Mockingbird (Eminem song)

Mockingbird
publication	April 25, 2005
length	4:10
Genre (s)	Hip hop
text	M. Mathers , ; L. Resto
music	Eminem
album	Encore

Mockingbird (English for: " Mockingbird ") is a song by the American rapper Eminem . The song is the fifth single from his fifth studio album Encore and was released on April 25, 2005. The song is also featured on Eminem's best-of album Curtain Call: The Hits .

content

In Mockingbird , Eminem is dedicated to his daughter Hailie and his adopted niece Alaina (known as "Lainie"). In the first verse, he admits mistakes in his daughter's upbringing and in his relationship with Kim. Eminem also says he wants to give them the life he never had and will protect them from all negative influences. He knows that Hailie is sad because he is out so often and her parents have separated, but there is nothing he can do about fate either. The refrain is based on the lullaby Hush, Little Baby and is aimed at Hailie, who shouldn't cry because her father will always be there for her. In the second verse, Eminem raps about his past life. He says that he had no money to buy presents at Christmas. That's why his then-wife Kim bought the presents and said they were from both of them. He then cried all night because he felt like a failure. After burglars stole money Kim wanted to save for Hailie's education, the relationship ended up falling apart. Shortly afterwards, Eminem went to California to see Dr. Dre who spotted him. At the end of the song, the rapper promises again to do everything for his daughters.

production

Eminem produced the beat of the song himself, using no samples from other songs. The track was recorded in the 54Sound studio in Detroit .

Music video

The video for Mockingbird was filmed by Eminem and Quig.

It shows Eminem sitting next to a projector in a darkened room. He wears glasses and watches original past footage of his daughter Hailie and adopted niece Alaina growing up, as well as him and his ex-wife Kim taking care of their two children. It includes scenes from Christmas and a playground, for example. The year 1998 can be seen on some video recordings. Because this is original video, some people's faces have been made unrecognizable.

single

Cover design

The single cover shows Eminem sitting on an armchair next to a projector. In the background of the room you can see an aquarium and deer heads on the wall. In the lower part of the picture are the lettering Eminem in black and Mockingbird in orange.

Chart successes

Mockingbird rose to number 15 in the German charts on May 9, 2005 and stayed in the top 100 for a total of twelve weeks.

Chart placements
Charts	Top ranking	Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK)	15th (12 weeks)	12
Austria (Ö3)	18th (14 weeks)	14th
Switzerland (IFPI)	14th (14 weeks)	14th
United Kingdom (OCC)	4th (14 weeks)	14th
United States (Billboard)	11 (20 weeks)	20th

Annual charts
Charts (2005)	placement
Annual charts (2005)
United Kingdom (OCC)	66
United States (Billboard)	59

Awards

In 2018, Mockingbird was awarded a quadruple platinum record for more than four million sales in the United States . In the same year it received a gold record in Germany for over 150,000 units sold.

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Australia (ARIA)	gold	35,000
Germany (BVMI)	gold	150,000
Italy (FIMI)	platinum	50,000
United States (RIAA)	4 × platinum	4,000,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	platinum	600,000
All in all	2 × gold 6 × platinum	4,835,000