Encore (Eminem album)

Encore
Studio album by Eminem
Released November 12, 2004
Genre Hip hop
Length 77:06
Label Aftermath, Shady, Interscope, Goliath
Producer Eminem, Dr. Dre, Luis Resto, Mike Elizondo, Mark Batson
Eminem chronology
The Eminem Show
(2002)		 Encore
(2004)		 Relapse
(2009)
Special Edition Cover
Singles from Encore
  1. "Just Lose It"
    Released: September 28, 2004
  2. "Mosh"
    Released: October 26, 2004
  3. "Encore"
    Released: November 9, 2004
  4. "Like Toy Soldiers"
    Released: January 24, 2005
  5. "Mockingbird"
    Released: April 25, 2005
  6. "Ass Like That"
    Released: June 7, 2005

Encore (stylized as ƎNCORE) is the fifth studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. Its release was set for November 16, 2004, but was moved up to November 12 (coincidentally, exactly eight years to the day his debut album, Infinite, was released) after the album was leaked to the Internet. Encore sold 710,000 copies in its first three days,[1] and went on to sell over 1.5 million copies in its first two weeks of release in the United States, certified quadruple-platinum that mid-December.[2] Nine months after its release, worldwide sales of the album stood at 11 million copies.[3]

Content

The album contains several lyrical themes, including Eminem's relationship with his ex-wife, Kim, ("Puke", and "Love You More"), their daughter Hailie Jade Mathers ("Mockingbird"), his childhood ("Yellow Brick Road"), his relationships with his parents ("Evil Deeds"), and opposition to then-American President George W. Bush ("Mosh" and "We As Americans") "Just Lose It" is a parody of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", as well as a Pepsi commercial in 1984. Similar to Eminem's previous album, The Eminem Show, Encore opens with a skit called "Curtains Up", indicative of the start of the show.

Censorship

In "We As Americans", the line "Fuck money, I don't rap for dead presidents, I'd rather see the president dead" has "dead" reversed in "See the president dead" on both clean and explicit versions of the album. Simultaneously with the original, a censored version was released, from which the profanities, violent and sexual content, as well the drug references had been edited.

"My 1st Single" has a bleep instead of a muted part in the verse "This was supposed to be my first single, but I just fucked that up so... Fuck it let's all have fun let's mingle" like the clean version of "The Real Slim Shady". The word "ass" is left uncensored in "Yellow Brick Road", "One Shot 2 Shot", "Encore" and "We As Americans", but is censored out in "Ass Like That", "Mosh", "Spend Some Time", "My 1st Single", and "Just Lose It", and also in the song "Rain Man", the word "ass" was used twice, but only censored once. The word "goddamn" was left uncensored in "Spend Some Time." In the "clean" version's album booklet, the written lyrics have been removed, however on the songs "Puke", "My 1st Single" and "Just Lose It", lyrics were changed to avoid long censorship. Other profanities on all other songs are blanked out; and the song "Ass Like That" is listed as "A** Like That". The song "Encore/Curtains Down" has the shooting sequence at the end of the track removed on the censored album. Also, on the track "One Shot 2 Shot", the intro to the song is removed and the song starts at the first chorus, with more lines blanked out during the remainder of the track. Also, in "One Shot 2 Shot", during Kon Artis' verse, the word "fuck" was left uncensored. "Yellow Brick Road" leaves the word "goddamn" uncensored once. "One Shot 2 Shot" has the violent content edited, and the word "shot" is blanked throughout the song. However, the original title remains written on the back cover. The bonus disc was also censored for the album's clean version.

Packaging

The album featured two covers, the first cover features Eminem standing in front of an audience, bowing to the crowd. The tray insert features Eminem holding a gun behind his back. The inlay shows Eminem holding the pistol in his mouth without the jacket of his shirt and tie. The CD itself shows a note written by Eminem saying "To my family & all my friends, thank you for everything, I will always love you. To my fans, I'm Sorry, Marshall" with a bullet underneath the note. The note is also seen in the album's booklet, where Eminem is writing the note. Some pictures show Eminem shooting everybody, which makes a reference to the ending of the album's title track. The second cover features the same audience from the inlay on a black background with a blood splat on the top right. This cover is used for the Shady Collector's Edition.

