Swimming: An Album 

By: Emily Eade

Swimming by Mac Miller was the musician's fifth studio album. This album took inspiration after multiple unfortunate events happened in his life, which created the album's particular structure and ‘swimming’ metaphor. Throughout the album, it is seen that Mac explores the battle between his struggles and his newfound impression of positivity and optimism. 

Swimming entails moments from Mac’s life experiences since his previous album The Divine Feminine as he tries to move forward with his life. Unfortunately, this was Mac’s final work which he finished from start to end. Throughout the album, Mac created imagery of his strong desire to develop his self-love, personal healing, and personal growth, through his lyrics and self-production of beats. 

Swimming was created to go alongside his sixth studio album titled Circles, which together was meant to create the phrase, “Swimming in Circles.” Swimming was created to explain being seen as fine on the outside, but on the inside being anxiety-ridden; whereas Circles is about knowing there’s some - thing to be done about it which was the completion of the loop. 

“Come Back to Earth,” is the first track on the album. On this track, Mac creates a perfect start of the album, by creating a perfect envisionment with its recurring motifs of self-care, self-acceptance, and personal liberation. This is where he establishes his conflicts with depression, isolation, and addiction. The lyrics “And I was drownin', but now I'm swimmin' through stressful waters to relief,” is Mac’s way to create an image of balance to listeners, by showing them that swimming allows him to fit perfectly in-between drowning in his emotions and being a flight in his dark thoughts. Throughout the song, there is this soft, calming beat that contrasts well with his voice establishing his pain while trying to create a connection of peace with himself. 

The fifth song of the album is “Self Care.” On this track, Mac is trying to spread a message of over - coming hardships, being aware of ways to handle yourself, and self-control. “Self-care, I'm treatin' me right, yeah. Hell yeah, we gonna be alright (We gon' be alright),” these lyrics show that Mac was trying to attempt to accept his issues and knowing that selfcare is what is needed to maintain the life he wants. Within the song, a similar beat and sound were produced, creating a feeling of seeking. 

The seventh track on the album is “Ladders”. On this track, Mac is using ladders as a metaphor for life. Within the song, Mac creates the imagery of climbing the ladder, the higher and higher you climb the more beautiful and scary it gets. Showing that there is still a way up no matter how far you fall or for how long. “I know it feels so good right now, but it all comes fallin' down. When the night, meet the light turn to day,” these lyrics create the imagery very well. The beats go along with climbing, step by step, higher and higher it goes. 

The second to last track on this album is “2009.” This track shows Mac created this song to reflect on his journey from the year before his breakout mix - tape to now. He tries to connect with his listeners to show them the lessons he’s learned and the things he’s gained throughout. “It ain’t 2009 no more. Yeah, I know what’s behind the door,” was said multiple times throughout the song. He used these lyrics to show his listeners that he now knows what was held for him and knew the dangers of what he was getting himself into unlike he did in 2009, which ultimately brought him to his passing. 

The very last track of the album is “So It Goes.” On this track, it features references to the phrase “so it goes,” which is a line from Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, Slaughterhouse-five. This phrase was used whenever a death occurred. Trying to show listeners that he may still be here, but he’s going back to his old ways and doesn’t know if he’s going to lose his fight. “My God, it goes on and on just like a circle, I go back where I’m from,” are the lyrics that not only sets up the next album Circles but also shows he’s repeatedly encountering the same experiences over and over, feeling as if he never ends that ongoing circle. 

Swimming is the album of feeling pain and sorrow underneath bouncy, melancholic feeling beats. It was a perfect disguise of what was truly going on in Mac’s life. Mac was trying to keep his head above water and felt like his music could help him and that maybe, just maybe his readers could follow what he was saying, but most didn’t notice until it was too late. Well, as they can say, so it goes…