Love the Way You Lie
by Eminem (featuring Rihanna)

Album: Recovery (2010)
Charted: 2 1
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Songfacts®:

  • This troubled-love ballad was produced by Alex da Kid and features Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna. Eminem told Skyrock Radio in Paris about the collaboration: "The one I did with Rihanna is one of those tracks that I felt like only she could pull it off, only she could do it."
  • Rihanna explained in an interview with E!'s Ben Lyons how this ode of sorts to the rapper's tumultuous and at times abusive relationship with ex-wife Kim came together: "They reached out to us directly and they just said, 'We have this song and we just think Rihanna would be perfect to sing it,'" the Barbadian pop star recalled. "And, of course, I was like, 'OK, if I love it, I'll definitely do it, because I love Eminem.' And I love the song. It's really beautiful, and it really stands out," Rihanna added. "It's a really unique record. I'm really excited about it."
  • Airplanes producer Alex Da Kid had been trying to land a beat on an Eminem record for a long time. However, it was only when the Detroit MC realized that the beat master behind B.o.B's hit was the same guy who was sending him musical samplings that Shady's people reached out and requested "something different." "A lot of time, generally in the industry, [artists] will say they want something different, but they don't know what that is until they hear it," Da Kid is quoted by MTV. "So you kind of just go out there yourself. 'Cause if you chase what they did before, it never really works out, and I wanna do different things anyway. That's my thing. I took his past work into account, but he was looking for new things, and I did my thing, and luckily it worked out."
  • Rihanna told Access Hollywood that when Eminem approached her to be featured on the track, she felt a powerful connection with its lyrical content. The singer, whose domestic violence troubles with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown made headlines around the world, discussed her decision to collaborate with Eminem. "It's something that, you know, [Eminem and I have] both experienced, you know, on different sides, different ends of the table," Rihanna said. "It just was authentic. It was real. It was believable for us to do a record like that, but it was also something that needed to be done and the way he did it was so clever. He pretty much just broke down the cycle of domestic violence and it's something that a lot people don't have a lot of insight on, so this song is a really, really powerful song and it touches a lot of people."

    Rihanna added that she felt no concern in tackling the song despite its forward lyrics. "Eminem is an artist of class and I knew if he sent me a record there must be something to it," she said. "It couldn't just be, 'Oh, duh! She was in that relationship, so we have to get her.'"
  • This was the first song with "love" in its title to top the Billboard Hot 100 for over two years. Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" previously spent four weeks at #1 in April and May 2008 and was immediately preceded by another "love" song at the summit, Usher's "Love In This Club."
  • The song's music video was shot in Los Angeles and directed by Joseph Kahn, who, in addition to his work on previous Eminem videos, has also directed clips for Lady Gaga and Gwen Stefani. Rihanna appears in the clip, which also features Lost actor Dominic Monaghan and Transformers actress Megan Fox playing a couple engaged in an abusive relationship. "I think we tried as hard as we could to not glorify the violence, to try and explain that this was a relationship that is by no means ideal and a relationship that probably should have ended a lot sooner than it did," Monaghan told MTV News. "The concept of 'Love the Way You Lie' was essentially a look at the relationship that Eminem was in with his wife, Kim, so I kind of felt like I was playing Eminem a little bit, and Megan Fox was kind of playing Kim.
    It's the story of them getting to know each other, and it's the story of their tumultuous relationship, and it was the story of the breakdown of their relationship," Monaghan added. "Ultimately, what I think he's trying to say in the song... is that he should have walked away a little bit quicker than he did and not let it get as messy as it did."
  • Monaghan injured his left knee during the video shoot when he braced it on the floor while punching Fox more than 50 times. The actor also hurt his hand when he punched a mirror.
  • In an interview with Billboard magazine, Alex Da Kid explained how his song ended up on Recovery: "I met Riggs [Shady Records senior director of A&R Rigo Morales] in [Universal senior director of creative affairs] Jessica's office. We went back and forth for a while, and then "'Airplanes' happened and Em heard it and loved it, and he wanted to get on it. Then he asked me if I had anything else with a hook for him, and I sent him 'Love the Way You Lie.' We didn't know if it was going to make the album or not, because he had half the album already mastered and the other half was getting mastered. I went in to mix it with him, and Rihanna was in Dublin, recording her part and sending it to us. We did it in two days, and then two days after that the album had to go to the pressing plant."
  • Rihanna recorded a sequel to this song, "Love The Way You Lie (Part II)." This one has the same intense and emotional lyrics but this time is sung from the female's perspective with Rihanna on lead vocals and Eminem as a featured guest.
  • This was the best selling single of 2010 in the UK selling 820,000 copies from its release to the end of the year. Runner-up was Bruno Mars' "Just The Way You Are" whilst Usher's "OMG" was third on the list.
  • The song was co-written by Skylar Grey (birth name Holly Brook Hafermann), who is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Grey formerly performed as simply Holly Brook and was featured under that name on Fort Minor's hit single "Where'd You Go." After her success with that song, she maintained a low profile in the industry until contributing to this tune.
  • Grey stated in a blog for the 2011 Grammy Awards, "When I wrote the chorus to Eminem's 'Love The Way You Lie' featuring Rihanna, I was living alone in a cabin in the woods, with my home studio. I was taking a step away from the industry in an effort to nurture my muses, which had been seriously damaged. I certainly wasn't attempting to write a hit song, but rather channeling what naturally came to me, with no expectations."
  • Skylar Grey told NME how she was inspired by her weakness for bad boys to pen this song: "It wasn't necessarily about literal violence in a relationship, but that vicious cycle of somebody who keeps you on you're toes because they're kind of a a--hole," she explained. "I do tend to fall for a--holes because they keep me on my toes and I don't get bored. That's what I wrote it about."
  • Urban Method, The Pretty Reckless, Jason Chen and Tyler Ward are among the acts to cover this song.

