Eminem - Love The Way You Lie ft. Rihanna

June 15, 2010 marks the day that musical artists Rihanna and Eminem released their newest single, “Love the Way You Lie.” Within days of its release, this #1 hit single climbed the musical charts and was being downloaded onto millions of iPods and MP3 players for indefatigable listening purposes. Over and over the lyrics of this song streamed into young minds. Although the sensation was widespread, the true meaning of the song lies beneath the surface. In late summer 2010 the music video, featuring Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan, was also released. This not only increased the song’s popularity, it also shed some light into the deeper meaning of the seemingly typical rap incantation.

The song begins with an emotional solo by Rihanna disclosing the overall feeling of the verses. She begins, “Just gonna stand there and watch me burn/ that’s alright because I like the way it hurts. Just gonna stand there and hear me cry/ that’s alright because I love the way you lie.” Eminem’s harsher vocals envelop the mind into an immediate feeling of insecurity and paint a new scene, one that is filled with hate, and it is obvious that both individuals in the relationship are confused and raging. Domestic violence is hinted towards; however, deep repentance is also expressed. Then the artist explains how the relationship has changed from having “warm fuzzy feelings, getting chills used to get em” to being “sick of lookin at em… now you’re in each other’s face spewin venom in your words when you spit em,” and again abuse is described in a manner that alludes to a vicious cycle. In the last verse Eminem entreats his lover to stay and makes promises to change even though he knows what he says is a lie. Rihanna intercedes with the chorus telling that it’s “alright because I love the way you lie,” implying that she too recognizes the patterns. Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan represent the characters in the music video and portray the highs and lows of the situation to coincide with the powerful lyrics.

In many ways the lyrics mirror instances in the artists’ own lives. After Rihanna’s experience with Chris Brown in February of 2009, she is well familiarized with domestic violence. Eminem is also no stranger to the ways of malevolence after he allegedly abused his wife, Kim Mathers, in 2006. Throughout the music video Rihanna is placed in middle of a burning building with ruins all around her, while Eminem stands in an open field surrounded by a seemingly peaceful atmosphere. The vast contrast between the background scenes shows the effects that their personal situations had on them. The contrast could symbolize how unaffected Eminem is by the whole concept of abuse, whereas Rihanna is deeply affected by her hellish surroundings. Her piercing eyes seem to be out of tears, replaced with hate and the room is literally crumbling down around her. To both artists this music video, immersed in fire, was obviously something much more personal than “just another song.”

Every fire needs fuel. In the case of Fox and Monaghan’s characters, this fuel was jealousy. The initial fight in the music video is caused by Monaghan having another woman’s number written on his hand. Notice, though, that is was not the man who made the initial physical move. On the contrary, Fox was the one to attack Monaghan. Although Monaghan’s reaction was far beyond self-defense, it was clear, as Eminem stated in the lyrics, that her “temper’s just as bad as mine is,” she’s “the same as me.” He also uses the perfect illustration when he says, “that’s what happens when a tornado meets a volcano.” The reaction turns into an explosion that is so immense that neither knows how to handle it. However, Fox isn’t as innocent as one might think. By conscientiously flirting with a man in a bar, she gives Monaghan another reason to provoke a physical match not only with her, but also with the innocent man. Repeatedly, the violent behavior was caused by jealousy.

The feelings of intense hate that Monaghan and Fox have are countered by a passion that is convincing enough to hold both together. The display in the music video puts one in mind of a person attempting to conquer a drug addiction. The harder they try to pull away the stronger the temptation becomes and neither are strong enough to overcome it. Eminem describes it as being “high on a love/ drunk from the hate.”  They admit how controversial their love is when he says, “It’s so insane/ cause when it’s goin’ good its goin’ great/ I’m Superman with the wind in his back/ she’s Lois Lane/ but when its bad it’s awful.” This is symbolized by scenes in which Monaghan and Fox look equally happy and content, contrasted by the fiery vengeance that is also portrayed. The continual surroundings of fire in the video represent how destructive their bond is to each other. They are playing with fire, literally but also metaphorically. When either one tries to break away, they are pulled back by a force that could be attributed mostly to infatuation or possibly legitimate love. Either way feelings of extreme love and hate change from minute to minute.

Most teens would probably agree that “Love the Way You Lie” is an incredible musical composition that represents the new age of modern music. One tends to wonder how much of the song these starstruck teens truly understand. The complexity of the song represented through the music video is far beyond the average listener’s thought, not because they’re deficient but because they often haven’t taken the initiative to consider intricacy of the relationship depicted. “Love the Way You Lie” is the epitome of a toxic relationship and serves as a bold statement in the way of domestic violence that merits attention from audiences everywhere.