Why 'Beautiful' fits on Relapse

[xxTrigger1989xx]

But it's NOT a 100% serial-killer album...MOST of it is, but some of it isn't. It actually has a story, has a purpose, and has an ending. Beautiful FITS in because he stops listening to others. Why is no one seeing this?

I think all these ideas / stories people keep making up in regards to Relapse are personal conviction, there's no real structure to it.

And regardless of all of that, even if you were absolutely correct in what you're saying - it doesn't fit because of how it SOUNDS, not conceptually.

"Deja Vu" isn't about eating babies or raping women either but it fits SONICALLY. The beat is from the same sessions, the production meshes, the flow - meshes. There's a reason an artist usually makes all songs in a single session. Because otherwise it would just sound like a random mix-up of tracks.

Can you imagine if Em took some songs from 99, some from 03, some from 05 and made one album out of it? Do you seriously think it would sound coherent. No, it would sound like Curtain Call aka a hits album.

Irrespective of whether you love or hate "Beautiful" or whether you think it fits on the album CONCEPTUALLY, it sounds nothing like the rest and sounds stuck on. It's from another era, a different Eminem, a different rapper, a different flow, different production.

It doesn't fit at all.

And, I believe he put it there as a back-up track. Interscope probably wanted some kind of assurance of a hit and what else did they have to go on? the celeb-bashing single and a bunch of tracks about rape... and do you noticed what happened - they used it as a single and then what...

Once people didn't like Relapse, Em has an 'epiphany' and came with Recovery. Anyone notice the similarity between "Beautiful" and Recovery? I'm thinking in particular of the fact it's a bunch of rock samples and glaringly honest emotional back-peddling...

There was a noticeable mixed reaction from everybody, split, on the new material but a pretty overwhelming response to "Beautifull". And despite Em coming back and saying he wanted to lose the personal shit and stop bitching etc. as soon as the cards were in, he played the hand his fans dealt him. I believe it was calculated, and his bullshit line about 'putting it there to remind him' was just a cover line. I don't believe he sat down for years thinking of how to comeback, meticulously crafted those Relapse songs (and my, they are very meticulous) and then had a sudden change of mind on his own accord. He got the reaction, and went with the 'Beautiful style'.

I think Eminem put it there because he knew there was a chance his fans would hate the new material, so if that happened - he'd switch to that style. And that's what he did.

That may be true, but that's the great thing about Relapse, is that you can look at it from so many angles. I understand what you're saying and agree on some of it, but I still believe that Beautiful was put there for a reason, if not just to add a little light to a dark album. You are 100% right about it not fitting sonically, because it doesn't, but I still believe conceptually it does fit, if you look at Relapse the way I do. I think it all depends on how you interpret Relapse

I also agree on Beautiful being the reason we got Recovery instead of Relapse 2

[EminemBase]

^ Yeah well whether it fits conceptually or thematically is separate debate to me.

And not one I'm personally interested in having. As... the sound is what matters, primarily, I think. On whether it works or not.

Just like "Rock Bottom" and "If I Had" fit The Slim Shady LP and "The Way I Am" fits The Marshall Mathers LP and "Hailie's Song" fits The Eminem Show.

It doesn't matter if he breaks character or, whatever route he takes in a song, the reason they all fit is because they were made for those albums. The production, the writing, the flows - they all fit the album like the other tracks. "Beautiful" doesn't. Because it wasn't made for Relapse.

It's another world. It just sounds awful there to me, because of that. And slightly ruins the overall feel and memory of Relapse, because it's so randomly out of place.

[chiasmus]

^ Yeah well whether it fits conceptually or thematically is separate debate to me.

And not one I'm personally interested in having. As... the sound is what matters, primarily, I think. On whether it works or not.

Just like "Rock Bottom" and "If I Had" fit The Slim Shady LP and "The Way I Am" fits The Marshall Mathers LP and "Hailie's Song" fits The Eminem Show.

It doesn't matter if he breaks character or, whatever route he takes in a song, the reason they all fit is because they were made for those albums. The production, the writing, the flows - they all fit the album like the other tracks. "Beautiful" doesn't. Because it wasn't made for Relapse.

