3 a.m. (Eminem song)

Did You Know?

• The song received critical acclaim, with Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly calling it "the Eminem I've been waiting for."
• AllMusic chose it as a track pick.

Concept

Eminem adopts the persona of a serial killer in this track, questioning his own sanity while detailing a series of murders. He has stated that the song better represents the album's overall sound than the lighter, more playful "We Made You." The track serves as a tribute to his interest in horror movie figures like Freddy Krueger and Hannibal Lecter. Eminem likely raps as his alter ego Slim Shady, employing internal and multi-syllabic rhymes across three verses.

A line from The Silence of the Lambs appears: "She puts the lotion in the bucket, she puts the lotion on her skin. She puts the lotion in the bucket, she puts the lotion on her skin, or else she will get the hose again." This marks the third time Eminem has referenced that film, following the D12 song "American Psycho" and the "You Don't Know" video; he later used it again in "Buffalo Bill" from Relapse: Refill. The track opens with a sample of "Ghost of Love" by Timeless Legend.

Its concept is notably darker than most of Relapse's more humorous songs, distinguishing it from the rest of the album. The censored version removes mentions of killing or murder, though the music video retains those words.

Music video

The music video for the song was filmed entirely in Detroit, Michigan at three in the morning, with director Syndrome—the same person who helmed the video for "Crack a Bottle." Eminem confirmed on Shade 45 that shooting was finished. It first aired on Cinemax on May 2, just before the film The Strangers. In the video, Eminem portrays a serial killer breaking out of a rehab facility and murdering anyone who gets in his way.

The setting is Popsomp Hills Rehabilitation Center, a fictional clinic in Detroit that functioned as a viral marketing stunt for the album Relapse. The footage shows victims left bloody, beaten, and helpless after what appears to be a rampage by Eminem's alter ego, Slim Shady. The song and video play on a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde idea, with Eminem representing the good side and Slim Shady the evil one. Slim Shady stalks the halls at 3 a.m., violently attacking staff members and warning viewers, "It's 3 a.m. and here I come so you should probably run."

At one point, Eminem is shown watching the "Crack a Bottle" video on a TV, also directed by Syndrome. New York magazine called the video a revival of the "torture porn" horror subgenre. Fuse TV ranked it as the fourth best music video of 2009.

Travis Barker remix

Travis Barker, the drummer for Blink-182, put his own spin on the song with a remix that dropped on May 29, 2009, via his YouTube channel and Eminem's site. Barker said Eminem had a rock remix in mind, and after Paul Rosenberg reached out, he took a shot at it. The remix later hit iTunes on August 11, 2009, and appeared on the "Beautiful" CD single and digital EP. It got heavy airplay on Los Angeles rock station KROQ-FM.