Thrift Shop by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Every New Zealand #1 single…

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Like the last artist to appear in this column (Kenny Loggins!), Ryan Lewis and Macklemore are from Washington state. They met when Lewis worked as a photographer on a project with Macklemore, and they formed a producer/rapper duo.

‘Thrift Shop’ was the pair’s fourth single from their debut album The Heist. It became the first song since 1994 to top the Billboard singles chart without the support of a major record label, although they paid Warner Bros’ promotional department a percentage.

Thrift Shop

‘Thrift Shop’ cleverly skewers hip hop’s norms. Fashion and bling have always been important aspects of hip hop – from Run DMC’s ‘My Adidas’ to A$AP Rocky’s ‘Fashion Killa’. Public Enemy’s Chuck D lamented that “man, I work at McDonald’s, but in order for me to feel good about myself I got to get a gold chain or I got to get a fly car in order to impress a sister or whatever.”

But on ‘Thrift Shop’, Macklemore celebrates wearing your granddad’s clothes, like a “big-ass coat”.

“Thrift Shop” became massive…When that happens, for one, people are going to be polarized. The minute my niece starts singing a song, I’m like, “That song’s wack.”

The minute you’re in a car and you turn to five different radio stations and they’re all playing “Thrift Shop,” you’re like, “This s*** is played out.” We didn’t make pop music; pop music came to us.

Macklemore, Rolling Stone

My verdict

‘Thrift Shop’ is never going to be a personal favourite – it’s too gimmicky to stand up to constant replay. But it’s easy to see why it was a hit song – it’s clever and memorable.

The Aftermath

Macklemore and Lewis split after 2016’s This Unruly Mess I’ve Made. Macklemore’s enjoyed success as a solo artist – 2017’s ‘Glorious’ also topped the New Zealand charts.

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• NZ #1 hits