Misplaced Pages

"Just Lose It"
Single by Eminem
from the album Encore
Released	September 27, 2004
Recorded	2004
Genre	Comedy hip hop
Length	4:08
Label	Aftermath Shady Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Marshall Mathers Andre Young Mike Elizondo Mark Batson Chris Pope
Producer(s)	Dr. Dre Mike Elizondo
Eminem singles chronology
"Business" (2003) "Just Lose It" (2004) "Mosh" (2004)
Music video
"Just Lose It" on YouTube
Audio sample
Just Lose It file help

"Just Lose It" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his fifth studio album, Encore (2004). It was released on September 27, 2004, as the lead single from Encore, and was later included on his greatest hits compilation album, Curtain Call: The Hits (2005). The song caused controversy as its lyrics and music video parodies Michael Jackson, who was being accused of child molestation at the time. The song also pokes fun at Beavis/Cornholio, MC Hammer, Madonna, and others. It also heavily spoofs Pee-wee Herman, going as far as imitating his signature shout during the chorus and Eminem dressing like him in the video.

The song peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one in Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK as well as the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway.

Background

Two skits regarding the Michael Jackson controversy were included on Encore, "Paul (Skit)" and "Em Calls Paul (Skit)". The lyrics to "Just Lose It" refer to Jackson's legal troubles, however he does state in his song "... and that's not a stab at Michael, That's just a metaphor, I'm just psycho...." At the beginning of the song there is a lyrical excerpt from Eminem's 2002 single "Without Me" about how "Shady's back". The line "Snap back to reality. Look! It's B. Rabbit" and "You signed me up to battle" refers to "Lose Yourself" and Eminem's character in the movie 8 Mile. In the second verse of the song, the line "So fellas, fellas..." is a reference to Sir Mix-a-Lot's song "Baby Got Back". The line "Girl you know you're my world," from the chorus, is a reference to the chorus of his song "Superman" from his album The Eminem Show.

Critical reception

The song received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom found it too similar to Eminem's previous work. AllMusic highlighted the song in a review of the album. Pitchfork was also positive: "'Just Lose It' is still most notable for dancing with paedo and homoerotic imagery: It's the one track here that seems as potentially multilayered as the best of The Marshall Mathers LP, yet it's still more curio than anything else." NME wrote: "Em (is) reduced to making funny noises to keep things interesting." David Browne of Entertainment Weekly, however, felt mixed: "First came the sarcastically bouncy "Just Lose It", a lazy retread of earlier hits that, with its easy-target references to Michael Jackson, made Eminem appear to be the one who'd actually lost it." HipHopDX panned the song and called it "by far the worst song Eminem or Dr. Dre has ever made. It really seems like their object here was to make the worst song possible. The interlude leading into it is damn hilarious though." Los Angeles Times called it "the album's hilarious slap at celebrity voyeurism, with Eminem himself a prominent target."

RapReviews argued it was not "dropping any jaws or widening any eyes." Rolling Stone described this song as "dance-music dis." In a review praising Encore's "edginess," Steve Jones of USA Today cited the song's mocking of the Michael Jackson child-molestation scandal. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian, however, wrote: " plan appears to involve belching and making fart noises, which, with the best will in the world, won't suffice." Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times wrote that song "unfolds as a series of puzzlingly unfunny jokes." Stylus Magazine was negative as well, calling it "Em’s brand new tendency to bite himself." The Austin Chronicle was a bit negative as well: "Where 2002 smash 'Without Me' was bitingly clever, Encore's carbon copy 'Just Lose It' is puerile and embarrassing, even though he quotes Beavis and Butt-head and does a wicked Pee-wee Herman." Slant Magazine said that the song "was so derivative that it had to be a joke—even the song’s title seemed to mock the Academy Award-winning 8 Mile theme song that elevated the Great White Rapper to a whole new level of acceptance (as if he hadn’t already transcended nearly every other boundary in pop culture). Not only is 'Just Lose It' the worst song on Encore, it’s easily one of the most annoying songs of the year (credit Em’s incessant Pee Wee Herman impersonations and tired attacks on Michael Jackson)."

