Speaker “Same Love” was written and sung by artists Macklemore and Ryan Lewis in

2012. Mary Lamberts, a featured artist, wrote the hook that finalized the track

and sang the chorus (Gonzales). Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are singing on

behalf of the gay community and allies about the importance of same-sex

marriage and marriage equality. Macklemore has a personal connection to the

fight for same-sex marriage and gay equality as his uncle is gay and the song was

written primarily about him. Macklemore’s song also was inspired by a child

who he read about who killed himself after being bullied for his sexuality. Lewis,

on the other hand, was motivated to join Macklemore in making this song

because he is a social change advocate (Gonzales). However, he has no direct

emotional connection nor personal experience with the cause. Lamberts is an

American singer, songwriter, and spoken word artist who is lesbian and

advocates for gay rights and same-sex marriage. This personal connection is

what motivated Macklemore and Lewis to put her on the track. Macklemore and

Lewis might not be a part of the LGBTQ+ community directly, but their

connections to friends and family who struggle to fight for equality are what

inspired them to write the song. Macklemore wanted to sing for those who don’t

have a voice or a platform. Macklemore starts the song with a serious and

passionate tone, then Lamberts interjects singing the chorus with a prideful and

upbeat attitude. The song in general is inspiring as Macklemore and Lamberts

sing about the importance of being proud of who you are and how important

equality is.
Purpose Macklemore and Lambert’s intention in writing this song is to not only tell a

story for the audience to hear and possibly relate to but while doing so evoke

pride and confidence in their listeners to be who they are without shame.

Macklemore hopes to inspire his LGBTQ+ audience, who might feel out of place

in a world that caters to straight white people, to stand up against prejudice and

biases around them. Although Macklemore isn't gay himself, he tells a story of a

time he thought he was because he fit the preconceptions and stereotypes that

society associates with being gay. He does this in order to build a connection

with his audience so that he can sympathize with their hurt. Lambert can

empathize with the gay community as she is lesbian and has experienced this

prejudice firsthand. Macklemore makes a conscientious decision to have

Lambert, a lesbian, on the track in order to boost his credibility as an ally

speaking about gay marriage rights. Macklemore’s LGBTQ+ fans are more likely

to feel heard and represented as he brings a member of the community into his

song.

Audience The primary audience for this song is the LGBTQ+ community, specifically

those who might feel insecure or doubtful about who they are. The secondary

audience is allies of the gay community and those who aren’t educated about the

struggles gay people face. The secondary audience is given examples of

prejudice towards gay people and inadvertently educated on the importance of

LGBTQ+ rights. Macklemore appeals to the LGBTQ+ communities values

surrounding equality and the right to gay marriage. He also takes on the role of
 the “educator” to the secondary audience as Macklemore urges those who aren’t

gay to use their power and voice to fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Lambert can

directly relate to and understand the gay community and their struggles, as she is

lesbian, making her songwriting credible and relatable to the primary audience.

Macklemore can relate to the secondary audience, allies, and straight cis people.

Macklemore makes a conscientious decision to have both groups represented in

his song in order to make both audiences feel heard and responsible for one

another. He brings two communities together urging each to support the other for

the greater good. Macklemore anticipates the audience is in support of gay rights

and gay marriage and that they will be inspired by this song to stand up and make

a change.

Context This song was partially inspired by Macklemore’s gay uncle but was primarily

written about a child, whom Macklemore read about in the news, who killed

himself after being bullied for his sexuality (Gonzales). This song was written as

there was an influx of gay suicides in 2010 and gay violence was also on the rise,

which is important to note as Macklemore was influenced by the world around

him and in specific one story about suicide. He felt particularly responsible, as an

ally of the gay community, to share his journey with his sexuality and personal

experiences as others could relate to him. Throughout the last decade, the United

states supreme court had also been trying to pass “the Defense of marriage act”

which would protect gay marriage, and after this song was released it became the

anthem for activist groups pushing for the act. Macklemore was also trying to get
 voters’ attention at the time to approve referendum 74 in WA, which would

legalize same-sex marriage with his compelling message and lyrics.

