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Eminem and Rihanna‘s “Love the Way You Lie” is one of the most important songs of Slim Shady’s career and Rihanna’s, too. Like many blockbusters, it inspired a sequel, but that sequel got little attention. Here’s a look at one of the most underrated songs in both artist’s catalogs and why it languishes in obscurity. 

Eminem and Rihanna’s ‘Love the Way You Lie (Part II)’ flips the perspective

“Love the Way You Lie” is a song about domestic violence. The tune heavily favors a male perspective, with Eminem getting many more lines than Rihanna, who merely sings the chorus. Discussing a subject like this while putting women in the background is a questionable choice at best.

“Love the Way You Lie (Part II)” fixes that problem. While the first song was an Eminem song with Rihanna as a guest vocalist, the sequel is a Rihanna song with an Eminem verse. The second track is much slower, sadder, and more personal. While “Love the Way You Lie” is a song for the radio, “Love the Way You Lie (Part II)” is a perfect song to listen to if you like having a good cry once in a while.

Rihanna recorded the song with and without Eminem

According to the Toronto Sun, Rihanna told MTV News in 2010 that she was opposed to recording a sequel. “When I first heard the idea about doing a part two, I was just completely against it,” the “Don’t Stop the Music” singer recalled. “I just felt like you couldn’t beat the original. There’s no way you can outdo that, so why compete with it?”

Rihanna embraced the song, recording both a version with Eminem and a solo piano version. “We heard a broken-down version that was stripped down, just piano … I fell in love with it,” the “Rude Boy” star added. “We recorded it, then we did another version to the stripped-down version with drums, then we did another version with drums and Eminem. And then that was the one that just felt really good. I love both: I love the broken-down version, as well as the new one with Eminem.”

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How ‘Love the Way You Lie’ and its sequel performed

The original version topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a whopping seven weeks, staying on the chart for 29 weeks in total. “Love the Way You Lie” appeared on Eminem’s album Recovery. That album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for seven weeks, lasting on the chart for 322 weeks in total. Recovery remains one of Eminem’s most popular records, possibly because it has some pop crossover appeal.

“Love the Way You Lie (Part II)” did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune appeared on Rihanna’s album Loud. Frankly, it’s odd that the two songs aren’t on the same album. Loud reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and spent 78 weeks on the chart. While Loud produced several hits, including “What’s My Name?,” “Only Girl (In the World),” “S&M,” and “Cheers (Drink to That),” it’s generally not considered Rihanna’s best album because its lyrics are all over the place. “Love the Way You Lie (Part II),” “What’s My Name?,” and “Cheers (Drink to That)” are all good songs, but they don’t have anything to do with each other, either musically or thematically.

While “Love the Way You Lie” has been widely praised, “Love the Way You Lie (Part II)” remains one of the most underrated sequels in music history.

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