I love all different kinds of music, and one artist that I grew up listening to constantly was Mac Miller. Since I was twelve, his music has helped me through so many things, and I often find myself coming back to his songs whenever I need a boost. His passing on September 7th was such an incredible loss to the music community and seeing the outpouring of love and grief expressed by friends and strangers has led me to consider the effects that a musician can have on someone’s life, even if you’ve never met them. We mourn artists we’ve never met—not because we feel like we know them, but because they helped us come to know ourselves. Here are 10 lines from songs across his discography that have inspired me, helped me, or shown me something about myself, that I hope can do the same for you!
1. Come Back to Earth – Swimming, 2018
“And don’t you know that sunshine don’t feel right/When you inside all day/I wish it was nice out, but it looked like rain/Gray skies and I’m drifting, not living forever/They told me it only gets better”
2. Jump – GO:OD AM, 2015
“You’ve never been better than me/From this prison I’m setting them free/Open eyes, I’mma let you see/This world is like our dreams/I’ll throw it all away to celebrate one more holiday/I’m running to the edge/And when I get there best believe that I’mma jump/to see if I can fly/I wonder if I jump/Do you think that I can fly?”
3. REMember – Watching Movies With The Sound Off, 2013
“You don’t need money/All you got is time to spend/Life is short, don’t ever question the lengths/It’s cool to cry/Don’t ever question your strength”
4. Best Day Ever – Best Day Ever, 2011
“No matter where life takes me, find me with a smile/Pursuit to be happy, only laughing like a child/I never thought life would be this sweet/It got me cheesin’ from cheek to cheek/And I ain’t gonna wait for nothing/Cause that just ain’t my style/Life couldn’t get better/This gon’ be the best day ever”
5. Obects in the Mirror – Watching Movies With The Sound Off, 2013
“Can you hide away, can you hide away/Sound of silence as they all just watch you/I kinda find it strange/How the times have changed/But I wish, we could go and be free, once/Baby, you and me/We could change the world forever/And never come back again/Let’s leave it all in the rear-view/You don’t have to cry”
6. Clarity – Macadelic, 2012
Live a dream, that’s so cliché/But I can’t tell you what it means to me/I hope you found what you lookin’ for/You take away the pain and I thank you for that/If I ever get the chance, bet I’m paying you back
7. 2009 – Swimming, 2018
“I don’t need to lie no more/Nowadays all I do is shine, take a breath and ease my mind/And she don’t cry no more/She tell me that I get her high ’cause an angel’s supposed to fly, and/I ain’t askin’ “Why?” no more/Oh, no, I take it if it’s mine, I don’t stay inside the lines/It ain’t 2009 no more/Yeah, I know what’s behind that door”
8. We – The Divine Feminine, 2016
“I’ll think of something to say, I always do/I’m in love with the way that you say my name/Every time it sounds brand new/And you, always wonderin’ what we’ll be/I say we sounds better than you or me”
9. Diamonds and Gold, Blue Slide Park 2011
“She wants diamonds, she wants gold/But she’s scared to let you get too close/And she’s been high and she’s been low/But now she finally on her own/And they’ve been looking/So they been finding/Cause she ain’t runnin’/And she ain’t hiding/Until she finds her place back home/And then she’s finally all alone”
10. Colors and Shapes – Faces, 2014
“While beneath the ocean I met with the captain/Who sank to the floor on his ship/All of his passengers escaped to safety/But he was not done with his trip/He looked up and smiled, asked me ”how do you do?”/I told him I’m losing my grip/He told me ”son, if you want to hold onto yourself/Then let yourself slip”
*Bonus*
11. @MacMiller on Twitter
“If you don’t think you’re going to be okay, don’t worry. This too shall pass. There is a light—find it or let it find you. Just embrace it.”