There are many mediums in which we can express political opinion, whether it be marches, boycotts, the possibilities are endless. In every single case, each advocate expresses their motives through the medium that is most accessible way that will have the highest chance of making their voice heard. Politics in music has been the most literal way for a lot of composers and performing artists to get their views and beliefs across. With substantial followings and the eloquent skills in presentation often times these artists have been able to successful spread their message to millions of people across the globe. Composers throughout history have written grandiose works to express political thought, Dimitri Shostakovich was one of the most notable composers of them. To this day we have mainstream artists utilzing their music to deliver powerful messages, and in this blog I will discussing Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ hit song, “Same Love”, and his message of support to the gay community.
“Same Love” is an incredibly powerful song with extremely substantial lyrics. The song starts with sustained string chords and a simple piano progression, and Macklemore opens with a simple rap-monologue that contemplating what it means to be gay, and digs into the common misconceptions about homosexuality. Although Macklemore (Ben Haggerty) is straight, he felt pressure that he must’ve been gay since he was artistic, tidy, and that his uncle was. He doesn’t hold back any punches and calls out right-wing conservatives as well as the conservative christian community in his lyrics “The right-wing conservatives think it’s a decision” and “America the brave Still fears what we don’t know, and God loves all his children it’s somehow forgotten, but we paraphrase a book written 3,500 years ago”. He criticizes the people who refuse to open their minds, and who are still stuck in traditions while using specific religious interpretations to suit their needs. The chorus is especially chilling when Mary Lambert’s erie voice enters singing, “And I can’t change, even if I tried, even if I wanted to”. The lyrics lets us know that being homosexual is a natural part of someone’s identity, and it’s not just a lifestyle people choose. Macklemore’s second verse attacks the negative connotation that has unfortunately developed around the word “gay”. I’ve seen it in the world around me when you hear someone exclaim “that’s gay!” when describing something they think is dumb or disagree with. None of the other definitions of the word offer anything remotely close to being contextually correct with that statement. It is purely disrespectful and shaming of homosexuality, and it is saddening to hear it being used in modern dialogues. Macklemore states, “Our culture [was] founded on oppression”, which is scarily accurate. It started with the Native Americans, continued through the use of slavery and segregation of Non-Whites, and continues today with people of different orientations. Reading the article on Dennis Prager just shows that this hateful ideology is still alive today. He claims that same-sex marriage is detrimental to classical music and Western Culture. He also believes that “Heterosexual AIDS has been entirely manufactured by the Left”, and you can read all about this radical claim here. Of course I disagree with this claim, and I’m sure Georg Friedrich Handel, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Benjamin Britten, Leonard Bernstein… the list goes on and on. All the composers above have had a significant impact on the advancement of Western Culture, and have created some of the best musical works audiences have ever enjoyed. Dennis Prager is the definitive example of the type of hateful person Macklemore describes in his song. Macklemore’s lyrics open a curtain to the harsh reality of the depressing thoughts of the community and the hateful resistance that has been around since civilization began, his song prays for peace and urges people to hope and work for a better tomorrow.
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis masterfully created a piece of art that would make it to phones and music players to millions of people internationally. With 182,087,438 views on their YouTube music video, the song went insanely viral. The duo serve as modern day political activists by operating in the medium that gets their message the most attention and traction. The song supports the gay community and helps raise awareness to take down pre-existing oppressive power. Whether you believe politics should or shouldn’t be in music, there is no denying that it has found a place in it, and has been some of the most effective way to spread love and significant messages to millions of people.
Also it is fun to note that at the Grammy Award Ceremony, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis performed “Same Love” (Even though the song lost Song of the Year to Lorde’s “Royals”, they still won best rap album and “Thrift Shop” won for best rap performance and rap song) with Mary Lambert, Trombone Shorty, Queen Latifah, and Madonna. At the end of the last verse, Latifah presided over a wedding ceremony where 33 audience members both gay and straight exchanged rings, where at the conclusion of “Same Love”, Madonna makes her appearance singing “Open Your Heart” over the same groove of “Same Love”. (http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=28073)
Nice job Jarod. This is an excellent example of how a social/political issue can be responded to through music. Your blogpost is full of powerful statements and utilizes a contemporary issue and popular song. I will say that there are various grammatical errors throughout your post and that your second paragraph is quite long and could probably have been split into two paragraphs. I appreciate your use of the Denis Prager article. I would say that Denis Prager conducting the Santa Monica Symphony can be interpreted as a political statement to suppress the acceptance that Macklemore calls for in “Same Love”.
From a creator`s perspective, making music is an expression of a person`s ideas and emotions. Composing/improvising/performing music is affected by the artist`s worldview and political beliefs. From this perspective, all music can be seen as a social or political statement. As listeners, we become part of a conversation. Hearing the artists` music, we react to our interpretations of what we hear, and respond by either listening to more, or changing the radio station. When we listen to “Same Love” we become part of the conversation simply by listening to one person`s opinion. As we listen, we can choose to react in various ways, based on our personal beliefs, and we form an opinion as a response.