Sam's take on Swimming
Swimming. From hip-hop to R&B to cloud rap, Mac Miller has everything in this album. I prefer most of these songs after a tiring day as it's just a chill album all around.
Under the chill album there are deep meanings. Trust me, there's a lot. I'm going to go through every song and talk about them.
Come back to earth. This is the opening song for his album and in the song he talks about depression and anxiety and how he's drowning in his thoughts but chooses to face the internal battle therefore the lyrics "I was drownin, but now I'm swimmin".
Hurt feelings In this song he talks about how much he grew as an artist and how much his life has changed since gaining fame. He also apologizes for any past experience he might've caused "hurt feelings" and is no longer the same person he was before.
What's the use The song is about giving into temptation versus fighting it. And the vibe to the song is just a hidden realization that turning to drugs and other distractions is just temporary and it won't last forever.
Perfecto Perfecto is about the illusion of a flawless life and Max struggles with the thought of keeping his life "perfecto" while feeling like everything is held on with a thread.
Self care Self-Care is written and talked about immense pressure. This song is a two-parter with the first half dealing with finding peace amongst his chaotic mental state, whereas the second half he decides to accept his current state and chooses to treat his mind with care.
Wings This is about dealing with fragile peace as it's one of the more silent songs with the meaning behind it being finding the peace and comfort in the darkness. Mac also reflects on his past trauma and the wings are a metaphor for him being able to rise above the circumstances and fight the trauma.
Ladders This is about the up and down of success. And Mac uses the metaphor of ladders to represent the climb and fall off and how you have to keep climbing to stay at the top.
Small worlds This song is about humility and self isolation. This track is trying to capture the feeling of pulling away from the world. Mac admits that he has the tendencies to overthink and that he realizes that the world doesn't revolve around him.
Conversation pt 1 Mac talks about people who talk and dream big but never do anything about it. Most of it is self talk though as he is telling himself to stop complaining about his problems or dwelling on the past, and instead build a better life and actually do what you dream of.
Dunno This is a vulnerable song about the break up with his high profile ex which happened to be Ariana Grande. It talks about the quiet and imperfect moments in their relationship with smoking together, dealing with anxiety, and the uncertainty of not fully thinking it's going to work especially with them drifting apart.
Jet fuel Mac uses "jet fuel" as a metaphor for the substances and coping mechanisms he used to survive the intense pressures of fame. He claims that despite everything he's still self sufficient as he keeps working on music in his studio.
2009 Mac looks back since this year and understands that everything doesn't have to be perfect and he doesn't always get his way. Mac realizes he finally found peace.
So it goes The final song. Mac accepts the universe as it is, talking about how it's circles. This was foreshadowing for his next album called circles.
Either way you think about this album I recommend you listen to this album at least once although some of the songs aren't as good as the others.
Swimming tracklist
- 1Come Back to Earth2:42
- 2Hurt Feelings4:06
- 3What's the Use?4:49
- 4Perfecto3:35
- 5Self Care5:45
- 6Wings4:10
- 7Ladders4:47
- 8Small Worlds4:32
- 9Conversation, Pt. 13:30
- 10Dunno3:57
- 11Jet Fuel5:45
- 1220095:48
- 13So It Goes5:13
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Cover art: Apple Music. Shown for identification and commentary.