Enemy
by Imagine Dragons (featuring JID)

Album: Arcane (Soundtrack from the Animated Series) (2021)
Charted: 17 5
Play Video

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.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Jeff Trott

Jeff TrottSongwriter Interviews

Sheryl Crow's longtime songwriting partner/guitarist Jeff Trott reveals the stories behind many of the singer's hits, and what its like to be a producer for Leighton Meester and Max Gomez.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."