"Stan" was the third single (after "The Real Slim Shady" and "The Way I Am") released from The Marshall Mathers LP, the second LP from rapper Eminem. It peaked at number one in the United Kingdom and Australia. The song is perhaps Eminem's most critically acclaimed song and has been called a 'cultural milestone'. It is also included on Curtain Call: The Hits, performed with Elton John. It is a haunting story of a fan who is obsessed with Eminem and writes to him but doesn't receive a reply. Unhinged already, the fan (Stan) drives his car off a bridge with his pregnant girlfriend in the trunk. The first three verses are delivered by Stan, the first two in letter form and the third being spoken as he is about to drive off a bridge and is recording a cassette to send to Eminem. The song makes heavy use of sound effects, with rain and thunder heard in the background, as well as a pencil scribbling during the first two verses, and then as Stan drives off the bridge, we hear tires screeching and a crashing sound, followed by a splash of water, in a style similar to "Dead Man's Curve" and "Leader of the Pack." The fourth verse is Eminem responding to Stan, only realizing at the last second that he has heard about Stan's death on the news as he was writing to him.
The song was produced by The 45 King and samples the first couple of lines of "Thank You" by Dido as the chorus.