Exigence Macklemore stands up and voices his opinions on gay marriage and equality

throughout his song “Same Love” because at the time Congress was trying to

pass an act that would protect gay marriage and he wanted to encourage his fans

to vote for the protection of gay marriage. Gay marriage has been a controversial

topic for a long time and there is a sense of urgency to protect those part of the

LGBTQ+ community because of the violence that encompasses them. Their

needs as citizens and their right to be who they are were endangered. By writing

this song Macklemore feels that he is making a change by expressing his

opinions and potentially persuading others to vote for the act that will protect gay

marriage.

Message The overarching message in “Same Love” is that gay marriage needs to be

protected and those who are gay should be proud of who they are. “Same Love”

encourages allies to fight for equality and use their voices for the greater good.

Choices Macklemore chooses to start “Same Love” off by including an anecdote. He tells

a story about how when he was younger Macklemore thought he was gay

because he fit the stereotypes and preconceived ideas that society associates with

being gay. He goes on to sing about how those stereotypes harm society and the

LGBTQ+ community. In the chorus, Lambert repeats the line “she keeps me

warm” which brings a personal aspect to the song as Lambert is singing about
 her lover and experience being lesbian. This connects Lambert to the LGBTQ+

audience as she can directly relate to them. Lambert also repeats the line “and I

can’t change even if I tried” to highlight the main point in the song which is that

LGBTQ+ members should be proud of who they are and confident in their

sexuality. Towards the song’s end, the line “love is patient love is kind” is

repeated to demonstrate to the audience that all love, no matter your sexuality, is

the same. This line is also a direct reference from the bible and is used to

contradict the idea that most religious people cannot or will not support gay

marriage because it is “against their religion.”

Appeals Macklemore refers to current events in his song to appeal to the logical side of

his audience when he compares the battle for racial equality to the one for

LGBTQ+ rights. Macklemore says that “there is no difference” in the fight for

gender and sexual equality than the fight for racial equality as “It's human rights

for everybody.” This direct comparison demonstrates to Macklemore's audience

that there is hope for reform and change surrounding LGBTQ+ rights as there

have been for Black people. When speaking about how gay rights are human

rights, Macklemore provides his audience with a logical argument that alludes to

past injustices in order to persuade them. Macklemore gains the audience's trust

throughout the song as he builds an emotional connection with them when telling

his listeners about a personal experience he went through as a child. Macklemore

tells the story of his gay uncle and how stereotypes influenced him as a kid to

believe he was gay. This insight into his personal life makes the audience feel
 like they know Macklemore therefore his words are reliable and trustworthy.

Macklemore appeals to his audience when he uses first-person pronouns in the

line “​​We have to change us.” This line is very powerful as it calls to everyone,

whether you are gay, straight, white, or Black, to unite and make a change.

Tone Macklemore starts the song off with an informal, comical tone. He uses slang

like “Trippin” and says “Yeah I’m good at little League” to lighten the mood as

he talks about a very controversial and triggering topic. This also builds his

character as a kind, lighthearted person and makes Macklemore more appealing

to younger generations as he uses their terminology. The chorus, sung by

Lambert, also is lighthearted but more prideful as she repeats the line “I can’t

change even if I tried” and “my love she keeps me warm” both contributing to

the overall message to fight for LGBTQ+ equality while making the audience

feel inspired to be who they are and love who they want as love is the same no

matter your sexuality or gender. Macklemore then transforms the tone to one that

is more serious as he tells very realistic stories about the violence and harm of

prejudice and what that does to the country. He shocks the audience when he

outright states how it is normalized to “call each other faggots.” This course

language is specifically used to highlight a very real experience for many gay

people as they are often called slurs daily. This gives the audience a perspective

into what it might be like to be discriminated against when they hear this word.
 Works Cited:

Gonzales, Alex. “Why Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' ‘Same Love’ Was One of the 2010s' Most

Important LGBTQ+ Anthems - and How It's Still Impactful 10 Years On.” Recording

Academy, Grammy Awards,

https://www.grammy.com/news/same-love-macklemore-ryan-lewis-grammys-2014-perfo

romance-mary-lambert-impact-pride-anthem-LGBTQ-rights-same-sex-marriage-annivers

ary.

Roden, Chelsea. “I'm Not Crying on Sundays .” Lash Magazine,

http://lash-mag.weebly.com/life--wellness/im-not-crying-on-sundays.

“Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (Ft. Mary Lambert) – Same Love.” Genius,

https://genius.com/Macklemore-and-ryan-lewis-same-love-lyrics.