Commercial performance

Encore sold 710,000 copies in its first three days,[1] and went on to sell over 1.5 million copies in its first two weeks of release in the United States,[4] certified quadruple-platinum that mid-December.[2] Nine months after its release, worldwide sales of the album stood at 11 million copies.[5] Critical reception was generally mixed. Most critics and fans alike did note the subpar quality of the lyrics, which were more simplistic when compared to his previous albums. The album made digital history in becoming the first album to sell 10,000 digital copies in one week.[6] As of November 2013, the album had sold 5,343,000 copies in the US.[7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Blender[9]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[10]
The Guardian[11]
NME7/10[12]
Pitchfork Media6.5/10[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
Slant Magazine[15]
SpinB[16]
The Village VoiceA[17]

Encore received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics.[18] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 64, based on 26 reviews.[19] Josh Love from Stylus Magazine felt Eminem was "dying" with this album, whose concept was "end-to-end mea culpa", full of "clarifications, rectifications and excuses", revising the history of "a man who knows he doesn't have much time left".[20] Scott Plangenhoef, writing for Pitchfork Media called Encore a "transitional record" and "the sound of a man who seems bored of re-branding and playing celebrity games".[13] BBC Music's Adam Webb believed it starts "fantastically" but ends "abominably", writing that it has too many "lowpoints".[21] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly said Eminem "sacrifices the rich, multi-textured productions" of his two previous albums for "thug-life monotony, cultural zingers for petty music-biz score-settling, and probing self-analysis for juvenile humor". He concluded his review by saying that Eminem has become "predictable" on Encore, something that he wasn't before.[10]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine was more enthusiastic in his review for AllMusic, calling the music "spartan", built on "simple unadorned beats and keyboard loops", and the lyrics "plain-spoken and literal".[8] Robert Christgau said Eminem still sounded "funny, catchy and clever, and irreverent past his allotted time", noting that even the bonus tracks "keep on pushing".[17] In Rolling Stone, he wrote that Encore was not as "astonishing" as The Marshall Mathers LP, but praised Eminem for maturing his lyrical abilities while retaining his sense of humour.[14] Steve Jones from USA Today also spoke positively about the album, calling Eminem's producing and lyrical skills as "top-flight" and noting that the record explores "the many sides of Marshall Mathers".[22] The album earned Eminem Grammy Award nominations in three categories at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards: Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for the song "Encore", and Best Rap Solo Performance for the song "Mockingbird".

Encore provoked some controversy over anti-Bush lyrics and lyrics that parodied and targeted Michael Jackson, who was upset about Eminem's depiction of him in the video for "Just Lose It".[23] On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret Service admitted it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem had threatened the President of the United States, George Bush,[24] after the song "We as Americans", as an unreleased bootleg, circulated with the lyrics "Fuck money, I don't rap for dead presidents. I'd rather see the president dead." This line was eventually used as a sample in Immortal Technique's single "Bin Laden", which featured Mos Def and Chuck D. The incident was later referenced in the video for his song "Mosh" as one several news clips on a wall, along with other newspaper articles about other unfortunate incidents in Bush's career. The song eventually appeared on the album's bonus disc, where the lyrics were extensively censored.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Curtains Up (skit)"     0:46
2. "Evil Deeds"  Marshall Mathers, Andre Young, Mike Elizondo, Mark Batson, Chris PopeDr. Dre 4:19
3. "Never Enough" (featuring 50 Cent & Nate Dogg)Mathers, Young, Elizondo, Curtis Jackson III, Nathaniel HaleDr. Dre, Elizondo 2:39
4. "Yellow Brick Road"  Mathers, Luis Resto, Steve KingEminem, Resto (add.) 5:46
5. "Like Toy Soldiers"  Mathers, Resto, Marta Marrero, Michael Jay MargulesEminem, Resto (add.) 4:56
6. "Mosh"  Mathers, Young, Elizondo, Batson, PopeDr. Dre, Batson 5:17
7. "Puke"  Mathers, Resto, King, Brian MayEminem, Resto (add.) 4:07
8. "My 1st Single"  Mathers, RestoEminem, Resto (add.) 5:02
9. "Paul (skit)"     0:32
10. "Rain Man"  Mathers, Young, Elizondo, Batson, PopeDr. Dre 5:13
11. "Big Weenie"  Mathers, Young, Elizondo, Batson, PopeDr. Dre 4:26
12. "Em Calls Paul (skit)"     1:11
13. "Just Lose It"  Mathers, Young, Elizondo, Batson, PopeDr. Dre, Elizondo 4:08
14. "Ass Like That"  Mathers, Young, Elizondo, Batson, PopeDr. Dre, Elizondo 4:25
15. "Spend Some Time" (featuring Obie Trice, Stat Quo & 50 Cent)Mathers, Resto, Obie Trice, Stanley Benton, Jackson, King, Gary WrightEminem, Resto (add.) 5:10
16. "Mockingbird"  Mathers, RestoEminem, Resto (add.) 4:10
17. "Crazy in Love"  Mathers, Resto, Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Roger FisherEminem, Resto (add.) 4:02
18. "One Shot 2 Shot" (featuring D12)Mathers, Resto, Ondre Moore, Von Carlisle, Denaun Porter, Rufus JohnsonEminem, Resto (add.) 4:26
19. "Final Thought (skit)"     0:30
20. "Encore / Curtains Down" (featuring Dr. Dre & 50 Cent)Mathers, Young, Elizondo, Batson, Pope, JacksonDr. Dre, Batson 5:48
Total length:
 76:53
Notes

