




The theme of love is something that has been around for all of human existence. One can only dream to grow up and find love in another person, only to spend the rest of their lives with them. It is something that race, gender, or anything along the lines should have to interfere with. Until recently, many could not marry because certain states had made same sex marriage illegal. Now, all marriages are legal in all 50 states. In the music video for Same Love by Macklemore and Ray Lewis, they showed some of this issues faced by those who are homosexual and want to marry within their own gender. It is shown throughout the whole video, but the instance that stood out to me the most would be when the sun light shines on the two men’s hands while one is proposing to the other. This part is at minute 3.40 of the video, and shows perfectly the many themes of the entire video. 

The sun light in this scene represents the new life these two men are going to have with one another. No matter the struggles or discrimination the couple has gone through their whole lives, one life together was worth everything. The beam can show the happiness they will have, and the good fortune they had been waiting for. It shines while one of the men is putting the engagement ring on the other man. This can mean it was the light at the end of their journeys as single human beings, and a tunnel to their new lives together. We see this light in so many other parts of the video that are a means of showing a new journey this man has been going through. Examples can be the light shown when he was being born, and also the light at the high school dance when he finally realized who he was and who he was supposed to be. The light in this man’s life has been a standard symbol that has traveled with him for very long, and one that many others have but don’t bother to pay attention to. Also, the light can be a symbol of the purity of the situation. Since the light is nearly white in color, it can show the pure heart both men have and the purity of their true love. 

The visuals in this make you think deeply on what love is. The simplicity of two men’s hands coming together in the act of love makes our hearts happy, no matter what our beliefs. It is a clear symbol that has always been used in the world, even if before it was always used with one man’s hand and one woman’s. This new use makes us use our emotions to justify the acceptance of this love some might not always have been okay with. It uses what some use to only link to traditional marriage and used it to relate same sex marriage as the same kind of love. This makes you ask yourself what the real difference is, if love is involved in both. Both involve a new life with a new person, creating more similarities in the situations rather than differences. 

The true love is also depicted with the lyrics of the song in general. They were made at a time when true love was being tested. They speak of love that is undeniable. One that no matter how much someone may disapprove of who you are and who you love, you cannot change from the person you are because that is the way you were born. This song is very close to the writer because it came at a time where our country was at edge with right and wrong. This song showed many the true struggles many go through to be with the ones they love and how big of a step making same sex marriage would be. Thankfully the supreme court passed this law and what was wanted in the song was finally reality. Lives were finally able to be changed and individuals were finally able to create happiness in their new lives like they had always wanted.

The visual of the light in this sense creates the symbol of this new life and happiness in this video, but in many other examples of life can mean many different things. For example, a light like this could also mean the end of an amazing journey. You see this kind of light used when depicting death and going to heaven. Although similar because many think this is the beginning of a new journey in the afterlife, it also means the ending of a beautiful life. Also, light like this can also be used to emphasize things of importance. When one wants to point out something specific, you can shine a spot light on that certain things to make the audience pay attention to that singular thing, and nothing else. Although these can be possibilities in the music video for this particular scene, I personally do not see these as the main purpose of the use of the light.

This scene is this video showed the true purpose of the whole video: happiness. It can be produced perfectly with the sunlight on the shadowed hands being brought together by the strength of love. The battle for equal marriage rights was a long and hard one in this country, but the outcome was one worth fighting for. Love is translated in many ways all over the world and between many different kind of people, just like the sun all over the earth. Light and love are inevitable: they are forever and undeniable.  They are the beginning of everything. They are life. 