Eminem
Stan

THE REVIEW

Back in the distant 2000, there was a song that I believe everyone has heard at least once: "Stan" by Eminem and Dido. I will tell you that, 7 years later, this song remains one of the best by Eminem and in rap in general, a true milestone that everyone should listen to.

The wonderful beat is produced by Eminem and The 45 King, and it contains an evident sample of "Thank You" by Dido, as the chorus is taken from that song. The lyrics are composed of 4 verses. The song is about a fan, Stan specifically, who writes to his idol (Eminem) but doesn’t get a reply because the singer is busy and cannot respond to his fan. Stan is a madman who does everything he learns from Eminem’s songs, like cutting his veins or mistreating his girlfriend (who is pregnant). By the third verse, he is completely out of his mind, angry about the rapper's behavior; Stan wants to commit suicide: to do this, he locks his wife in the trunk (like Eminem in "97 Bonnie and Clyde") and speeds down the highway, even recording a tape that he hopes will reach Eminem. At a certain point, his car skids off the road and Stan and the girl die. In the fourth verse, Slim Shady finally responds to his fan, saying he couldn’t write back because he was too busy. He labels all of Stan's craziness as nonsense and advises him to stop and treat the girl better. At one point, Eminem tells a story he’s heard (he tells the story of Stan) learned from the newspapers. In the end, he thinks about it and realizes that Stan, after all, died partly because of him.

As already stated, this is a wonderful song: the beat is magnificent and you can hear the sound of the pen passing over the paper in the background, along with the sound of rain. Guys, if you've never heard it, start now: follow my advice, you won’t regret it.