| "Same Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byMacklemore & Ryan Lewis featuringMary Lambert | ||||
| from the albumThe Heist | ||||
| Released | July 18, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | February 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:20 | |||
| Label | Macklemore LLC | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Ryan Lewis | |||
| Macklemore & Ryan Lewis singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Mary Lambert singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| 7" vinyl issue | ||||
 | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Same Love" onYouTube | ||||
"Same Love" is a song by Americanhip hop duoMacklemore & Ryan Lewis, released as the third single from their 2012 debut studio album,The Heist. The track, featuring vocals by Seattle-based singerMary Lambert, talks about the issue ofgay and lesbian rights and was recorded during the campaign forWashington Referendum 74, which, upon approval in November 2012, legalizedsame-sex marriage in Washington State. The song reached number 11 on theBillboard Hot 100 in the United States, number 1 in Australia and New Zealand, and the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom. The song was nominated at the56th Annual Grammy Awards forSong of the Year.[2]
The cover artwork for the single shows a photograph of Macklemore's uncle, John Haggerty, and his husband, Sean.[3]
"Same Love" was unofficially adopted as an anthem by supporters of legalizing same-sex marriage, particularly in reference toWashington Referendum 74, aWashington statereferendum to approve or reject the February 2012 bill that would legalizesame-sex marriage in the state.[4]
Macklemore explained that the song also came out of his own frustration withhip hop's positions on homosexuality. "Misogyny andhomophobia are the two acceptable means of oppression in hip hop culture. It's 2012. There needs to be some accountability. I think that as a society we're evolving and I think that hip hop has always been a representation of what's going on in the world right now."[5]
"Same Love" received critical acclaim. Gary Nunn inThe Guardian said that the song was "a far cry from the cheese-fest that usually puts commercial interest first, tenuous rhyming couplets second and poignancy last" and that it "may be the most profound song" hip-hop as a genre has produced.[6] CriticRobert Christgau named it one of the top ten singles of 2012[7] and wrote that the song was "the best gay marriage song to date in any genre and as corny as it damn well oughta be."[8]
Jody Rosen ofRolling Stone, although giving the album a mixed review, called "Same Love" one of its "virtues".[9] David Jeffries ofAllMusic described the track as a "pro-gay marriage highlight".[10] Adam Fleischer ofXXL wrote "Lewis provides bright and uplifting instrumentation to perfectly reflect Macklemore's forward-thinking analysis of hip-hop and society's take on homosexuality and same sex marriage."[11]Billboard listed "Same Love" at number four on their list of Best Songs of 2013, stating that "the triumph of "Same Love" is in its specificity".[12]
"Same Love" became the first Top 40 song in the U.S. to promote and celebrate same-sex marriage.[13]
The music video for "Same Love", directed by Ryan Lewis andJon Jon Augustavo and produced by Tricia Davis, debuted on Lewis's YouTube account on October 2, 2012, and accumulated 350,000 views 24 hours after its debut. The video, spanning decades, depicts the life of the main character and the same-sex partner with whom he falls in love, including the social conflicts which befall them in relation to their sexual orientation, their eventual marriage, and the death of one of the partners in old age. The wedding of the main couple was filmed at All Pilgrims Christian Church in Seattle. Macklemore and Mary Lambert cameo in non-speaking roles in the video. The casting for the video was done byDaniel Torok.[14]
The description of the video links to the website ofMusic4Marriage.org, an initiative to encourage musical support forWashington State Referendum 74; the organization dissolved after its passage.[15]
The video received the 2013MTV Video Music Award for Best Video with a Message.
 | This sectionis inlist format but may read better asprose. You can help byconverting this section, if appropriate.Editing help is available.(August 2015) |
On October 30, 2012, Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and Mary Lambert appeared onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show performing the single "Same Love".[16] It was performed live onComedy Central'sThe Colbert Report on May 1, 2013.[17]
It was performed live at the2013 MTV Video Music Awards on August 25, 2013 withJennifer Hudson joining Macklemore, Lewis and Lambert on stage.[18]
The song was performed during the56th Grammy Awards where Macklemore, Lewis, and Lambert were joined onstage byQueen Latifah who oversaw and officiated the weddings of 33 same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Towards the end of the performance,Madonna joined in with a rendition of her song "Open Your Heart".[19]
The song was performed during the2017 National Rugby League Grand Final in Sydney, Australia.[20] Several conservative politicians actively opposing marriage equality in Australia criticized the decision to include the song prior to the performance.[21] Macklemore responded to the criticism by promising to "go harder".[22]
The single was released on July 18, 2012. It entered theBillboard Hot 100 the week of February 16, 2013 at number 99 and later peaked at number 11. On the US Rap chart, "Same Love" placed within the Top 5, peaking at number 2. This gave Macklemore and Ryan Lewis simultaneous Top 5 songs, along with "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us". "Same Love" also reached number 1 in New Zealand, number 4 on the Canadian Hot 100, and number 6 on the UK Singles Chart and in Ireland.[23] As of September 2013, the song has sold over 2 million copies in the United States.[24]
The song also replaced "Thrift Shop" at number 1 on the AustralianARIA Charts in January 2013,[25] making Macklemore only the third artist to replace themselves at number one on the ARIA Charts afterMadonna in 1985 and theBlack Eyed Peas in 2009.[26] The song reached the peak once again in 2017, following the legalisation of same sex marriage in Australia.
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | MTV Video Music Award | Best Video with a Social Message | Won |
| 2014 | Grammy Award (56th) | Song of the Year[27] | Nominated |
Digital download / 7"
Same Love – Remixes
Credits and personnel are adapted fromThe Heist album liner notes.[28]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[71] | 6× Platinum | 420,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[72] | Platinum | 80,000* |
| Italy (FIMI)[73] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[74] | 2× Platinum | 30,000* |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[75] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[76] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000‡ / 2,000,000[24] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "She Keeps Me Warm" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byMary Lambert | ||||
| from the album Welcome to the Age of My Body | ||||
| Released | July 30, 2013 (2013-07-30)[77] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:51 | |||
| Label | Self-released[78] | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mary Lambert | |||
| Mary Lambert singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"She Keeps Me Warm" is a song written and performed byMary Lambert, derived from the chorus she provided to "Same Love".[79][80] It is included on Lambert's debut major-labelEP,Welcome to the Age of My Body (2013), and was released to Americanhot adult contemporary radio in the summer of 2013 as her first solo single.[80]
"She Keeps Me Warm" (and the chorus it shares with "Same Love") was inspired by Lambert's experiences with love and growing up homosexual in a religious family. Lambert explained toEntertainment Tonight at the56th Grammy Awards that the song came about as a result of her wanting to write a song that was "genuine and authentic to [her] experience".[81] While written from the particular perspective of alesbian, the song's themes of love and security in relationships have a universal appeal, which contributed to its warm reception on pop radio.[80] Chad Rufer, PD ofKZZO Sacramento, suggested toBillboard that the original version "has more of a political stance than Lambert's" and that the re-worked "She Keeps Me Warm" is "simply a great pop song about falling in love."[80]
The music video for "She Keeps Me Warm" was directed by Mego Lin and premiered onVEVO on August 24, 2013.[82] It features Bryn Santillan.[83] An official lyric video was released December 17, 2013 in support of the song's parent EP.[84]
"She Keeps Me Warm" debuted at number 38 on theBillboardAdult Top 40 chart for the week ending January 25, 2014.[80]
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USAdult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[85] | 20 |
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