"Love The Way You Lie" - Eminem featuring Rihanna, 2010

If I were to list the lyrical themes of songs analyzed throughout the project thus far, it would look something like this: love, respect, perseverance, jealousy, curiosity, joy, the future, cowboys, bikinis and heartbreak.  There's a little bit of everything, ranging from serious to sad to silly.  While all of these provide the listener with some potential insight into their own lives, they are relatively light. 

"Love The Way you Lie" is much heavier.  At it's core, the song is about domestic abuse, shining a light on something far too easy to overlook.  While the message and true intentions can be debated, the end result is the same: a powerful statement delivered by talented performers. [1] 

Eminem's history has been well documented, thanks to the movie "8 Mile," and he has left a controversial and profound mark on pop music, bringing a completely different flavor than that of his peers.  Eminem is a force to be reckoned with rhythmically, lyrically and philosophically.  After stepping away from music for a few years, his comeback was not very encouraging.  A few years later though, add in the Rihanna factor and her close connection to the song's subject matter,  and Eminem is stepping back into the spotlight.

July 31st - September 11th, 2010: "Love The Way You Lie" by Eminem, featuring Rihanna, dominates the charts for 7 weeks!

Musically, this song is cut and dry.  The form, comprised of only 2 sections, alternates between verse and chorus.  There are a few small nuances: The first chorus is 9 measures long, including the hook twice, with the latter choruses tagging on extra measures.  The verse, mostly 16 measures, get a reverse treatment, extending the third verse by 1 measure. 

The instrumentation is stylistically simple as well.  Piano begins the song, leading into the main groove which adds some string like synths, bass drums and an integrally strumming acoustic guitar.  The programmed beat is relatively extensive, but it mostly stays out of the way.  The 4 bar drums groove can be condensed to this,

drum groove

where at the tempo, the syncopated 16th notes create a nice foundation to support the rap verses.

For all its musical simplicity, "Love The Way You Lie" more than makes up for it in vibe and raw emotion.  Both performers have back stories that tie into the meaning of the song.  The public, no doubt aware of this, likely weighted this in their reception.  There was also an emotional video (linked above) that helped to hammer the point home further.  While all of these elements are important, and if anything, helped me understand the song on a deeper level, my main goal is to examine the musical merits.  Let's dice into the musical aspects of "Love The Way You Lie."
  
Chord Progressions

The piano starts things off, playing through the base chord progression:

Gmin  /  Ebadd2  / Bb   /  F/A
i        /   bVI        /  III   / bVII

The F/A chord provides pleasant movement back to Gmin, with bVII being a natural resolution (sub for V7 - FAC in place of DF#AC) and the A in the bass resolving down to the root G.  This chord progression leaves no question where the tonal center lies and consistently gets us back there after 4 measures. 

There are two places in the song where the 4 bar sequence is extended an extra measure to accommodate vocals, percussion and/or sound effects, as in the opening chorus-first verse transition. 

The verse takes the above progression and alters it slightly, adding an 11(4th) to the F/A chord.  The verse is driven primarily by the guitar, strumming this:

verse guitar

Played with capo 3, the guitar strums open chords (Emin, Cadd2, G, Dadd11/F#) and utilizes shared tones at the top of the voicing to create the suspensions.  This adds a subtle, different color to the verses. 

In other songs analyzed in the late 2000's, and those that follow, static chord progressions have been a recurring theme.  In my analyses for "In My Feelings" (2018) and "Old Town Road" (2019), there has been one 4 bar chord loop repeated throughout the entire song.  The same can be said for "I Gotta Feeling" (2009).  It's interesting that as we venture closer to present day, chord progressions are less complex.

Melody

There are two very contrasting melodic themes for the song: the sang chorus, provided by Rihanna and the percussive verses provided by Eminem. 

Rihanna kicks things off with a no frills, right to the point melody, delivered with precision and somberness. 

chorus 1

Two contrasting phrases are each repeated.  The first features a leap up a 6th and then back down a 5th, landing on the chord root.  She repeats the interval leaps and lands on the F, highlighting the 9 of the Eb.  In the second phrase, she sticks to the root  (Eb), working her way down through D and C, chord tones of the next two changes (3rd and 5th of Bb and F).  This structure is repeated with different words for the next two phrases.  She caps of the chorus with a tag of the hook, altering the last note to Bb, the minor 3rd of G, another chord tone.

The remaining choruses add harmony and an additional tag of the hook.  The first and third phrases are harmonized in octaves with the 2nd and 4th phrases adding a higher third.

choruses 2, 3, 4

Rihanna sings the same melody each time and stays away from any variation.  This is a direct contrast with Eminem's verses.

Eminem's name comes first on the track listing, so it's fitting he takes the limelight in the verse.  There are three 16 measure verses and the longest rhythmic value used is 1 beat.  The rhythmic assault is relentless, a trademark of Eminem's unique style.  His delivery sometimes resembles singing and even when he's clearly speaking, there is pitch distinction, indicated below. 

verse 1 - m.1-8

The first four measures end with two 8th notes, which gives way to a slightly different beat 4 figure in the next four measures.  The last four measures are also bookmarked with entrances on the 2nd sixteenth note of the measure.  This continues with the concluding 8 measures of the verse:

verse 1 m.9 - 16

Of these eighth measures, 7 end with the same rhythmic figure (SSE).  Measures 9 and 12 also borrow the rhythmic entrance established in measures 5 and 8.  All verses end in just enough time to give Rihanna a solo entrance for the chorus. 

This pace continues throughout verses 2 and 3.  Towards the end of the third verse, there is an extra measure before the final chorus.  Notice how the flow is changed, including 16th notes at the end of the measure to keep building momentum towards the final bar. 

