My Name Is

"My Name Is"
Single by Eminem
from the album The Slim Shady LP
Released January 25, 1999
Format
Recorded 1998
Genre
Length 4:28
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Dr. Dre
Eminem singles chronology
"Just Don't Give a Fuck"
(1998)		 "My Name Is"
(1999)		 "Guilty Conscience"
(1999)
Music video
"My Name Is" on YouTube
Audio sample
Eminem – "My Name Is"
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"My Name Is" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his major-label second album The Slim Shady LP (1999). The song samples Labi Siffre's 1975 track "I Got The...". The song was ranked at #26 on "VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s".[2] "My Name Is" was also ranked #6 on Q Magazine's "1001 Best Songs Ever". [3] The song was placed at number 39 by Rolling Stone on their list of "100 Greatest Hip-Hop songs of all time" in April 2016.[4] The recording garnered Eminem his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 42nd Grammy Awards in 2000.

Background

Producer Dr. Dre wanted to use a sample of Labi Siffre's "I Got The ..." for the rhythm track. Siffre, who is openly gay, said in a 2012 interview that he refused to clear the sample until sexist and homophobic lyrics were removed from the song: "Dissing the victims of bigotry – women as bitches, homosexuals as faggots – is lazy writing. Diss the bigots not their victims."[5] The bass and guitar riff used in the sample was performed by Siffre's session musicians Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock, who later became the duo Chas & Dave.[6]

During the time the song was released, Eminem and Insane Clown Posse were having a "rap feud". After the release of this song, Insane Clown Posse parodied this song with a song called "Slim Anus". "My Name Is" was later re-released in 2005 on Eminem's compilation album Curtain Call: The Hits. The song is mixed with Jay Z's song "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and Beck's song "Loser" on the video game DJ Hero. Eminem also made a remix of it, using the most explicit version, over the top of AC/DC's "Back In Black".

Music video

The video premiered on MTV Total Request Live on January 21, 1999. It was directed by Phillip Atwell, who would later direct music videos for several other Eminem songs, including "Stan", "Lose Yourself", "The Real Slim Shady", and "Just Lose It". The video starts out with a stereotypical redneck family watching television, who then come across a show starring "Marshall Mathers" (Eminem's real name). As the video goes on, Eminem parodies several TV shows and movies. He also imitates then-President Bill Clinton, Johnny Carson, a porn star, and others. Basketball player Gheorghe Mureșan has a cameo appearance as a ventriloquist with Eminem being used as the dummy in the scene. Dr. Dre, the song's producer, also has a cameo as a doctor.

The video was ranked #71 in NME's 100 Greatest Music Videos.[7]

Critical reception

Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine highlighted the song.[8] Rolling Stone Magazine wrote that "Eminem is on some serious Dangerfield shit in loser anthems like 'My Name Is'".[9] David Browne wrote that this single and its accompanying video were both "attention-grabbing".[10]

Track listing

  1. "My Name Is" (Clean) – 4:27
  2. "My Name Is" (Explicit) – 4:27
  3. "My Name Is" (Instrumental) – 5:58
  1. "My Name Is" (Clean) – 4:27
  2. "My Name Is" (Instrumental) – 4:27
  3. "Just Don't Give A" (Clean Version) – 4:02
  • UK Cassette
  1. "My Name Is" (Clean) – 4:27
  2. "My Name Is" (Instrumental) – 4:27

Controversy

Eminem's mother Debbie Mathers filed a $10,000,000 slander lawsuit against him for insinuating that she does drugs in the lyrics "99% of my life I was lied to, I just found out my mom does more dope than I do".[13] Eminem also berates his mother in the third verse of the song, with the lyrics "When I was little I used to get so hungry I would throw fits/How you gonna breastfeed me, Mom?! You ain't got no tits!" Debbie stated in her 2008 book My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, "This line was horrible and upsetting, because I'd contracted toxemia-blood poisoning when I gave birth to him and hadn't been able to breast-feed." The lawsuit was settled in 2001 for $25,000, of which Debbie received only $1,600, after Judge Mark Switalski ruled that $23,354.25 of the $25,000 settlement should go to Fred Gibson, Debbie's former attorney.[14] Eminem would later reference this in his 2002 song "Without Me" with the lyrics, "I just settled all my lawsuits--fuck you, Debbie!"[15]

Awards

Grammy Awards

Charts

Chart (1999) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[16] 13
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[17] 24
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[18] 33
Canada (RPM)[19] 38
France (SNEP)[20] 68
Germany (Media Control AG)[21] 37
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[22] 3
Ireland (IRMA)[23] 4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[24] 12
New Zealand (RIANZ)[25] 4
Norway (VG-lista)[26] 8
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 16
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 29
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[29] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[30] 36
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[31] 37
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[32] 18
US Rap Songs (Billboard)[33] 10
US Pop Songs (Billboard)[34] 29

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Platinum 600,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[36] 2× Platinum 2,000,000double-dagger

^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ Spence, D. (November 12, 2004). "The Slim Shady LP". IGN.
  2. ↑ "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". Blog.vh1.com. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  3. ↑ "1001 Best Songs Ever". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  4. ↑ "Rolling Stones' 100 Greatest Hip-Hop songs of all time". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Q&A: Labi Siffre". The New Humanist. December 14, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  6. ↑ Wilson, Chris (September 22, 2009). "Gertcha! Top ten things you never knew about Chas & Dave". Daily Mirror. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  7. ↑ "100 Greatest Music Videos". NME. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  8. ↑ Eminem "Hi, My Name Is". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  9. ↑ Eminem "Hi, My Name Is". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  10. ↑ Eminem "Hi, My Name is". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  11. ↑ "My Name Is [CD 1]: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  12. ↑ "My Name Is [CD 2]: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  13. ↑ "Eminem Sued By His Mom". Rolling Stone.
  14. ↑ "Eminem's Mom Nets Measly $1,600 From Lawsuits Against Her Son". MTV.
  15. ↑ "Without Me". Eminem.com.
  16. ↑ "Eminem – Hi! My Name Is". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  17. ↑ "Eminem – Hi! My Name Is" (in German). austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  18. ↑ "Eminem – Hi! My Name Is" (in Dutch). ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  19. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 68, No. 26, April 19, 1999". RPM. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  20. ↑ "Eminem – Hi! My Name Is" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  21. ↑ "Chartverfolgung / Eminem / Single" (in German). musicline.de. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  22. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 319 Vikuna 23.4. - 29.4. 1999)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  23. ↑ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know" (insert "Eminem" into the "Search by Artist" box, and "My Name Is" into the "Search by Song Title" box). irishcharts.ie. Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  24. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 18, 1999". top40.nl. Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original (in Dutch) on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  25. ↑ "Eminem – Hi! My Name Is". charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  26. ↑ "Eminem – Hi! My Name Is". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  27. ↑ "Eminem – Hi! My Name Is". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  28. ↑ "Eminem – Hi! My Name Is" (in German). hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  29. ↑ "Eminem". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original (select "View Singles" tab) on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  30. ↑ "Eminem Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  31. ↑ "Eminem Album & Song Chart History: Alternative Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  32. ↑ "Eminem Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  33. ↑ "Eminem > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Macrovision. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  34. ↑ "Hot 100 Songs & New Music: 1 – 10 Songs | Billboard Music Charts" (in German). Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  35. ↑ "British single certifications – Eminem – My Name Is". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 21, 2017. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type My Name Is in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  36. ↑ "American single certifications – Eminem – My Name Is". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 28, 2018. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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