Just Lose It

"Just Lose It"
Single by Eminem
from the album Encore
Released September 28, 2004
Format
Recorded 2004
Length 4:08
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Dr. Dre
  • Mike Elizondo
Certification Gold (RIAA)
Eminem singles chronology
"One Day at a Time (Em's Version)"
(2004)		 "Just Lose It"
(2004)		 "Mosh"
(2004)
Curtain Call: The Hits track listing
"Cleanin' Out My Closet"
(13)		 "Just Lose It"
(14)		 "When I'm Gone"
(15)
Music sample
Eminem - "Just Lose It"

"Just Lose It" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his fifth studio album Encore (2004). It was released as the lead single from Encore, and was later included on his greatest hits compilation album Curtain Call: The Hits (2005). The song caused controversy as its lyrics and music video parodies Michael Jackson, who was being accused of child molestation at the time. The song also pokes fun at Beavis/Cornholio, MC Hammer, Madonna, and others. It also heavily spoofs Pee-wee Herman, going as far as imitating his signature shout during the chorus and Eminem dressing like him in the video.

The song reached number one in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, and number six in the United States Billboard Hot 100. Despite charting high, the song did not perform as well as his two previous lead singles, "The Real Slim Shady" (2000), and "Without Me" (2002).

Background

Two skits regarding the Michael Jackson controversy were included on Encore, "Paul (Skit)" and "Em Calls Paul (Skit)". The lyrics to "Just Lose It" refer to Jackson's legal troubles, however he does state in his song "... and that's not a stab at Michael, That's just a metaphor, I'm just psycho...." At the beginning of the song there is a lyrical excerpt from Eminem's 2002 single "Without Me" about how "Shady's back". The line "Snap back to reality. Look! It's B. Rabbit" and "You signed me up to battle" refers to "Lose Yourself" and Eminem's character in the movie 8 Mile. In the second verse of the song there is a line "So fellas, fellas..." which is a reference to Sir Mix-a-Lot's song "Baby Got Back". The line "Girl you know you're my world," from the chorus, is a reference to the chorus of his song "Superman" from his album The Eminem Show.

Critical reception

The song received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom found it too similar to Eminem's previous work. AllMusic highlighted the song in a review of the album.[1] Pitchfork was also positive: "Just Lose It" is still most notable for dancing with paedo and homoerotic imagery: It's the one track here that seems as potentially multilayered as the best of The Marshall Mathers LP, yet it's still more curio than anything else."[2] NME wrote a somehow good opinion: "Em (is) reduced to making funny noises to keep things interesting."[3] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly, however, felt mixed: "First [on the album] came the sarcastically bouncy "Just Lose It", a lazy retread of earlier hits that, with its easy-target references to Michael Jackson, made Eminem appear to be the one who'd actually lost it."[4] J-23 panned the song and called it "by far the worst song Eminem or Dr. Dre has ever made. It really seems like their object here was to make the worst song possible. The interlude leading into it is damn hilarious though."[5]

RapReviews argued that it isn't "dropping any jaws or widening any eyes."[6] Rolling Stone described this song as "dance-music dis."[7] In a review praising Encore's "edginess," Steve Jones of USA Today cited the song's mocking of the Michael Jackson child-molestation scandal.[8] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian, however, wrote: "Just Lose It, his plan appears to involve belching and making fart noises, which, with the best will in the world, won't suffice."[9] Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times wrote the song "unfolds as a series of puzzlingly unfunny jokes."[10] Stylus Magazine was negative as well: "That Em’s brand new tendency to bite himself."[11] In 2012, Todd In The Shadows of Channel Awesome named it #1 on his Top Ten Worst Songs of 2004 list, criticizing Eminem's flow, the lyrical content, and how unfunny the song was. "[12]

