Released in 2012, the song Same Love by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis became “the first song to explicitly embrace and promote gay marriage that has made it into the Top 40″(1). Not only does it advocate for same-sex marriage, the entire song is dedicated to arguing for marriage equality. One of the most powerful lyrics in this song, in my opinion, is: “No law’s gonna change us, we have to change us; Whatever god you believe in, we come from the same one; Strip away the fear, underneath it’s all the same love; About time that we raised up! (2)” This passage of the song serves as a call to action, telling people that in order to change the perception of marriage equality in America, we have to stand up for what we believe in and take some of the responsibility into our own hands. “Same Love” was so well received, in fact, that it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Song, and was televised on multiple occasions (one of them alongside Madonna) (3).
(4) In the music video for “Same Love”, it begins with a scene of a mother giving birth to a child, who is later revealed to be gay. By beginning the story of the fictional gay man in the video at this birth, it solidifies and symbolizes the fact that people are born with a certain sexual orientation: it is not a choice that can be made or unmade by practicing a certain religion or undergoing the right amount of ‘therapy’. This truth is reiterated in the chorus of the song, during which Mary Lambert, who happens to be a lesbian herself, sings about not being able to change who she loves, even if she attempted or desired to do so (3). As the video continues, the man grows up and finds a partner, who he is eventually able to marry despite the disapproval of some of their friends and family members. While the lyrics of this song are already explicitly about the topic of marriage equality and LGBTQIA+ pride, the video helps to create a specific storyline that allows the viewers to put some sort of face to the people in the community being spoken about and supported in the song.
(1) Jr., James C. McKinley. “Stars Align for a Gay Marriage Anthem.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/arts/music/stars-align-for-a-gay-marriage-anthem.html.
(2) Haggerty, Ben, and Ryan Lewis. “Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (Ft. Mary Lambert) – Same Love.” Genius, Genius Media Group Inc., 18 July 2012, genius.com/Macklemore-and-ryan-lewis-same-love-lyrics.
(3) Own. “Mary Lambert Says She Was Literally ‘The Last Resort’ For Singing On Macklemore’s ‘Same Love’.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 1 July 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mary-lambert-macklemore-same-love_us_577560cfe4b04164640edbd2.
(4) LLC, Macklemore, director. Same Love. YouTube, YouTube, 2 Oct. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0.