Music Video Analysis - Eminem - Luke

The video that I am analysing is 'Stan' by Eminem which was directed by Phillip Atwell and co-directed by Dr. Dre. The music belongs to the rap genre and follows the characteristics of the genre that there is a mix of both performance and narrative in the video. The actual video itself is linked very carefully with the visuals of the video, acting like more of a script to the video than a song with little or no relation to the video.

"Stan"(feat. Dido)
[Chorus: Dido]My tea's gone cold I'm wondering why I..got out of bed at all

The morning rain clouds up my window..

and I can't see at all

And even if I could it'll all be gray,

but your picture on my wall

It reminds me, that it's not so bad,

it's not so bad..

[1st Chorus: volume gradually grows over raindrop background]

[2nd Chorus: full volume with beat right after "thunder" noise]

[Eminem as 'Stan']

Dear Slim, I wrote but you still ain't callin

I left my cell, my pager, and my home phone at the bottom

I sent two letters back in autumn, you must not-a got 'em

There probably was a problem at the post office or somethin

Sometimes I scribble addresses too sloppy when I jot 'em

but anyways; fuck it, what's been up? Man how's your daughter?

My girlfriend's pregnant too, I'm bout to be a father

If I have a daughter, guess what I'ma call her?

I'ma name her Bonnie

I read about your Uncle Ronnie too I'm sorry

I had a friend kill himself over some bitch who didn't want him

I know you probably hear this everyday, but I'm your biggest fan

I even got the underground shit that you did with Skam

I got a room full of your posters and your pictures man

I like the shit you did with Rawkus too, that shit was fat

Anyways, I hope you get this man, hit me back,

just to chat, truly yours, your biggest fan

This is Stan

[Chorus: Dido]

[Eminem as 'Stan']

Dear Slim, you still ain't called or wrote, I hope you have a chance

I ain't mad - I just think it's FUCKED UP you don't answer fans

If you didn't wanna talk to me outside your concert

you didn't have to, but you coulda signed an autograph for Matthew

That's my little brother man, he's only six years old

We waited in the blistering cold for you,

four hours and you just said, "No."

That's pretty shitty man - you're like his fuckin idol

He wants to be just like you man, he likes you more than I do

I ain't that mad though, I just don't like bein lied to

Remember when we met in Denver - you said if I'd write you

you would write back - see I'm just like you in a way

I never knew my father neither;

he used to always cheat on my mom and beat her

I can relate to what you're saying in your songs

so when I have a shitty day, I drift away and put 'em on

cause I don't really got shit else so that shit helps when I'm depressed

I even got a tattoo of your name across the chest

Sometimes I even cut myself to see how much it bleeds

It's like adrenaline, the pain is such a sudden rush for me

See everything you say is real, and I respect you cause you tell it

My girlfriend's jealous cause I talk about you 24/7

But she don't know you like I know you Slim, no one does

She don't know what it was like for people like us growin up

You gotta call me man, I'll be the biggest fan you'll ever lose

Sincerely yours, Stan -- P.S.

We should be together too

[Chorus: Dido]

[Eminem as 'Stan']

Dear Mister-I'm-Too-Good-To-Call-Or-Write-My-Fans,

this'll be the last package I ever send your ass

It's been six months and still no word - I don't deserve it?

I know you got my last two letters;

I wrote the addresses on 'em perfect

So this is my cassette I'm sending you, I hope you hear it

I'm in the car right now, I'm doing 90 on the freeway

Hey Slim, I drank a fifth of vodka, you dare me to drive?

You know the song by Phil Collins, "In the Air of the Night"

about that guy who coulda saved that other guy from drowning

but didn't, then Phil saw it all, then at a a show he found him?

That's kinda how this is, you coulda rescued me from drowning

Now it's too late - I'm on a 1000 downers now, I'm drowsy

and all I wanted was a lousy letter or a call

I hope you know I ripped +ALL+ of your pictures off the wall

I love you Slim, we coulda been together, think about it

You ruined it now, I hope you can't sleep and you dream about it

And when you dream I hope you can't sleep and you SCREAM about it

I hope your conscience EATS AT YOU and you can't BREATHE without me

See Slim; [*screaming*] Shut up bitch! I'm tryin to talk!

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

cause if she suffocates she'll suffer more, and then she'll die too

Well, gotta go, I'm almost at the bridge now

Oh shit, I forgot, how'm I supposed to send this shit out?

[car tires squeal] [CRASH]

.. [brief silence] .. [LOUD splash]

[Chorus: Dido]

[Eminem]

Dear Stan, I meant to write you sooner but I just been busy

You said your girlfriend's pregnant now, how far along is she?

Look, I'm really flattered you would call your daughter that

and here's an autograph for your brother,

I wrote it on the Starter cap

I'm sorry I didn't see you at the show, I musta missed you

Don't think I did that shit intentionally just to diss you

But what's this shit you said about you like to cut your wrists too?

I say that shit just clownin dogg,

c'mon - how fucked up is you?

