User:Khanassassin/Sandbox: Lose Yourself

Success and legacy
"Lose Yourself" is the most successful single of Eminem's mainstream career. Upon its release, the track peaked at number one on 24 national charts, including the US Billboard Hot 100, making it Eminem's first number-one hit in the United States. On October 5, 2002, the song charted at #43 on the Hot 100, and reached #1 on November 9. "Lose Yourself" remained #1 until January 25, 2003. With a 12-week run at #1 in the United States, the song topped the charts in many other countries including the Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and Denmark. According to the Guinness World Records, "Lose Yourself" broke the record for "Longest Running Single at Number One for a Rap Song". The song was the 51st best-selling single of the '00s decade in the U.K.

"Lose Yourself" is Eminem's most critically acclaimed piece along with "Stan". Critics praised the song's aggressive themes and describing it as Eminem's best work to date. Eminem's rapping ability, the lyrics and the production were also praised as well. Several critics cited it as the best song from the soundtrack, as well as the most aggressive songs ever recorded by Eminem. It is often listed as one of the greatest hip hop songs, and songs in general, of all time.

At #166, "Lose Yourself" is the highest ranked of the three songs from the 21st century featured in the 2004 list of Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" (joining "Stan" at #290 and Outkast's "Hey Ya!" at #180). The magazine later ranked the song at #12 on their list of "100 Best Songs of the Decade". The American Film Institute ranked it as the #93 greatest song from American films on "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs" list. In October 2011, NME placed it at #57 on their list of the "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". Spinner ranked it at #15 on the list of the "Best Songs of the 2000s". VH1 and Complex both placed it at #4 on their lists of "The 100 Greatest Songs of '00s" and "The 100 Best Songs of the 2000s". Refined Hype hype placed the song at #2 on their list of the "Top 25 Hip-Hop Songs of the 2000s". About.com's Henry Adaso ranked it at #2 on the list of the "Top 10 Eminem Songs of All Time", behind "Stan". Gabriel Alvarez of Complex ranked it at #1 on his list of "The 100 Best Eminem Songs".

The song went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Original Song (the first time a rap song ever won this award), beating other nominees like U2's "The Hands That Built America." Eminem, who was not present at the award ceremony believing he would not win, said in a Shade 45 Behind The Boards interview with Cipha Sounds that he was actually sleeping at the time the award was announced. This was the first time in 14 years the winner of the Best Original Song category did not perform at the ceremony. Luis Resto, one of the song's co-writers, had attended the ceremony and accepted the award instead. "He's creative, he has symphonies in his head," Resto said at the lectern about Eminem. At the Grammy Awards of 2004, "Lose Yourself" became Eminem's second career nomination for Record of the Year (following "Without Me"), and the first rap song ever to be nominated for Song of the Year. It won Best Male Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song, which was a brand new category at the time.