Mac Miller’s latest album Swimming deals with some pretty heavy and interesting topics, ranging from his own identity and purpose in the world, to his love life and how a mystery woman influenced his life in such a big way. Mac Miller is a Hip/Hop artist from Pittsburgh, PA and sadly passed away earlier this year due to a drug overdose. Mac was an inspiration to many, and was able to relate to a vast majority of his listeners as he often wrote music about what his life was like, his mental state and his relationships. The album Swimming was his final project before his passing, and in my opinion it is undoubtedly one of the best projects that any artist has produced recently. The highlighted songs on the album include: Perfecto, Come Back to Earth, Wings, Ladders and Self Care. These songs are incredibly powerful and unique, as they aren’t traditional Hip/Hop that our society is accustomed to. Mac perfectly blends the right amount of Eap and singing to create a mellow and relaxed sensation while listening to each song. The slow beat and his one-of-a-kind voice make for a blank canvas in your mind, and Mac just hands you the paint. During the song ‘Come Back to Earth’ Mac covers where he is at mentally, and how he feels about his relationships with people around him. He is quoted saying “I’ll do anything for a way out of my head” on the last line of the chorus. This can easily be seen as Mac’s struggles internally, and how he truly feels trapped inside his head. Another interpretation could be that he feels as if he is in his own way, and he is holding himself back from achieving something more than what he has already accomplished. Furthermore, the connection could be made that Mac was relating those feelings of being trapped and lost, into how he feels like he has no identity or purpose and is “...swimming through stressful waters…” which can easily be inferred from the content of the song.
On the album, Mac not only discusses his feelings of turmoil and his identity crisis, but he goes to some length about his relationships he had as well. Although it is not explicitly stated, nor does he drop a name throughout the few songs where he refers to the unknown woman, we can make an educated guess that based on his past, Mac is referring to Ariana Grande: another popular Hip/Hop artist/singer. They were previously dating before a harsh breakup a few months back, and Ariana is now engaged to Pete Davidson, who is an American comedian and actor. During Mac’s song ‘Perfecto’, the first line of the chorus is “No it ain’t perfect, but I don’t mind” which can be interpreted in two different ways. The first, being that life itself (not just his own life, but life on this planet) is flawed and imperfect, but that is what makes it worth living, and we must not waste time attempting to achieve perfection, because it will cause us to lose ourselves along the way. The second, and more interesting of the two interpretations, is that he is talking about his past relationship with Ariana Grande. Their relationship was called “Toxic” by both of them in several interviews and articles, and although Ariana has moved on, Mac clearly had some thoughts/feelings resonating within him, regarding their previous affinity. If that isn’t evidence enough, the final two lines in the song ‘Perfecto’ go as follows: “More important is I’m kinda sorta out the door but, she put me back together when I’m out of order… Perfect”.
Overall, Mac Miller’s final album Swimming is a fantastic listen, whether you’re a Mac fan or not. It deals with themes of identity and relationships; both of which I think most people can relate to, which is what makes it captivating and emotional.
Written by Jack Fowler
Comments