Same Love - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
This song by Macklemore was released in 2012, one month after the french parlement proposed a law to authorize homosexual mariage (i'm not sure it has something to do but it is a interesting coincidence). Macklemore is an american rapper with irish origins. Though he comes from a christian family, he supports gay rights especially with this song, which is about the subject.
In this song, Macklemore talks mainly about homosexuals in the american society.
In this song, Macklemore talks mainly about homosexuals in the american society.
In the first verse, he paints all of the stereotypes built around homosexual in the society, for instance, when he says "i thought that i was gay, cause i could draw (...)". Then, he brings out the problem of american conservatism and the place that church takes in this society.
In the second verse, he explains how society twisted words and expression like "gay" or "faggot" that have a totally negative connotation meaning for young people that being gay is ridiculous, and homosexuals are associated to weakness.
In the third verse, he gives his personal point of view on the question (though he does that during the whole song), defending gay rights through religion, saying that no matter what everybody has the same god, and that gay people are humans, like everybody, born this way, and not chosing to be gay like right-wing conservative people think.
He compares gays to black people before they got their rights and gives the same arguments we could have given for black people at the time, only, using one more argument: love.
We can relate this song to the notion of forms of power because we can see mainly two forms of power facing each other: the power of love, and the power of society, repression and fear.
He compares gays to black people before they got their rights and gives the same arguments we could have given for black people at the time, only, using one more argument: love.
We can relate this song to the notion of forms of power because we can see mainly two forms of power facing each other: the power of love, and the power of society, repression and fear.
Also, we can even branch out to the notion of progress with the end of the song since we compares gay rights to black people rights, which was a progress for the time, and when he says "love is patient" at the end, it means that gays will never give up for their rights and that America is, slowly, openning itself to gays because nowadays, 9 states have legalised gay marriage.
(354 words)
OK Naéma.
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