Encore (Eminem album)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Encore
Studio album by
Eminem
ReleasedNovember 12, 2004
Recorded2003–2004
Studio
  • 54 Sound (Ferndale, Michigan)
  • Can-Am (Tarzana, California)
  • Trans Continental (Orlando, Florida)
Genre
Length
  • 76:53
  • 89:00 (deluxe edition)
Label
Producer
Eminem chronology
The Eminem Show
(2002) 		Encore
(2004) 		Curtain Call: The Hits
(2005)
Collector's Edition cover art
Singles from Encore
  1. "Just Lose It"
    Released: September 27, 2004[1]
  2. "Encore"
    Released: November 9, 2004
  3. "Like Toy Soldiers"
    Released: March 15, 2005[2]
  4. "Mockingbird"
    Released: April 25, 2005
  5. "Ass Like That"
    Released: June 7, 2005

Encore is the fifth

studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released on November 12, 2004, by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. As reflected in its title and cover art, the album was originally set to be Eminem's final studio album.[3] It contains several lyrical themes, most notably Eminem's opposition to then-US president George W. Bush and parodies of Michael Jackson, and features more comedic themes and lyrics than his previous albums.[4]

Critical reception of Encore was less favorable than Eminem's previous albums, with most of the second half being heavily criticized for its lackluster quality and lack of lyrical content, though "Mockingbird" and "Like Toy Soldiers" were particularly highly praised and retrospectively have been noted as being some of Eminem's best songs. The album has sold 11 million copies worldwide and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 17, 2004.

Artwork and packaging

The first of two covers for the album features Eminem standing in front of an audience, bowing to the crowd. The tray insert features Eminem holding a gun behind his back, while the inlay shows Eminem holding the pistol in his mouth without his jacket on. The CD itself shows a note written by Eminem saying "To my family & all my friends, thank you for everything, I will always love you. To my fans, I'm Sorry, Marshall" with a bullet underneath, which is also seen in the album's booklet, where Eminem is writing the note. Some pictures show Eminem shooting everybody, which refers to the ending of the album's title track. The second cover, used for the Collector's Edition, features the same audience from the inlay on a black background with a blood splat on the top right.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork Media
6.5/10[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
Slant Magazine[13]
SpinB[14]
The Village VoiceA[15]

Encore received generally positive reviews from critics, but received more of a negative response compared to his past three albums.

Pitchfork Media called Encore a "transitional record" and "the sound of a man who seems bored of re-branding and playing celebrity games".[11] BBC Music's Adam Webb believed it starts "fantastically" but ends "abominably", writing that it has too many "low points".[18] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly said Eminem "sacrifices the rich, multi-textured productions" of his two previous albums for "thug-life monotony, cultural zingers for petty music-biz score-settling, and probing self-analysis for juvenile humor". He concluded his review by saying that Eminem has become "predictable" on Encore, something that he wasn't before.[8]

Best Rap Solo Performance for the song "Mockingbird
".

Encore provoked some controversy over anti-

Mos Def and Chuck D. The incident was later referenced in the video for his song "Mosh
" as one of several news clips on a wall, along with other newspaper articles about other unfortunate incidents in Bush's career. The song eventually appeared on the album's bonus disc, with the word "dead" being reversed.

Eminem's thoughts on the album

In retrospect, Eminem stated numerous times that he considers Encore as one of his worst albums. He described its reception, "I'm cool with probably half that album. I recorded that towards the height of my addiction. I remember four songs leaked and I had to go to L.A. and get Dre and record new ones. I was in a room by myself writing songs in 25, and 30 minutes because we had to get it done, and what came out was so goofy. That's how I ended up making songs like 'Rain Man' and 'Big Weenie'. They're pretty out there. If those other songs hadn't leaked, Encore would've been a different album."[22] In an interview with Sway Calloway for his album Kamikaze, he stated that although "Encore... [is] not what I would consider one of my better albums", he considered it better than its follow-up Relapse.[23] He reiterated his statement about Encore in 2022 for the XXL's 25th anniversary issue and singled out the album as his first «misstep»: "It became a misstep and I struggled to get over the fact that I didn't do my best. My best would've been good enough if the leaks hadn't happened. But I released what I had at that point in time, and I feel that put a kind of a mark on my catalog. Encore did some decent numbers, but I was never that concerned with numbers. I was more so worried about what people think about the album. Critics and fans were important to me, and they were always at me about that project."[24][25]