It's another world. It just sounds awful there to me, because of that. And slightly ruins the overall feel and memory of Relapse, because it's so randomly out of place.

Do you think that without 'Beautiful' Relapse would have been a better piece of 'art' then, regardless of the overall sonic effect the song's exclusion would create? Because I personally think it can be justified within the theme at least, if not for the sound.

[EminemBase]

^ Yeah well whether it fits conceptually or thematically is separate debate to me.

And not one I'm personally interested in having. As... the sound is what matters, primarily, I think. On whether it works or not.

Just like "Rock Bottom" and "If I Had" fit The Slim Shady LP and "The Way I Am" fits The Marshall Mathers LP and "Hailie's Song" fits The Eminem Show.

It doesn't matter if he breaks character or, whatever route he takes in a song, the reason they all fit is because they were made for those albums. The production, the writing, the flows - they all fit the album like the other tracks"Beautiful" doesn't. Because it wasn't made for Relapse.

It's another world. It just sounds awful there to me, because of that. And slightly ruins the overall feel and memory of Relapse, because it's so randomly out of place.

Do you think that without 'Beautiful' Relapse would have been a better piece of 'art' then, regardless of the overall sonic effect the song's exclusion would create? Because I personally think it can be justified within the theme at least, if not for the sound.

Yeah I do think it would of been.

I think that Relapse would of been best, if it was a double-album, which was more conceptually committed ie. him relapsing into a murderous, anti-social rampage that... got worse / more extreme through the tracks, like a movie then winded down or ended with a bang. With the odd skit like "Tonya" to tie it together...

It could of been like music theater and, especially with the visuals that could of been created, with those songs. The style, the... rhyming etc, it just sounded so unique and crazy. I think it could of been a real high-point in his career.

I don't think ANY personal mentions or songs should of been included. You know, outside of... comic reference to himself etc. I wish he had been totally committed to his vision, instead of being like 85% committed then using the other 15% to pander and break the 4th wall. And, in art which is so honed and particular, every percentage makes a difference. Because the rest is so potent and weird, and unique - having "Beautiful" there is just... very bad, to me.

I mean haven't we had enough personal explanations of his life through his music? This was a chance for a new beginning, but as soon as people debated the new direction (which would 100% happen no matter what he did) he ran back to safesville.

[Devil'sAdvocate]

The song is just so out of place.

[IVIrIVIurphY]

If you look at Relapse's tracklist...very little is actually serial-killer themed. Let's see:

3AM
Same Song & Dance
Stay Wide Awake

Those are the only three songs solely dedicated to anything serial-killer based. He mentions naming serial-killers in Must Be The Ganja and...that's all I can think of

Seems pretty serial-killer based to me

Anyways, back on topic, Beautiful. I feel it fits with the album, why? Because like all of Em's album, it's part of the story. Starting with...

- The Mr. Mathers skit => Obviously it's a skit about when the paramedics found him passed out in the washroom

- Deja Vu => Basically talking about the drugs, the usage and how addicted he was prior to the very moment he passed out and went to the hospital and inevitably, the eye-opener for him to go to rehab.

- Beautiful => The song seems like a recollection of everything that happened prior to his entrance into rehab. "I'm just so fuckin depressed I just can't seem to get out this slump" It's Em coming to terms that he has a drug problem. He wrote it in rehab, so it makes chronological sense to place this song right after a song depicting his overdose. His outro , obviously a shout out to his family and fans while IN rehab. It just fits.

- Crack A Bottle => His resurgence back to the world, "the platinum trio is back on you hos". Also fitting with his album-story.

I am so glad that someone finally realizes it. Beautiful fits perfectly in the story, it's kinda like his redemption. But people who view Relapse one-dimensionally wouldn't think of it like that

i agree 100%

[NicoleEM]

I love the song and i never really cared if a song fits the rest of the album or not.But while i'm listening right now,i did noticed the concept(the sample,beat,even the lyrics) fit lots more on Recovery IMO