Eminem poured his inner city hardship into the biggest success of his career with this anthem to self-respect written during the production of '8 Mile'. 'Lose Yourself' was co-produced by Marshall Mathers, with Luis Resto and Jeff Bass. The song was recorded in one take during a break from the shooting of the film at a portable studio on set.
He was determined to write an original song for the film from the perspective of his character Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr.. Mathers says '8 Mile' was based on his own experience: "There's some things that were taken out of my real life story. Some things that I didn't even discuss on record. I've had a lot of stuff happen in my life that not everyone knows about. I can't tell everything in my music. So there are some instances that are taken out of my life and there are some that are completely fictional and just made up. 'Cause I'm not playing me in the movie, but I'm playing someone like me. He's gotta be like me. He comes from this area, he grew up on 8 Mile. Both sides of the fences. He's seen everything, he's lived everything...I was looking to make an authentic movie about the place I grew up. Not necessarily about me, but the authenticity and significance. I think every city has its own 8 Mile Road or places like it...I wanted to blow up Detroit, that's what I wanted to do. If I ain't done it by now, goddamnit, let me leave."
'Lose Yourself' found its way to the peak of the charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and spent twelve weeks at the top of the US pop chart. The song received five Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year, winning Best Male Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song. 'Lose Yourself' became the first rap song to win the Oscar for Best Song From A Movie. It is the most successful song to have ever won the award.
Look, if you had, one shot
Or one opportunity,
To seize everything you ever wanted
In one moment
Would you capture it, or just let it slip?
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already: mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready
To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting
What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth but the words won't come out
He's choking, how? Everybody's joking now
The clock's run out, time's up, over - blaow!
Snap back to reality, oh! - there goes gravity
Oh - there goes Rabbit, he choked
He's so mad, but he won't
Give up that easy nope, he won't have it
He knows, his whole back's to these ropes
It don't matter, he's dope
He knows that, but he's broke
He's so stagnant, he knows
When he goes back to this mobile home, that's when it's
Back to the lab again, yo, this whole rhapsody
He better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You want it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime
The soul's escaping through this hole that is gaping
This world is mine for the taking
Make me king, as we move toward a New World Order
A normal life is boring; but superstardom's
Close to post-mortem, it only grows harder
Homie grows hotter, he blows it's all over
These hoes is all on him, coast to coast shows
He's known as the Globetrotter
Lonely roads, God only knows
He's grown farther from home, he's no father
He goes home and barely knows his own daughter
But hold your nose cause here goes the cold water
These hoes don't want him no mo', he's cold product
They moved on to the next schmoe who flows
He nose-dove and sold nada. And so the soap opera
Is told, it unfolds, I suppose it's old, partner
But the beat goes on: da-da-dum da-dum da-dah
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You want it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime
No more games, I'mma change what you call rage
Tear this motherfuckin' roof off like two dogs caged
I was playin' in the beginning, the mood all changed
I've been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage
But I kept rhyming and stepped right in the next cipher
Best believe somebody's paying the Pied Piper
All the pain inside amplified by the
Fact that I can't get by with my nine to
Five and I can't provide the right type of
Life for my family, cause man, these God damn
Food stamps don't buy diapers, and there's no movie
There's no Mekhi Phifer, this is my life
And these times are so hard, and it's getting even harder
Tryin' to feed and water my seed plus, teeter-totter
Caught up between being a father and a prima donna
Baby momma drama, screaming on her too much for me to wanna
Stay in one spot, another day of monotony
Has gotten me to the point, I'm like a snail I've got
To formulate a plot, or end up in jail or shot
Success is my only motherfuckin' option, failure's not
Mom I love you but this trailer's got to go
I cannot grow old in Salem's Lot
So here I go it's my shot. Feet: fail me not
This may be the only opportunity that I got
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You want it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime
You can do anything you set your mind to, man
At the Grammy's with The Roots
