Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up; the Origin of “Stan”
I’ll admit it, I’m a huge fan of Eminem. I always have been. Am I a fan of the rap genre in general? Not really. I have a few go to songs and artists, but for the most part, it’s not a genre that cycles much on my playlist. But Eminem, yes, always. His new album, “Revival” gives me chills, especially the track “In Your Head”, featuring sampling from The Cranberries song, “Zombie”. You can’t mix two of my favorite artists and not expect me to cry, which I did. Especially considering that the first time I experienced the song was right after the death of Delores O’Riordan.
But I digress. Lately, I have read a number of articles on myriad subjects where the term “stan” has been used. I’ll go ahead and state, I truly had no idea what in the hell they were talking about. Maybe I’m out of the loop. It just so happened that my 18 year old son, soon after the last article I read, mentioned the use of “stan” in some tweets he was following. I asked, “What in the hell does that mean?” Of course, I got the standard 18 year old sigh and look of “Oh my god, you’re soooo old”, as he slowly explained to me, like a five year old; “Mom, like, the Eminem song, I thought you listened to him.”
Well gee son, I was listening to him before you knew what good music was (and that’s still subjective at times with your J-pop filled playlist ha!) but thanks for the explanation, darling.
It never would have occurred to me that was the “stan” being referred to, but of course, it makes sense.
A song that is 17 years old, turning 18 this year is still quite relevant in today’s society. Though, according to Merriam-Webster, the song is ostensibly the origin of the word, the fact that stan can be read as a portmanteau of stalker and fan is not a coincidence.
There are so many words being added to our lexicon and of them all, as a writer, I can’t really complain about this one. There surely have been some in recent years that make me want to scream, and that I refuse to acknowledge, I don’t care how many dictionaries in which they are featured. Our language, and how we present ourselves when we speak is important. So, if an obsessed fan is now a “stan”, I believe I can live with that.
