The Real Slim Shady
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"The Real Slim Shady" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his third studio album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000). It was released as the lead single a month before the album's release.
The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, giving him his biggest hit up to that point.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was also Eminem's first song to reach number one in the UK and Ireland<ref name="IRE"/> and the song was the 14th best selling of 2000 in the UK. It won multiple awards, including MTV Video Music Awards for Best Video and Best Male Video, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 80 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was listed at number 396 on NMETemplate:'s 500 greatest songs of all time.
Production
[edit]"The Real Slim Shady" was not originally intended to be part of The Marshall Mathers LP. Interscope Records's Jimmy Iovine wanted Eminem to get a song to introduce the album, similar to the way "My Name Is" was the first single on The Slim Shady LP. Eminem, Dr. Dre, Tommy Coster and Mike Elizondo wrote "The Real Slim Shady" just hours before the final copy of the album was due. The first single was intended to be "Who Knew".<ref>VH1's Ultimate Albums: The Marshall Mathers LP</ref>
The song's first verse interpolated the 1999 novelty single "Lonely Swedish (The Bum Bum Song)" by Tom Green,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and the intro and chorus of the song interpolate the famous catchphrase "will the real _____ please stand up?" from the television game show To Tell the Truth.<ref name="Moon 2008 p. 257">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="VIrtel 2014 e078">Template:Cite web</ref>
Critical reception
[edit]PopMatters described the song as "slamming their 'enemies' with comic book intensity", while also noting its ironic themes surrounding the number of near-identical "wannabes" due to Eminem's overall appearance, citing his "signature style" which bore "bleached blond hair, pale skin, [and] humongous T-shirt".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> AllMusic highlighted the single.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rolling Stone praised the sound of the single as "slick, bright, melodic funk that's so R&B-ish, you can dance to it".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Entertainment Weekly's Will Hermes was also positive, writing, "In the aftermath of Slim Shady, he married the girlfriend he imagined killing, while his mother, immortalized in his hit single 'My Name Is' (I just found out my Mom does more dope than I do), sued him for $10 million for defamation of character."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The defamation case was settled in 2001 for $25,000 as Debbie Mathers' former attorney was awarded $23,354—netting Ms. Mathers just over $1600 for her efforts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Los Angeles Times favored The Real Slim Shady as a "modest step to the mainstream—a fresh and funny, almost PG-rated swipe at everything from the Grammy Awards to shallow teen pop",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while IGN wrote:
"The album's obligatory 'pop' number is exposed on 'The Real Slim Shady,' which chugs and lurches along to a boinging electro funk beat. It would be a total pop smash if it weren't for the lyrics, though. Leave it to Em to juice it up with ear candy effervescent, but keep the words in the subversive. As with the other Dre crafted tunes on the album, there's plenty of cool special effects bustling about—fart noises, heavy breathing, all of it coalescing with Em's cartoon character on crystal meth delivery. Sure it's pop, but of the most demented nature."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The song has been included as part of many films, notably 21 Jump Street (2012) and Freddy Got Fingered (2001).Template:Citation needed
Music video
[edit]Philip G. Atwell and Dr. Dre directed the music video filmed in April 7–10, 2000.Template:Citation needed Eminem's friends and former group-mates from D12 including rappers Denaun Porter, Proof, Swifty McVay, Bizarre, Kuniva, and Limp Bizkit vocalist Fred Durst are featured in the video along with him.
Actress and comedian Kathy Griffin, notable for insulting celebrities in her act,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> appears in the video as an attending nurse in a psychiatric ward. Griffin said during a July 21, 2005, interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno that Eminem selected her for the video because fellow rapper Snoop Dogg told him she was "really funny".<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>
The music video has 1 billion views on YouTube as of October 2024, making it Eminem's seventh video to cross the one billion mark.