Music video

The video contains a parody of a rap battle scene from 8 Mile in which it is Eminem, as B-Rabbit, versus Eminem, as Slim Shady. It also contains several scenes where Eminem walks down the streets naked. As he does this, Dr. Dre drives next to him, looking disgusted. For the music video, the lyrics were edited slightly, notably the phrase "shake that ass", becoming the less provocative "shake that thing". Other changes include the muting of some parts of the second verse, and the phrase "butt naked" becoming "buck naked". Such examples of parodies that are included in this video are Michael Jackson, MC Hammer and his hit single "U Can't Touch This", Pee-wee Herman, Madonna, Blink-182 and the music video for "What's My Age Again?", and the movie Bad Santa, by displaying Eminem as a "mall santa", and even going so far to include Tony Cox, the actor who played the elf from the actual movie, as Eminem's helper. Some of the celebrities who appeared in this music video were Paris Hilton, Erik Estrada, Alyson Stoner, BooBoo Stewart, Omar Benson Miller, De'Angelo Wilson, 8 Mile co-star Mekhi Phifer and Dr. Dre. The video was later nominated at the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rap Video, but lost to Ludacris' "Number One Spot". Much Music's 50 Most Controversial Videos ranked it #1 for its jokes on famous people.

Controversy

The music video for "Just Lose It" generated controversy by parodying singer Michael Jackson's child molestation trial, plastic surgery and an incident in 1984 when Jackson's hair caught fire whilst filming a Pepsi commercial.

A week after the release of "Just Lose It", Jackson called into Steve Harvey's radio show to report his displeasure with the video. "I am very angry at Eminem's depiction of me in his video," Jackson said in the interview. "I feel that it is outrageous and disrespectful. It is one thing to spoof, but it is another to be demeaning and insensitive." Jackson continued: "I've admired Eminem as an artist, and was shocked by this. The video was inappropriate and disrespectful to me, my children, my family and the community at large." Many of Jackson's supporters and friends spoke out about the video, including Stevie Wonder, who called it "kicking a man while he's down" and "bullshit", and Harvey, who declared, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back." The video was banned on the BET channel, after complaints from Benzino and others (but was later reinstated, as critics of the ban argued that Nelly's "Tip Drill" video which has been alleged to be misogynistic was aired; both were seen on BET: Uncut). However MTV did not drop it, and the video became one of the most requested on the channel.

Remix

The song was remixed by Shady Records DJ and producer DJ Green Lantern. The remix's only official releases were on the British, German and digital download of "Like Toy Soldiers" and the second British edition of "Mockingbird".

Track listing

Digital download

Digital EP

UK CD1

UK CD2

German CD single

German 3" CD single

Notes

• signifies an additional producer.

Charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

• List of number-one singles in Australia in 2004
• List of number-one hits in Denmark
• List of European number-one hits of 2004
• List of number-one singles in 2004 (New Zealand)
• List of number-one singles of 2004 (Spain)
• List of number-one hits of 2004 (Switzerland)
• List of number-one singles from the 2000s (UK)

