Nothing positive in song detailing domestic abuse

September 20, 2010 - The North American chart-topping hit, Love the Way You Lie, a duet by hip-hop artists Eminem and Rihanna, seems to be everywhere.

The infectious beat can be heard in Saskatoon dance clubs, on commercial radio, in football and hockey dressing rooms around the city, and in the ear-buds of hundreds of local pre-teens and teenagers. The duo received thunderous applause for a live performance at the recent MTV video awards, after the large crowd of excited youth danced and shouted the lyrics.

Eminem and Rihanna are talented vocalists, teamed with the music industry's best producers and a multi-million dollar marketing machine. The problem is that Love the Way You Lie appears to be nothing more than a male domestic abuse fantasy.
In the video, Eminem at first sings about the intense love he feels for his girlfriend, but that soon ends. He punches her and throws her through a window. He repeatedly apologizes, "even though I know it's lies." The abuse escalates before the final verse: