Mac Miller’s first posthumous album ‘Circles’ does give a glimpse of the rapper’s life and vision leading to his death in September 2019. He was merely 26-years-old at the time of passing. The album’s title track tells us how the artist saw his life leading nowhere. Let us explore the lyrics and meaning behind this song.
‘Circles’ is Mac Miller’s sixth studio album and his first posthumous album. The 12-track album encompasses songs that reflect Miller’s grieving mind after the breakup of his 2-year relationship with singer Ariana Grande. Some tracks do give the impression that Mac Miller did enjoy the high, which also lead to his unfortunate death. One positive song on the album is “Good News,” a rarity.
Ariana Grande did state that the split with Mac Miller was largely forced by his addiction to drugs. In this song, we do hear Miller singing that he is incapable of changing, which could be on the same topic. Jon Brion, who collaborated with Miller on this track gave his insights into the song with Apple Music; “You hear him acknowledging aspects of himself, either that he doesn’t feel capable of changing or things he thinks are questionable. Things you’ll hear in the lyrics directly—‘I’m this way, and I think other people might not understand how I think, but actually I’m okay with that.’ It’s so pointed. I was just a hundred per cent in from the get-go.”
Listen to “Circles” by Mac Miller
The only verse on the song is an eerie self-consciousness right before the artist’s death. The first lyric of the verse starts off with Mac Miller reflecting on his life “right before you fall.” Whether Mac Miller knew his impending death is something that will forever be a mystery. But he certainly had some insights into his life in the near future.
The entire song is a dedication to the mental state of Mac Miller, supposedly before his passing. Life in circles; is the direction his life was heading and it was killing him inside. We will never know how much of an impact did breaking up with Ariana Grande had on his drug overdose. But we do hear the rapper calling out to Ariana Grande in the song; “You’re feeling sorry, I’m feeling fine / Don’t you put any more stress on yourself, it’s one day at a time.”
Mac Miller admits that he tried to change his ways for better. He could be talking about his addiction to drugs with these lyrics. Unfortunately, he was not able to give up the bad habit. This solely lead to the downfall of his life within a matter of months. Who is to blame here? Mac Miller? Well, he tried. Who else is to blame?
Drugs may have helped Mac Miller ease the pains he was going through. This is apparent when he sings “We’re doing well, sittin’, watchin’ the world fallin’ down, its decline.” To do well in the midst of all the chaos that runs around in one’s head, they would need some numbing juice. Either alcohol or drugs usually help in these circumstances. However, going against the nature of humankind is pushing yourself towards the edge. Humans were made to suffer, enjoy, and live. These laws are not meant to be broken. There are no shortcuts to life. Those who do take shortcuts, end up paying the ultimate price.
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