Media Blog #1: Thrift Shop by Macklemore

"I'm gonna pop some tagsOnly got twenty dollars in my pocketI-I-I'm a huntin', lookin' for a come-upThis is  (expletive) -ing awesome!"

  

 Wow, talk about catchy, amiright? Although that might have sounded slightly sarcastic in your brain, I promise you it's not intended that way. The lyrics to Macklemore's Thrift Shop, although not totally and completely unbearable, are not the most brilliant lyrics in the world. In fact, they discuss a topic that now-a-days could be described as - how the kids are saying - "ratchet". Yet, with its "sick beats", and repetitive melody, it reached number one on the Billboard Top 100. Here's my look into why.

Although there are a multitude of reasons as to why this single became a success with very little promotion, I want to focus on a reason that sets it aside from most singles out there. Sure the song is "catchy", and it has a nice beat and melody, there is one particular reason I believe it caught on:  it's relate-able. Call me crazy, but just think about it for a minute. Songs generally become popular because their lyrics are just vague enough that people can project themselves onto the lyrics. They tend to avoid specifics and focus more on emotion. However, this song does the opposite. Although it doesn't name-drop, it touches on a relate-able topic: being broke and wanting cool things.

Example A: "They be like, "Oh, that Gucci - that's hella tight."/I'm like, "Yo - that's fifty dollars for a T-shirt."/Limited edition, let's do some simple addition/Fifty dollars for a T-shirt - that's just some ignorant b*tch"

In today's economy, I think it's safe to say that this is a common thought of the common people. I mean, why would you bother spending $50 on a T-shirt when you could buy 10 T-shirts at a thrift store for the same price? That's just some simple addition. Let's be real, "Limited Edition" is limited thinking, and today's moto seems to be "do more with less". Especially when it comes to the amount of clothes people are wearing, amiright?

Overall, I believe the song captures a modern morality. Plus it has little kids in it, so they definitely got me on the need to nurture. I've been receiving thrift-store "come-ups" since I was a kid, and now I just want to dress all the little children in moth-eaten sweaters <3