Instead, in his own words, he tells us "what it feels like": an abusive relationship from his perspective, which at least seems personal rather than fictional given his own history. "What it really is" is a discussion he leaves to the rest of us. Marshall Mathers is not a teen guide to dating violence, to put it mildly. He never uses words like "domestic violence" or even "abuse." He also never comes out in interviews and tells the young people of the world to steer clear of abusive relationships. He can't tell us "what it really is"-and he knows that. It's instead a personal, emotional, contradictory account from one person's perspective-and the perspective of a male abuser, at that.īut Eminem hits us right off the bat with an acknowledgment of his position in the song. One of the most common criticisms of "Love the Way You Lie" is that it isn't an accurate explanation of dating violence and its real causes.
Rihanna's hook definitely runs the risk of reinforcing a dangerous myth (that abused people like or deserve the abuse), but it may also reach out to others who are in pain or in danger-and hungry to hear someone with similar experiences talk about them.Įminem's intriguing first line may actually hold the key to the song's success-and to Eminem's popularity in general. Among the tens of millions of YouTube viewers, it's a statistical guarantee that there are between tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands who have been in or are currently in abusive relationships. On the other hand, the song might also describe the self-doubt that is very real for many people in violent relationships. Critics are not off-base to point out that when Rihanna sings a line like this, it could be sending a dangerous message about who's at fault for domestic violence. This is also something that abusers may say to their partners to shame and control them. Here's the part of the picture that Rihanna's short hook doesn't break down: One common myth about domestic violence is that people stay in abusive relationships because they "like" being abused. The apparent sex appeal of "I like the way it hurts" is confusing at best, and disturbing at worst-one critic bitterly calls it "brutality chic" ( source). But this hook, catchy as it may be, is about dating violence. The singer has an alluring voice, and most of us are used to hearing it in hot pop-rock ballads about love and sex. Rihanna doesn't look or sound happy when she sings these lines, but they don't necessarily come off as a lament or warning, either. Does it reinforce a myth, or grapple with a part of reality? Deep Thought Given what the public knows about her own history, Rihanna's second line is stomach-dropping. "Watch me burn" may be a symbol for a disintegrating relationship, but the line evolves into a serious warning about how dangerous a violent relationship can become. Rihanna was herself beaten up by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown when she was just 21, requiring an emergency room visit and shocking the world when gruesome photos leaked to the tabloid press. One in four women reports having experienced domestic violence, and nearly one in three teens who have been in relationships report abuse of some kind. Every day, an average of three women and one man are murdered in the United States by an intimate partner.
The real violence suggested in these lines is a widespread reality. "Watch me burn," becomes real rather than metaphorical. Then, the fire that fills up the screen behind Rihanna becomes a symbol of actual violence. It seems like all this burning in both the lyrics and the video must be some sort of metaphor for the destruction that comes from abusive relationships-until Eminem's bone-chilling final line. The final line of the song is, quite frankly, a death threat: "Imma tie her to the bed and set this house on fire." And the final scene of the video shows both Rihanna and Eminem standing there with their backs to us, watching a house burn down.
Love is on the way lyrics and music full#
Actors Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan both literally play with fire as they depict an increasingly violent relationship full of drama and mutual abuse.
In the "Love the Way You Lie" music video, Rihanna sings her lines standing in front of a burning house. What first seems to be only a clichéd metaphor transforms into something uncomfortably real. Eminem closes it by rapping about tying a woman to the bed and lighting the house on fire. Rihanna opens the song by singing about burning.
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