑ Single cover on amazon.de
8. ↑ I Need a Doctor in the German charts ( German ) officialcharts.de. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
9. ↑ Dr. Dre feat. Eminem & Skylar Gray - I Need a Doctor ( German ) austriancharts.at. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
10. ↑ Dr. Dre feat. Eminem & Skylar Gray - I Need a Doctor ( German ) Hitparade.ch. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
11. ↑ I Need a Doctor in the UK Charts ( English ) officialcharts.com. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
12. ↑ Discography on Billboard ( English ) Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
13. ↑ Billboard charts of the year 2011 ( English ) Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
14. ↑ Publication in Germany (download)
15. ↑ Publication in the United Kingdom (download)
16. ↑ Publication in the USA (download)