Venom - Music From The Motion Picture

The song "Venom" operates on two primary levels of meaning. On the surface, it's a theme song for the 2018 Marvel movie of the same name, directly referencing the film's protagonist, Eddie Brock, and his transformation after bonding with an alien symbiote named Venom. The lyrics describe the feeling of being taken over by an external, powerful, and malevolent entity, capturing the film's central conflict. However, the song's deeper meaning lies in its use of the Venom symbiote as an extended metaphor for Eminem's own career, his controversial alter-ego Slim Shady, and his complex relationship with his fans and the music industry. Eminem compares his influence on his listeners to the symbiote taking over its host, suggesting his music has 'infected' and shaped a generation. He portrays himself as a 'supervillain' whose aggressive lyrics have been both celebrated and condemned. The song is also a defiant response to critics, asserting his continued dominance and potent lyrical skill, which he equates to 'venom'.

The narrative of the song mirrors the internal and external chaos experienced by someone who has been taken over by a powerful, malevolent force, much like the film character Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote, Venom. It begins with a declaration of defiance against a world that has dealt a bad hand, a feeling of being an outcast. This internal turmoil quickly escalates into a description of being possessed by something uncontrollable, a 'devil' or an 'alien' that latches on like a parasite. This entity isn't just a passive passenger; it's a destructive force, causing the host to act out in aggressive and chaotic ways. The lyrics depict a loss of control, where the individual's thoughts and actions are no longer their own, but are dictated by this venomous presence. It's a relationship of twisted symbiosis, where the host is consumed and transformed.

The song then draws a direct parallel between this parasitic relationship and Eminem's own influence on his audience and the music industry. He positions himself as the 'supervillain,' the 'suit' that his listeners ('Eddie Brock') have grown up with. He suggests that his music, with its often controversial and aggressive content, has acted like a symbiote, influencing a generation of fans. He takes responsibility for their 'marbles' being lost, acknowledging the rebellious and anti-establishment nature of his artistic persona. This metaphor extends to his impact on the rap game itself, describing his presence as a 'chokehold' and his words as fangs in the industry's throat. He portrays his lyrical skill as a weapon, a potent venom that he unleashes with precision and aggression. The imagery is violent and confrontational, filled with references to weapons and attacks, symbolizing his verbal assaults on critics and rivals. The narrative arc concludes with an embrace of this dual identity, a complete merging of the man and the monster, the artist and the aggressive persona he has cultivated, solidifying his role as a powerful and disruptive force.

"Venom" was specifically written and recorded for the soundtrack of the 2018 film Venom. The song was a surprise release, appearing as the final track on Eminem's tenth studio album, Kamikaze, which was dropped without any prior announcement on August 31, 2018. Eminem had teased the collaboration a day earlier by posting a 15-second clip featuring the film's logo. The track was later released as a standalone digital single on September 21, 2018. The song was produced by Eminem himself along with his frequent collaborator Luis Resto. The creation was a direct commission from the film's producers, intended to be a theme song that plays over the credits. This marked a return to the trend of blockbuster films featuring tie-in rap songs, a popular phenomenon in the late 1990s and early 2000s. A remix of the song was also released in 2021 to coincide with the film's sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

Eminem's reputation for complex lyrical structures is on full display in "Venom." The song largely utilizes a free verse structure but is anchored by incredibly dense and intricate rhyme schemes. Eminem is known for his multi-syllabic rhyming, where he rhymes entire phrases and multiple syllables within words, rather than just the final sound. For example, in the lines, "Venomous, the thoughts spun like a weapon, you're just web-slingin' / Them held against your will like a hubcap, beat-stranglin', attack," he links complex sound patterns across the bars. The rhythm of his flow is often syncopated and intentionally off-kilter, creating a feeling of unpredictability and chaos that matches the song's theme. He frequently uses internal rhymes and assonance (repetition of vowel sounds) and consonance (repetition of consonant sounds) to weave a tight, complex phonetic tapestry. The tempo is driving and aggressive, and the rhythmic interplay between his rapid-fire vocal delivery and the hard-hitting beat creates the track's signature tension and energy.

