Eminem – Stan
Description
“Stan” is a song by American rapper Eminem, with vocals sampled from the opening lines of British singer Dido‘s song “Thank You“. It was released in 2000, as the third single from Eminem’s third album, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000). “Stan” peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, “Stan” topped the charts in 12 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Ireland.
The 45 King-produced track also uses a slightly modified break from “Thank You” as its base sample; both songs were released as singles in late 2000. Retrospectively, “Stan” has been called one of Eminem’s best songs, and, alongside “The Real Slim Shady” and “Lose Yourself“, is considered one of his signature songs. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked “Stan” 296th on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, upping their ranking to 223rd in a 2021 updated list. The song was also listed 15th on VH1‘s list of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time and named in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
The song was nominated for multiple awards, including Best Song at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Video of the Year, Best Rap Video, Best Direction, and Best Cinematography at the MTV Video Music Awards. It won Best International Artist Video at the MuchMusic Video Awards. In April 2011, Complex magazine put together a list of the 100 greatest Eminem songs and ranked “Stan” second. The eponymous character’s name gave rise to a slang term that refers to overzealous or maniacal fans of a celebrity or personality; the term has since been included in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Lyrics
The song tells the story of a person named Stanley “Stan” Mitchell (voiced by Eminem) who claims to be Eminem’s biggest fan. It has been suggested the name “Stan” is a portmanteau of the words stalker and fan, though it is unknown if the name was chosen with that intention. The term “stan” has since become an internet slang term for an extremely obsessed fan of something or someone and is derived from the song’s title. He writes Eminem several letters; over two verses, he is shown to be obsessive over the rapper, and grows increasingly frustrated and angry when there is no reply. He finally creates a voice recording of himself while driving his car on the highway, having consumed large quantities of depressants and alcohol; this verse includes a call-back to Eminem’s “My Name Is” with the lyrics “I drank a fifth of vodka, you dare me to drive?”, as well as a reference to Phil Collins‘ “In the Air Tonight” (“about that guy who coulda saved that other guy from drownin’, but didn’t…”; he refers to the song as “In the Air of the Night”). He reveals that his pregnant girlfriend is tied up in the trunk as he approaches a bridge, realizing in a panic that he has no way to send the tape to Eminem, but it is too late. The verse ends at the sound of his car swerving off the bridge and hitting the water below.
The fourth verse features Eminem as himself, writing back to Stan and attempting to reason with him. Eminem tries to explain to Stan that while he does appreciate having him as a fan and is incredibly grateful, he worries that Stan might not always be taking the lyrics of his songs in the right way. In an example of dramatic irony, Eminem also urges Stan to receive help for his mental health issues and to treat his girlfriend better, lest he end up like a man he had just seen on the news who had driven his car off a bridge in a drunken stupor, killing himself and his pregnant girlfriend. Eminem then realizes halfway through writing his letter that the man he saw on the news was in fact Stan.
Music Video
Directed by Dr. Dre and Philip Atwell, the video is a literal interpretation of the story. The video features Devon Sawa as Stan and Dido as his pregnant girlfriend. According to Sawa, he got the part because Dr. Dre was a fan of Final Destination, which Sawa starred in. He also stated, that Macaulay Culkin was the first choice of the role.
The video starts with a prologue involves Stan dyeing his hair blonde and reacting angrily to being called “Stanley” by his girlfriend. Later, he sits in a basement full of Eminem’s posters, writing letters that express his devotion as “[Eminem’s] biggest fan”. He is aware of every development in Eminem’s personal life. Stan gets angry at his girlfriend (Dido) when she interrupts him watching Eminem’s “The Way I Am” video.
Stan wants Eminem to contact him through a personal letter or a phone call; but, due to unfortunate circumstances, the letters fail to reach Eminem in a timely manner. Believing he has been ignored, Stan uses a tape recorder to record himself driving along a rain-soaked highway while his girlfriend is locked up in the trunk; which he does with the intention of driving off a bridge. In the process, Stan references both “My Name Is” (“I drank a fifth of vodka, dare me to drive?”) and an urban legend about Phil Collins‘s “In the Air Tonight” before realizing that there is no way of transmitting this final tape to Eminem. The car then breaks through the bridge barrier, sealing both occupants’ fates.
Stan’s mother and his little brother Matthew visit his grave. When Matthew opens his hoodie, he has dyed his hair blonde like Stan. Eminem finally gets around to responding to Stan. He apologizes for being late, thanks him for being a fan, and expresses interest in Stan’s personal life. Eminem worries about Stan’s mental state and says he does not want Stan to end up like a story he had seen on the news recently—a man who had driven drunk off a bridge with his girlfriend in the trunk, about whom he then realizes, “It was you. Damn.” Unbeknownst to Eminem, flashes of lightning shine on his window, revealing the ghost of Stan silently glaring. The video ends with Matthew staring at Stan’s grave.