Verse 3 - m.13 - 17

The last three notes of this verse are the only time in these 5 measures with more than two 8th notes in a row.  The fast flow of notes leading to a dramatic halt certainly create an exciting moment, heightened by the grim lyrics. 

Musical Sticking Points

"Love The Way You Lie" is musically simple.  A single chord progression runs throughout alternating verse and chorus sections.  That's it. 

The chorus melody is essentially copy and pasted, offering no variation between each iteration.  The verse makes up for this in spades, featuring more rhythmic theme and variation that instruments could ever get away with. 

The production is stellar and there are melodic bits and pieces flying around at various points.  All of these, however, are short lived and not very memorable.  They flow in and out to add color as the sections build, but don't repeat enough to be essential. 

I was happy to transcribe an Eminem rap.  He has such a command of rhythm and flows in and out of sync with the drums and other instruments effortlessly.  His mark in popular music is undeniable.  Check out this article, comparing Eminem to Jimi Hendrix, from Rapanalysis.com [2]. 

Lyrics

The musical simplicity of this track accommodates the depth of the lyrics. 

Rihanna's choruses tell the tale of someone willingly entering a scenario which they will be hurt.  This can be viewed as a cautionary tale or resonate as familiar.  She uses the rhyme scheme AABB, with a tag on the B.

The verses are filled with vivid descriptions of love, hate, dependence and violence.  Eminem is known for over the top lyrics and he delivers here (from verse 2):

Now you're getting fucking sick, of looking at 'em

You swore you've never hit 'em, never do nothing to hurt 'em

Now you're in each other's face

Spewing venom in your words, when you spit 'em
You push, pull each other's hair, scratch, claw, bit 'em
Throw 'em down, pin 'em, so lost in the moments, when you're in 'em

Looking at the above excerpt, you can get a sense of Eminem's complex rhyming ability.  The first line end with the syllable "em," which is used two more times in the next line.  The following line strays before bringing back "em" 5 more times! 

Choose any set of lines in the song and you will find similar craftsmanship....(from verse 3)

Same routine, but your temper's just as bad, as mine is
You're the same as me, when it comes to love, you're just as blinded

When I first absorbed these lyrics, with the help of the video, I got the main gist.  A girl and a guy are in a doomed relationship but keep it going, even when it gets violent.  There are many interpretations of how this can be viewed.  In the end, listeners can make their own conclusions. [3]  Obviously, the ensuing debate worked in Eminem's favor, gaining him more publicity, both positive and negative.

Common Threads

This is the 6th analysis "on the 0's."  For each song, I have compiled a list of common musical elements.  Picking up from the last analysis, Sisqó's "Incomplete" from 2000, let's see how "Love The Way You Lie" fits into the musical puzzle, 10 years later. 

• Repeated melodic motifs - I would say this one qualifies.  Though Eminem's verses are not structured like a traditional melody, he uses rhythmic themes quite effectively within each verse.  The chorus is also built on two repeated phrases.  
• Strong harmonic motion from V to I  - The progression does not include a V chord in the key, though the bVII is a common substitution.  
• Background singers contribute to melodic/harmonic texture - There are background singers, but I'm not sure they contribute a ton to melodic and harmonic structure.  
• Modulation -  
• New material presented at the end 
• Hook that uses the title of the song
• Contains a lyrical refrain - 

 Only 2 1/2 out of 7 musical elements are shared between "Love The Way You Lie" and the other songs "on the 0's."  Looking back at previous round's common threads, two not mentioned here are "repeated chord progressions" and "music evolves throughout."  

"Love The Way You Lie" definitely checks the box on repeated chord progressions, a common element seen in many tunes "on the 8's" ("Poor Little Fool," "Hello, I Love You," "Roll With It," "The Boy Is Mine," "I Kissed A Girl," and "In My Feelings").  

In terms of musical evolution, it's still iffy.  Musical evolution refers to a song's nuanced changes and variations that result in hearing the same thing without hearing exactly the same thing.  As mentioned, there are several production elements that pop up throughout the song resulting in slight evolution.  At the end of the day though, the carbon copy choruses don't quite get there, in my opinion.

Final Takeaways

This is the first analysis I have done where the song's lyrical impact grossly outweighs the musical composition.  "In the Year 2525" (1969) came very close, but that song had a ton of musical stuff going for it, including evolving instrument parts, two modulations and significant texture changes.  Regardless, I like this song.

Eminem's vocal delivery and lyrical flow are truly admirable.  They way he relays a story or a point with the ferocity and pace that he does is dizzying.  As I transcribed parts of this song, I attempted to perform with him, checking for accuracy.  It was not easy.  His ability to flawlessly work through verses is amazing.  I already had respect for Eminem and it has significantly grown after this analysis.  I know his lyrics turn many people off, but I think I understand his hyperbole in an effort to make a point.

What do you think of "Love The Way You Lie?"  Did I miss any musical elements in "common threads?"  Leave me a comment!   

Up next time, I am in line to analyze the no.1 song in the first week of August for 2020, however, it's not August yet!  So let's take a detour and analyze the song that "Love the Way You Lie" beat out for the no.1 spot in July 2010....

June 19th - July 24th, 2010....a 6 week run at no.1, "California Gurls" by Katy Perry, featuring Snoop Dogg.   

This is a very interesting selection indeed.  Another song featuring a prominent male and female personality, one of which has undeniable credibility in the rap world.  I'm wondering if we will see any overlap of common musical threads between "California Gurls" and "Love The Way You Lie."  THis should make for an interesting detour!

[1]https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/music/love-the-way-you-lie/meaning
[2]https://www.rapanalysis.com/2014/04/why-eminem-is-rap-jimi-hendrix-rap/
[3]https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/08/love-the-way-you-lie-what-s-eminem-trying-to-say/344563/