"Rhyme or Reason" | |
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Song by Eminem | |
from the album The Marshall Mathers LP 2 | |
Released | November 5, 2013 |
Recorded | Effigy Studios (Ferndale, Michigan), Shangri La Studios (Malibu, California) [1] |
Genre | Hip hop |
Length | 5:01 |
Label | |
Songwriter(s) | |
Producer(s) |
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The Marshall Mathers LP 2 track listing | |
16 tracks
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"Rhyme or Reason" is a song from Eminem's eighth studio album The Marshall Mathers LP 2 . The song concerns his father's abandonment of his wife and Eminem when Eminem was born. Produced by the album's executive producer Rick Rubin, the song contains samples of The Zombies' "Time of the Season" from their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle . The song received positive reviews from music critics.
In the song, Eminem discusses his father, who left him and his mother when he was born; as well as his skill as a rapper and fame. In the bridge, Eminem sings along with the chorus of "Time of the Season" with altered lyrics, and in one part he responds as Shady and references his song "Just Don't Give a Fuck". [2]
The song was produced by the album's executive producer Rick Rubin and written by Eminem and Rod Argent of The Zombies. The song samples "Time of the Season" from their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle . It was recorded by Mike Strange, Joe Strange and Tony Campana. [1] The Zombies' keyboardist, Rod Argent, who wrote "Time of the Season", is given a co-songwriting credit.
Rhyme or Reason received generally positive reviews from music critics. Dan Rys of XXL Magazine said that the song, along with "So Far..." will "grow on you by getting stuck in your head, and before long you’ll know every word and skip ahead to hear the familiar refrains and deft flows." [3] Nick Catucci of Entertainment Weekly called the song one of the "album's most endearingly bonkers tracks." [4]
Chart (2013) | Peak position |
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US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [5] | 13 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [6] | 41 |
The Zombies are an English rock band formed in St Albans in 1961. Led by keyboardist/vocalist Rod Argent and lead vocalist Colin Blunstone, the group had their first British and American hit in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the US, two further singles—"Tell Her No" in 1965 and "Time of the Season" in 1968—were also successful.
The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on May 23, 2000, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Production on the album was handled by Dr. Dre, Mel-Man, F.B.T., Eminem, and The 45 King. The album spawned three hit singles: "The Real Slim Shady", "The Way I Am" and "Stan", and features guest appearances from Dido, RBX, Sticky Fingaz, Bizarre, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Nate Dogg, and D12.
The Slim Shady LP is the second studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released through Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records on February 23, 1999. Recorded in Ferndale, Michigan following Eminem's recruitment by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, the album features production from Eminem himself, alongside Dr. Dre and the Bass Brothers. Featuring West Coast hip hop, G-funk, and horrorcore musical styles, the majority of The Slim Shady LP's lyrical content was written from the perspective of Eminem's alter ego, named Slim Shady. The alter ego was introduced on his 1997 extended play Slim Shady EP, and concluded on his 2024 studio album The Death of Slim Shady . The album contains cartoonish depictions of violence and heavy use of profanity, which Eminem described as horror film-esque, in that it is solely for entertainment value. Although many of the lyrics on the album are considered to be satirical, Eminem also discusses his frustrations of living in poverty.
Odessey and Oracle is the second studio album by the English rock band the Zombies. It was released in the UK on 19 April 1968, by CBS Records and in the US on 15 July 1968, by Date Records. The album was recorded primarily between June and August 1967 at EMI and Olympic Studios in London.
"Time of the Season" is a song by the British rock band the Zombies, featured on their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle. It was written by keyboardist Rod Argent and recorded at Abbey Road Studios in September 1967. Over a year after its original release, the track became a surprise hit in the United States, rising to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Cashbox chart. It has become one of the Zombies' most popular and recognizable songs, and an iconic hit of 1960s psychedelia.
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Marshall Bruce Mathers III, known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in Middle America and is regarded as among the greatest rappers of all time. His success is considered to have broken racial barriers to the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. While much of his transgressive work during the late 1990s and early 2000s made him a controversial figure, he came to be a representation of popular angst of the American underclass and has been cited as influencing many musical artists. His most successful songs on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 include "The Real Slim Shady", "Without Me", "Lose Yourself", "Not Afraid", "Love the Way You Lie", "The Monster", "Godzilla", and "Houdini".
Christopher Taylor White is an English musician. He came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the bass guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band The Zombies. White is one of the main composers of the Zombies' music, and made major lyrical contributions to the band's songs. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of the Zombies.
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