References

1. Stephen Thomas Erlewine (2004-11-12). "Encore - Eminem | Songs, Reviewed, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
2. Scott Plagenhoef (2004-11-11). "Eminem: Encore | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
3. "Eminem : Encore". NME. 2005-09-12. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
4. Browne, David (2004-11-19). "Encore". Entertainment Weekly. No. 793. p. 80. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
5. J-23 (2004-11-15). "Eminem - Encore". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2017-05-04.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
6. Hilburn, Robert (2004-11-08). "With 'Encore', Eminem melts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
7. Corne, James (2004-11-09). "Eminem :: Encore :: Shady/Aftermath/Interscope". RapReviews. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
8. Robert Christgau (2004-12-09). "Encore | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
9. Jones, Steve (2004-11-11). "Eminem's edgy 'Encore' deserves an ovation". USA Today. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
10. Alexis Petridis. "CD: Eminem, Encore | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
11. Sanneh, Kelefa (2004-11-15). "All the Time in the World, Slim Shady? That's Scary". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
12. Love, Josh (2004-11-12). "Eminem - Encore - Review =". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-02-09. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
13. Gray, Christopher (2004-11-26). "Eminem: Encore". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
14. Sal Cinquemani (2004-11-13). "Eminem Encore". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
15. Stevie Wonder slams Eminem for mocking Michael Jackson
16. Burkeman, Oliver (February 1, 2005). "Michael Jackson threatens to sue over mocking video by Eminem". The Guardian.
17. ^ Hope, Clover (6 December 2004). "Stevie Wonder has words to say about Eminem". AllHipHop. Archived from the original on 2005-03-05. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
18. "iTunes - Music - Just Lose It - Single by Eminem". Itunes.apple.com. 2004-11-01. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
19. "iTunes - Music - Just Lose It - Single by Eminem". Itunes.apple.com. 2004-11-01. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
20. "Just Lose It [CD 2]: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
21. "Just Lose It [CD 1] [CD 1]: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
22. "Just Lose It: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
23. "Just Lose It (pock It): Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
24. "Eminem – Just Lose It". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
25. "Issue 801" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
26. "Eminem – Just Lose It" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
27. "Eminem – Just Lose It" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
28. "Eminem – Just Lose It" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
29. "Canadian Top 20 in 2004" (PDF). Cross Canada Countdown. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2005. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
30. "Eminem – Just Lose It". Tracklisten. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
31. "Eminem – Chart Search" Billboard European Hot 100 Singles for Eminem. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
32. "Eminem: Just Lose It" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
33. "Eminem – Just Lose It" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
34. "Eminem – Just Lose It" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
35. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Just Lose It". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
36. "Eminem – Just Lose It". Top Digital Download. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
37. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 47, 2004" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
38. "Eminem – Just Lose It" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
39. "Eminem – Just Lose It". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
40. "Eminem – Just Lose It". VG-lista. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
41. "Russia Top 20 Chart for 2004-11-20". top40-charts.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
42. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
43. "Eminem – Just Lose It" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
44. "Eminem – Just Lose It". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
45. "Eminem – Just Lose It". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
46. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
47. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
48. "Eminem Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
49. "Eminem Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
50. "Eminem Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
51. "Eminem Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
52. "2004 Australian Singles Chart". aria. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
53. "2004 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
54. "2004 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
55. "Brazilian Top 100 Year-End 2004". Crowley Broadcast Analysis. April 3, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
56. "2004 French Singles Chart" (in French). SNEP. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
57. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
58. "2004 Irish Singles Chart". IRMA. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
59. "Top of the Music - AC Nielsen (Classifica Annuale 2004)" (PDF) (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 28, 2015.
60. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2004". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
61. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2004". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
62. "2004 New Zealand Singles Chart". Rianz. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
63. "Årslista Singlar – År 2004" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
64. "2004 Swiss Singles Chart" (in German). Swisscharts. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
65. "2004 UK Singles Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
66. "Billboard Top 100 – 2004". BillboardTop100of.com. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
67. "Brazilian Top 100 Year-End 2005". Crowley Broadcast Analysis. April 3, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
68. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2005 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
69. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
70. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Eminem; 'Just Lose It')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
71. "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
72. "British single certifications – Eminem – Just Lose It". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
73. "American single certifications – Eminem – Just Lose It". Recording Industry Association of America.
74. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1574. September 24, 2004. p. 21. Retrieved July 6, 2022.

External links

• Music video on YouTube

• 2004 songs
• 2004 singles
• Eminem songs
• Number-one singles in Australia
• UK singles chart number-one singles
• European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
• Number-one singles in Denmark
• Number-one singles in New Zealand
• Number-one singles in Scotland
• Number-one singles in Spain
• Number-one singles in Switzerland
• Songs written by Mark Batson
• Songs written by Eminem
• Songs written by Dr. Dre
• Songs written by Mike Elizondo
• Song recordings produced by Dr. Dre
• Shady Records singles
• Aftermath Entertainment singles
• Interscope Records singles
• Songs about Elvis Presley
• Songs about Michael Jackson
• Cultural depictions of Michael Jackson
• Cultural depictions of Madonna
• Song recordings produced by Mike Elizondo
• Music video controversies
• Comedy hip-hop songs
• Songs about fictional male characters