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[26]

Charts

Chart (2004–05) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[27] 1
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[28] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[29] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[30] 8
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[31] 1
Czech Republic Albums (IFPI) 1
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[32] 2
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[33] 2
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[34] 4
French Albums (SNEP)[35] 1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[36] 1
Greek Albums Chart[37] 3
Hungarian Albums Chart[38] 24
Irish Albums (IRMA)[39] 1
Italian Albums (FIMI)[40] 6
Japanese Albums Chart[41] 3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[42] 1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[43] 2
Polish Albums (OLiS)[44] 9
Scottish Albums (OCC)[45] 2
South African Albums (RISA)[46] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[47] 3
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[48] 2
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[49] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[50] 1
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[51] 1
US Billboard 200[52] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2004) Position
US Billboard 200[53] 96
Chart (2005) Position
US Billboard 200[54] 2

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[55] Gold 20,000*
Australia (ARIA)[56] 6× Platinum 420,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[57] Platinum 30,000*
Belgium (BEA)[58] Gold 25,000*
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[59] Platinum 40,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[60] Gold 21,780[60]
France (SNEP)[61] 2× Gold 200,000*
Germany (BVMI)[62] Platinum 200,000^
Greece (IFPI Greece)[63] Gold 10,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[64] Gold 10,000*
Ireland (IRMA)[65] 5× Platinum 75,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[66] Platinum 250,000^
Mexico (AMPROFON)[67] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[68] 5× Platinum 75,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[69] Platinum 40,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[70] Gold 20,000*
Portugal (AFP)[71] Silver 10,000^
Russia (NFPF)[72] Platinum 20,000*
South Africa (RISA)[46] Platinum 50,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[73] Gold 50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[74] Gold 30,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[75] Platinum 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[76] 4× Platinum 1,200,000^
United States (RIAA)[77] 4× Platinum 5,343,000[78]^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[79] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. 1 2 D'Angelo, Joe (November 17, 2004). "News : Eminem Shreds The Competition, Even With A Premature Encore". CMT.com. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22.
  2. 1 2 "RIAA: Searchable Database: Eminem" Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  3. ↑ Byrne, Ciar (August 18, 2005). "The real Slim Shady stands up the fans on his European tour.". The Independent. London: Independent News & Media. Retrieved November 14, 2008.
  4. ↑ Grein, Paul (June 3, 2009). "Week Ending May 31, 2009: "Boom Boom Pow" Sets Digital Record". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  5. ↑ Byrne, Ciar (August 18, 2005). "The real Slim Shady stands up the fans on his European tour". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 2011-09-19.
  6. ↑ "Chart Watch Extra: Eminem Makes Digital History - Chart Watch". New.music.yahoo.com. Yahoo!. July 7, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  7. ↑ Tardio, Andres (November 13, 2013). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Week Ending 11/10/2013". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  8. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Encore - Eminem: Review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  9. ↑ Blender (January/February): 100. 2005.
  10. 1 2 Browne, David (November 19, 2004). "Eminem - Encore". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  11. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (November 12, 2004). "Eminem : Encore". The Guardian. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  12. ↑ Cashmore, Pete (December 10, 2004). "Eminem : Encore". NME. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  13. 1 2 Plangenhoef, Scott (November 11, 2004). "Eminem - Encore". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  14. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (December 9, 2004). "Eminem - Encore". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  15. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (November 13, 2004). "Eminem - Encore". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  16. ↑ Spin review
  17. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (2005). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  18. ↑ Bynoe, Yvonne (2006). Encyclopedia of Rap and Hip-hop Culture. Greenwood Press. p. 119. ISBN 0313330581.
  19. ↑ "Encore Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. November 12, 2004. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  20. ↑ Love, Josh (November 12, 2004). "Eminem - Encore". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  21. ↑ Webb, Adam (2004). "Eminem - Encore". BBC Music. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  22. ↑ Jones, Steve (November 11, 2004). "USA Today review". Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  23. ↑ Burkeman, Oliver (14 October 2004). "Michael Jackson threatens to sue over mocking video by Eminem". The Guardian. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Secret Service checks Eminem's 'dead president' lyric". CNN. December 5, 2003. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  25. ↑ "Encore [2CD Special Edition]: Eminem: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  26. ↑ (2004) Album notes for Encore by Eminem. Aftermath Entertainment.
