| "Brand New Dance" | |
|---|---|
| Song byEminem | |
| from the albumThe Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) | |
| Released | July 12, 2024 |
| Recorded |
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| Genre | Comedy hip hop |
| Length | 3:27 |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) |
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"Brand New Dance" is a song by American rapperEminem. It was released throughShady Records,Aftermath Entertainment, andInterscope Records as the fourth track from his twelfth studio album,The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), on July 12, 2024.[1] The song was written and produced by Eminem himself, with co-production credited toLuis Resto.[2][3] The song, originally titled "Christopher Reeves", and incorrectly named after theSuperman actorChristopher Reeve, was intended to feature on Eminem's fifth studio albumEncore in 2004, but was shelved due to Reeve's recent death. In January 2025, the original "Christopher Reeves" version leaked online, alongside several other unreleased Eminem songs. Together, these songs were packaged as the third installment of thebootleg series,Straight from the Lab.
Originally, the song was recorded to be as the 7th track off Eminem's fifth studio albumEncore, under the name "Christopher Reeves". However, the song was cut after its main subject, film actorChristopher Reeve, died on October 10, 2004, fromheart failure, a month before the album's release. This was revealed on Eminem's song "Guilty Conscience 2", with the lyrics "And I know that Chris Reeves song was recorded in 2004 for Encore / Fuck'd you take it off for? / 'Cause he died / Man, that motherfucker did that bullshit on purpose to ruin the song for us."[4]
On July 12, 2024, the song was released on Eminem's twelfth studio albumThe Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), under the name "Brand New Dance". The bridge, outro and namesKim Jong-Un andCaitlyn Jenner (replacing Saddam andBrittany Murphy) was recorded during the making of the album.[5]
In a comedic interview titled"Slim Shady vs. Marshall Mathers: THE FACE-OFF" which released on July 30, 2024, Mathers asks his alter-ego "Also, what's your fucking weird obsession with Christopher Reeve?" Slim Shady responds "Christopher Reeves was Superman, what are you talking about? I'm tryna pay homage. It's funny, 'cause he was fucking Superman, he fell off a horse."[6]
The song was met with generally negative reviews from critics. Ben Devlin ofMusicOMH wrote "It certainly sounds like a reject from one of Eminem's worst albums [Encore], emphasizing the backward-looking, tedious approach of this record, and the song has no cultural relevance decades after Reeve's life-changing accident."[7] Jordan Bassett ofNME wrote in a review ofThe Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), "The production is appealingly cartoonish and rubbery, from the elastic bassline that twangs through 'Brand New Dance'..."[8] Rob Sheffield ofRolling Stone wrote, "But it's fair to say that nobody, not even his worst enemies, would have predicted that two decades later, he'dstill be making Christopher Reeve jokes—in fact, he'd devote an entire song to repeating the same joke that once took him three seconds. "Brand New Dance" is sad enough in itself..."[9]
Dash Lewis ofPitchfork praised the song, writing "Despite its dated, unnecessary content, "Brand New Dance" might be the best song on [The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)]."[10]
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[11] | 21 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[12] | 17 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[13] | 24 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[14] | 61 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] | 18 |
| Portugal (AFP)[16] | 85 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] | 92 |
| UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[18] | 5 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[19] | 25 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[20] | 10 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[21] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||