| # | Track Title | Notes | |---|---|---| | 1 | We As Americans | A furious, paranoid anthem about patriotism and critics. | | 2 | Love You More | A toxic relationship track with a haunting beat. | | 3 | Yellow Brick Road | (Survived to retail) Eminem's apology for racist tapes. | | 4 | Like Toy Soldiers | (Survived) The tragic story of Proof & D12’s beef. | | 5 | Mosh | (Survived) The anti-Bush political rally cry. | | 6 | Puke | (Survived) The infamous "Toxic love" opener. | | 7 | Just Lose It | (Survived) The lead single parodying MJ. | | 8 | Spend Some Time | (Survived) The R&B collab with Obie, 50, & Stat Quo. | | 9 | Crazy In Love | (Survived) The downbeat relationship confession. | | 10 | One Shot 2 Shot | (Survived) The D12 cipher track. | | 11 | Final Thought (Skit) | Unreleased skit tying the narrative together. | | 12 | Encore/Curtains Down | (Survived) The bombastic closer with 50 Cent. |
The Official Story: Songs leaked online, so he wrote new ones in two days. The Real Story (per Eminem in 2005): Eminem was suffering from severe insomnia and pill addiction. He admitted that after Mosh and Toy Soldiers, he felt the album was "too heavy." He intentionally wrote the silly songs (Big Weenie, Ass Like That, Rain Man) because he couldn't face performing the dark, angry material live every night.
"I didn't want to get on stage and yell about the President for two hours. So I made jokes." – Eminem, Spin Magazine 2005. eminem encore original tracklist
In 2004, Eminem was on top of the world. Following the massive success of The Eminem Show, he planned a conceptual follow-up that wasn't just a collection of songs, but a thematic sequel. The original Encore was darker, more political, and sonically cohesive.
Then, disaster struck. Just weeks before mastering, the album leaked online. Enraged but pragmatic, Eminem scrapped nearly half the tracks, went back to the studio for 48-hour sessions, and recorded the goofy, infamous "insult comedy" songs (like Big Weenie and Rain Man) that ended up on the final retail version. | # | Track Title | Notes |
What was the original tracklist? Thanks to interviews, deluxe edition releases, and leaker confessions, we know the "Paul Rosenberg file."
Context: In mid-2004, a rough version of Eminem’s Encore leaked online. In response, Eminem and his team scrapped several songs, rushed to record new, goofier tracks (like “Big Weenie,” “Rain Man,” “My 1st Single”), and relegated the original, more serious material to a bonus disc (later known as Straight from the Lab) or the deluxe edition. "I didn't want to get on stage and
The original tracklist (circa spring/summer 2004) looked something like this (order varies by source, but the core songs are agreed upon):
(Note: “Bully,” “Come On In,” and “Monkey See, Monkey Do” were also part of the leak but not always on the main album sequence.)
| Original Encore (Leaked) | Official Encore (2004) | |------------------------------|---------------------------| | “We As Americans” | “Evil Deeds” | | “Love You More” | “Never Enough” (kept) | | “Bully” (bonus/b-side) | “Yellow Brick Road” (kept) | | No “Big Weenie” | “Big Weenie” (added) | | No “Rain Man” | “Rain Man” (added) | | No “My 1st Single” | “My 1st Single” (added) | | Tone: darker, political, sad | Tone: goofy, erratic, rushed |