"Let's be honest, that last Relapse CD was eh," Eminem admits on "Not Afraid," his therapeutic new single. Even a sicko like Slim Shady couldn't stomach another humorless disc of Lindsay Lohan decapitation fantasies, so he scrapped Relapse II to bring us Recovery, the apparently more introspective disc that's due this summer. "Not Afraid" reflects the new MO: It's part "fuck tha world" rage rap and part rehab-session group hug, complete with lyrics about kicking drugs and booze, and a chorus where Em sings, "Everybody come take my hand/We'll walk this road together." Over a dark, operatic beat, Eminem delivers rhymes that are typically acrobatic — and typically heavy-handed. But the anger has a gathering quality. Em ­reaffirms his commitment to his daughters, says he got sober in part to inspire his fans and promises to purge his craziness: "Time to exercise these demons/These motherfuckers are doing jumping jacks now."

“Everyday People”

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.