When Mary Lambert recorded the chorus of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Same Love" in early 2012, she was working three jobs. An aspiring singer/songwriter on the side, Lambert landed the feature through her peer in Seattle's art scene, Hollis Wong-Wear, who had worked with Macklemore and Lewis on their track "White Walls." It was a big opportunity for Lambert, as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were coming off of a No. 1 hit with 2011's "Can't Hold Us." But more importantly, she was able to provide her voice to one of the decade's biggest LGBTQ+ anthems.
"Same Love" — a call to action to support marriage equality — was released in July of 2012, nearly three years before same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide. It became a radio hit around summer 2013, when the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down. While songs like Madonna's "Express Yourself" or Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" have long been hailed as Pride anthems, "Same Love" was one of the first mainstream hits to outwardly vocalize support for LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality, and to condemn stereotypes attributed to people of the community.
Macklemore was partially inspired by his gay uncle, who is mentioned in the song's first verse, when writing "Same Love." But he felt particularly inclined to write the song upon reading about a teenager who killed himself after being bullied for his sexuality, he revealed in a 2013 interview with New York Times.
"I just wanted to hold myself accountable," Macklemore said, "and hold hip-hop accountable and bring up an issue that was being pushed under the rug."
Lambert, then 22, had a different personal connection to "Same Love," as she came out as a lesbian when she was 17. (She alludes to her sexuality in the chorus, in which she sings, "And I can't change/ Even if I tried/ Even if I wanted to/ My love, my love, my love/ She keeps me warm.") While she wasn't sure how the song would be received, Lambert knew she was part of something special — so special, in fact, that she told her three bosses that she may need Sundays off during awards season.
Her instinct was right: "Same Love" was nominated for Song Of The Year at the 2014 GRAMMY Awards, where Lambert — alongside Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Madonna and Queen Latifah — delivered a powerful performance of the song that saw gay and heterosexual couples get married on live television. Queen Latifah officiated the mass wedding, and near the end of the performance, Madonna arrived on stage, singing a portion of her 1986 hit "Open Your Heart" before joining Lambert in singing the final chorus and outro of "Same Love."
The monumental moment was an idea that was born out of a conversation then-GRAMMYs producer Ken Ehrlich had with his daughter, who identifies as a lesbian. His daughter mentioned that some same-sex couples had set some of their engagement and marriage videos to "Same Love," and that the song had garnered much popularity in the LGBTQ+ community.
"A light bulb went on in my head," Ehrlich says. "We could conceivably do a performance on the show where we brought together a number of couples, and not just same-sex couples. I wanted to try and universalize it in one way, and show the importance of diversity and embracing all of our communities. I wanted to demonstrate that it's not unusual, but it's universal."
Once he had the Recording Academy on board with the concept, Ehrlich reached out to Latifah to ask her to marry all of the couples. Not only did she say yes — she obtained an ordained minister license specifically for the performance.
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As Lambert recalls, she was told about the mass-wedding performance in a series of phone calls as it came together. "I was like, 'Oh my God, I already I cry at one wedding, how am I gonna hold it together for 33 weddings?'" Lambert jokes. "I got [a] call that was like, 'Can you do a duet with Madonna?' And I was like, 'Oh my God. This isn't real.' A week later, I got a call saying Queen Latifah is gonna marry couples. And then I'm like, 'Is someone gonna get resurrected next?'
"Every week, it just felt more and more surreal," she continues. "I remember each of those phone calls and just being like, 'This is just f***ing unbelievable.'"
The 2014 GRAMMYs marked a pinnacle moment for "Same Love," but its impact had already been solidified. Though the song had a slow burn on the charts upon its 2012 release, it eventually peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 2013. Within that year, the Defense of Marriage Act became a hot-button topic, as the United States Supreme Court had declared DOMA — which denied same-sex couples the benefits and legal recognition given to opposite-sex couples — unconstitutional the month before.
Macklemore and Lewis always meant for "Same Love" to make a social impact. The song was unofficially adopted as a campaign song for Washington State activist groups working to pass Referendum 74 to legalize same-sex marriage in the state. A portion of proceeds from "Same Love" were donated to Washington United for Marriage, as the state is home to Macklemore, Lewis and Lambert.
The song's accompanying music video, directed by Jon Jon Augustavo, depicts the life of two queer men, as they grow from their youth in love, into their marriage, and arrive together to their old age. While many attributed the song and its video to the approval of Referendum 74 in Washington State in November 2012, Augustavo said in an interview with IMVDB that neither he — nor Macklemore or Lewis — feel comfortable taking credit for this.
"I think all of us that were involved do feel we're a small part of it," Augustavo said. "You have to say at least the audience that the video hit, their audience for music, ages 16-26 or so, you have to believe it at least educate them about, or at least encouraged them to look up, what Referendum 74 was. With it being passed, hopefully we played a small part in that."
