Same Love by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Social Ill Being Addressed:
Fight for gay and lesbian rights & same-sex marriage

Date Song Was Produced:
February 2012

Location Song Was Produced:
Los Angeles, California

Sample of Lyrics:
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've become so numb to what we're sayin'

Our culture founded from oppression

Yeah, we don't have acceptance for 'em

Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board

A word routed 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 lead 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 in church, they taught me something else

If you preach hate at the service Those words aren't anointed

And that Holy Water, that you soak in is then 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 'til we're equal

Damn right I support it

Relevance:
"If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me."

The LGBTQ community has historically been seen negatively within the hip-hop culture. Music artists regularly emasculate gay people by referring to them as “faggots” or saying things like “no homo” in their songs. People refer to things they do not like as “gay”, consequently, the term “gay” has developed a negative connotation overtime and is seen as bad. In this lyric, Macklemore points out the current homophobic attitudes within hip-hop culture.

"Have you read the Youtube comments lately. "Man that's gay" Gets dropped on the daily."

Unfortunately, if something or someone is refereed to as “gay”, it usually has a negative connotation to it. Comments like the one in the lyric routinely pop up on youtube and other social media platforms, and are meant as insults. Macklemore highlights that they comments are overused and are not acceptable.

"We've become so numb to what we're sayin' "

People often say things without thinking of the consequences, especially online on social media. Because we are not having face-to-face interaction with others on social media we have become desensitized to the things we say. It becomes easier to throw hate-comments at people because we are behind the safety of out screens. Social media also allows you to comment things anonymously; sadly, this is a catalyst for any already existing hate or negativity. Derogatory terms are commonly used to describe gay people, and we’ve wrongly acclimated to them. Macklemore highlights that we should all be more aware and cognizant of what we say to people, both on and offline. He points out that we should’t use homophonic slurs anymore because they have serious consequences.

"Our culture founded from oppression. Yeah, we don't have acceptance for 'em."

Hip-hop first originated in African-American communities as a response to oppression in society from whites. However, homophobic sentiments are very prevalent within the hip-hop community. Macklemore highlights the hypocrisy of this situation: hip-hop culture should not oppress and shame the gay community. He compares the struggles that black people have faced to the ongoing struggles experienced by the LGBTQ community.

Event:
Macklemore addressing gay rights activism in America.

Contemporary connections:
Although the song “Same Love” was written less than a decade ago, there has already been some progress regarding gay acceptance in the hip-hop community. Being homophobic is no longer seen as “cool” or acceptable like it was 20 years ago. Rapper, Lil Nas X, skyrocketed to fam after releasing his hit single “Old Town Road” in 2019. He made history at the Grammy’s as being the first openly gay rapper nominated in top categories.

Significance in History:
The song was used as the unofficial anthem for supporters of the legalization of same-sex marriage, specifically in association with the Washington Referendum 74, a referendum by the state of Washington to either accept or reject the bill in February 2012 that would make same-sex marriage legal in the state.

The song received a great amount of attention and praise. Critic Robert Christgau described it as "the best gay marriage song to date in any genre" and included it on his list of the top ten singles of 2012. The song made #4 on Billboard's Best Songs of 2013 and it became the first Top 40 song in the United States to promote and praise sam-sex marriage. The "Same Love" music video won the 2013 MTV Video Music Award for Best Video with a Message. "Same Love" was performed live during the 56th Grammy Awards, where it was nominated for Song of the Year. The song peaked at #11 of Billboard's Hot 100. It also peaked at #2 on the US Rap Chart.

Trivia:
Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert performed "Same Love" live in The Ellen Degeneres Show.

Song performed in the 2017 National Rugby League Grand Final in Sydney, Australia. Massive controversy by conservative politicians due to the selection of the song. Macklemore responded by stating, "go harder."

Song was recorded during the Washington campaign Referemdun 74, which legalized same-sex marriage in Washington State.

The cover photo of the song is a picture of Macklemore's uncle and his husband.

Reason for the selection:
"Same Love" represents the issues that the LGBTQ community faces in the modern world. Due to the amount of support and backlash the song has obtained, it shows the state of contemporary society in terms of its acceptance to the LGBTQ community. Therefore, it's selection it's based on the praise it has received from society today.