Comments: 13

  • Ainebyoona Ali from Kampala, UgandaI'm next to none in loving that song. Because it makes me thinking much about my love.
  • Audrey from Lawrance, MaI love this song.
  • Mathews from Lusaka, ZambiaThis was a song of 2010 of Zambia rodio's and tv it was a proof to many of my friend that Eminem is the best rapper ever, from Africa to the world Eminem hard call fans like stan.
  • Hannah from Gustavus, OhI relate to this song very strongly; luckily, though, there was no physical violence involved, only a cycle of mistreatment and emotional abuse. I dated a guy I was really taken with; I'd have done anything for him. But he was completely one-sided and only cared about himself. He would do things like tell me he only wanted to be friends with me, then the next time he saw me he'd kiss me out of the blue. It was like one minute he was smitten with me and the next he couldn't care less about me. Now I talked to the girl he cheated on with me, and she told me he acted that way toward her too; as bad as I felt for her it felt good knowing I wasn't the one with problems or that wasn't good enough for him. And I put up with all this just and held on because he was extremely cute, when really I should have broken things off with him much sooner and never gone back to him.
  • Anna from Seattle, WaThis song captures the cycle of violence but there are some issues about it that concern me. I will relate my own story (with some appropriate shame) but truly in the honest hope that someone might see this beginning in their relationship and get out earlier. I think its important to write it for this song because Emimen and Rihanna have such wide audience bases. My ex was extremely violent and highly intelligent (he was a mathematics teacher before the DV arrests). He got me moved to the other coast so Iwas isolated from my family. He would periodically threaten to kill me in sick sick ways. At one point I felt so defeated I attempted suicide because I felt that was the only way out that I could have some control over. I just didn't want the last thing on earth I saw to be that look on his face when he.. When I finally "woke up", he was arrested and I got a permanent protection order. Didn't mean sh*t. I tried to maintain and work but was stalked like an animal by an animal. Tampering with my car, leaving a bowl of bullets on my front doormat while I was at work. Sending msgs thru 3rd persons by say sh*t like, "aww, wouldn't it be awful if Anna accidently ran into one of my guns still in the house and accidently shot herself since she has zero fire arms experience?" Or, "....heard she's having car probs, what if she broke down in the middle of nowhere and some murderer found her" So I thought fleeing 3000 miles would do the trick. Nope, that just brought the stalking down on my mother. What "fixed" it was finding out how do the motions of serving him divorce papers without really doing it to satify the court and getting the divorce. Then, a "sealed name change" (even I can't access the record without a court order) and a new Soc. Security # (and trust me, SS has a high threshold you must meet to get a new # and its hidden from everyone, the state, the IRS, its quite amazing really) This whole thing was not about "love". This another key point: this is about power and control. My ex wanted that, and when he lost it along with his teaching license, he felt the only way to correct the universe for himself was to erase me the physical world. My issue with the song is that I and I doubt anyone else "likes the way it hurts". You just want to believe its not really happening. You file it away separately so you don't have to face the fact that there may be a pattern here. And I'm ambivilant about "love the way you lie" line. The only way I can relate to that is when a violent event is over, I really wanted to believe that he was not going to do it again, that he would get help, blah blah blah. Because (violins here ha ha) I loved him. The line that I really want to warn people about is when he says he "should have aimed [his] fist at the drywall]". No, that is a bad sign and if that happens you really need to leave. And don't come back because he says "theres no point in living without you" blah blah...these people take care of themselves first always and don't forget that. My ex's first wife did at that point, and she got stalked, but she didn't get broken bones, black eyes, trotting out the old 38 now and then, and other horrible things. See, she was smart. She knew she couldn't fix him. Obviously I couldn't have either and now I have to fix myself. But I am worth it and so are you if you see yourself going in this direction. If it goes too far, you can't go back. An extended family member's ex-daughter-in-law was beaten (badly, head just smashed) by her bf in from of my great aunts teenaged grandaughter on Christmasd Eve and they pulled the plug on her life support on Christmas day. She was afraid of him but when he came over she went outside thinking if she could just talk to him right, he would leave. I know this way to much writing but it is the cold harsh truth about the cycle of violence and I think it's important that younger (and older too) people need to know the reality. Sorry about the length.
  • Caitlyn from Royersford, Padon't get me wrong, i love eminem, but it'd be nice if he could write a song that wasn't about psychopaths, celebrities, his ex kim(which is at least half of them), or how hard it is to be him and how much it sucks to be a rich successful rapper. Again, i love em, but i wish he would stop crying and just be happy for a minute...Anywho, love the song and hope it's the last we hear about kim for awhile
  • Si from Auckland, New ZealandThis song goes to anyone who's been hurt by love, anyone who wonders how could something that felt so right end up so horribly wrong, anyone who wonders why love hurts, and anyone who despite all that, still can't help but to be defenseless in front that person who can just walk over you.
  • Elizabeth from Anytown, Ilfestus! i totally agree! i can't just lis ten to this song once...... it is so great :-)
  • Festus from Manchester, United KingdomI love this song, it so wounderful, i love to have it play over and over again.
  • Jessica from Atlanta, GaI love this song! When I first heard it, it reminded me so much of my husband and I back n the day. I immediatly called him and told him to listen to it! We BOTH LOVE it!! Thanks for writing songs that relate so much to life!!
  • Erin from Virginia Beach, Vanope i love it its awesome
  • AnonymousI love this song too. Relates to a situation in my life.
  • Ivy from Springfield, Neam i really the only one who loves this song/
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