Space Bound

"Space Bound" is a song by American rapper Eminem. It was released on June 18, 2011, as the fourth and final single from his seventh album, Recovery. The song is produced by American hip-hop producer Jim Jonsin and features samples of "Drive" by R.E.M., "Song for Bob" by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. The music video was shot in February 2011 by director Joseph Kahn and was released to the iTunes Store on June 24, 2011. Model and former pornographic actress Sasha Grey plays a young woman who secretly cheats on her boyfriend, Eminem; this turns into a violent conflict. The video shows two sides of Eminem, one who is calm and loves his girlfriend and one who is aggressive and does not. The video received attention and controversy for a scene in which Eminem shoots himself under the chin in frustration, with blood spurting from the exit wound. Development "Space Bound" was written by Eminem, British songwriter Steve McEwan, and Jim Jonsin, the latter having produced the track with keyboards from Danny Morris. The chorus is sung by McEwan, who also provided guitars. The song was recorded by Robert Marks in Parkland Playhouse and Mike Strange and Joe Strange in Effigy Studios. It was mixed by Eminem, Mike Strange and Marks. In July 2011, producer Jim Jonsin spoke about the making of the song and how its production came to be. He submitted a beat to Eminem for release on Recovery, not knowing if it was planned for official release as a single. The version initially sent to Eminem was a full song; complete with verses, B section, and a chorus by McEwan. Most of this original version was recorded in New York with a guitar vocal on an iPhone. About three months later, the concept was taken to Miami and produced. Once Eminem had the track, he used McEwan's chorus as a guide for writing the rapped verses. Eminem liked the song and its concept and wanted the sung verses removed and replaced with his own lyrics, as Jonsin revealed: "He had me strip down the verses [...] and make the track a little more hip hop, and he sent it out. I didn't really believe that it would end up on Eminem's album, let alone be a single." Jonsin spoke about the theme of the chorus in "Space Bound":