This song jumps out of the radio with it’s depth and quality. So many songs on the radio are just… songs. Maybe they feature a catchy beat or a chorus you can’t get out of your head. But they aren’t really about anything.
But then Macklemore’s song comes on. If you’re listening even a little, it’s an incredible exegesis of the cultural dialog taking place in school lunch rooms, church staff meetings, and Sunday family dinners. His words represent the arguments of so many.
It catches you with the tune and I find myself humming Mary Lambert’s hauntingly beautiful chorus all the time. She keeps me warm….
But it hits you across the head with one reality: No one would publish this song 5 years ago. No one would play it on the radio. Boy, things sure have changed.
On top of that the song also amazes me in its commentary about the church. (Even ending with a quote from the Bible.) These aren’t weak statements. This is a voice from inside the church offering an indictment about something they don’t understand about “us.”
Of course, there’s the irony of the song
A core proclamation of the song is that people can’t change who they are.
- And yet, our society has dramatically changed regarding the LGBTQ community in the past 4-5 years. (The video makes it clear that this is what the song is about.)
- And yet, the song is asking people to change.
- So the song is about how people can’t change… but asking for change.
Thoughts?
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