In the famous song “Same Love,” Macklemore and Ryan Lewis use powerful language and symbolism to encourage support towards same-sex marriage. This song was especially adopted in response to the February 2012 bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in Washington. Along with a catchy melody, this song empowers people to stand up for what they believe in and not be afraid to voice their opinions. The fact that this media is a song adds to the impact of the lyrics, because music is a type of media that almost all groups of people can relate to. When singing these lyrics, the singer becomes an activist for the fight for social change that is expressed in the lyrics. 

According to the New York Times, “Same Love” was “the first song to explicitly embrace and promote gay marriage that has made it into the Top 40.″ A song like this with such a powerful message behind it changed the world’s views of the advocacy for same-sex marriages, and it created a space for people to stand up for what they believe in regarding this topic. One powerful lyric sequence from the song says, “No law’s gonna change us, we have to change us; Whatever God you believe in, we come from the same one; Strip away the fear, underneath it’s all the same love; About time we get raised up!” This section of the song encourages society to openly advocate for the right to embrace their own sexuality. The line “Whatever God you believe in,” is a powerful writing technique that draws in the religious listeners and says that no matter what religious upbringing you believe in, we were all made the same. 

This song also highlights the stereotypes that society has put in place about people being gay, and what being gay “should look like.” One lyric that exemplifies this is when Macklemore says, “A bunch of stereotypes all in my head, I remember doing the math like, ‘Yeah, I’m good at little league,’ a preconceived idea of what it all meant.” This passage from the song is a perfect example of social constructs of sexuality, and the biased stereotypes of gay people. The line, “Yeah, I’m good at little league,” represents the preconceived notion that men who are good at sports are straight, and men who are not into sports are gay. This idea is completely false, and it completely disregards the idea that sexuality is a spectrum to which every person’s experiences with it are different. This song fights for the idea that you are free to be your authentic self, and there are no rules for what that might look like. 

Additionally, one of the reasons why this song sent such a strong message to society at the time is because it strongly opposes the offensive and hurtful comments that are casually made by society about gay people every day. For example, one line explains, “If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me. Have you read the YouTube comments lately? ‘Man, that’s gay’ gets dropped on the daily.” This passage from the song does a great job holding people accountable for uninformed comments that are made by people both in the media and in everyday life. Using the phrase “Man, that’s gay” as a negative thing is extremely homophobic and hurtful to gay and queer people all over the world. Another factor that makes this message so powerful is that Macklemore has a wife and is not gay. This represents the idea that straight people can stand up for gay-rights, and it should not be something that is stigmatized by society. 

Although this song mainly focuses on the advocacy of same-sex relationships, it also touches on a few other issues presented in society. Macklemore argues that, “It’s the same hate that’s caused wars from religion, gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment.” This presents the argument that if you are against racism and hate towards different religions, your views on sexuality should be no different. Everyone has the right to be who they are, and Macklemore explains that sexuality is just another part of what makes us who we are. 

Lastly, the chorus of the song, “I can’t change, even if I tried,” sends the message that being gay is not a choice that someone decides to make during their life. Like gender, sexuality is a wide spectrum, and there are no rules for what that looks like for each person. You are born with attraction towards certain traits, and that is something that is deeply rooted in us. That is simply the way that people are made, and hating on others for what they love should never be justified. As a whole, this song does a beautiful job expressing some of the thoughts and feelings that we as a society should be open to voicing in support of same-sex marriages.