Music video

The video contains a parody of a rap battle scene from 8 Mile in which it is Eminem, as B-Rabbit, versus Eminem, as Slim Shady. It also contains several scenes where Eminem is walking down the streets naked. As he is doing this, Dr. Dre is seen driving next to him, looking disgusted. For the music video, the lyrics were edited slightly, notably the phrase "shake that ass", becoming the less provocative "shake that thing". Other changes include the muting of some parts of the second verse, and the phrase "butt naked" becoming "buck naked". Such examples of parodies that are included in this video are Michael Jackson, MC Hammer and his hit single "U Can't Touch This", Pee-wee Herman, Madonna and the movie Bad Santa, by displaying Eminem as a "mall santa" and even going so far to include Tony Cox, the actor who played the elf from the actual movie, as Eminem's helper. Some of the celebrities who appeared in this music video were Paris Hilton, Katie Cassidy, Monica Parales, Erik Estrada, Alyson Stoner, BooBoo Stewart, Omar Benson Miller, De'Angelo Wilson, Mekhi Phifer and Dr. Dre. The video was later nominated at the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rap Video, but lost to Ludacris' "Number One Spot". Much Music's 50 Most Controversial Videos ranked it #1 for its jokes on famous people.

Controversy

The music video for "Just Lose It" generated controversy by parodying singer Michael Jackson's child molestation trial, plastic surgery and an incident in which Jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984.[13]

A week after the release of "Just Lose It", Jackson called into the radio show of Steve Harvey to report his displeasure with the video. "I am very angry at Eminem's depiction of me in his video," Jackson said in the interview. "I feel that it is outrageous and disrespectful. It is one thing to spoof, but it is another to be demeaning and insensitive." Jackson continued: "I've admired Eminem as an artist, and was shocked by this. The video was inappropriate and disrespectful to me, my children, my family and the community at large."[14] Many of Jackson's supporters and friends spoke out about the video, including Stevie Wonder, who called it "kicking a man while he's down" and "bullshit",[15] and Steve Harvey, who declared, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back."[15] The video was banned on the BET channel, after complaints from Benzino and others (but was later reinstated, as critics of the ban argued that Nelly's "Tip Drill" video could be seen. Both were only seen on BET: Uncut.) However MTV did not drop it, and the video became one of the most requested on the channel.

Track listing

  1. "Just Lose It" - 4:09
  2. "Lose Yourself" (Soundtrack Version) - 5:21
  1. "Just Lose It" - 4:09
  2. "Just Lose It" (Acapella) - 3:20
  3. "Just Lose It" (Instrumental) - 4:10
  1. "Just Lose It" - 4:09
  2. "Lose Yourself" (Soundtrack Version) - 5:21
  1. "Just Lose It" - 4:09
  2. "Just Lose It" (Acapella) - 3:20
  3. "Just Lose It" (Instrumental) - 4:10
  4. "Just Lose It" (Video) - 4:10
  1. "Just Lose It" - 4:09
  2. "Lose Yourself" (Soundtrack Version) - 5:21
  3. "Just Lose It" (Instrumental) - 4:10
  4. "Just Lose It" (Video) - 4:10
  1. "Just Lose It" - 4:09
  2. "Lose Yourself" (Soundtrack Version) - 5:21

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2004–05) Peak
position
scope="row"Australia (ARIA)[22] 1
scope="row"Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[23] 4
scope="row"Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[24] 6
scope="row"Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[25] 8
scope="row"Denmark (Tracklisten)[26] 1
scope="row"Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[27] 1
scope="row"Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[28] 2
scope="row"France (SNEP)[29] 7
scope="row"Germany (Official German Charts)[30] 2
scope="row"Ireland (IRMA)[31] 2
scope="row"Italy (FIMI)[32] 2
scope="row"Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[33] 5
scope="row"New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[34] 1
scope="row"Norway (VG-lista)[35] 3
scope="row"Spain (PROMUSICAE)[36] 1
scope="row"Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[37] 12
scope="row"Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[38] 1
scope="row"UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[39] 1
scope="row"US Billboard Hot 100[40] 6
scope="row"US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[41] 35
scope="row"US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[42] 5
scope="row"US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[43] 7

Year-end charts

Chart (2004) Position
Australian Singles Chart[44] 3
Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart[45] 3
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[46] 93
French Singles Chart[47] 15
Irish Singles Chart[48] 1
New Zealand Singles Chart[49] 2
Swiss Singles Chart[50] 43
UK Singles Chart[51] 23
US Billboard Hot 100 98

