Music Review: Macklemore & Mary Lambert "Same Love"

Macklemore & Mary Lambert

Same Love

Album: The Heist

Year: 2012

       Macklemore stands up for gay rights in the articulate “Same Love.”

         A somber piano opens the single, setting a spiritual tone. At about 9 years old, he was worried he was gay and aware of the stereotypes: he was into art, a neat freak and thought he inherited it from his uncle. He thought he had to do the right thing and come out to her. However, his mom reminded him of how much he talked to the girl who sat him last year in school, following her around during recess and lunch. After having the discussion with his mom, he realized was wrong, basing it on what he heard from other people and what he had seen on television. The Republican Party, in its current incarncation, has made its agenda to  perpetuate the stereotypes and spread the hate into its local districts by enacting laws limiting the rights of gay people.

     One of the several fallacies used is that it’s a choice. Enter  “pray away the gay” into Google and it leads to multiple articles regarding former 2012 presidential hopeful for the Republican Party, Michele Bachmann.and her company, Bachmann and Associates. As reported by CNN.com on July 12. 2011, her husband Marcus Bachmann, has a therapy program meant to cure homosexuality. Marcus Bachmann was quoted saying to the radio program “Point of View” in 2010: “We have to understand barbarians need to be educated. They need to be disciplined and just because someone feels it or thinks it doesn’t mean we’re supposed to go down that road.” As Macklemore points out, Bachmann and her ilk are misinterpreting the Bible to justify their prejudice. Somehow, they believe they are doing God’s work. However, again, Mackelmore says, God would welcome the gay people with open arms. (“When I was in the third grade I thought that I was gay/’Cause I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight/I told my mom tears rushing down my face/She’s like “Ben you've loved girls since before pre-k tripping,”/Yeah, I guess she had a point, didn’t she?/Bunch of stereotypes all in my head/I remember doing the math like, “Yeah, I’m good at little league”/A preconceived idea of what it all meant/For those that liked the same sex/Had the characteristics/The right wing conservatives think it’s a decision/And you can be cured with some treatment and religion/Man made rewiring of a predisposition/Playing God, aw nah here we go/America the brave still fears what we don’t know/And god loves all his children, is somehow forgotten/But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago/I don’t know.”)

             In the chorus, Mary Lambert, speaking from the point of a gay person, says she was born gay. Despite dating some boys in high school. she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the pretty blonde cheerleader in her third hour Biology class. She wanted so badly to like making out with her boyfriend and feel the butterflies in her stomach whenever she saw him. She couldn’t force the feeling. It’s through the acceptance and support of her friends and family t that gives her the strength to get past the taunts.  (“And I can’t change/Even if I tried/Even if I wanted to/I can't change/Even if I try/Even if I wanted to/My love/My love/My love/She keeps me warm/She keeps me warm/She keeps me warm/She keeps me warm.”)

         He notes rap has a history of being homophobic. According to an Advocate July 18, 2012 article, slurs can be heard in Grandmaster Flash’s 1982 hit “The Message” to Kanye West in 2009, coining the phrase “no homo” in Jay-Z’s “Run This Town.”

         People say “it’s gay,” not realizing how offensive the statement really is. What they are actually saying that gay means dumb or beneath the person. Homophobia can found all over the Internet: social media, news articles, blogs, etc. Gay people today are facing the same issues African-Americans did in the 60s, which led to the the Civil Rights movement. He remembers sitting in church, listening to the priests’ sermon. The priest told his congregation to respect those who are different and not to turn away from them. The other preists who are preaching prejudice to their members are not true followers. (“If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me/Have you read the YouTube comments lately/"Man, that’s gay" gets dropped on the daily/We become so numb to what we’re saying/A culture founded from oppression/Yet we don’t have acceptance for ‘em/Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board/A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it/Gay is synonymous with the lesser/It’s the same hate that’s caused wars from religion/Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment/The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins/It’s human rights for everybody, there is no difference!
Live on and be yourself/When I was at church they taught me something else/If you preach hate at the service those words aren’t anointed/That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned/When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless/Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen/I might not be the same, but that’s not important/No freedom till we’re equal, damn right I support it.”)

              The chorus is sung again.

             The Defense of Marriage Act needs to be repealed. Without taking action, people are letting a minority opinion dominate the legal system. In the meantime, there are gay couples who have been together for decades but who cannot add “married” to their status, gay and lesbian teenagers in school are being harassed, causing them to believe they are worthless and commit sucide. Repealing DOMA won’t stop the prejudice completely. However, it’s the step in the right direction. Society has to change its attitude before any real progress can happen. (“ We press play, don’t press pause/Progress, march on/With the veil over our eyes/We turn our back on the cause/Till the day that my uncles can be united by law/When kids are walking ‘round the hallway plagued by pain in their heart/A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are/And a certificate on paper isn’t gonna solve it all/But it’s a damn good place to start/No law is 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.”)

             In the final chorus, the 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a Bible verse is added as Mackelmore says he believes religion and gay rights can meet in the middle. (“And I../Love is patient/Love is kind/Love is patient/Love is kind (I‘m not crying on Sundays)/Love is patient/(I‘m not crying on Sundays)/Love is kind/(I‘m not crying on Sundays)/Love is patient (I‘m not crying on Sundays)/Love is kind (I‘m not crying on Sundays)/Love is patient (I‘m not crying on Sundays)/Love is kind (I‘m not crying on Sundays)/Love is patient/Love is kind.”

            Mackelmore’s conversational rap is confessional, relaying his personal experiences and thoughts in a  passionate spoken piece. For every argument against equaliy for gay people, he provides a logical, well-thought answer. While he doesn’t go into specifics, he gives enough information to support what he is saying. Insert the phrase in Google and an article from a reputable source can be found. He calls out the Tea Party and his own genre, which is bold. It’s highly relevant, given the Supreme Court’s recent decision on DOMA.

          Lambert’s wanting, disheartened vocals are understanding, as she puts herself in the place of a gay person, expressing their need to be heard. 

           The thorough “Same Love” is a well-researched social commentary song that is guaranteed to piss some people off and provoke discussion in others.