Space Bound by Eminem Song Info
"Space Bound" is a song by American rapper Eminem. It was released on June 18, 2011 as the fourth and final single from his seventh album Recovery. The song is produced by American hip-hop producer Jim Jonsin. "Space Bound" features samples of "Drive" by R.E.M. and "Song for Bob" by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. The music video was shot in February 2011 by director Joseph Kahn. It features model and former pornographic actress Sasha Grey. The video was released to the iTunes Store on June 24, 2011. It is about a girl, played by Grey, who secretly cheats on her boyfriend, Eminem; this turns into a violent conflict. The video shows two sides of Eminem, one who is calm and loves his girlfriend and one who is aggressive and does not. The music video received attention and controversy for a scene in which Eminem shoots himself under the chin in frustration, with blood spurting from the exit wound. The song is also synonymous to Eminem's relationship with hip-hop. "Space Bound" was written by Eminem, British songwriter Steve McEwan, and Jim Jonsin, the latter having produced the track with keyboards from Danny Morris. The chorus is sung by McEwan, who also provided guitars. The song was recorded by Robert Marks in Parkland Playhouse and Mike Strange and Joe Strange in Effigy Studios. It was mixed by Eminem, Mike Strange and Marks. In July 2011, producer Jim Jonsin spoke about the making of the song and how its production came to be. He submitted a beat to Eminem for release on Recovery, not knowing if it was planned for official release as a single. The version initially sent to Eminem was a full song; complete with verses, B section, and a chorus by McEwan. Most of this original version was recorded in New York with a guitar vocal on an iPhone. About three months later, the concept was taken to Miami and produced. Once Eminem had the track, he used McEwan's chorus as a guide for writing the rapped verses. Eminem liked the song and its concept and wanted the sung verses removed and replaced with his own lyrics, as Jonsin revealed: "He had me strip down the verses [...] and make the track a little more hip hop, and he sent it out. I didn't really believe that it would end up on Eminem's album, let alone be a single." Jonsin spoke about the theme of the chorus in "Space Bound": The chorus was based on a chase, a guy who's chasing after a woman that he's crazy about, he loves her; she's everything to him. I'm a rocket ship aiming at her heart, her heart's the moon—I'm going full-on. According to Jonsin, the hardest part of the making of the song was getting it to Eminem. Jonsin's manager suggested it get sent to Eminem, but was concerned that Eminem would not do anything with it. Jonsin also confirmed in the interview that he would be working on Eminem's next solo album. "Space Bound" features a sample of "Drive" by R.E.M. and "Song for Bob" by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. The guitars were provided by Steve McEwan and additional keyboards were by Danny Morris. "Space Bound" received negative reviews from critics. In a review for Slant Magazine, M.T. Richards described "Space Bound" as "ugly" and "wafer-thin", going on to criticise the song's macabre content: "Eminem can't talk to women and he never could, so when he threatens to strangle anyone who leaves him, the peril feels forced and wholly off-putting. AbsolutePunk writer Thomas Nassiff, in his review for Recovery, stated that "Space Bound", along with five other songs, were "pure filler" and "don't require more than one listen.
