"Sing for the Moment" is a song by American rapper

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing Hip hop music, hip hop in Middle America (United Sta ...

from his fourth album ''

The Eminem Show ''The Eminem Show'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem. After it had originally scheduled for release on June 4, 2002, the album was released nine days earlier on May 26, 2002, through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and ...

'' (2002). It was released on February 25, 2003, as the fourth single from ''The Eminem Show'' and the final single in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The song samples " Dream On" by American rock band

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...

. "Sing for the Moment" received positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, with many critics praising Eminem's rapping ability, the lyrics, and the "Dream On" sample. "Sing for the Moment" proved to be successful, peaking inside the Top 10 in twenty countries. In the United States, "Sing for the Moment" reached number fourteen on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. It was also a number-one hit in Portugal. The song, along with the original "Dream On", was used in a trailer for the 2016 animated film ''

Sing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

''.

Background

"Sing for the Moment" contains samples of the song " Dream On" by the rock band

. Joe Perry plays the guitar solo at the end of the song, and a sample of

Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...

singing is used as the chorus for this song. Eminem chants "sing" when Tyler starts to sing the chorus, and Eminem also chants "sing with me" and "come on". Eminem says the words in his live performances as well. The beginning of the song samples the intro of "Dream On" too. "Sing for the Moment" was later released on Eminem's greatest hits compilation album '' Curtain Call: The Hits'' (2005). "Sing for the Moment" mentions John Guerra, a bouncer who Eminem had an altercation with on June 4, 2000, after the rapper claimed he saw him kissing his ex-wife Kim. For some reason, Eminem deliberately mispronounces his last name as "Guerrera:"

You're full of shit too, Guerrera, that was a fist that hit you! (Bitch!)

The song reached #14 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Singles Chart, #6 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and #5 on the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

ARIAnet The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...

Singles Chart. Eminem performed the song with Tyler during Eminem's 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony performance, with Tyler singing the entire first verse of "Dream On" before Eminem began the first verse of Sing for the Moment.

Critical reception

David Browne wrote: "In 'Sing for the Moment,' which includes a tirade against the media and politically motivated prosecutors, the intensity of his delivery overcomes the hoariest of ideas – incorporating a portion of an overly familiar classic-rock oldie, Aerosmith's 'Dream On.' The song becomes a clarion call of suburban kids everywhere, not just an easy route to a hit." ''DX magazine'' concluded that in this song Eminem is dealing with his life and called it "guitar-fueled track." RapReviews was positive: "'Sing For the Moment' may throw his fans a curveball though: a song which appears to sample Aerosmith's 'Dream On' yet simultaneously features the REAL Joe Perry playing guitar. Obviously not a stretch for the hard rock icons though, who are still remembered for recording '

Walk This Way "Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...

' with

Run-D.M.C. Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...

back in the 1980s, so it's an enjoyable diversion from non-stop hardcore hip-hop."

Track listing

;German CD single ;German Maxi CD single ;German Limited Edition Maxi CD single ;UK CD single ;UK Cassette ;Notes * signifies a co- producer. * signifies an additional producer.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{Authority control Eminem songs 2002 singles 2002 songs Protest songs Anti-war songs Song recordings produced by Eminem Songs written by Eminem Shady Records singles Aftermath Entertainment singles Interscope Records singles Songs written by Jeff Bass Songs written by Luis Resto (musician) Songs written by Steven Tyler Songs about the media Number-one singles in Portugal Rap rock songs