Eminem, ‘Space Bound’ – Song Spotlight

Eminem falls in love and aims for the stars, only to crash violently back down to earth, on his new song 'Space Bound.' The ambitious power ballad is the fourth single from the hip-hop star's smash hit album 'Recovery.' 

Anthemic, strummed acoustic guitars and a glacially paced rhythm section serve as the skeleton, while Eminem half-sings, half-raps the tale of new love gone wrong over time. Yeah, no happy endings for Slim here. Having been burned by love in the past, he expresses caution even during the magical starting days of the relationship, and once he does drop his guard, what happens?

"So after a year and six months, it's no longer me that you want / But I love you so much it hurts, never mistreated you once / I poured my heart out to you, let down my guard, swear to God / I'll blow my brains in your lap, lay here and die in your arms."

That's right, more self-torture and anger. Boy, he sure doesn't make being on top of the music world look like a lot of fun, does he?

One other note on 'Space Bound': Surprisingly, that's British singer-songwriter Steve McEwan, and not an up-and-coming female R&B singer on the song's high-register "I'm a space-bound rocket ship and your heart's the moon" chorus. That's either a 'Wow!' or an 'Ouch.' Maybe it's both.

Earlier this week, 'Recovery' earned Eminem a Grammy Award for 'Best Rap Album,' and it was also announced that the rapper would be one of the headliners at this summer's annual Bonnaroo Festival.

Listen to Eminem, 'Space Bound'