22 years later and that ending still gives me goose bumps

Listening to this song is like watching a movie. He paints such a vivid picture. Top notch storytelling.

This song is so iconic that "to Stan" actually became synonymous with being an overly enthusiastic fan/stalker and is in the Merriam Webster dictionary as such.. I can see why people would request a psychotherapist to react to this! 😁

I'm not really an Eminem fan but this is one of the greatest songs ever written

What I've noticed with most of Eminem's music is he can really paint a picture with words. It really nails in the emotion his songs can convey.

It was so incredible to see someone who appreciates music hear that song for the first time. It's almost like experiencing it anew myself. Awesome guy

Watching a therapist react to Eminem on youtube....what a time to be alive!

Every time, the way he says, "Damn," I get the chills. Every time.

I saw an interview with Eminem somewhere where he said he was listening to the Dido song that is the hook and the lyrics about "staring at your picture in my wall" just made him think of an obsessive fan so he made the song as kind of a warning to people not to get too caught up in idolizing someone because you might not know the whole story and you could end up hurting yourself

I love how I listened to this song a thousand times. And on the thousand and one time I finally got the “I’m almost at the bridge now” part of the song. Not only is Stan is at the physical bridge. But Eminem is also close to the bridge of the song.

Such an amazing song. Eminem said in interviews that he came up with Stan as a response to all the attention from fans he was getting. Thankfully Stan isn't based on real events, but great storytelling.

He did an interview about this song and how he DOES get many letters like this because people really relate to his music. He said people don’t always understand that his music isn’t always meant to be taken literally. There are real “Stans” that send him stuff like the letters in this song. He wrote this as a message to the fans that if they are struggling, get help. He’s a busy guy and appreciates that his fans love him but he can’t fix them! The song came from a good place ❤️

The song sampled was called "Thank You" by Dido. She even appears on the music video as Stan's girlfriend.

Another awesome but dark song by Eminem is “Darkness.” Would be interested to see a reaction to that too

I've been listening to this song for 22 years (since I was 9 years old) I still get choked up when I hear it. This is (in my opinion) the single greatest piece of fictional but believable storytelling in music ever written. It's so deep

Eminem is a top tier lyricist and a story teller on top of it all.

Also, Stan is a song about a crazy obsessed fan... The song shows how he gradually falls into madness and loses it. I think it shows the harms of crazy obsessed fans.

My dad just turned 69 years old. He doesn't speak English very much, but he told me, that he reads Em's lyrics and study them. He told me that he's one of the greatest storytellers of all time. I been listening to his hit but never songs like those. Now I know why... I got tear to my eyes, man. This shit feels Shakesperian.

The way he sets a scene and tells a story in a song is genius. Even down to the thunder in the background and car splashing into the water it really sets a scene in your head. Even if your not an eminem fan you have to respect this style of music and very few in the world can match or better it!!!!

5:45 genuinely can't believe how perfectly Eminem captured the concept of parasocial relationships 15+ years before things like Twitch and vtubers came out. The fan feeling they have an intimate relationship with the star, when in reality the star is so caught up with everything that they barely know the person. Perfect Blue, a film by Satoshi Kon covers this idea in such a perfect rendition. Perfect Blue released in the late 1990's, but perfectly captures this idea. It's insane.

So basically the song tells the story of a person named Stanley "Stan" Mitchell (voiced by Eminem) who claims to be Eminem's biggest fan. He writes Eminem several letters; over three verses, he becomes more obsessive, and when there is no reply he becomes angrier. He finally creates a voice recording of himself while driving his car on the highway, having consumed large quantities of depressants and alcohol; this verse includes a call-back to Eminem's "My Name Is" with the lyrics "I drank a fifth of vodka, you dare me to drive?" He reveals that his pregnant girlfriend is tied up in the trunk as he approaches a bridge, and realizes just before driving off it that he has no way to send the tape to Eminem. The fourth verse features Eminem as himself, writing back to Stan and attempting to reason with him. He warns Stan that he should get help, telling him about a story he heard on the news about a man who had driven his car off a bridge in a drunken stupor, killing himself and his pregnant girlfriend. Eminem then comes to the realization that this man was actually Stan. So yeah this songs backstory is crazy!!

The genius it takes to put a song like this together and have you fully engaged the full time is crazy. Arguably the greatest lyricist of all time

oh wow! I just loved watching someone not necessarily into hip hop music, listen to and appreciate the art of storytelling. Watching you piece the story together and figure it out was a delight...and my tension and excitement, waiting for you to hear the last verse (the reply) was euphoric. Glad you enjoyed and got it. Worth watching the music video version to this too.

