When people flocked to go and see "Macklemore," I declined a request to interview him for a good reason. Like any modern singer who suddenly seems to spring up rather unannounced, something had to give. After a careful inspection of Thriftshop, Same Love and a few others, some common themes stood out.
To begin with, his song "Same Love" is full of basic errors. Whilst the jury is out on homosexual marriage (an issue I will not be dragged into), people certainly have the ability to change. Saying "I can't change, even if I try" is rather odd. Does this apply to all aspects of life or just our sexuality? How does he know that? Many people have been able to change their hostile attitudes towards homosexuals after befriending some (as I have in recent years). "Even if I wanted to." Again, is it orientation specific or is nobody ever able to change anything about their lives. If he is adopting this "I can't change because I can't" then an elementary error in observation is there. People who accuse me of cherry picking from his lyrics are right; "Same Love's" main message is Haggerty's opinion but the hook's start is simply not true philosophically, morally or empirically. Of course people can change. Mr Haggerty wrote "Same love." Regardless of who is singing the chorus, the message of not being able to change an attitude towards a position is supported by him. Of course, some will say "you've misinterpreted his message. He just means sexuality." Perhaps. To make it clear such was the case, why couldn't he have included at the end of his verses instead of independently as a chorus? This closed mindedness transitions into his other works.
Mr Haggerty has said in interviews the track "Thriftshop" focuses on buying as many cheap clothes as possible, whilst putting some money away. For a hip hop artist, this goes against the grain. Nonetheless, this song finds a spot in my list of top 10 most loathsome songs. Partnered by some jibber jabber from Wanz , Haggerty presents a destructive message about how amazing cheap materialism is. He has failed to see that materialism and cheap shopping cannot be given credit for happiness. Francis Scott Fitzgerald single handedly destroyed the myth of materialism in his powerful novel "The Great Gatsby." Yet here is a rather hysterical singer promoting temporary happiness through buying cheap rubbish.Credit can be given to the song for being stupid, deceptive, poisonous and ghastly, just like the lyrics. For anyone willing to actually listen to the hidden swearing, Haggerty uses the word "bitch" twice, "shit" four times and "fuck" seven times. Several other rude words are also in there.
From his other well known other songs "Wing$," "The Town" and "The Heist" something seemed off. I just couldn't bring myself to liking the songs. Nor was I able to relate to his constant messages about how one specific thing defines him. Saying something so focused puts people in a dangerous situation, where, if their passion for that area crumbles, they feel as if their worth is diminished greatly. Nobody should ever believe this to be true.
Perhaps "Macklemore" could answer me this question. Does he want his younger fans to go about swearing like he does? And is music the only thing which truly defines who he is as a person? I'll readily listen to his songs which address to these two questions.
4 comments:
I think you dug really quite too deep in thinking on macklemores music tbh haha!
Sophie King writes "I think you dug really quite too deep." No, that's not true. The critique of "Same Love's" chorus speaks for itself. It asserts something which is not true, namely not being able to change something about yourself "even if you wanted to."
For Thriftshop, the bad language and emphasis of cheap materialism being rewarding is also a myth. Plus the bad language doesn't do the song any favors either.
I think you are over analysing the meaning of the song. The song is directed at equality between homosexual and straight couples because of the upbringing Macklemore had. He saw first-hand inequalites and persecution that gay couples experience. The song is about accepting people for who they are as simple as that.
In regards to swearing, well music is expression of self and it is an art form where at certain times vulgar language may be required to express what has been dormant in the artists soul.
Anonymous returns. They write "the song (presumably Same Love, as no mention is made) is about accepting people for who they are as simple as that." Not only do they fail to address my contention the chorus is misleading. Rather, it's supposedly just "over analyzing the meaning of the song," which was not done. Only half of the chorus was analysed.
Anonymous continues "In regards to swearing, well music is expression of self." So is this a justification for using bad language? No. Just like an alcoholic cannot say drinking a lot is part of his self expression. If anything, it shows Macklemore not only lacks a decent vocabulary, he also wants to set a bad example for his younger fans. Anonymous seems to forget swearing is often used as a sign of disrespect, not of self expression.
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