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Song Stories

“Stan”

Eminem | 2000

One of Eminem’s best-known songs and biggest hits, “Stan” details a fan’s descent into dangerous obsession through his letters to his rapper hero. Eminem once explained the title character to Rolling Stone: “He’s crazy for real, and he thnks I’m crazy, but I try to help him at the end of the song. It kinda shows the real side of me.” The song features a prominent sample of Dido’s “Thank You,” which was a concurrent hit. Facing charges of homophobia, Eminem performed “Stan” at the 2001 Grammy Awards with the openly gay Elton John singing the chorus.

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“Unbelieveable”
EMF | 1991
Song Stories Main Next
“Tears in Heaven”
Eric Clapton | 1991

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Song Stories

“Too Close”

Next | 1998

Next was formed in Minneapolis when the uncle of Terry "T-Low" and Raphael "Tweety" Brown, who was a gospel choir director, introduced the brothers to Robert Lavelle "R.L." Huggar. Sounds of Blackness singer Ann Nesby groomed the R&B group before handing them over to Naughty by Nature's KayGee, who wrote and produced "Too Close." The idea for the song was sparked "from a conversation we had with several girls at a nightclub," explained T-Low. "It's talking about the club scene, with guys getting out of hand and the female telling him to back up, asking, 'What are you doing?'" 

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