| "My Name Is" | ||||||||||
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| Single by Eminem | ||||||||||
| from the album The Slim Shady LP | ||||||||||
| Released | February 23, 1999 | |||||||||
| Format | CD | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1998 | |||||||||
| Genre | Comedy hip hop | |||||||||
| Length | 4:28 | |||||||||
| Label | Aftermath, Interscope | |||||||||
| Producer | Dr. Dre | |||||||||
| Eminem singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"My Name Is" is a song by Eminem released in 1999. It is the debut single overall from his major label debut album, The Slim Shady LP. The song was ranked at #26 on "VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90's".[1] "My Name Is" also was ranked #6 on Q Magazine's "1001 Best Songs Ever".[2] Debuting on January 21, 1999, the My Name Is music video eventually reached the #1 position on MTV's Total Request Live (TRL), making Eminem the first rapper to reach the top spot.[3]
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Producer Dr. Dre wanted to use a sample of Labi Siffre's "I Got The ..." for the rhythm track; as revealed in the sleeve notes of the re-mastered CD of the source album, Remember My Song, Siffre, who is openly gay, stated, "attacking two of the usual scapegoats, women and gays, is lazy writing. If you want to do battle, attack the aggressors not the victims." Eminem made lyric changes and Siffre cleared the sample.
There are currently three different versions available. The "clean" and "explicit" versions are available on iTunes. There is also another version which is more explicit than the one available on iTunes, released as the B-side to "Lose Yourself" on the CD single. The Explicit version on iTunes contains reverb on the backing vocals (the kids voice) in the beginning of the song while the backing vocals on the clean version does not.
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".
The video begins with a stereotypical southern American couple watching television when they stumble across a show saying "Starring Marshall Mathers". As the music begins, various clips appear on the couple's television, including Eminem's imitation of Bill Clinton, an imitation of a porn star, and others. On April 26, 1999 the My Name Is music video was retired from MTV's Total Request Live after spending 65 days in the Top 10. [4]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Sample(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Name Is" (clean version) | A. Young, L. Siffre, M. Mathers |
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4:28 |
| 2. | "My Name Is" (explicit version) | A. Young, L. Siffre, M. Mathers |
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| 3. | "My Name Is" (instrumental) | A. Young, L. Siffre, M. Mathers |
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4:28 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Sample(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Name Is" (clean version) | A. Young, L. Siffre, M. Mathers |
|
4:28 |
| 2. | "My Name Is" (instrumental) | A. Young, L. Siffre, M. Mathers |
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4:28 |
| 3. | "Just Don't Give a Fuck" (clean version) | J. Bass, M. Bass, M. Mathers | Bass Brothers, Eminem | 4:02 |
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[6] | 13 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] | 24 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] | 33 |
| Canada (RPM)[9] | 38 |
| France (SNEP)[10] | 68 |
| Germany (Media Control AG)[11] | 37 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[12] | 4 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[13] | 12 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[14] | 4 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[15] | 8 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[16] | 16 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] | 29 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[18] | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[19] | 36 |
| US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[20] | 37 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[21] | 18 |
| US Rap Songs (Billboard)[22] | 10 |
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