By Marlon Villa
Self-love, personal healing and psychological growth are just a few of the themes shared in Mac Miller’s 2018 album “Swimming.” In my experience, this album helped me manage both my feelings and my experiences throughout my youth.
“2009,” the 10th track on the album, is the song that has had the biggest impact on me. It talks about having to accept how certain moments that brought joy in your life will eventually pass by.
The lyrics, “It ain’t 2009 no more. Yeah, I know what’s behind that door. Yeah, they asking me what I’m smiling for,” gave me a better understanding about being glad that things happened even if it brought me sadness once it was over.
For me, I was able to apply this message to my life when I experienced the loss of a loved one in my family. Hearing this song and those specific lyrics helped me understand that even though this person was gone, I could still feel joy within me because I was able to share so many experiences with them.
Many people who have listened to this song or album can relate to this feeling. It doesn’t just have to have an impact on listeners because of the loss of a loved one, but it can also be because of a break-up, moving away, or just a big shift in your life.
“Self Care” and “Come Back To Earth” are two songs from the album that share the message that even during the most difficult instances in life, you have to know how to have self control and not let yourself get too caught up in your head. It helps you understand that in the end, things will be alright.
This is an important message because during hard times, a lot of us tend to lose ourselves. In “Self Care,” this message is conveyed through the lyrics, “Somebody save me from myself, yeah. Tell them they can take the b******t elsewhere. Self care, we gonna be good.”
“Self Care” has helped me relate to many experiences in my life, such as when a relationship doesn’t work out and you just want to focus on recovering what once was, but you end up completely ignoring the other things about yourself that need attention too.
Whether it’s school, work or your mental health, they all start with self care. These lyrics give the feeling that things happen for a reason, and sooner or later, everything works out for the best.
To me, the title of the album, “Swimming,” is more than just a cool name for an album. It summarizes what the majority of the songs want to say, which is that we have to keep swimming and not let the hardships that life presents us with drown us.
