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I chose to write about Eminem’s “Stan” because I have been a musician’s fan since I was a child. When I saw the video for the first time, I thought it was a movie, and I couldn’t stop thinking about its plot. Eminem’s rap, his verses, and his voice have accompanied me throughout my life. I remember the criticism the song sparked years ago, and it made me think if art can inspire wrong forms of behavior. Before writing my research paper, I listened to the song again, even though I knew it by heart. I thought about the parts which I always used to find more interesting. I checked the research available about the song, and I found them rather detailed and inspiring. Simultaneously, I felt disappointed by the relative scarcity of scientific literature about Eminem’s art.
Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, is one of the best-selling rappers of all time. He has been awarded several significant awards for his music, including an Academy Award, fifteen Grammy Awards, 17 Billboard Music Awards, and others. He recorded “Stan,” a single from his third album, The Marshall Mathers LP, in 2000. It quickly became a worldwide hit, ranking number one in global music charts (Ohriner, 2019). Widely critically acclaimed, the song became a cultural phenomenon. The song and the video, directed by Dr. Dre and Philip Atwell, are considered a masterpiece of hip-hop music. For an over-obsessed fan, the song has established a new term: “stan,” both a noun and a verb. Thus, Eminem is considered one of the best rhyme letters in rap history, as he always puts the construction of the text and its presentation first.
In the song, he tells a story of Stan – an Eminem’s aka Slim Shady’s fan, who regularly writes to his idol. Verse after verse, Stan grows more bitter and obsessive because Eminem does not write him back. In his final message, Stan records a voice message to Slim while driving, saying he will kill himself and his pregnant girlfriend and that he hopes that Eminem “won’t be able to breathe without him” (Eminem). The last verse features Slim himself writing back to Stan and suggesting that he tries therapy. The song features British singer Dido’s opening lines from her song “Thank You” as a chorus. Moreover, it references Eminem’s song “My Name Is” and “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, mistakenly called by Stan “In the Air of the Night.”
The word “stan” has entered the English lexicon as a term for an obsessive, delusional fan of someone or something after the song and the video have gained worldwide popularity and critical acclaim. The song introduces a complicated, emotionally disturbed character portrayed by Devon Sawa in the music video. Nature has inspired celebrities, artists, and scholars with his conflicted personality and has gained the attention of millions of hip-hop fans across the world. Some studies argue that Stan has a mental disorder, judging by his inclination to self-harm, overdose, and emotional reactions to his favorite musician ignoring his letters (Rubin 184). As the character reveals that he has Slim’s name “tattooed on his chest” and says that he and Slim “should be together too” (Eminem), it indicates he might also be struggling with his sexual identity.
Stan’s character is beyond a simple emotionally unstable hip-hop music lover. Verse by verse, his dark side grows more vital, as he is not getting his idol’s attention. When he writes to Eminem about his pregnant girlfriend (Dido in a music video), he says he wants to call his daughter Bonnie, just like Bonnie and Clyde’s song (Rubin 184). Stan uses street jargon and recalls things he knows about Slim Shady to prove there is a connection between him and the artist. Then he is unable to cope with the thoughts of the star, ignoring his feelings. Without being aware of it, Stan makes a real connection with his idol, which he will never learn about: an extraordinary thing in the usual celebrity-fan relationship. A remarkable portrayal of a fictional person, “Stan” gives a unique lyrical perspective on mental health issues, and opens a debate, whether hip hop is, in fact, a dialogue with millions rather than a genre.
“Stan” is one of the most critically acclaimed Eminem’s songs; it has been called “one of the greatest songs of all time” a “cultural milestone” by Rolling Stone magazine, Billboard, MTV, and other music media (Rubin 183). Apart from a very dynamic and complex story delivered to the audience in rap music, the song is remarkable for its rhyming and composition. A significant body of research is devoted to Eminem’s success in rap music, a predominately Black music genre, as much as the poverty and family issues he had to deal with in his youth. Simultaneously, there is more to say about his voice and rhyming rhythm: the rapper is considered one of the world’s most excellent musicians and holds a record in rapping speed. Apart from a complex plot rhymed into four verses, “Stan” is known for its groove and unique rhyming and meter, combined with emotional delivery. While Eminem’s poetry is known for its uniqueness for the genre (for example, for his metric complexity), “Stan” became one of his most recognizable songs.
The song’s first verse begins with the words “Dear Slim”, and listeners understand that this is a letter in which the author complains about letters that have remained unanswered. Stan’s annoyance with Eminem’s promise at the meeting in Denver, where Eminem promises to answer Stan whenever he writes to him, intensifies every day. Stan thinks he looks like Eminem, stating, “I’m just like you in a way” (Eminem). He mentioned this more than once in the song. His belief that his childhood and his growing up story is very similar to Eminem, which is why he includes his story (about how his father cheats and constantly beats his mother) in the song. Eminem’s vocals seem to have calmed him down and played a significant role in Stan’s life as he battled depression.
Moreover, in the analysis of the song, it is especially worth canceling that the chorus that Dido will play contains the lines “it’s not so bad” (Eminem). This line sounds a little ironic after everything Stan has said. Stan is obsessed with Eminem and explains his constant admiration for the rapper with his similar childhood. His obsession can be seen in his girlfriend’s jealousy as “cause I talk about you 24/7” (Eminem). Stan’s constant identification as Eminem seems intimidating, and it looks like the fan doesn’t have a personality of his own. It could also be a reflection of Eminem’s feelings of being unable to define his own identity. And in this case, Stan insists on his importance in the rapper’s life “you gotta call me man, I’ll be the biggest fan you’ll ever lose” (Eminem). Thus, the emotions that the fan takes out to his idol go through the whole song.
Written in 2000 as a single for his third album, the song reflects the musician’s great success and the relationship between the star and his fans. Eminem’s previous album, The Slim Shady LP, went quadruple platinum and won a Grammy award in the Best Rap Album nomination (Rubin 183). Released mere months after the second album, “Stan” is a musician’s perspective on the complex relationship with his vast global audience. The song and the video became extremely popular right after the release, ultimately changing attitudes towards hip-hop and the connection between an artist and his fans.
Both the video and the song were heavily criticized for explicitly portraying violence. While Eminem was frequently criticized before for violence in his lyrics, hip hop music, in general, is known for often homophobic and misogynistic lyrics (Ohriner). In “Stan,” the portrait of delusional, prone to violence fan has sparked fierce debate about art inspiring wrong forms of behaviors in the audience. On MTV, the song and the video were censored, and the words such as “die,” “slit her throat,” and “suffocates” were censored. Also, censored video versions don’t show gagged Dido or Stan drinking vodka while driving.
The song was also criticized for portraying a gay sexual connection between delusional, addicted Stan and Slim Shady. In response, Eminem performed the song with Elton John at the 2001 Grammy Awards. Many words and slurs were replaced in an adapted version of the song, making the lyrics more appropriate for live performance. While Eminem had to deal with criticism of violence, misogyny, and homophobia throughout his career, “Stan” has altered public perception of fandom. The song, particularly well-known for the complex narration, and the video, directed by Dr. Dre, became generally acclaimed masterpieces of rap music.
Works Cited
Eminem. “Stan.” YouTube, uploaded by Eminem Music, 2009.
Ohriner, Mitchell. “Flow, Metric Complexity, and Text in Eminem”. Flow. Oxford University Press, 2019. E-book. Web.
Rubin, Daniel Joshua. 27 Essential Principles of Story. Workman Publishing Company, 2020.
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