"rockstar" by Post Malone Brings Ice Cold Heat in Ways I Never Thought Imaginable
January 28, 2023
Read time: 5 minutes
Just yesterday, I was extremely emotional. I was listening to “rockstar” by Post Malone and I had a stark realization. I sat there listening to White Iverson himself and I thought to myself...“rockstar” is one of the saddest songs I’ve ever listened to.
In this life, there is duality. There are wins and there are losses. There are credits and there are debits. It’s a roller coaster. And the ups and downs are clear and obvious.
Of course, there are other options. Duality isn’t everything. There can be wins, losses and there can be ties. On a balance sheet, there are assets, liabilities, and shareholder equity. There is always another door. But it’s perfectly normal to perceive things through duality. One option or the other…it makes life a bit easier when the options are only chocolate or vanilla.
Then there is “rockstar” by Post Malone.
When I first heard “rockstar,” I was at a party in college. I was dancing, having a good time, then Post Malone shot out of a cannon. I listened. I bobbed my head. I felt pretty good. I had a beer. There were friends all around. And I thought to myself, “Hey man, this guy has a pretty sweet tune.”
Out of nowhere, 21 Savage came into the song. At this time, 21 Savage was one of the great names in our popular culture. His voice on the song felt like home. My hips swiveled. I spilled a tad of beer on the floor and nobody cared.
Until yesterday, “rockstar” had been associated with the happiest parts of my life.
***
So, why the Post Malone-inspired emotional flare-up? Where did this sadness come from? How could I feel so blue over a song that made me feel so happy a thousand times before?
I have no problem listening to sad music. When I’m feeling blue and want to have a good cry, I have no problem turning on “Hey Jude” by The Beatles, putting myself in Jules’s shoes, and letting loose on my eyeballs. But, the fact of the matter was, never once did I have the thought:
“Holy smokes!...“rockstar” by Post Malone…this song…this song is absolutely heartbreaking.”
In that moment, I gathered myself. I had just turned into an emotional puddle. I needed to get myself together. I went to my bathroom, stared at my eyes that had turned flaming hot pulsating red, found a tissue, and I blew my nose.
***
Up until then, I felt the same way every time I listened to “rockstar.” I wanted to be a rockstar. I wanted to be like Post Malone. I wanted to be like 21 Savage. These guys were the leaders of a generation. They made awesome music, toured, did whatever they wanted, and seemed to have endless amounts of whatever they wanted at their fingertips.
But then, that hollow and ominous beat rang in my eardrum. A beat that made my feet tippity-tap now made my thoughts swiggly-swirm. Malone’s voice piped up and sang. And my thoughts swiggly-swirmed. I thought:
“Wow, this song can be listened to in two ways: the happy life of a rockstar and the sad life of a rockstar. The lyrics depict what rockstars do. They party. And the listeners love the party lyrics. They party along with the party lyrics.
“Then there’s the beat. It’s crafted in a laboratory of depression. Put these lyrics and this beat together and we get a happy/sad singalong.
“One part of us praises all the partying because the rockstar lifestyle is electric gravitas that reaches for stars. The other part of us laments 21 Savage’s cashflow situation…he’s got a twelve-car garage, but only has six cars.”
And I danced and sang.
***
In my case, I’m lucky. My emotional meltdown was followed by solution, reflection, and love. It was solved by a handful of tissues and mysterious sweats. But, my newfound love for “rockstar” was followed by an immersive experience listening to the rest of Post Malone’s album, Beerbongs & Bentleys. The album is nice. I think it came from Post Malone’s heart.
Regardless, I did not listen to “rockstar” and think, “Oh gee, what a nice song.” That particular song on this nice album brought me to my knees. The fact that I can go 999 listens on a song and the 1000th be something completely different…this is why I love music so much. One minute, it’s happiness and “Yay! I'm so happy I’m a rockstar!” The next minute, it’s sadness and “look at all this crap all around me…I’m supposed to be happy…I’m a rockstar.”
It took 1000 listens for me to find the duality in “rockstar.” I’m curious what perspective the 1001st listen will bring…maybe I’ll start thinking about the dude’s girlfriend who’s a groupie? Maybe the dude? Maybe all one hundred of the groupies? Maybe the friends they brought? Maybe the wifey? Maybe the Pop-Tarts?
Who knows?
Whatever direction my head spins, I know my feet will be tapping. My hips will be moving. And my head will be bobbing. All thanks to Post Malone and company.
Time for a Joke:
50 Cent and Nickelback are touring together.
Tickets are only 45 cents!