Enemy by Imagine Dragons (featuring JID)

Album: Arcane (Soundtrack from the Animated Series) (2021)

Charted: 17 5

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Songfacts®:

"Enemy" finds Imagine Dragons teaming up with American rapper JID to address divisive people.

The first two-thirds find Imagine Dragons' lead singer Dan Reynolds explaining how people tell him to his face he's "the greatest," but as soon as he slips up, they turn on him.

JID delivers a trademark speedy flow on the third verse. His boisterous rhymes are about focused and not letting the hate get to him.
JID wrote his verse back in the late 2010s. Initially, the opening lines were from a song he started with Mac Miller. He switched them when the late rapper told him they would fit better with his rhymes for this song.
Imagine Dragons and JID recorded "Enemy" for the Netflix series Arcane, which is set in the League of Legends video game's universe. The band previously recorded the song "Warriors" for the 2014 League of Legends World Championship.
According to Reynolds, the song is "about reconciling internal conflict in a world where sometimes it feels impossible to trust even yourself."

He added the song reflects Arcane's story of conflict between two sisters, leading to a division that threatens to tear a city apart. "Like the series," Reynolds said, "the song is meant to be both personal and a critique of a society that seems intent on creating division."
Imagine Dragons and JID wrote the song with pop songwriter Justin Tranter and the Swedish production duo Mattman & Robin. Tranter and Mattman & Robin also collaborated with Imagine Dragons on their hit song "Believer."
Imagine Dragons worked with rappers on three previous occasions:

Their remix for "Radioactive" features Kendrick Lamar.

The band's remix for "Believer" features Lil Wayne.

"Sucker For Pain," recorded for the Suicide Squad soundtrack, finds Imagine Dragons teaming up with Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Logic and Ty Dolla $ign.
Imagine Dragons also recorded a solo version where they replace JID's verse with a new bridge.
Imagine Dragons included "Enemy" on the Additional Track Version of Mercury – Act 2, released on February 4, 2022.

Comments: 1

AnonymousI know this is about Arcane. I think the song is a story about people giving the character praise and encouraging them on but as soon as you mess up, they turn on you and try to push you down.

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