Eminem employs a variety of stylistic techniques in "Venom":

Literary Techniques:

• Metaphor: The entire song is built on the extended metaphor of the Venom symbiote.
• Allusion: He makes direct allusions to the Venom movie and characters like Eddie Brock, as well as cultural references like E.T. ('Elliot phone home'), Yung Joc, and Gandhi.
• Wordplay and Puns: The line "You marvel that? Eddie Brock is you" is a clever pun, referencing both the emotion of marveling and the comic company Marvel. He also uses wordplay to connect seemingly unrelated concepts, like rhyming "kamikaze" with "Gandhi".
• Internal Rhyme: The verses are dense with intricate internal rhymes (e.g., "I got a song filled with shit for the strong-willed / When the world gives you a raw deal, sets you off 'til you scream, 'Piss off!'").

Musical Techniques:

• Vocal Delivery: Eminem's delivery is aggressive and staccato, often using a choppy, percussive flow that mimics the chaotic nature of the symbiote. The stuttering effect on words like "V-V-Venom" enhances the feeling of being possessed.
• Production: The beat, co-produced by Eminem and Luis Resto, is dark and menacing, with a driving, relentless rhythm and a sinister synth line that creates a tense, horror-influenced atmosphere.
• Hook: The hook is chanted and repetitive, making it an infectious and memorable motif that emphasizes the central theme of 'venom' taking over.

"Venom" was created as the theme song for the 2018 film Venom and was featured on Eminem's surprise album Kamikaze. Upon release, the song charted in multiple countries, including reaching the top 50 in the US, Canada, and Australia. Its music video, released on October 5, 2018, continues the narrative from his "Fall" video and depicts a symbiote-like entity spreading from person to person, forcing them to rap the song. Eminem performed the song live in a notable performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the 103rd floor of the Empire State Building. The song gained significant traction on the social media platform TikTok, where it became a long-running trend, introducing Eminem's music to a younger audience. The track has been certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA, signifying over 2 million units sold in the US, and has surpassed 500 million streams on Spotify. A remix was also created for the sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, further cementing its connection to the film franchise.

The central metaphor of the song is the Venom symbiote, which Eminem uses in multiple symbolic ways.

• Alter-Ego/Slim Shady: The symbiote represents Eminem's aggressive and controversial alter-ego, Slim Shady. The struggle between Eddie Brock and the symbiote mirrors the internal conflict between Marshall Mathers and Slim Shady, a theme present in much of his work.
• Influence on Fans: Eminem extends the metaphor to his relationship with his audience. He is the symbiote ('the suit'), and his fans are the hosts ('Eddie Brock'). He suggests his music has latched onto them like a parasite, influencing their thoughts and behavior, for which he claims a 'supervillain' level of responsibility.
• Drug Addiction: The feeling of being taken over by an uncontrollable force ('Knock knock, let the devil in') can be interpreted as a metaphor for his past struggles with drug addiction, where the substance takes control of the user's body and mind.
• Lyrical Prowess: The word 'venom' itself is a metaphor for his sharp, cutting, and impactful lyrics, which he delivers like a weapon to attack his rivals and critics in the rap industry.

The most prominent recurring motif is the word "Venom" itself, chanted aggressively in the hook and repeated throughout the song, functioning as the central anchor for the track's theme. The phrase "Knock knock, let the devil in" appears as a recurring line, symbolizing the willing or unwilling acceptance of a dark, external influence, be it the symbiote, addiction, or his Slim Shady persona. The concept of being taken over or possessed is another key recurring motif, illustrated through lyrics like "something's in your mitochondrial" and "became a symbiote." This motif is visually reinforced in the music video, where an "Eminem symbiote" infects various people, causing them to rap the lyrics. Finally, there's a recurring motif of his lyrical skill as a weapon, with imagery of fangs, gun cocks, and attacks woven throughout the verses.