Credits
[edit]Information from the interior booklet of The Marshall Mathers LP
- Singing and lyrics: Eminem
- Production: Dr. Dre, Mel-Man
- Mixing: Dr. Dre
- Bass guitar – Mike Elizondo
- Keyboards – Tommy Coster
- Editing – Dan Lebental
- Executive producer – Dr. Dre
- Composer – Andre Young, Marshall Mathers, Tommy Coster, Melvin Bradford, Mike Elizondo
Awards
[edit]Template:See also "The Real Slim Shady" was very successful at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, winning awards for Video of the Year and Best Male Video, as well as being a nominee for Best Rap Video, Best Direction, Best Editing and Viewer's Choice. The song was also performed by Eminem at the show with look-a-likes of himself, as in the video.
| Year | Organization | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Billboard Music Awards | Maximum Vision Video | Template:Won |
| Best Rap/Hip-Hop Clip of the Year | Template:Won | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Music: Video | Template:Nominated | |
| Choice Music: Summer Song | Template:Nominated | ||
| MTV Video Music Awards | Video of the Year | Template:Won | |
| Best Male Video | Template:Won | ||
| Best Rap Video | Template:Nominated | ||
| Best Direction | Template:Nominated | ||
| Best Editing | Template:Nominated | ||
| Viewer's Choice Award | Template:Nominated | ||
| 2001 | Detroit Music Awards | Outstanding National Single | Template:Won |
| Grammy Awards | Best Rap Solo Performance | Template:Won |
Track listing
[edit]Charts
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Weekly charts
[edit]| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)<ref name="AUS">Template:Cite web</ref> | 11 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)<ref name="AUT">Template:Cite web</ref> | 6 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)<ref name="BELFL">Template:Cite web</ref> | 7 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)<ref name="BELWA">Template:Cite web</ref> | 2 |
| Canada (RPM)<ref name="CAN">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 6 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten)<ref name="DEN">Template:Cite web</ref> | 3 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 (Billboard)<ref>"Keating Bows To Five + Queen" Template:Webarchive. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media.</ref> | 1 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref name=FIN>Template:Cite web</ref> | 6 |
| France (SNEP)<ref name="FRA">Template:Cite web</ref> | 6 |
| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)<ref name="ISL">Template:Cite web</ref> | 1 |
| Ireland (IRMA)<ref name="IRE">Template:Cite web</ref> | 1 |
| Italy (FIMI)<ref name="ITA">Template:Cite web</ref> | 4 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref name="DUT">Template:Cite web</ref> | 5 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)<ref name="NZ">Template:Cite web</ref> | 15 |
| Norway (VG-lista)<ref name="NOR">Template:Cite web</ref> | 2 |
| Poland (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 13 |
| Portugal (AFP)<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Dead link</ref> | 2 |
| Romania (Romanian Top 100)<ref name=ROM>Template:Cite web</ref> | 8 |
| scope="row"Template:Single chart | |
| Spain (AFYVE)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 6 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)<ref name="SWE">Template:Cite web</ref> | 3 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref name="SWI">Template:Cite web</ref> | 2 |
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 20 |
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Lithuania (AGATA)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 86 |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 94 |
Year-end charts
[edit]| Chart (2000) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 57 |
| Austrian Singles Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 18 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 30 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 10 |
| Danish Singles Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 29 |
| Dutch Top 40<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 44 |
| Dutch Single Top 100<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 39 |
| European Singles Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 10 |
| French Singles Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 16 |
| German Singles Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 44 |
| Romania (Romanian Top 100)<ref name="ROM"/> | 60 |
| Swedish Singles Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 22 |
| Swiss Singles Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 5 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company) <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 14 |
| UK Urban (Music Week)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 17 |
| US Billboard Hot 100<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 51 |
| Chart (2022) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 75 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 117 |
| Lithuania (AGATA)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 71 |
Certifications
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See also
[edit]- Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Rhythmic chart
- List of number-one singles of 2000 (Ireland)
- List of European number-one hits of 2000
- List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 2000s
- List of highest-certified singles in Australia
References
[edit]- 2000 songs
- 2000 singles
- Eminem songs
- UK singles chart number-one singles
- European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
- Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
- Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
- Number-one singles in Iceland
- Number-one singles in Scotland
- MTV Video of the Year Award
- MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video
- Songs about censorship
- Songs about domestic violence
- Songs about fictional male characters
- Songs about the media
- Songs about hip-hop
- Songs about musicians
- Songs written by Eminem
- Songs written by Dr. Dre
- Songs written by Mike Elizondo
- Song recordings produced by Dr. Dre
- Song recordings produced by Mel-Man
- Shady Records singles
- Aftermath Entertainment singles
- Interscope Records singles
- Cultural depictions of Britney Spears
- Comedy hip-hop songs
- Hardcore hip-hop songs
- Obscenity controversies in music