Wikipedia

Somebody Save Me (Eminem song)

"Somebody Save Me" is a song by American rapper Eminem featuring fellow American singer and rapper Jelly Roll, originally released on July 12, 2024 as a track from the former's twelfth studio album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), before later being released as the album's third single a week later on July 19, 2024.

"Somebody Save Me"
Single by Eminem featuring Jelly Roll
from the album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)
ReleasedJuly 19, 2024
Genre
Length3:50
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Eminem singles chronology
"Tobey"
(2024) 		"Somebody Save Me"
(2024) 		"Murdergram Deux"
(2024)
Jelly Roll singles chronology
"I Am Not Okay"
(2024) 		"Somebody Save Me"
(2024) 		"Lonely Road"
(2024)
Music video
"Somebody Save Me" on YouTube

A music video for the song was released August 21, 2024.

Background and release

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American rapper Eminem released his eleventh studio album, Music to Be Murdered By, in January 2020. The album was critically and commercially successful, producing singles such as "Godzilla", which peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] After the success of the album, Eminem began working on his twelfth studio album in collaboration with Dr. Dre, with the albums production being confirmed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on March 19, 2024.[2] The album, named The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), was formally announced on April 26 after the 2024 NFL draft through a trailer depicting a news story about the death of Eminem's alter ego, Slim Shady.[1] The album was released on July 12, 2024; "Somebody Save Me" is the nineteenth and final song on the standard track list.[3][4] On July 19, 2024, the song was released as a single.[5]

On September 11, 2024, Eminem performed "Somebody Save Me", along with "Houdini", live at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Composition and lyrics

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"Somebody Save Me" is a country hip hop[6] song performed primarily by Eminem, with parts of the song being sampled from Jelly Roll's 2020 single "Save Me".[7][8] Additional producers for the song include Emile Haynie, Benny Blanco, Luis Resto, and David Ray.[8]

The lyrics of "Somebody Save Me" are about Eminem's relationship with his family during his past drug addiction, and are written from the perspective of an alternate reality where he died before his daughter Hailie's graduation.[9] The song opens up with a recording of one of his children, Alaina, begging him to eat dinner which he denies. All three verses of the song is dedicated to one of his kids, namely Alaina, Hailie, and Stevie, apologizing for his addiction disrupting the family. He openly regrets not being able to be a proper father, saying he "[doesn't] even deserve the father title." After the songs intro and in between each verse, a snippet of Jelly Roll's "Save Me" plays, where he says "somebody save me, me from myself" among other parts of the original song after each verse.[7][4]

Critical reception

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In a ranking of every song from The Death of Slim Shady, Billboard's Michael Saponara considered "Somebody Save Me" to be the album's best song, describing it as a "teary-eyed" ending.[10] A staff writer of Sputnikmusic wrote that "Somebody Save Me" alongside "Temporary" and "Bad One" were songs that retained issues that he believed Eminem's songs had in recent years, but were still a "massive improvement".[11]

Louder's Merlin Alderslade stated that the song was a poor ending to the album, describing Jelly Roll's chorus as "schmaltzy and irritating".[12]

Music video

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The music video for "Somebody Save Me" directed by Emil Nava, was released on August 21, 2024.[13] The video includes snippets of home footage and clips from Hailie Jade's "Just a Little Shady" podcast, alongside scenes of Eminem reflecting on his past. The rapper is depicted watching memories unfold behind a one-way mirror. The video also features Jelly Roll, who appears in an empty room with flickering lights, performing the chorus.[13]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Somebody Save Me"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[14] 48
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[15] 18
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[16] 22
Global 200 (Billboard)[17] 31
Ireland (IRMA)[18] 60
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 31
San Marino (SMRRTV Top 50)[20] 18
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 6
South Africa (TOSAC)[22] 97
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 94
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[24] 32
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[25] 35
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[26] 10
US Billboard Hot 100[27] 27

References

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  1. ^ a b Horowitz, Steven J. (April 26, 2024). "Eminem Announces New Album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), Releasing This Summer". Variety. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  2. ^ Kaufman, Gil (March 20, 2024). "Dr. Dre Says New Eminem Album Coming This Year, Gives Update on Snoop Dogg's 'Missionary' on Kimmel". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  3. ^ Lynch, Jessica (July 10, 2024). "Eminem Unveils Tracklist for 'The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)'". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Donovan, Thom (July 18, 2024). "The Meaning Behind "Somebody Save Me" by Eminem and Jelly Roll and Why the Rapper Is Apologizing to His Kids". American Songwriter. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  5. ^ "Somebody Save Me - Single by Eminem & Jelly Roll". July 18, 2024. July 19, 2024 – via Apple Music.
  6. ^ Sanfiorenzo, Dimas; Berry, Peter. "8 Takeaways From Eminem's 'The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)' Album". Complex. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Dailey, Hannah (July 12, 2024). "Eminem Apologizes to His Kids in Emotional New Song 'Somebody Save Me' Featuring Jelly Roll". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Here's Who Appears on Eminem's 'The Death of Slim Shady'". Rolling Stone Australia. July 12, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  9. ^ Chick, Stevie (July 12, 2024). "Eminem review, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce): Punching downwards, joylessly and without inspiration". The Independent. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  10. ^ Saponara, Michael (July 12, 2024). "Eminem's The Death of Slim Shady Album: Songs Ranked Worst to Best". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  11. ^ "Review: Eminem - The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  12. ^ Alderslade, Merlin (July 12, 2024). ""Eminem remains unable to resist humouring his darkest lyrical impulses. He just doesn't know how to properly address them." The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is a disappointing missed opportunity". louder. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  13. ^ a b EminemVEVO (August 21, 2024). Eminem - Somebody Save Me (feat. Jelly Roll) [Official Music Video]. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ "Eminem feat. Jelly Roll – Somebody Save Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  15. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  16. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  17. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  18. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Eminem". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  19. ^ "Eminem feat. Jelly Roll – Somebody Save Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  20. ^ "Top 50 – Radio San Marino RTV – 04/11/2024" (in Italian). San Marino RTV. November 4, 2024. Archived from the original on November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  21. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 29". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  22. ^ "TOP RELEASE OF THE WEEK: LOCAL & INTL Streaming". TOSAC. RiSA. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  23. ^ "Eminem feat. Jelly Roll – Somebody Save Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  24. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  25. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  26. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  27. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
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