The ending always gives me goosebumps, what a masterpiece

Stan is a song from Eminem's most iconic album "The Marshall Mathers LP" . Years later he released "The Marshall Mathers LP 2" . In this album he has a song called "Bad Guy". It's a sequel to Stan. You should definitely check this out!

PhD student here majoring in psychology specializing in trauma and disaster relief, I enjoyed your reaction to this song. This song has to be one of the best storytelling songs ever written. New subscriber! Looking forward to watching more videos for your perspective. Great reaction!

This was Eminem in his peak prime. His "Napoleon at Austerlitz" prime. It was his masterpiece. The Marshall Mathers LP was his best work and this song along with "The Real Slim Shady" catapulted Eminem into legendary rap status.

I don't really like Eminem but this song is a masterpiece. Conceptually, execution, verbage, gradually elevated uneasiness. Brilliant

This song is a masterpiece. There’ve been dissertations written on it.

The letter being wrriten is from one of his fans. It's not actually real but he wrote this because he wanted his fans to know not everything he says in his songs is real and should be repeated. He also found it weird that fans were idolizing him so much at first.

This is still my favorite reaction video of all time. It’s so cool to watch the story unfold, watching someone experience every twist for the first time.

Eminem's Stan is an absolute masterpiece, I listen to ever music genre and music in every language, but boy, the way the story was told, anyone whether they enjoy rap or not would understand and make them feel in Stan's and Eminem's shoes. Just wonderful

Perfect reaction, I am truly grateful. I get so frustrated when people dismiss his genius. The greatest writer of all time

Juice WRLD actually has a song that references this song like driving off a bridge, the trunk, drunk driving, etc. Its called "Make Believe" and Juice has some wild lyrics on it as well, you should really check it out but of course when you have time. Just keep this song in mind when you react to it please :)

im so glad that you actually took the time and listened to something out of your genre...the way you analyzed it for the first time and the shock is what we all felt listening for the first time...i enjoyed this a lot...thank you for appreciating someone who many in your generation dont understand

Seeing this guy react, just watching his thoughts throughout the song is such a thrill Keep on going man!

its so pure to see him try to describe what a sample is.. a song within a song. as much as I've listened to it since its original release, I still come back to this video

The chorus with the woman singing is a song called "Thank You" by Dido. Em said in an interview back in the day that he heard the song and loved it and just HAD to make a song using it. This was the result.

It is really hard to understate the self-awareness Em shows, here. He is simultaneously recognizing that people will use him as an example or as an idol, while professing that he doesn't want that. It is simultaneously taking responsibility and demonstrating how he can't realistically be responsible for what his fans do. It is brilliant writing to craft that message into such a distinct narrative.

This song just makes me shiver. Absolutely genius

You're such a good reactor man. You didnt know any of the context and understood the whole song. Most reactors just ask for the answers in the comments lmao. And you were right this is older em

Eminem had two very, very dark songs that are referenced in this song. The first one was "Kim" (his wife's name), wherein he tells a fictional story of him catching his wife cheating, going crazy, & killing both of them (slitting her throat in horrific audio detail). The follow-up "Bonnie & Clyde" is him talking to his young daughter while driving with the bodies in the trunk to dispose of them off of a bridge... he uses baby talk that is understood by the listener - the chorus is "just the two of us" & he refers to he & his daughter as "97 Bonnie & Clyde". That is the significance of Stan telling him that he's going to name his daughter "Bonnie", as well as him describing his girlfriend in the trunk as being similar to Slim Shady. Crazy stuff!

I'm late to this one, but one aspect of this song that makes it so amazing is the little details of the pencil scratching, and the windshield wipers on the car when he's recording the voice memo and driving; It just adds that extra bit of immersion

Just caught this vid. There is so much to unpack in this song. It is this style of realism and the way he puts words together that is a primary reason that Eminem was such a draw to so many, even those whom aren't hip hop fans. On one hand, there is the outlining of the extreme ends of what fans can be to famous people. The obsession and, as you note, the one way connection that can be unhealthy. Em is highlighting how he understands his music effects people. In the line "I just drank a fifth of vodka, dare me to drive?" it is a direct reference to one of his older songs. The cutting and the beating, all an acknowledgement of his understanding of how his music impacts people, or could. At the same time, with his final verse, not only is he being real he is also putting some perspective to how difficult it can be from the performers end. So many people that are fans and are struggling through the same issues that plagued Em back before he was famous growing up poor in a dysfunctional, abusive household. All of this is wrapped up in a neat package of rhyme and timing, encased in a well known (at the time) song from Dido called "Thank you", which in itself is an additional layer to his message. The Dido song is about sinking in depression with the only ray of positivity being one person in their life, which is a thematic play on how Stan feels about Em in the song initially before he digresses into obsessive insanity. This song is so real, so vivid. Eminem may have some raunchy meaningless songs out there, but you cannot deny that he does occasionally display an intelligence and understanding about life not found in most other hip hop artists.

