Eminem’s hip hop ballad “Love the Way You Lie” describes the dangerous cycle of being trapped within an abusive, love hate relationship. While one of Eminem’s older songs, it is easily among his top tracks, and is a must to listen to if you haven’t already. This song was originally inspired by the abusive romantic relationship producer Alexa da Kid experienced with the music industry. However, the lyrics describe an interpersonal relationship between a man and a woman, voiced by Eminem and Rihanna, and is especially hard hitting considering Rihanna’s publicly abusive relationship with artist Chris Brown. Eminem’s eloquently written lyrics resonate with anyone who has experienced a difficult relationship, evoking images powerful enough to give insight to those who may not have experienced this degree suffering.

After investing so much time and energy into a relationship, even the thought of leaving it seems impossible. To those on the outside, it may seem idiotic to even consider staying, but the mistreated individual chases the high of those few moments when things are calm. When I was first introduced to this song, I was beginning to learn about the abusive relationship of my close friend’s parents. Eminem’s lyrics helped me understand the anguish my friend was going through as she described her parents’ relationship, and gave me an idea of why they continued to stay together despite the abuse.

The contrast between Eminem’s rough voice in the verse and Rihanna’s smooth vocals in the chorus add to this song’s pull in and pull back dynamic. There is disparity in Rihanna’s words- she describes her suffering, and but then says “I love the way you lie,” hinting at how abuse has become part of her life, and she can’t imagine living without it. Similarly, as the song progresses Eminem begins to rap with two conflicting voices: his conscious and the demons in his heart. My favorite lines are when he says “Next time I’m pissed, I’ll aim my fist at the drywall / Next time, there will be no next time / I apologize even though I know it’s lies.” Juxtaposing the optimism of directing his anger away from physical abuse (while alluding to how violent he can become) with the reality of admitting his promises are empty caught me off guard when I first listened to this song. A few years after first hearing this song I found myself in situation similar to what Eminem describes, so these lines stand out to me the most when I relisten to it.

Work Cited

Eminem. “Love the Way You Lie”. Recovery. 2010. CD.

lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eminem/lovethewayyoulie.html