A Music Video Analysis: Macklemore and Lewis, “Same Love”
The topic of marriage equality has always been a controversial topic, especially given the recent political climate of the United States. On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court cast aside all state bans on same-sex marriage, legalized it in all fifty states, and required states to honor out-of-state same-sex marriage licenses in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges. Many celebrities have, over the years, voiced their support for gay rights, including the musical artists known as Benjamin Haggerty, AKA Macklemore, and Ryan Lewis.
Far before same-sex marriage was legalized, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis released a music video for their song titled “Same Love” in October 2012. The video may be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0. The video follows the birth and death of an unnamed male character, beginning with various establishing shots of a hospital room and a nurse, which transitions into a short montage of clips of children playing. The first scene of substance shows the main character at a party, playing a game of spin the bottle. When the bottle lands on the main character, he seems to be in distress with confusion over his sexuality. Faced with these emotions, he locks himself in his room. His mother becomes concerned and tries to find out what is wrong with her son but is met with hostility as he wants to keep his feelings a secret. After some more portraying average high school life, we jump into the future of the main character’s life. He is now doing very well in life, seeming to be a successful businessman as well as having a successful homosexual relationship. He plans to come out to his parents over dinner. The scene begins with the main character and his boyfriend stealing a kiss in their car before entering the parents' home. Whilst eating dinner with his family, the main character comes out to both of his parents. Met with this information, the father leaves the room. His mother follows soon after. The next shot shows the main character and his significant other having many adventures together, such as cliff jumping, listening to classic vinyl records, and having a night out on the town. During their night out, a stranger passed them and proceeds to say a derogatory term to them. Following the scenes of the couple enjoying life together, the music video takes us to a shot of the two main characters on a beach together. The main character’s boyfriend proposes, to which the main character says yes, with an incredible amount of emotion being displayed by both characters. The video jumps immediately to the wedding, first showing the guests and wedding party, as well as both grooms. After seeing the couple prepare themselves for the ceremony, the video proceeds to the ceremony and reception itself. During the reception, the grooms can be seen cutting the cake, the main character dancing with his mother, and the guests holding up sparklers to celebrate. The music video ends with a scene of the couple, who have aged significantly, in a hospital room. The main character lies in the bed with his husband by his bed, holding his hand.
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Neither Macklemore nor Ryan Lewis is gay, but both had gay families and were exposed to a level of normality towards homosexuality very early on. Ryan has a gay uncle who lives with the immunodeficiency virus HIV, and Macklemore has both a gay uncle as well as a gay godfather. A photo of Macklemore’s uncle and his significant other is shown at the end of the video, and the two, according to Macklemore, represent a committed and loving relationship. The photo is also the art cover for the single version of the song. Throughout the video, there are heavy references to subjects that are very relevant to the LGBT community as well as individuals who may be struggling with their sexuality.
The first theme seems to be gender stereotyping, portrayed by the shots of the main character as a young child, playing sports and climbing trees. However, alongside the masculine shots of the main character, scenes of young girls playing with dolls and selling lemonade are also presented. These are all stereotypes that exist in the modern age. Children are taught some things are only meant for boys, and some things are only meant for girls. The children are raised with these stereotypes and end up usually taking them through life.
Another topic the video presents is the subject of “coming out” to relatives. The main character, despite being an adult with a life of his own, still struggles emotionally to tell his parents about his sexuality. During the time, and even in today’s modern age, a large percentage of one’s family may not be supportive of one’s sexuality if it isn’t in their definition of “normal”. The main character’s father is not seen after he comes out to his parents, not even at his wedding, which conveys that his father may have somewhat disowned his son. Unfortunately, sometimes this disapproval manifests in ways of verbal and/or physical abuse. There have been many studies that show that almost half of the LGBT youth are forced out of their homes or choose to leave out of abuse or rejection.
Much later in the video, the main character and his significant other are victims of a stranger making an anti-homosexual remark. This shows some of the harassment ones may suffer if a part of the LGBT community. Hate crimes towards gay people have ranged from murder cases, such as Matthew Shepard, a college student who was robbed, brutally beaten, and lashed to a chain fence, to everyday insults, slurs, and sexual violence. Statistics from the FBI show that nearly half of the hate crimes committed in 2013 were due to the victim’s sexual orientation. Another issue has been the amount of online hate one may receive from social media outlets, as it adds a layer of anonymity.
Works Cited
- Lambe, Stacy. “The Making of Macklemore.” The Making of Macklemore. 9 May 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2015. http://www.out.com/entertainment/music/2013/05/07/macklemore-ryan-lewis-gay-anthem-hiphop?page=full
- Lewis, Ryan. “MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS – SAME LOVE feat. MARY LAMBERT (OFFICIAL VIDEO).” Online music video. Youtube. Youtube, 2 October 2012. Web. 25 January 2015
- Marra, Andy. “GLSEN’s “Out Online: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth” First National Report to Look In-Depth at LGBT Youth Experience Online.” GLSEN, 10 July 2013. Web.
- United States of America. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Hate Crime Statistics, 2013. N.p., Fall 2014. Web. 31 Jan 2015
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