Eminem is an extremely talented lyricist! This song is where people got the word stan from when they refer to themselves or others as being “stans”of a certain artist or celebrity. The impact of this song is so real and it really hits you as well

I’ve heard this song a million times but watching you react to the twist at the end gave me chills 😂 another good song to react to would be ‘If I Had’

This is art. One of my favorite songs of all time no matter who you are you can identify with something here and it feels like you watched a movie by the end. Eminem’s speed is impressive but his lyrics are what make him special to me. Great video awesome to see someone get to experience this for the first time I am jealous!!

Eminem’s older stuff is genius. He was the modern day Shakespeare with his use of the English language. People actually use Stan as a word now to describe exactly what this song was about. Switching topics, what does one do when you when you tell your doctors about your mental issues and they continually just write scripts that do exactly shit to treat you? I mean that’s where I’m at. I’m worse now than when I started talking about my problems 3 years ago and they don’t seem to give a shit. How do I get help when I’ve asked and not gotten it. I feel like an idiot for pouring out my heart to someone and them basically saying “try this, it might work.” Like 10 different meds ago. Sometimes I feel like it might be better to say fuck it and just figure it out myself.

this song was the reason i was a HUGE fan of em. im glad you listened to the music that makes his fans love him and broke it down to understand and not the songs that are booty popping playing in clubs. Alot of the older generations think thats all these rappers do in song when in reality their music can be moving and raw like this, which speaks to a lot of younger generations. you are very much getting a follow from me after watching thiis.

"Beautiful" by Eminem would be a great one to react to....from his 2009 album "Relapse". I believe he wrote it in 2008 while in rehab. Eminem overdosed in 2007 and if he had gotten to the hospital 2 hours later he would have died. His liver and kidneys were shutting down, he was on dialysis and he had to re-learn how to write and actually re-learn his motor functions.

Em just connected with so many of us kids in the 90's. We lived a life that he wrote about and we felt like we were being noticed when he go big. This song is a masterpiece and why they call some fans "Stans"... This song brings back so much emotion for me.

You should watch the music video for this song. It puts into context why "Slim" never received Stans letters and why it took so long

Eminem said something to the effect of at this time he was grasping the concept of being famous, and he didn’t really understand the passion some people had about him. So in processing that, he took it to the furthest extreme, and created this character as a hypothetical. In doing it, he also got to speak on how his, especially at the time, extremely dark content wasn’t serious.

In my opinion, It could be better if you reacted to the musical video with lyrics: it's very well done and through it you can even see better how Stan is internally depressed, he really wants to find himself in Eminem.

This song still gives me goosebumps every time I hear it has a lot of meaning

Watching you react and really understand the message gave me goosebumps vicariously hearing this for the first time. Great job with the open minded reaction

Its Dido. She didn't just let him sample it, I think she guest-ed on the track, too. Both are killer songs. Way to cover something that really speaks to the last 20 years of music and sнiт mental health standards and accessibility. Nice job.

This was one of the songs that showed off his talent as an art. Good writers and good movies show a person something rather than tell them and EM showed us with words rather than tell us Some people are crazy

Thanks for actually doing a proper reaction video. Usually when I see reaction videos I think "oh here we go again, another person uploading a vid of themselves making a face every 30 seconds and not actually adding to the original content that they're reacting to", but nope you actually added something and I enjoyed seeing you react to each verse as the story gets told.

This song still gives me literal chills

"When I'm gone" and "Beautiful" by Eminem both great songs

Naturally, you have to go listen to Bad Guy now. It's a sequel to Stan. Lyricism and storytelling at its finest. Love the reactions!!

The rain at the start really sets the tone. These little details really make me love Em

Such and emotional rollercoaster! This song is written very well and is more understood if you watch the music video. As most of Eminem's videos... His videos explain the music more than the words do alone.

I love how you can actually SEE the light bulb click when he realized the ending😂😂

Love how well you managed to analyze and dissect the song! If you have some free time highly recommend watching the uncensored music video of this song, it's like putting two pieces of a puzzle together. Keep it up!

I just love everything about this. I'm so glad I found you

Seeing your reaction to something I grew up with made me smile the whole time.

If you liked this then i would recommend Immortal Technique - Dance with the Devil. It is the only song that has really hit me hard besides Stan. The song is a little horrific but i think you would really like it.

this song is still his best work, telling a story this way. ive been listening to him my whole life and this song still gives me goosebumps.

Listening to this song again after going through a lot of similar stuff in my life makes me appreciate this song more. When you haven't gone down that dark place to you this is a song. To me, this was my life. Not just counseling he needs to be under 5150!

