Beautiful (Eminem song)

"Beautiful" is the fifth and final single from American rapper Eminem's sixth studio album Relapse, released on August 11, 2009. The song samples "Reaching Out", originally recorded by British rock band Rock Therapy. This version of "Reaching Out" is taken from the Queen + Paul Rodgers 2005–2006 tour, which used Eminem's "Lose Yourself" as the house music. The song was partially written during the first time Eminem went to rehab in 2005.

"Beautiful"
Single by Eminem
from the album Relapse
Released	August 11, 2009
Recorded	March 2006 – Late 2008
Genre	Conscious hip hop
Length	6:32 (album version) 4:00 (radio edit) 6:37 (instrumental version)
Label	Aftermath Shady Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Marshall Mathers Luis Resto Jeffrey Bass Don Black Andy Hill
Producer(s)	Eminem Jeff Bass
Eminem singles chronology
"Old Time's Sake" (2009) "Beautiful" (2009) "Forever" (2009)
Music video
"Beautiful" on YouTube

The song was partially recorded in 2006, and would not be finished until he got clean years later. After he got clean, he added a third verse to the song, and released the song on Relapse.^[1]

Music video

The video was shot in Detroit and was directed by Anthony Mandler. It premiered on July 2, 2009, on Yahoo! music.^[2] The video opens with captions stating that "In 1950, Michigan was 1 of 8 states in America that collectively produced 36% of the world's GNP" and that "Detroit was the greatest manufacturing city in the world." It then cuts to present-day images of the city, featuring Eminem walking through three abandoned structures from that era: Michigan Central Station; the former Packard plant; and Tiger Stadium, including demolition footage of the latter. In each location, he is joined by several people appropriate to each building: an older woman with a suitcase, several autoworkers holding their lunchboxes and tools, and a neighborhood youth baseball team, respectively.

Critical reception

Rolling Stone called the song a "touching attempt at an inspirational ballad". Pitchfork Media stated "Relapse hits something of a stride with 'Beautiful'".^[3] "Beautiful" scored Eminem his ninth straight Top 40 single on the Billboard Hot 100, going back to "Smack That" with Akon. Billboard called the song "epic" and described it as "Part confessional ('I'm just so fucking depressed', begins the track's explicit version) and part 'Lose Yourself'-style motivational anthem, 'Beautiful' encapsulates the introspective nature of 'Relapse' but deviates from the shock tactics that dominate the album", adding that "The song is as much a lighters-in-the-air, arena rock power ballad as it is a lyrical showcase".^[4] The song was nominated at the 52nd Grammy Awards in the Best Rap Solo Performance category, but lost to Jay-Z's "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)".^[5]

Chart performance

"Beautiful" entered the UK Singles Chart on May 17, 2009 at number 38 and re-entered at number 31 due to increased airplay. The song was released as the third UK single after "We Made You" and peaked at number 12. It became Eminem's 21st Top 40 single in the UK but also his second official single to miss the Top 10. In the U.S., it debuted at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was on the A-List of the BBC Radio 1 playlist. In the week of July 23, 2009, it re-entered the Hot 100 at #98.^[6]

Awards and nominations

See also: List of awards and nominations received by Eminem

Year	Ceremony	Award	Result
2010	Grammy Awards	Best Rap Solo Performance	Nominated
	Much Music Video Awards	International Video of the Year	Nominated

Track listing

Digital download^[7]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Beautiful"	Marshall Mathers Luis Resto Jeffrey Bass Don Black Andy Hill	Eminem, Jeff Bass	6:32

Digital single^[8]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Beautiful"	Marshall Mathers Luis Resto Jeffrey Bass Don Black Andy Hill	Eminem, Jeff Bass	6:32
2.	"Beautiful" (music video)	Mathers Resto Bass Black Hill	Eminem, Jeff Bass	4:21
Total length:				10:53

CD single^[9]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Beautiful"	Marshall Mathers Luis Resto Jeffrey Bass Don Black Andy Hill	Eminem, Jeff Bass	6:32
2.	"3 a.m." (Travis Barker remix)	Mathers Andre Young Dawaun Parker Mark Batson Mike Elizondo Trevor Lawrence, Jr.	Dr. Dre	5:20
Total length:				11:52

Digital EP^[10]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Beautiful" (radio edit)	Marshall Mathers Luis Resto Jeffrey Bass Don Black Andy Hill	Eminem, Jeff Bass	4:00
2.	"Beautiful"	Mathers Resto Bass Black Hill	Eminem, Jeff Bass	6:32
3.	"Beautiful" (instrumental)	Mathers Resto Bass Black Hill	Eminem, Jeff Bass	6:37
4.	"3 a.m." (Travis Barker remix)	Mathers Andre Young Dawaun Parker Mark Batson Mike Elizondo Trevor Lawrence, Jr.	Dr. Dre	5:20
Total length:				22:29

Personnel

Credits adapted from Relapse digital booklet.

• Songwriters: M. Mathers, L. Resto, J. Bass, D. Black, A. Hill
• Recorded by: Mike Strange at 54 Sound in Ferndale, Michigan
• Assistant engineers: Tony Campana at 54 Sound in Ferndale, Michigan
• Mixed by: Eminem and Mike Strange at Effigy Studios
• Keyboards by: Jeffrey Bass and Luis Resto
• Bass and guitar by: Jeffrey Bass
• Samples: Contains samples from "Reaching Out" by Queen + Paul Rodgers, written by Don Black and Andy Hill

Charts

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[11]	33
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12]	11
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[13]	16
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[14]	8
Denmark (Tracklisten)[15]	40
European Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[16]	26
Germany (GfK)[17]	39
Ireland (IRMA)[18]	5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19]	4
Scotland (OCC)[20]	6
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21]	47
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[22]	8
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[23]	7
UK Singles (OCC)[24]	12
US Billboard Hot 100[25]	17
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[26]	35
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[27]	32

Year-end charts

Chart (2009)	Position
New Zealand Singles Chart[28]	40
UK Singles Chart[29]	173

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30]	3× Platinum	210,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[31]	Platinum	60,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[32]	Gold	45,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33]	2× Platinum	60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[34]	Platinum	600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[35]	3× Platinum	3,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.