You got some issues Stan, I think you need some counseling

to help your ass from bouncing off the walls when you get down some

And what's this shit about us meant to be together?

That type of shit'll make me not want us to meet each other

I really think you and your girlfriend need each other

or maybe you just need to treat her better

I hope you get to read this letter, I just hope it reaches you in time

before you hurt yourself, I think that you'll be doin just fine

if you relax a little, I'm glad I inspire you but Stan

why are you so mad? Try to understand, that I do want you as a fan

I just don't want you to do some crazy shit

I seen this one shit on the news a couple weeks ago that made me sick

Some dude was drunk and drove his car over a bridge

and had his girlfriend in the trunk, and she was pregnant with his kid

and in the car they found a tape, but they didn't say who it was to

Come to think about, his name was.. it was you

Damn!

Throughout the song there are many ways in which the lyrics are illustrated and amplified by the video. At the beginning of the music video when Eminem first starts rapping in the first verse as the fictitious character Stan, the lyrics "I got a room full of your posters and your pictures man" are fully emphasised by what we see in the video as we see the true devotion of Stan to Eminem, and how this devotion is almost an obsession.

Another section where the lyrics are illustrated by the visuals is in the third verse. The lyrics "So this is my cassette I'm sending you, I hope you hear it I'm in the car right now, I'm doing 90 on the freeway" are fully illustrated word for word by the video with what is being described actually happening.

There is also a clear relationship between the music and the visuals, with the sound emphasising what is being seen in the video. One of the clearest examples of this is at the beginning of the video where you see a flash of lightening and heavy rain. This is accompanies by the crash of thunder and clear sound of the wind an rain as the camera zooms in to the window.

Throughout the duration of the song the video does not cut to the beat of the music, but instead compliments what we see on the screen. It acts more like background music to the video, with the lyrics highlighting what we see in the video. The video does however change in the pace of cut transitions to represent the mood and  atmosphere of the video. At the beginning of the video when Stan is writing a letter to Eminem and talking about his life, there are relatively slow paced cuts, whereas when the song progresses to the part when Stan is in the car about to drive off of the bridge there are very fast cuts which highlight how tense the moment is.

Throughout the video there are lot of things that relate to Eminem as an artist and not just part of the story shown through the music video. The lyrics "I hope you get this man, hit me back, just to chat, truly yours, your biggest fan" and "I ain't mad - I just think it's FUCKED UP you don't answer fans" show that Stan is a huge fan and is almost obsessive in his attempts to contact Eminem. This could be seen as a way of showing just how big of a star Eminem is, and could be a way of him telling fans that he does in fact acknowledge them, acting as a way of Eminem being shown in a positive image which is something that would help his music sell and he himself to appeal to a much wider audience.

Eminem is referred to in the lyrics of the song many times but is only shown in brief instances during the video and the last verse of the song. This would make the viewers of the video more inquisitive and eager to find out more about Eminem once the video has finished. This may be a marketing ploy by Eminem or his label to get more people buying and listening to his music. In the part of the video where Stan is seen writing letters to Eminem there are pictures of him all over the wall. When people are huge fans of an artist they will usually have band posters or pictures of the artist on their walls. This section could be a way of the video producers trying to show that Eminem is worthy of this worship.

There are some references to the notion of looking throughout the video, but none are used in sexual ways, which are used in videos by artists such as Beyonce, for example.The most obvious way in which the notion of looking is used in the video is when Eminem is show waving to the camera on the tv in Stan's basement and Stan waves back. The notion of looking is usually used to make the artists seem sexualised and more appealing, but its use in this video portrays a darker meaning. It shows that there are some fans that are more than obsessed with some artists and that it can have severe effects on them. This can also be seen in the video to the song "Lego House" by Ed Sheeran, which featuers an equally obsessive fan who dreams of actually being the artist.

There are a lot of intertextual references throughout the song that refer to both Eminem's other songs and the work of other artists. The song "Old World Disorder" is referred to in the song through the lyrics "underground shit that you did with Skam." On hearing this, people could search and look for the song Eminem is referring to, enabling more of his music to be heard. There are more subtle references to other songs including "97 Bonnie and Clyde" and "My Name Is" from The Slim Shady LP through the lyrics "If I have a daughter, guess what I'ma call her? I'ma name her Bonnie" and "Hey Slim, I drank a fifth of vodka, you dare me to drive?", showing the links Eminem keeps between his songs. There is also a reference the the Phil Collins song "In the Air Tonight", misquoting it as "In the Air of the Night" in the lyrics "You know the song by Phil Collins, 'In the Air of the Night' about that guy who coulda saved that other guy from drowning but didn't, then Phil saw it all, then at a a show he found him? That's kinda how this is, you coulda rescued me from drowning".

Overall you can see that this is a very narrative based music video that is about an over obsessed fan trying to get as close to the artist as possible. Eminem is portrayed as a good artist, and there is a wealth of star image motifs that promote Eminem as an artist, with intertextual references to more of his work, which works well to get people listening to more of his music. The video is linked very well to the song through both the lyrics and the music and it helps give the song a real sense of meaning.