This is my first time on this channel. I LOVE THIS GUY ALREADY! Instantly subbed. 🙏

i love the way how you tell us your thought process while listening to the song. Its amazing to see how you understand the idea behind the song more and more. keep up the great work!

Great Video ! I love when people hear Em and realize how talented he is . I think a lot of people mainly the newer generations don’t actually realize how much of a genius he is and how he shifts words to go with the flow and the beats 🔥 a lot of the lyrics go over peoples heads. His story is real and raw and honestly a motivation to keep pushing . He’s sush a talented artist and an amazing father 👏

Found your channel this morning thank you for doing eminem reactions I'm hooked

IDK why but I got goosebumps when you started into the camera at times, in surprise. Loved the vid

You grasped the context of the song from a few bars, your intuition is very impressive. Am also fond of the fact that you seem to genuinely empathize with the artist's perspective/ emotions. That is awesome. No brainer sub

Your reactions are priceless. This is like my hip dad listening to Em. You were right in the thick of it too with perfect reactions on every point Eminem wants you to react. Exactly how I felt! Thumbs up, hope to see more reactions!

Bro this video is one big vibe, man your voice is calming. Keep it up! 💯

I love that this song got to Number 1 in the charts back when it originally came out 😊

It's good you heard this song when you did. This is where the pop culture term "Stan" came from. Basically meaning someone just like the character from the song. Im sure you'll hear it referenced in many different songs today.

I just found your channel and I love how genuine you are, thank you for your content!

Cool. Immediately within 3 minutes you have my sub. Headphones. Genuine remarks on the music. And most importantly, you rewind after you pause. Thank you for that. Looking forward to the rest of the video and future videos! Oh, and when you said "A song within a song". I believe they call it a "sample". I also forget what the sample is, but I'm sure you've figured that out by now.

Eminem is truly a wordsmith! He's a dictionary on legs! Also I'm a new subscriber to this channel and I love your reactions and breaking down of the lyrics that you give! Thanks so much for your quality content and for being so respectful and open-minded even to music and lyrics that can be quite jarring🙏🙌💜🌠

Dido - Thank You, it's the song you heard before! And it's awesome

Thank you for making this Channel. I want more of you, wish my therapist was more like you. You feel relatable vs just going by the books like most do.

One of my favorite songs by Eminem, an absolute classic. Your reaction was the same reaction I had when I first listened to it years ago! It was like I was reliving that moment again. New Sub!

I love watching people listen to Eminem songs for the first time. I first heard this when I was way too young to be listening to Eminem, but I will never forget how profound it was the first time I heard MMLP, SSLP, and The Eminem Show. It's cool to kind of be able to relive that.

Just found your channel and am really enjoying it. This was an awesome reaction. Fun Fact: "Stan" is actually a word in the Webster's Dictionary because of this song. It means "an extremely or excessively enthusiastic and devoted fan."

I think it's amazing how you got so much of the story just by listening to the lyrics. In my opinion, the song makes a lot more sense when you're watching the music video. Unfortunately those versions are censored, which take away a lot from the song itself.

What a genuine guy, first video of yours I have seen, earned a sub. Keep it up video and attitude. Are great!

one of the best song reactions i've seen. props to the recommender!

I think that the algorithm put you in my direction, Eminem is very lyrical in-depth line fur-lined genius probably my top three ever that’s ever brought music. And when you understand as a psychotherapist this particular song just shows how he Kens story play and portrayed multiple persons it’s awesome!

Also, you guys really gotta start checking out the music videos! It paints a much better picture and I feel that he would be able to elaborate more if he got the image. Still awesome vid guys keep it up!

The music video is 100% needed with this song. So much more involved

Man how much I wish you did this reaction while also watching this video. It’s even crazier than just hearing just the lyrics

You are my new favourite channel on youtube, it gives me chills hearing your perspective and your takes on lyrics and artists with little knowledge of their career and lives. Keep doing what you're doing I cant stop watching your videos and am learning a lot from what you have to say in them. Thank you (PS. Would love to watch your reaction to Mac Miller - Yeah! )

I love this guy. Rarely I would subscribe to a channel after watching just one video, but I loved his reaction to Eminem and I want to see more. PLEASE DO MORE EMINEM!!!

Stan is one of the most iconic songs of all time and I remember the first time I heard it on the radio in 2000. It captivated me so much I had to explore his discography and soon addicted to his music because of his self-reflection, insights and traumas he shares. I've been a fan of his for 24 years and find there's nobody who can lyrically paint a picture like Eminem! It was fun watching you experience it for the first ❤️ You should try Cleaning Out My Closet!!!

This is bringing back so many memories of my first listen, thanks man!