Peak
14
Weeks
5
Score
449
Chart Year
2017
With Beyoncé on the hook, Eminem comes down from the heavens to explain that he's just a man, not a god, and he cannot walk on water unless it's frozen. Eminem has never been shy about expressing his anxieties, but he's never questioned his skills or his legacy like he does here. The critics have clearly gotten to him: If you bitches are tryin' To strip me of my confidence Mission accomplished This is all accompanied by a soothing track of strings and piano. At the end of the song, Eminem snaps out of it, bringing in some old-school scratches as he blurts: I'm just a man But as long as I got a mic, I'm godlike So me and you are not alike Bitch, I wrote "Stan" This was the first single from Revival, Eminem's ninth album. Eminem named his 2009 album Relapse, a reference to his struggles with prescription drug abuse (he got hooked on painkillers). Throughout this song, he is heard writing and tearing off sheets of paper, which could be his lyrics, but could also represent a prescription drug pad. This motif was the basis of an elaborate promotional campaign that spoofed the ubiquitous advertisements for prescription drugs. A website, askaboutrevival.com, was set up, promising Revival as "proven to effectively treat people with Atrox Rithimus." On November 8, two days before the single dropped, Em tweeted a shot of a prescription for "Walk On Water" - take as needed. Rick Rubin, who worked on Eminem's previous album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, produced this track. The line, "The only one who's looking down on me that matters now's DeShaun" is a reference to Eminem's good friend Proof (DeShaun Holton), who was killed in 2006 at age 32. Report this ad Eminem's self-deprecating verses concern how his sense of identity lies in his rapping ability. He said: "It's a very mortal song. It's mortality, it's not being Superman. What if I can't come up with the best s--t I ever wrote every single time?" It was Jay-Z who persuaded Beyoncé to feature on the track. During a chat on the premiere episode of producer Rick Rubin's podcast Broken Record, Eminem said that it was Hova who brought the two huge artists together. Speaking to co-host Malcom Gladwell he said: "Rick went to see Jay-Z, Beyoncé was out of town, and played him the song." Em added: "He liked it and she liked it, and he got her to sing the chorus." Asked during a Sirius XM interview how the Beyoncé collaboration came together, Eminem replied: "It's been on my wish list for a long time, but I never really had a song that I felt like would be right to present to her. So, I was kinda waitin', and then me and Paul kicked the idea around after I finished it, you know. And based off what it was about, I felt like she probably could relate to this, too. Every song she puts out, every album is so calculated and precise. Everything is so perfect." The song spent its first week on the Hot 100 at #14. It was Eminem's first lead single since 1998 not to debut in the Top 10. Eminem performed this song on Saturday Night Live November 18, 2017, with Skylar Grey handling piano and hook vocals. At the end of the song, right after the line, "I wrote Stan," Em transitioned into "Stan," then "Love the Way You Lie." Grey proved quite versatile, handling parts originally done by Beyoncé, Dido and Rihanna. Grey co-wrote "Love The Way You Lie." Adele was originally meant to be on the song. Speaking with This is 50, Mr. Porter, who produced three of the tracks on Revival and supplied backing vocals on this tune, said: "The first person I heard when I heard it was Adele. Right? I was like, 'Yo, this would be cool!' and I think some things could happen with her with her voice, and you know she couldn't do it. So it was a thing where we tried that... But then it got to them using Beyoncé. My mind was already there. There's only a couple people that could pull that off." Complex commented to Eminem that his voice "sounded very intimate and very clear" on the track. He responded: "I think one of the things that makes the vocals come out so clear is it's a pretty bare track. It's just piano, really, and Skylar sent me that and I thought it was like... The chorus, as soon as I heard it, I felt like this is exactly what I'm feeling right now, so that was one of the things about it that struck me. We had debated on should we put a beat in there? Should we put drums in there? After I recorded it, I played it for Rick [Rubin] and then we had discussed it. We were both like, 'Nah, we should just leave it like this so you can understand, hear everything and maybe hopefully get it the first time you hear it.'" Revival was Eminem's eighth straight album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200, making him the first artist ever to open at the summit with eight consecutive records.
I walk on water But I ain't no Jesus I walk on water But only when it freezes (fuck) Why, are expectations so high? Is it the bar I set? My arms, I stretch, but I can't reach A far cry from it, or it's in my grasp, but as Soon as I grab, squeeze I lose my grip like the flying trapeze Into the dark, I plummet Now the sky's blackening, I know the mark's high Butter-flies rip apart my stomach Knowing that no matter what bars I come with You're gonna hark, gripe, and that's a hard Vicodin to swallow So I scrap these, as pressure increases, like khakis I feel the ice cracking, because I walk on water But I ain't no Jesus I walk on water But only when it freezes It's the curse of the standard That the first of the Mathers disc set Always in search of the verse that I haven't spit yet Will this step just be another misstep To tarnish whatever the legacy, love or respect, I've garnered? The rhyme has to be perfect, the delivery flawless And it always feels like I'm hitting the mark 'Til I go sit in the car, listen, and pick it apart Like, "This shit is garbage" God's given me all this Still I feel no different regardless Kids look to me like as a God, this is retarded If only they knew, it's a facade and it's exhaustive And I try to not listen to nonsense But if you bitches are trying to strip me of my confidence Mission accomplished I'm not God-sent Nas, Rakim, Pac, Big, James Todd Smith, and I'm not Prince, so I walk on water But I ain't no Jesus I walk on water (It's true, I'm a Rubik's, it's true) But only when it freezes (It's true) 'Cause I'm only human, just like you Making my mistakes, oh if you only knew I don't think you should believe in me the way you do 'Cause I'm terrified to let you down, oh It's true, I'm a Rubik's, a beautiful mess At times juvenile, yes, I goof and I jest A flawed human, I guess But I'm doing my best to not ruin your expectations And meet 'em, but first, the "Speedom" verse Now, Big Sean, he's going too fast Is he gonna shout or curse out his mom? There was a time I had the world by the balls, eating out my palm Every album, song I was spazzin' the fuck out on And now I'm getting clowned and frowned on But the only one who's looking down on me that matters now's Deshaun Am I lucky to be around this long? Begs the question, though Especially after the methadone As yesterday fades and the Dresden home is burnt to the ground And all that's left of my house is lawn The crowds are gone And it's time to wash out the blonde Sales decline, the curtains drawn They're closing the set, I'm still poking my head out from behind And everyone who has doubt, remind Now take your best rhyme, outdo it, now do it a thousand times Now let 'em tell ya the world no longer cares or gives a fuck about your rhymes And as I grow outta sight, outta mind, I might go outta mine 'Cause how do I, ever let this mic go without a fight When I made a fuckin' tightrope outta twine? But when I do fall from these heights, though, I'll be fine I won't pout or cry or spiral down or whine But I'll decide if it's my final bow this time around 'cause I walk on water But I ain't no Jesus I walk on water But only when it freezes 'Cause I'm only human, just like you I been making my mistakes, oh if you only knew I don't think you should believe in me the way that you do 'Cause I'm terrified to let you down, oh If I walked on water, I would drown 'Cause I'm just a man, but as long as I got a mic I'm godlike So me and you are not alike Bitch, I wrote "Stan"
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dec 2, 2017 | 14 | 112 |
| 2 | Dec 9, 2017 | 55 | 71 |
| 3 | Dec 16, 2017 | 79 | 47 |
| 6 | Jan 6, 2018 | 87 | 39 |
| 7 | Jan 13, 2018 | 93 | 33 |