Blog 5 Initial ideas

OUR song choices for final MV

Stan - Eminem 

Lemon tree - Fools Garden

Ashes to Ashes - David Bowie 

Stan

Stan" is a song by American rapper Eminem, with vocals sampled from the opening lines of British singer Dido's song "Thank You". It was released in 2000, as the third single from Eminem's third album, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

Story Line:

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 two verses, he is shown to be obsessive over the rapper, and grows increasingly frustrated and angry when there is no reply.

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?", as well as a reference to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" ("about that guy who coulda saved that other guy from drownin', but didn't..."; he refers to the song as "In the Air of the Night"). He reveals that his pregnant girlfriend is tied up in the trunk as he approaches a bridge, realizing in a panic that he has no way to send the tape to Eminem, but it is too late. The verse ends at the sound of his car swerving off the bridge and hitting the water below.

The fourth verse features Eminem as himself, writing back to Stan and attempting to reason with him. Eminem tries to explain to Stan that while he does appreciate having him as a fan and is incredibly grateful, he worries that Stan might not always be taking the lyrics of his songs in the right way. In an example of dramatic irony, Eminem also urges Stan to receive help for his mental health issues and to treat his girlfriend better, lest he end up like a man he had just seen on the news who had driven his car off a bridge in a drunken stupor, killing himself and his pregnant girlfriend. Eminem then realizes halfway through writing his letter that the man he saw on the news was in fact Stan.

Representation:

Using of props - photographs, letters that saturate and fill the composition. Like our team did in last year's project - INTO THE LOUIS VERSE

Clear narrative with performance

Intimate close ups to show power and raps.

Lemon tree

"Lemon Tree" is a song by German band Fool's Garden from their third album, Dish of the Day (1995).

The inspiration behind Lemon Tree came from the band’s lead vocalist, Peter Freudenthaler. He has mentioned in interviews that the song was influenced by his personal experiences of feeling trapped in a monotonous lifestyle and yearning for change.

While Lemon Tree does draw inspiration from personal experiences, it is not based on a specific true story. Rather, it carries a universal message that resonates with many individuals who feel stuck in their circumstances.

Ashes to Ashes

Ashes to Ashes" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie from his 14th studio album, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980). Co-produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti, it was recorded from February to April 1980 in New York and London and features guitar synthesiser played by Chuck Hammer. An art rock, art pop and new wave song led by a flanged piano riff. With a funk rhythm, a guitar synth-led sound and complex vocal layering.

Melancholic and introspective, the song's lyrics act as a sequel to "Space Oddity", which ends with Major Tom alone floating out in space. Eleven years after liftoff, Ground Control receives a message from Major Tom, who has succumbed to drug addiction and increased paranoia following his abandonment to space: "Strung out in heaven's high / hitting an all-time low." Ground Control are not keen on the astronaut's reappearance – "Oh no, don't say it's true" – and pretend that he is fine, in Doggett's words mimicking "government agencies everywhere". The astronaut reflects on his life and hopes for the future and wishes he could break free from his "caged psyche". His pleas are disregarded by the public, leading him to proclaim that he has "never done good things", has "never done bad things" and "never did anything out of the blue". The song ends with the nursery rhyme lines "My mother said / to get things done / you'd better not mess with Major Tom".

Reviewers have interpreted "Ashes to Ashes" as commentary on Bowie's own personal struggles with drug addiction throughout the 1970s. Several said the song represents Bowie's reflection and acknowledgement of the past, at the same time offering hopes for the future. Bowie himself said the Scary Monsters album was an attempt to "accommodate" his "pasts", as "you have to understand why you went through them".

Main representation:

• Abstract and symbolic figures and makeups

• Bizzare plots with hyper real setting

• Dark humor and struggle

• Art filters with graphic post production