  27. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  28. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Eminem – Encore" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  29. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Eminem – Encore" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  30. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Eminem – Encore" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  31. ↑ "Eminem – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Eminem. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  32. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  33. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Eminem – Encore" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  34. ↑ "Eminem: Encore" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  35. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  36. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Top 100 Longplay". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  37. ↑ "Ελληνικό Χαρτ: Top 50 Ξένων Άλμπουμ" [Greek Chart: Top 50 Foreign Albums]. IFPI Greece. February 4, 2005. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  38. ↑ "Archivum - Slágerlisták - Top 40 album- és válogatáslemez-lista" (in Hungarian). Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. April 11, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  39. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 47, 2004". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  40. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  41. ↑ http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/48489/ranking/cd_album/
  42. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  43. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  44. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. November 29, 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  45. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  46. 1 2 "Eminem heading to South Africa for two shows". The Times. November 18, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  47. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  48. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  49. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  50. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  51. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  52. ↑ "Eminem – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Eminem. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  53. ↑ "Billboard year end charts 2004". Billboard.
  54. ↑ "Billboard year end charts 2005". Billboard.
  55. ↑ "Argentinian album certifications – Eminem – Encore". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers.
  56. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  57. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Eminem – Encore" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Eminem in the field Interpret. Enter Encore in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
  58. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2004". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  59. ↑ "Danish album certifications – Eminem – Encore". IFPI Denmark. Click on næste to go to page 12 if certification from official website
  60. 1 2 "Eminem" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  61. ↑ "French album certifications – Eminem – Encore" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  62. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Eminem; 'Encore')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  63. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts - Top-50 Albums Sales Chart - Week: 6/2005". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005.
  64. ↑ "Gold Disc Award 2004". IFPI Hong Kong. Archived from the original on May 17, 2011.
  65. ↑ "Irish album certifications – Eminem – Encore". Irish Recorded Music Association.
  66. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – Eminem – Encore" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2004年月 on the drop-down menu
  67. ↑ "Certificaciones – Eminem" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas.
  68. ↑ "Latest Gold / Platinum Albums". Radioscope. 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24.
  69. ↑ "Trofeer" (in Norwegian). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry – Norway. 2001. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  70. ↑ "Polish album certifications – Eminem – Encore" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  71. ↑ "Top AFP – Semana 48 de 2004" (in Portuguese). Artistas-espectaculos.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  72. ↑ "Russian album certifications – Eminem – Encore" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF).
  73. ↑ "Top 100 Albumes" (PDF). Promusicae. 2005-01-09. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  74. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2004" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  75. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Eminem; 'Encore')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  76. ↑ "British album certifications – Eminem – Encore". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Encore in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  77. ↑ "American album certifications – Eminem – Encore". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  78. ↑ "Eight Eminem Albums Charted On Billboard 200 This Week". XXL. Harris Publications. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  79. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2004". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
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