Love the Way You Lie – Eminem’s controversial new video
Any fan of Eminem will know by now that he has few boundaries when it comes to writing lyrics, or shooting music videos. The American rapper, also known as Marshall Mathers, has often tackled thorny subjects with his material, and will openly have a pop at anyone from his mother to the President. And with his new track, ‘Love the Way You Lie’, Eminem has made it clear that he’s certainly not mellowing with age.
Following ‘No Love’ and ‘Not Afraid’, ‘Love the Way You Lie’ is the latest single release from Eminem’s seventh studio album, ‘Recovery’, and features the voice of RnB star, Rihanna. The lyrics are a riff on the issue of domestic violence, in an attempt to make a statement about the reality of abusive relationships. Eminem and Rihanna both know what it’s like to be involved in a violent relationship, and it’s likely that Eminem chased the singer to collaborate with him due to her troubled past with ex-boyfriend, Chris Brown. A largely autobiographical track, ‘Love the Way You Lie’ loosely tells the story of Eminem’s destructive partnership with ex-wife Kimberley Anne Scott, with the rapper expressing remorse and passing comment on the psychology of a love/hate relationship.
This isn’t the first time Eminem has chosen a difficult topic for a new track – ‘Bonnie and Clyde ’97’ dealt with the fictional murder of his girlfriend, while ‘Stan’ concerned an obsessive fan who ends up committing suicide. However, if the subject of the single wasn’t sensitive enough, the video has certainly ruffled a few feathers in various pockets of conservative America.
Directed by Joseph Khan, the video features high profile actors Dominic Monaghan and Megan Fox – of Lord of the Rings and Transformers fame respectively – depicting a couple engaged in a destructive, abusive relationship. As well as numerous scenes of the pair fighting with each other, Monaghan and Fox’s characters steal and vandalise before making up again, reflecting the cyclical pattern of abusive partnerships. The video was an instant online sensation, gaining 18 million views in its first five days on VEVO, and breaking a YouTube record for most hits received within 24 hours.
Despite Eminem and Khan’s efforts to “make sure we got this right”, and Fox donating her fee to Sojourn House – a shelter for abused women – the video provoked a ferocious backlash. Various women’s groups have condemned the video for glorifying domestic violence, and even Entertainment Weekly noted the sensual and dramatic camerawork used in the more physical scenes, asking “is this collision of reality and fame-world cleansing or just awkward?”
Although the video has attracted criticism, no TV station has banned it, and compared to past efforts from other groups, it would appear to be mildly titillating at worst. However, you can be sure that Enimem won’t mind the uproar – it just increases the exposure of a track that has been sat at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks to date. Any publicity’s good publicity, after all!
