Eminem And Rihanna Deal With Abuse In “Love The Way You Lie”

Robbie Daw | June 8, 2010 8:04 am

On Eminem’s Recovery track “Love The Way You Lie,” the subject matter is abuse (sample lyrics: “When it’s bad it’s awful, I feel so ashamed/I snapped…I never laid hands on her/I never stooped so low again”), and he wrangles in Rihanna to sing the chorus. She hinted at her early 2009 incident with Chris Brown somewhat metaphorically on Rated R, but this is the first time we hear Ri on a track that addresses domestic violence so vividly. Listen after the jump.

[wpaudio url=”//idolator.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Eminem-Love-The-Way-You-Lie-Ft.-Rihanna.mp3″ text=”Eminem feat. Rihanna – Love The Way You Lie” dl=”0″] “Just gonna stand there and watch me burn, well that’s alright because I like the way it hurts/Just gonna stand there and hear me cry, that’s alright because I like the way you lie,” Rock In Rio performer Rihanna sings on the chorus. Eminem truly is all about reflection and recovery on his upcoming album—from his uplifting new single “Not Afraid” to his you-kicked-me-when-I-was-down, Haddaway-sampling Lil Wayne collab “No Love.” (Don’t worry—there is, of course, some classic Em aggression on “Won’t Back Down.”) If you ask us, it’s a relief to hear Rihanna on something a little deeper than “Rude Boy” or “Te Amo” for a change, and this latest pairing trumps her previous featuring stints on “Run This Town” and “Live Your Life.” If we have one request for RiRi’s next album, it’s more of this, please. That’s not to say every song has to deal with bad incidents from the past. But maybe it’s time for Rihanna to go a little below the surface with the subject matter, as she ably does so here.

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