Macklemore – Beyond What’s Popular On The Radio
You probably best recognize him for the song ‘Thrift Shop’ currently all over the radio worldwide with its catchy beat, off the wall lyrics and interesting vibe.
It is just the second song released under an independent label to reach the #1 spot on the US Billboard Top 100 List, and also topped the list in several other countries including: Canada, Belgium, Denmark, and Ireland just to name a few.
The song utilizes comedy to spread a somewhat anti-mainstream consumerist message, showing the incredible style and fun that a person could find at a Thrift Shop. Despite there already being a somewhat awesome message behind this song, I’d like to draw your attention to some of the songs Macklemore released earlier in his career which each hold a powerful message that may pleasantly surprise many of you. In 2005, Ben Haggerty (Macklemore) released an album entitled The Language Of My World, which I personally did not come across until late 2010.
The 20 song album featured a wide-variety of songs ranging in name from as simple as The Magic to as obscure as Bush Song, which featured Macklemore’s own comedic rendition of former American President George W. Bush.
There are a couple of songs on this album that I would like to share with you all, both to give you an opportunity to discover or re-discover some pretty awesome music and to also bring further awareness to its existence. Hold Your Head Up (featuring Xperience) The first song I’d like to share with you is Hold Your Head Up. Check it out via the video and then I will share some parts that really stand out for me.
The first part to really stand out for me is the when he says “We have many paths in this journey.
They act in different directions, so when you question don’t be worried, It’s not a wrong one- beauty can be found in all of them.” For me this really stands as an awesome reminder of the inherent perfection in everything that we are faced with in life. No matter how difficult or challenging a particular moment or instance may be, in the end it always has a higher purpose, a beauty either in self-discovery or the growth of another. Another part that really stands out is when he says “Freedom is acknowledging the mask you have on, and possessing the strength to take it off.” It’s amazing how many of us go through life giving up parts of who we truly are either around certain people, to attain certain things or in particular scenarios. It’s a simple reminder of the amount of freedom that can be had in both recognizing when we are wearing a mask and then having the strength to take it off and truly be ourselves.
There are numerous other parts I could draw from every song, but I will stick to two from each to prevent this article from becoming a mini-novel. But please feel free to point any particular parts you like from any of the songs in the comment section of the article, I’d love to hear from you. Ego “You know that it’s the ego that’s constantly polluting my consciousness, so ingrained in my brain that I can barely even acknowledge it, it’s the ego.” What I particularly like about this part is the awareness it gives to how easy it is for us to allow our ego response to become so second nature. It really has become so ingrained for so many of us that when it makes a remark or leads us to do something we don’t even recognize its role. This awareness is great in assisting us to separate ourselves from the initial response our ego may give and instead react from true inner guidance.
There are a million parts I could take from this song, but the second I’ll focus on is “It seems that if you’re goin’ through somethin’ and life is feelin’ uncomfortable the immediate place you go is to your ego to comfort you.” This piece of lyric is another huge level of awareness we all are working to get to, to actually look at the programs and stories we may be faced with rather then to cover them up in the blanket our ego loves to provide. Inhale Deep “But if you live in the second, you exist in the present and that’s how you stay connected.” I absolutely love this piece of lyrics right here as for me its the message behind it that I have found to be of quite possibly the most assistance in my life.
The importance of living in the moment, not dwelling in the past or hoping for the future. Truly existing in this second and discovering the incredible connectivity and peace that can be found when that is accomplished. “Go through good times and hardships and if you learn to accept it, and know that every struggle in life is there to teach you a lesson.” Much like in Hold Your Head Up a very simple reminder in the perfection behind every experience in life. Rather then fighting, resisting or giving up when things get tough, a response filled with acceptance will always help in moving forward towards the lesson.
There are a bunch of other songs I really like off of the album but I will leave it up to you to discover them further. I will make the following general recommendations though to help in your search... Truth/ Consciousness: Wings, White Privilege, Claiming the City, The Magic, Contradiction Comedy: Bush Song, Remember High School, Thrift Shop The entire album (The Language of My World) is available for sale on Itunes, so if you enjoy it and are financially able to support Macklemore’s music feel free to do so! Be sure to share some of your favorite parts of even your favorite artists/ albums in the comments below. I’m pretty sure we would all love to expand our music collection and what better a way than through recommendations from one another. .
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