Song Legends {Episode 6} - Stan (Eminem ft. Dido)
Please read how this series works before continuing. https://www.thetoptens.com/songs/61756.asp"Stan" is Eminem's third single on the 2000 album "The Marshall Mathers LP".
Lyrics:
Rap is easily the best genre for telling stories, and this song shows it. The lyrics are dark and scary and about an obsessive fan who kills himself when Eminem doesn't reply to his letters. I think what makes the lyrics and song so effective is how realistic the lyrics are because everything that happens in this song could and probably has happened. This song always gives me shivers which usually happens when the lyrics are particularly good.
10/10
Instruments:
The sound effects I think are very effective in this song (I'm counting it as instruments), the thunder and rain really darken the song and make Dido's section sad and almost desperate sounding unlike the positive sound of the original song. I like the sound of the pencil writing which is a similar effect to the scrunching up paper on "Walk On Water". The actual instruments don't get much focus but the beat is pretty good and steady. It can't get a 10 as the instruments are not that important to the song and also don't take that much talent to play. I'll give it a 8 for the cool sound effects.
8/10
Vocals:
It's not got any complexity to the vocals but this song benefits from having steady, easy to understand vocals. What Eminem is really good at is showing emotion in his vocals and this song is a perfect demonstration of that. It shows when he stops singing as Stan and starts singing as Eminem - he kinda sounds older and maturer. Dido's sample was a good choice, I think it's meant to be Stan's wife's thoughts and as I said earlier it makes her sound desperate and sad.
10/10
Structure:
The song has 4 parts, 3 of them are Stan as he gets steadily angrier and kills himself and 1 is Eminem replying to the letters. When it's a song that tells a story, you need it to work like a story and have a beginning, a build up, a climax and sometimes a resolution. This song has all four and so it is tense, dramatic and very effective. I also think the way the lyrics are structured to sound like a letter is very skillfully done and effective.
10/10
Success:
This is one of Eminem's most famous songs and it hit number 1 in lots of countries. It has also been nominated for multiple awards and won Best International Artist Video.
10/10
My Opinion:
It's an amazing song and easily one of my favourite rap songs and songs in general. I recommend this for anyone who thinks rap is all profanity.
10/10
That's 58/60 beating "Night Enchanted" in second but beating it because it's higher up on the Best Songs list. That leaves this song very high in the Stan-dings (see what I did there).
https://www.thetoptens.com/songs/61767.asp?592