Commercial performance

Encore was pushed up to a midweek release to countermeasure leaks; it sold 710,000 copies.[26] The following week, the album's first with a full seven days, it moved 871,000 copies, bringing the 10 day total to 1,582,000.[27] It was certified quadruple-platinum that mid-December.[28] Nine months after its release, worldwide sales of the album stood at 11 million copies.[29] The album made digital history in becoming the first album to sell 10,000 digital copies in one week.[30] As of November 2013, the album had sold 5,343,000 copies in the US.[31]

Encore sold 125,000 copies in two days in the United Kingdom,[32] and has been certified quadruple-platinum.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Curtains Up" (skit)  0:47
2."Evil Deeds"
4:26
19."Final Thought" (skit)  0:30
20."Encore / Curtains Down" (featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent)
  • Mathers
  • Young
  • Elizondo
  • Batson
  • Pope
  • Jackson
  • Dr. Dre
  • Batson
5:48
Total length:76:53
Deluxe edition bonus disc[33]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
21."We as Americans"
  • Mathers
  • Resto
  • Eminem
  • Resto
4:36
22."Love You More"
  • Mathers
  • Resto
  • Eminem
  • Resto
4:42
23."Ricky Ticky Toc"
  • Mathers
  • Resto
  • King
  • Eminem
  • Resto
2:49
Total length:89:00

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer.
  • "Love You More" and the original version of "We As Americans" were leaked in 2003.
  • Dr. Dre has cameo appearances in "Rain Man", "Just Lose It", and "Ass Like That".
  • Fatt Father has a cameo appearance on "One Shot 2 Shot".
  • Like Toy Soldiers contains a sample of Martika from her 1989 song "Toy Soldiers".
  • Crazy In Love contains a sample of Ann Wilson from Heart's 1976 song "Crazy on You".
  • "Curtains Down" is a skit at the end of "Encore", in which Eminem shoots everyone at his concert and then shoots himself, followed by a robotic voice saying "See you in hell, fuckers". Some of the pictures in the booklet make reference to this.
  • The robotic voice heard on "Em Calls Paul" and in the "Curtains Down" skit is Eminem speaking with an electrolarynx.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[34]

  • Mike Elizondo – keyboards (tracks: 2, 3, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 20); guitar (tracks 6, 11, 13 and 20); sitar (track 14)
  • Steve King – guitar (tracks: 4, 5, 7, 15, 17 and 18); bass (tracks: 4, 5, 7 and 17); mandolin (track 4); keyboards (track 11)
  • Luis Resto – keyboards (tracks: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 20)
  • Mark Batson – keyboards on (tracks: 2, 6, 10, 11, 13 and 20); bass on (track 14)
  • Che Vicious – programming (track 20)