Certifications

Country Certification Sales certified
Australia[52] Platinum 70,000
Denmark[53] Platinum 60,000
New Zealand[54] Platinum 15,000
Norway[55] Gold 5,000
United States[56] Gold 500,000

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Encore - Eminem | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. 2004-11-12. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  2. ↑ "Eminem: Encore | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 2004-11-11. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  3. ↑ "NME Album Reviews - Eminem : Encore". Nme.Com. 2004-12-10. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  4. ↑ "Encore Review | Music Reviews and News". EW.com. 2004-11-19. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  5. ↑ "Eminem - Encore | Read Hip Hop Reviews, Rap Reviews & Hip Hop Album Reviews". HipHop DX. 2004-11-15. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  6. ↑ "Eminem :: Encore :: Shady/Aftermath/Interscope". Rapreviews.com. 2004-11-09. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  7. ↑ Robert Christgau (2004-12-09). "Encore | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  8. ↑ Jones, Steve (2004-11-11). "USATODAY.com - Eminem's edgy 'Encore' deserves an ovation". Usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  9. ↑ Alexis Petridis. "CD: Eminem, Encore | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  10. ↑ Sanneh, Kelefa (2004-11-15). "All the Time in the World, Slim Shady? That's Scary". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  11. ↑ "Eminem - Encore - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  12. ↑ "The Top Ten Worst Songs of 2004". Vimeo. 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  13. ↑ Stevie Wonder slams Eminem for mocking Michael Jackson
  14. ↑ Burkeman, Oliver (February 1, 2005). "Michael Jackson threatens to sue over mocking video by Eminem". The Guardian.
  15. 1 2 Hope, Clover. "Stevie Wonder has words to say about Eminem". AllHipHop. Archived from the original on 2005-03-05. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  16. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Just Lose It - Single by Eminem". Itunes.apple.com. 2004-11-01. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  17. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Just Lose It - Single by Eminem". Itunes.apple.com. 2004-11-01. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  18. ↑ "Just Lose It [CD 2]: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  19. ↑ "Just Lose It [CD 1] [CD 1]: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  20. ↑ "Just Lose It: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  21. ↑ "Just Lose It (pock It): Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  22. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Eminem – Just Lose It". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Eminem – Just Lose It" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Eminem – Just Lose It" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Eminem – Just Lose It" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Eminem – Just Lose It". Tracklisten. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  27. ↑ "Eminem – Chart history" European Hot 100 for Eminem. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  28. ↑ "Eminem: Just Lose It" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  29. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Eminem – Just Lose It" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  30. ↑ "Musicline.de – Eminem Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 45, 2004". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  32. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Eminem – Just Lose It". Top Digital Download. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  33. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 47, 2004" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  34. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Eminem – Just Lose It". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  35. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Eminem – Just Lose It". VG-lista. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  36. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Eminem – Just Lose It" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  37. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Eminem – Just Lose It". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  38. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Eminem – Just Lose It". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  39. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2004-11-13" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  40. ↑ "Eminem – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Eminem. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  41. ↑ "Eminem – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Eminem. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  42. ↑ "Eminem – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Eminem. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  43. ↑ "Eminem – Chart history" Billboard Hot Rap Songs for Eminem. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  44. ↑ "2004 Australian Singles Chart". aria. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  45. ↑ "2004 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  46. ↑ "2004 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  47. ↑ "2004 French Singles Chart" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  48. ↑ "2004 Irish Singles Chart". IRMA. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  49. ↑ "2004 New Zealand Singles Chart". Rianz. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  50. ↑ "2004 Swiss Singles Chart" (in German). Swisscharts. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  51. ↑ "2004 UK Singles Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  52. ↑ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2004 Singles". Aria.com.au. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  53. ↑ Archived June 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  54. ↑ "Chart #1439: Just Lose It Platinum certification". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. rianz.org.nz. December 20, 2004. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  55. ↑ Archived June 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  56. ↑ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - April 02, 2014". RIAA. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
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