Deja Vu is described as the strong feeling that something currently being experienced has been experienced before, however the details of the memory are unclear of impossible. The rapper Eminem uses this to describe the experience of his drug use that characterized him for almost five years and greatly affected his music career. The song “Deja Vu” by Eminem is a song that paints a immersive picture of the experience of drug addiction though the use of anecdotal lyrics and an ominous, uncomfortable music.
The lyrics in the song impart to the listener a keen understanding of the experience, or at least Eminem’s experience, of being a drug addicts, specifically to the prescriptions Ambien, Vicodin, and Valium. The song starts out with a paramedic …show more content…
The descending notes of the song during the verses are typical of sad, depressing themes, similar to songs such as those played at funerals. Paired with the slow beating drum line, the overall feel of the song becomes labored, as though every note moves sluggishly, imparting a subtle image of over intoxication and sedation. The chorus starts as long drawn out organ notes start to play that are markedly higher than the verse section notes. Organs are typical of protagonistic villainy, from the Phantom of the Opera to Captain Nemo, these anti-heroes like to play gripping organ music. In this way, Eminem reinforces the duality of his being associated with his drug use, that of benevolence and villainy. This contrast in his character makes Eminem’s struggle more relatable and believable, because every person has a “devil in [their] ear” to contend …show more content…
The introducing scene also connects the song to the real world and Eminem’s overall career. Though not explicit, the patient is seemingly Eminem, likely a snapshot of his 2007 overdose on methadone, which he mentions in verse three as the “pneumonia thing”, which is what the public was initially told was the reason for his hospitalization. In reality it was a part of his relapse from attempts to get clean started in 2005. Thus, although it is not the number one song from the album, it is a chronicle of his inspiration for the work, drug addiction.
The song “Deja Vu” is lyrically and musically focused on describing Eminem’s experience with drug addiction and the difficulty of getting clean after years of use. It fits very well into the Relapse because of the thematic relationship to the overall album and is an intense movement away from the less serious tone of much of his earlier work. Because of this shift in tone, and artful delivery of powerful subject matter, it is one of the most important songs that Eminem has
The lyrics in the song impart to the listener a keen understanding of the experience, or at least Eminem’s experience, of being a drug addicts, specifically to the prescriptions Ambien, Vicodin, and Valium. The song starts out with a paramedic …show more content…
The descending notes of the song during the verses are typical of sad, depressing themes, similar to songs such as those played at funerals. Paired with the slow beating drum line, the overall feel of the song becomes labored, as though every note moves sluggishly, imparting a subtle image of over intoxication and sedation. The chorus starts as long drawn out organ notes start to play that are markedly higher than the verse section notes. Organs are typical of protagonistic villainy, from the Phantom of the Opera to Captain Nemo, these anti-heroes like to play gripping organ music. In this way, Eminem reinforces the duality of his being associated with his drug use, that of benevolence and villainy. This contrast in his character makes Eminem’s struggle more relatable and believable, because every person has a “devil in [their] ear” to contend …show more content…
The introducing scene also connects the song to the real world and Eminem’s overall career. Though not explicit, the patient is seemingly Eminem, likely a snapshot of his 2007 overdose on methadone, which he mentions in verse three as the “pneumonia thing”, which is what the public was initially told was the reason for his hospitalization. In reality it was a part of his relapse from attempts to get clean started in 2005. Thus, although it is not the number one song from the album, it is a chronicle of his inspiration for the work, drug addiction.
The song “Deja Vu” is lyrically and musically focused on describing Eminem’s experience with drug addiction and the difficulty of getting clean after years of use. It fits very well into the Relapse because of the thematic relationship to the overall album and is an intense movement away from the less serious tone of much of his earlier work. Because of this shift in tone, and artful delivery of powerful subject matter, it is one of the most important songs that Eminem has