Macklemore isn't subtle about the fact that "Same Love" is a pro-gay anthem, even declaring his own stance in the song's second verse: "No freedom till we're equal/ damn right, I support it."
He also uses the verses to call out those who don't, including "right-wing conservatives" and religious groups, as well as those who use the term "gay" in a derogatory sense. But perhaps his most powerful lyric makes a statement that is equal parts thought-provoking and change-making: "It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion/ Gender to skin color the complexion of your pigment/ The same fight that lead people to walk-outs and sit-ins/ It's human rights for everybody/ There is no difference."
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Commercially, "Same Love" became anthemic at a time when LGBTQ+ artists didn't have much of a presence on mainstream radio. According to New York Times, "Same Love" was "the first song to explicitly embrace and promote gay marriage that has made it into the Top 40," per gay rights activists and radio executives.
"The fact that a song solely dedicated to the message of marriage equality is climbing the charts and quickly becoming a popular song across the country is a big deal," said Charlie Joughin, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, in a 2013 interview. "It's indicative of a changing attitude."
One could argue that its popularity and presence on the radio opened the doors for LGBTQ+ artists to thrive in mainstream pop. A year later, Sam Smith would make their proper debut with their 2014 single, "Stay With Me." USA Today named "Stay With Me" Song of the Year in 2014, saying, "'Stay With Me's' gospel-tinged piano and Smith's sweet, heart-tugging falsetto struck a chord of universal yearning, like the living embodiment of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 'Same Love.'"
But with the success also came controversy, as some members of the LGBTQ community felt Macklemore was waxing sanctimonious over something a cisgender straight man could never fully understand. In a 2014 op-ed for The New Republic, writer Brandon Ambrosino said that while he enjoys the song, he felt it sends the wrong message about being gay.
"The aversion to that word [choice] in our community stems from belief that if we can't prove that our gayness is biologically determined, then we won't have grounds to demand equality," said Ambrosino. "I think this fear needs to be addressed and given up. In America, we have the freedom to be as well as to choose to be. I see no reason to believe that the only sexualities worth protecting are the ones over which one has no control."
While some felt Macklemore's outwardly pro-gay stance seemed performative, others found that it came in earnest, and unlike anything previously on mainstream radio. "Macklemore's lyrics offered an idiosyncratic perspective on homophobia in hip-hop and American society at large, criticizing both with a mixture of gentleness and firmness that I had not heard before," Slate's J. Bryan Lowder wrote in 2013. "And most importantly, his support of the gay community felt sincere."
Macklemore and Lambert are all aware of criticisms toward "Same Love." Yet, Macklemore remains an outspoken ally to the LGBTQ+ community, and continues to donate proceeds from the song to organizations supporting LGBTQ+ equality. Lambert also remains proud of the song, and argues that people shouldn't discount it simply because of its lead artist being a cis straight white male.
"A straight white guy performing a good ally song has an element of cheesiness, but I think gay rights have progressed so astronomically fast, that people forget the impact the song had," Lambert says. "I feel like sometimes it's dismissed. I might have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder to be like, 'Don't dismiss it.' If it got released now, I'm sure it'd be a little cheesy. But in 2012, it was everything. It meant so much to a lot of people, and it certainly meant a lot to me. And it still does."
Josh Rawlings, who played the instantly recognizable piano hook of "Same Love," says he gets asked to play the song at weddings to this day. "It's still very relevant with the climate of sexual and gender identity, and all of these important movements that are still being discussed and talked about," he says.
"It's a slow, painful process, but I have to believe that songs like these affix themselves to not just that point in human history, but they can be relevant for all of human history," Rawlings adds. "They can be songs that we claim as a real triumph. I see it's still weighing on hearts and minds."
Ten years after "Same Love"'s release, the song has once again sparked a conversation thanks to TikTok. While some queer and trans Gen Z-ers have subverted the idea that the song is "cringe," others argue that it held major meaning at the time of its release.
"It's literally crazy how progressive/brave this song was," said TikTok user @kylierobinsun. "Gay marriage wasn't even legal in the United States when this song came out in 2012. I remember hearing this and feeling at peace when I was little."
The song has been used in nearly 20,000 TikTok videos, many of which see young LGBTQ+ people sharing how the song impacted them. "I remember trying not to cry in the car when this played on the radio, trying not to out myself, because I had never heard anything like it," @peelingplums wrote. "This song made me realize that I have allies, that I'm not alone and there are people who will stand up for me and mine."
The video blatantly contests that "Same Love" is "cringe," echoing Lambert's argument — no matter how the song has aged, it sends a message that will always be meaningful. "By today's standards, this song may be cringe," @peelingplums added, "but by 2012 standards? It was life changing."