Survival (Eminem song)

"Survival" is a song by American rapper Eminem. It premiered on August 14, 2013, to promote the multiplayer trailer for the video game Call of Duty: Ghosts,[3][4][5][6] and was initially released as a pre-order bonus when pre-ordering the game.[7] The song was officially released as the second single from The Marshall Mathers LP 2 on October 8, 2013. It features uncredited vocals in the chorus from Liz Rodrigues of the New Royales. Upon its single release, the song debuted at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and upon the album's release, it climbed to a new peak of number 16.

"Survival"
Single by Eminem
from the album The Marshall Mathers LP 2
ReleasedOctober 8, 2013
Recorded2013
Genre
Length4:34
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)DJ Khalil
Eminem singles chronology
"Berzerk"
(2013)		 "Survival"
(2013)		 "Rap God"
(2013)
Music video
"Survival" on YouTube

Release

In August 2013, following the release of Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer video, Eminem released a video explaining to his fans the new album would be released in the fall, and that a new music video was coming soon.[8] It was also confirmed that the song would be featured within the game.[8] This was the third time that an Eminem song was used to promote a Call of Duty (CoD) game, with "'Till I Collapse" being used in the CoD: Modern Warfare 2 trailer, and "Won't Back Down" being used in the CoD: Black Ops trailer, in zombies mode as a hidden song and the end credits.[8] The song is also featured on the soundtrack of WWE 2K19, being selected by AJ Styles to be included in the soundtrack.

The song is also heard in the end credits for Ghosts.

Music video

The official music video for "Survival" was released on October 8, 2013.[9] The music video featured Eminem rapping in front of footage of CoD: Ghosts featured on a projector, with additional shots featuring elements from the game such as dogs and soldiers in their in-game outfits. The final scene features Eminem revisiting the house featured on the cover of The Marshall Mathers LP and The Marshall Mathers LP 2. The house was later demolished by the state of Michigan.[10]

Live performances

Eminem performed the song on Saturday Night Live on November 2, 2013, along with "Berzerk", with Skylar Grey replacing Liz Rodrigues on backing vocals.[11]

Critical reception

The song features rock guitars in a style that makes it similar to works from Eminem's Recovery, according to Luke Bainbridge of The Guardian.[12] Los Angeles Times pop music critic Randall Roberts says that the song matches the "voluminous, venom-filled and explosive" levels of the work it accompanies.[13] Roberts says the song features an aggressive rapper, "cuss-filled lines...the bombast of distorted electric guitar and a jumbo beat."[13] He says that the DJ Khalil-produced song, which features the New Royales' Liz Rodrigues, "is a cliché-ridden couplet that sounds like it took as much time to imagine as it did to scribble on a scrap of paper."[13] Rolling Stone's Ryan Reed describes the song as hard-hitting with background music that classifies as "breakneck, arena-rock guitars and trashy drums."[3]

Awards and nominations
See also: List of awards and nominations received by Eminem
Year Ceremony Award Result
2013[14] Spike Video Game Awards Best Song In A Game Nominated

Track listing
Digital Download
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Survival"
DJ Khalil4:34

Chart performance

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[39] Gold 150,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[40] Gold 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[41] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[42] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Country Date Format Label
United States October 8, 2013[43] Digital download Shady, Aftermath, Interscope

References
  1. "Eminem's Questionably Lip-Synced 'SNL' Set Hauls Out Rick Rubin, Skylar Grey | SPIN | Newswire | TV". SPIN. November 3, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  2. Steffen Hung. "Eminem - Survival". swisscharts.com. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  3. Reed, Ryan (August 14, 2013). "Eminem Unveils Hard-Hitting New Song, 'Survival': Rapper's eighth album is expected to be released later this year". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  4. Rivera, Zayda (August 14, 2013). "Eminem drops new single 'Survival' on trailer for 'Call of Duty: Ghosts'". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  5. Boardman, Madeline (August 14, 2013). "Eminem's 'Survival' Debuted In 'Call of Duty: Ghosts' Commercial (UPDATED)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  6. Brandle, Lars (August 26, 2013). "Eminem Goes 'Berzerk' For New Single: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  7. "Eminem's new album discounted when pre-ordering Ghosts".
  8. "Eminem Premieres New Song 'Survival' in 'Call of Duty' Trailer". Rap-Up.com. August 14, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  9. Alexis, Nadeska (October 8, 2013). "Eminem's Detroit Childhood Haunts His 'Survival' Video - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV.com. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  10. Lacy, Eric (November 20, 2013). "Eminem's childhood home in Detroit demolished by State of Michigan; 19946 Dresden lot for sale - MLive.com". MLive.com. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  11. Kevin Rutherford (November 3, 2013). "Eminem Gets Assist From Rick Rubin, Skylar Grey on 'SNL': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  12. Bainbridge, Luke (August 24, 2013). "Eminem – review: Bellahouston Park, Glasgow: The 40-year-old rapper's career-spanning set is short on new material but his stage presence is as potent as ever". The Guardian. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  13. Roberts, Randall (August 14, 2013). "First impression: Eminem's new 'Survival,' from Call of Duty". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  14. "Spike VGX 2013 Award winners: Grand Theft Auto 5 wins Game of the Year". Vg247.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  15. "Eminem – Survival". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  16. "Eminem – Survival" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  17. "Eminem – Survival" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  18. "Eminem – Survival" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  19. "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  20. "Eminem Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  21. "Eminem – Survival". Tracklisten. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  22. "Eminem – Survival" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  23. "Eminem – Survival" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  24. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  25. "Chart Track: Week 42, 2013". Irish Singles Chart.
  26. "Classifiche – Top Digital – Classifica settimanale WK 44 del 2013". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (in Italian). Retrieved April 28, 2015
  27. "Eminem – Survival" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  28. "Eminem – Survival". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  29. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  30. "Eminem – Survival". Singles Top 100.
  31. "Eminem – Survival". Swiss Singles Chart.
  32. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  33. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  34. "Eminem Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  35. "Eminem Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  36. "Top de l'année Top Singles 2013" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  37. "2013 Year End Charts — R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  38. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  39. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Eminem; 'Survival')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  40. "Sverigetopplistan – Eminem" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  41. "British single certifications – Eminem – Survival". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  42. "American single certifications – Eminem – Survival". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  43. "iTunes - Music - Survival - Single by Eminem". Itunes.apple.com. October 8, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
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