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[94] Gold 20,000^
Australia (ARIA)[95] 6× Platinum 420,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[96] Platinum 30,000*
Belgium (BEA)[97] Gold 25,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[98] 3× Platinum 60,000‡
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[99] Gold 21,780[99]
France (
SNEP)[100]
 2× Gold 200,000*
Germany (BVMI)[101] 3× Gold 300,000‡
Greece (IFPI Greece)[48] Gold 10,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[102] 5× Platinum 75,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[103] Platinum 250,000^
Mexico (AMPROFON)[104] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[105] 5× Platinum 75,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[106] Platinum 40,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[107] Gold 20,000*
Portugal (AFP)[108] Silver 10,000^
Russia (
NFPF)[109]
 Platinum 20,000*
South Africa (RISA)[60] Platinum 50,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[110] Gold 50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[111] Gold 30,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[112] Platinum 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[114] 4× Platinum 1,300,000[113]
United States (RIAA)[116] 5× Platinum 5,343,000[115]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[117] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1574. September 24, 2004. p. 21. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  2. ^ "Like Toy Soldiers – Eminem". AllMusic.
  3. ^ NK (October 16, 2019). ""Encore": 11 Facts About Eminem's 5th Album". Eminem.Pro – the biggest and most trusted source of Eminem. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  4. ^ "All 8 of Eminem's Albums Ranked". Billboard. December 19, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Encore – Eminem: Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Reviews for Encore by Eminem – Metacritic". Metacritic. November 12, 2004. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  7. ^ Blender (January/February): 100. 2005.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  8. ^ a b Browne, David (November 19, 2004). "Eminem – Encore". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  9. ^ Petridis, Alexis (November 12, 2004). "Eminem : Encore". The Guardian. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  10. ^ Cashmore, Pete (December 10, 2004). "Eminem : Encore". NME. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  11. ^
    Pitchfork Media
    . Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  12. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (December 9, 2004). "Eminem – Encore". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  13. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (November 13, 2004). "Eminem – Encore". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  14. ^ LLC, SPIN Media (January 1, 2005). "SPIN". SPIN Media LLC. Retrieved December 28, 2017 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (2005). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  16. ISBN 0-313-33058-1
    .
  17. ^ Love, Josh (November 12, 2004). "Eminem – Encore". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  18. ^ Webb, Adam (2004). "Eminem – Encore". BBC Music. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  19. ^ Jones, Steve (November 11, 2004). "USA Today review". Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  20. ^ Burkeman, Oliver (October 14, 2004). "Michael Jackson threatens to sue over mocking video by Eminem". The Guardian. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  21. ^ "Secret Service checks Eminem's 'dead president' lyric". CNN. December 5, 2003. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  22. ^ Marchese, David (December 18, 2017). "Eminem on His New Album, His Critics, and Hating Donald Trump". Vulture.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  23. ^ Glaysher, Scott (September 16, 2018). "12 Things We Learned From Eminem's 'Kamikaze' Interview With Sway". XXL. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  24. ^ "Eminem Writes His Own Cover Story for XXL Magazine's 25th Anniversary Issue". September 14, 2022.
  25. ^ "Eminem Gives Rare Interview on His Career, Battle with Addiction and Why He's Going to Keep Rapping". September 14, 2022.
  26. ^ D'Angelo, Joe (November 17, 2004). "News : Eminem Shreds The Competition, Even With A Premature Encore". CMT.com. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012.
  27. ^ "Billboard". December 4, 2004.
  28. ^ "RIAA: Searchable Database: Eminem" Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  29. ^ Byrne, Ciar (August 18, 2005). "The real Slim Shady stands up the fans on his European tour". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011.
  30. ^ "Chart Watch Extra: Eminem Makes Digital History – Chart Watch". New.music.yahoo.com. Yahoo!. July 7, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  31. ^ Tardio, Andres (November 13, 2013). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Week Ending 11/10/2013". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on November 16, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  32. ^ "Eminem plays secret UK gig for 550 fans". The Guardian. November 21, 2004. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  33. ^ "Encore [2CD Special Edition]: Eminem: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  34. ^ (2004) Album notes for Encore by Eminem. Aftermath Entertainment.
  35. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  36. The ARIA Report (769): 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2021 – via National Library of Australia
    .
  37. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Eminem – Encore" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  38. ^ "Ultratop.be – Eminem – Encore" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  39. ^ "Ultratop.be – Eminem – Encore" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  40. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  41. ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. December 2, 2004. Archived from the original on December 6, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  42. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  43. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Eminem – Encore" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  44. The ARIA Report (770): 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2021 – via National Library of Australia
    .
  45. Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland
    . Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  46. ^ "Lescharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  47. GfK Entertainment Charts
    . Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  48. ^ a b "Ελληνικό Chart – Top 50 Ξένων Aλμπουμ" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  49. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2005. 3. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  50. ^ "Tonlist Top 30" (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  51. Chart-Track. IRMA
    . Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  52. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  53. ^ "エミネムのアルバム売上ランキング". Oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  54. ^ "Malaysia Retail Sales Chart - International Chart - Weekending: 28th December 2004". Archived from the original on March 3, 2005. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  55. ^ "Charts.nz – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  56. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  57. OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry
    . Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  58. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  59. ^ 14, 2004/40/ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  60. ^
    The Times. November 18, 2013. Archived from the original
    on November 19, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  61. ^ "Top 100 Albumes – Lista de los titulos mas vendidos del 15.11.04 al 21.11.04" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  62. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  63. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Eminem – Encore". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  64. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  65. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  66. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  67. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  68. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  69. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  70. ^ "Official Top 100 Albums: March 15th, 2024 - March 21st, 2024". TurnTable. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  71. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2004". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  72. ^ "ARIA Top 20 Hip Hop/R&B Albums 2004". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  73. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 2004". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  74. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2004" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  75. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2004" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  76. ^ "Chart of the Year 2004" (in Danish). TOP20.dk. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  77. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2004". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  78. ^ "Musiikkituottajat – Tilastot – Myydyimmät levyt 2004" (in Finnish). IFPI Finland. Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  79. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2004" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  80. GfK Entertainment
    (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  81. ^ "Best of 2004". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  82. ^ "Classifica annuale 2004 (dal 29 December 2003 al 2 January 2005) – Album & Compilation" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  83. ^ "年間 アルバムランキング 2004年度" [Oricon Year-end Albums Chart of 2004] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  84. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2004". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  85. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2004" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  86. ^ "Årslista Album (inkl samlingar), 2004" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Swedish Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  87. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2004". hitparade.ch. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  88. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2004". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  89. ^ "Billboard year end charts 2004". Billboard.
  90. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  91. ^ "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2004" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  92. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums of the 00's". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  93. ^ "The Decade in Music – Charts – Top Billboard 200 Albums" (PDF). Billboard. p. 162. Retrieved January 27, 2021 – via World Radio History. Digit page 166 on the PDF archive.
  94. Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original
    on September 27, 2007.
  95. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  96. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Eminem – Encore" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  97. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2004". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021.
  98. ^ "Danish album certifications – Eminem – Encore". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  99. ^
    Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland
    .
  100. Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
    .
  101. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Eminem; 'Encore')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  102. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2005 Certification Awards - Multi Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association.
  103. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Eminem – Encore" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2004年11月 on the drop-down menu
  104. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type Eminem in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Encore in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  105. ^ "Latest Gold / Platinum Albums". Radioscope. July 17, 2011. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011.
  106. ^ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  107. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2005 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. December 7, 2005.
  108. ^ "Portuguese album certifications – Eminem – Encore" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010.
  109. ^ "Russian album certifications – Eminem – Encore" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF).
  110. ^ "Spanish album certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved August 29, 2022. Select Álbumes under "Categoría", select 2004 under "Año". Select 53 under "Semana". Click on "BUSCAR LISTA".
  111. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2004" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011.
  112. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Encore')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  113. ^ Copsey, Rob (September 5, 2018). "Eminem's Top 10 biggest albums on the Official Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  114. ^ "British album certifications – Eminem – Encore". British Phonographic Industry.
  115. ^ "Eight Eminem Albums Charted On Billboard 200 This Week". XXL. Harris Publications. November 13, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  116. ^ "American album certifications – Eminem – Encore". Recording Industry Association of America.
  117. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2004". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Encore_(Eminem_album)&oldid=1217863423"