Recovery (Eminem album)

Did You Know?

• The album's alternate cover inspired Drake's album Views (2016), which showed him sitting on top of Toronto's CN Tower.
• Recovery held the record for most digital albums sold, with over one million digital copies, but was later outsold by Adele's 21 album.

Background and production

Eminem recorded far more material than he could use for one album and initially planned to release a sequel titled Relapse 2 in late 2009. Fellow D12 member Swift confirmed that Eminem intended to put out two albums that year. In an April 2009 interview on Shade 45, Eminem said Relapse 2 was extremely close to being finished and would be more emotionally driven than Relapse, which he described as just rap records. Guest appearances were expected from Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, D12, Royce da 5'9", Lloyd Banks, and Cashis. The album was pushed back to early 2010, and Eminem instead released Relapse: Refill, a re-release of Relapse with a bonus disc of seven new tracks. During the recording process, Eminem stated that the new tracks started to sound very different from those originally intended for Relapse 2. On April 13, 2010, Eminem tweeted that there was no Relapse 2, announcing the project had been scrapped in favor of Recovery. After witnessing the mixed reaction to Relapse, he threw away most of the recorded material and started from scratch. Eminem said that as he kept recording with new producers, the idea of a sequel to Relapse made less sense, and he wanted to make a completely new album with its own title.

Themes and composition

The album was dedicated to anyone in a dark place trying to get out. Eminem told Billboard that he was in full-blown addiction while recording Encore, felt happier, and first got sober during the recording of Relapse. He admitted he had not been paying attention to what the average listener might like. Producer Just Blaze said Eminem already knew what mistakes he had made with the previous album and where he wanted to go. Recovery was more emotionally driven than Relapse, features no skits, and downplays the Slim Shady alter ego. The opening track 'Cold Wind Blows' discusses his doomed love for his ex-wife and settling scores with rival celebrities. In 'Talkin' 2 Myself', he states the harm caused to his image with lyrics referencing his drug use on Encore and flushing them out on Relapse. 'On Fire' is a murder-and-dismemberment fantasy, and 'Won't Back Down', featuring Pink, is a rap rock song. 'W.T.P.' ('White-Trash Party') is considered similar to his early records with a lighter rhythmic frame. 'Going Through Changes', which samples Black Sabbath's 'Changes', depicts Eminem's sorrow and being trapped within fame. 'Not Afraid' focuses on personal changes, including an end to drug abuse, feuds, and violence. Idolator commented that the song was based on the dark days Eminem lived through and that he seems at peace with himself. 'No Love' features Lil Wayne as a hype man, and NME's Sam Wolfson called Eminem's verses the best of his career. The meaning of 'Space Bound' is deemed ambiguous.

Release and promotion

Eminem kicked off the album's promotion with a freestyle called "Despicable," which sampled Drake's "Over" and Lloyd Banks' "Beamer, Benz, or Bentley" featuring Juelz Santana, to build hype for the lead single "Not Afraid." That track first aired on Shade 45 on April 29. Recovery dropped in Europe on June 18 and hit the US and UK on June 21. The rapper did interviews for companies like Red Bull to get the word out. A TV spot for the album aired during Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals, with Vince Offer spoofing his own Slap Chop commercials. The song "Won't Back Down" backed a Call of Duty: Black Ops ad and was hidden in the game as an easter egg. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo on June 15, Eminem joined Rihanna at Activision's press conference to perform "Love the Way You Lie," and he also ran through "Lose Yourself," "Not Afraid," and debuted "Won't Back Down" live. He sat down with Clinton Sparks on E!'s Daily 10 and appeared in a skit on The Soup. Festival and award show appearances included the 2010 BET Awards, 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, Bonnaroo, T in the Park, and V Festival. He also launched The Recovery Tour, a run of shows across Europe, America, and Australia. The first single "Not Afraid" moved 380,000 digital copies in its opening week and became just the sixteenth song ever to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also only the second hip-hop single to do so, after Puff Daddy and Faith Evans' "I'll Be Missing You." The track has sold over five million copies and earned a 10x Platinum certification from the RIAA. Its music video, directed by Rich Lee and shot in Newark, New Jersey, premiered on Vevo on June 5 and won Best Male Video at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. The song also took home Best Solo Rap Performance at the 53rd Grammy Awards.

Critical reception

AllMusic's David Jeffries praised Eminem's performance as potent and energetic, saying the album may be flawed but that he had not sounded this unfiltered and proud since The Marshall Mathers LP. Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph commended him for addressing more mature, introspective subject matter and framing his misogyny, homophobia, and bigotry with empathy and humanity. Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone called it Eminem's most casual-sounding album in years and said he sounds content to be rap's wittiest head case. Sam Wolfson of NME called him self-aware, technically advanced, and intelligent. Sean O'Neal of The A.V. Club stated that his lively raps make up for the endless atonement metaphors. Kitty Empire of The Observer said it is better than average as a latterday Eminem album. Robert Christgau of MSN Music said the album is a comeback for Eminem, not Slim Shady, and for Marshall at his most martial and confessional. In a mixed review, Jon Caramanica of The New York Times regarded Eminem as frustratingly limited in his topical range and called Recovery the most insular of all his releases. Andy Gill of The Independent commented that nothing here is quite as witty or engaging as his previous work. Pitchfork's Jayson Greene perceived a lack of lyrical depth and wrote that for the first time in his career, Eminem actually sounds clumsy. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune criticized the writing and said it lacks hooks and fun. Slant Magazine's M. T. Richards found the pop culture references inane and the material unsurprisingly hollow. Jeff Weiss of the Los Angeles Times praised his rhyme schemes and wordplay but panned the production as monochromatic and monotonous. The Guardian's Paul MacInnes said the music lacks consistency due to a piecemeal approach to production and fashionable soft-rock samples. Recovery was ranked 93rd on the Billboard Top 200 Albums of All Time.