(0:16-0:29)- Stan’s girlfriend walks in to talk to him, noticing that he has cut his hair to appear more like Eminem. After she calls him by his real name, “Stanley” he loses his temper, pulling her in the bathroom and storming out. This clip from the beginning already shows his obsession with the rapper, as he has begun to change himself to look like a copycat of Eminem.
(1:00-2:07)- Stan is seen writing letters to Eminem as he is sitting in a room with what looks to be a shrine for Eminem. The lyrics in this clip are about how Stan is going to name his daughter Bonnie, just like Eminem. The lyrics about Stan relating to Eminem for the first time, as they both had friends who committed suicide, shows a normal fondness for someone’s idol, as he can deeply connect with Eminem. However, the tremendous amounts of photos and posters of Eminem hung around shows us how great his obsession is.
(2:19-2:25)- The letter written for Eminem by Stan is dropped on the floor, proof that Eminem was never purposely ignoring his fans although this later results in Stan’s breakdown.
(2:44-2:52)- Stan begins to get more upset after the concert since Eminem never stayed after the show to sign things for Stan and his little brother. However, the video shows that security was the one preventing the rapper from meeting his fans, even though he did try to reach out to them.
(3:05-3:17)- The lyrics, “P.S. we should be together soon” are sung by Stan, as he glues a photo of Eminem onto his girlfriends face, in a picture of the two of them. He even talks of how upset his girlfriend gets that all he focuses on is Eminem. This is a new level of his obsession as he keeps trying harder and harder to get closer to the rapper, by even hurting his closest relationships.
(3:30-4:40)- One night, Stan’s girlfriend gets up as he sleeps, and goes down to the basement and finally finds his shrine to Eminem. She realizes how consumed he is by his feelings towards the rapper. As she begins to look through all the photos, Stan suddenly comes up to her, furious with rage, he takes her out of their home and throws her into their car trunk. It’s at this point that his obsession and rage have reached the maximum and he is ready to end it all since the only thing he found worth living for, Eminem, has never gotten back to him. The lyrics are severe now, as Stan sings, “You ruined it now, I hope you can’t sleep and you dream about it”, and “Hey Slim, that’s my girlfriend screamin’ in the trunk. But I didn’t slit her throat, I just tied her up, see I ain’t like you”, as he commits suicide by driving off a bridge with his pregnant wife. He makes sure to note how Eminem is the reason for these two tragic deaths.
(4:41-4:50)- Eminem finally is seen writing back to Stan, however it’s too late. He writes of how he is sorry for not getting back earlier, but how he is concerned for Stan, and that he has read all the letters and believes his fan should get help. However, in the end he realizes that it is in fact Stan that was the man responsible for the tragedy he had previously heard about in the newspapers.
(4:52-4:56)- Stan’s little brother is seen at the grave, with an older woman who is visibly upset. The little brother looks like a younger version of Stan, and Eminem as well. The anger in the woman’s face makes me believe that she is reminded by the death of Stan every time she looks at the little boy due to their resemblance.
(5:40-end)- The music video ends with the crime scene of the accident being shown, as they discover the bodies and rule it a double murder. They also discover a tape, one that belongs to a man named Stan. This discovery leads to Eminem finally knowing that this man was this obsessive fan of his.
Purpose- The music video and lyrics both tell the story of an obsessive fan named Stan, who gradually grows more insane as he tries to get in touch with his idol, Eminem. He begins by reaching out to him and sending letters and talking about how fond he is of the rapper, and how he has posters of him all over his house and how Eminem is the reason for him waking him up every morning. After this, his insanity progresses as he starts to express anger towards Eminem for not answering his letters or signing an autograph for his brother. He talks of how he can relate to Eminem’s past, as they both had absent fathers, and how the rapper’s music makes him feel better after Stan has to deal with a bad day. Lastly, Stan loses it, getting extremely angry and ranting about how Eminem never got back to him, and how because of this, he has decided to drunk drive, speeding to his death. He finishes by talking of how his girlfriend is gagged in the trunk of the car, and says goodbye before he drives the both of them off a bridge. The song ends with Eminem’s perspective of finally reading the letters and getting back to Stan. He addresses all of Stan’s comments and concerns and talks of how concerned he is for Stan, pointing out that he doesn’t want him to end up like the man who drove him and his pregnant girlfriend off a bridge. The video ends with Eminem realizing that this mentally ill man that everyone has been talking about actually is Stan, his biggest fan.
Genre- The song is Hip Hop/Rap but the music video can be seen as a thriller video or a drama.
Context- Eminem wrote this song as he was and even now is one of the most well known rappers in the world and has to deal with crazy fans all the time.
I think the song also serves to highlight the importance of mental health, and that we should put ourselves and our families first, because they are also affected by our actions as well.
It’s ironic, because a few years after the release of Stan, Mariah Carey had a song called “Obsessed,” where she dresses up as Eminem, and stalks herself in the video, because given their history, Eminem made claims and wrote songs about them being together, when according to Mariah, they only ever spoke on a professional level. It just goes to show how quickly the tables can turn. In Mariah’s video, the Eminem character played by herself is also in a room full of Mariah posters, so I think she pulled similarities from the Stan video to call out Eminem.
Both the song and music video do a great job of painting a story. Stan is a great example of someone struggling with mental health issues who is seeking help. His character progresses as more violent the longer he goes without a response from Eminem. He eventually snaps because he had no one to talk to. This serves as an important reminder to always check on people and see how they are doing. By the time Eminem responds it is too late, this is similar to what a lot of people experience in real life.
This song has been one of my favorites because of the emotion and how much I can picture everything he says in it. I love how in the video you see someone similar to him that his obsessed with eminem and constantly writes but he becomes upset because he gets no response and in the end he kills himself because he felt ignored by his idol.