Prompt: "A song about sobriety"
Selected by Pat
"Starting Over"
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
The Heist, 2012
I got sober on April 23, 2013. This was unquestionably a good thing, but by summer of that year, the pink cloud had worn off, and I was feeling pretty down about it. I was 21, and suddenly two of the biggest things that had bonded me to my peers—drinking and drugs—were off the table. I was lonely and pretty resentful, not helped by the fact that I was now far away from everyone I cared about, working an overnight security job in Lower Bumblefuck, PA. What helped me through this dark period in my life was an impossibly supportive friend group, and, strangely enough, The Heist by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.
Macklemore is cringe. I will not hear arguments to the contrary. He apologizes for his success at the worst possible time. He decides to try new costumes at the worst possible time. Even his most well-intended works are ripe for parody. He did a rap about Irish American pride. My dude, have you met Irish Americans? There is no population on Earth that will bring up their family history faster. They'll be fine without your support.
All that being said, I could not stop listening to The Heist in 2013. One on hand, it was unavoidable. The nation had been hit with the double tsunami of "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us," and trying to avoid Macklemore at that point was like trying to keep your socks dry in waist-deep water. But on a personal level, Macklemore was normalizing recovery for me in a way that no other artist was.
Dealing with addiction is not a Point A-to-Point B process. You can't "win," there's no end date, and the risk of backsliding and relapse are permanent fixtures. Accepting that it's a lifelong process can be overwhelming, so "Starting Over" wasn't just a good song for me to hear, it was absolutely essential. Macklemore has always been an open book regarding his own struggles with addiction, and his account of life going on after a relapse was the reassurance I didn't know I needed. I came to understand that, even if I tried and failed, I could and should always try again.
I've been sober for ten years and counting. So thank you, Macklemore. You helped me when I needed it most.
Macklemore is cringe. I will not hear arguments to the contrary. He apologizes for his success at the worst possible time. He decides to try new costumes at the worst possible time. Even his most well-intended works are ripe for parody. He did a rap about Irish American pride. My dude, have you met Irish Americans? There is no population on Earth that will bring up their family history faster. They'll be fine without your support.
All that being said, I could not stop listening to The Heist in 2013. One on hand, it was unavoidable. The nation had been hit with the double tsunami of "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us," and trying to avoid Macklemore at that point was like trying to keep your socks dry in waist-deep water. But on a personal level, Macklemore was normalizing recovery for me in a way that no other artist was.
Dealing with addiction is not a Point A-to-Point B process. You can't "win," there's no end date, and the risk of backsliding and relapse are permanent fixtures. Accepting that it's a lifelong process can be overwhelming, so "Starting Over" wasn't just a good song for me to hear, it was absolutely essential. Macklemore has always been an open book regarding his own struggles with addiction, and his account of life going on after a relapse was the reassurance I didn't know I needed. I came to understand that, even if I tried and failed, I could and should always try again.
I've been sober for ten years and counting. So thank you, Macklemore. You helped me when I needed it most.
1 comment:
Of course...
https://kw3.com/oceangate-macklemore/
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