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In the song, "Good Old Days", the speakers are telling a story about wishing they realized they were in the best time of their life while they were experiencing it.  The speakers were Macklemore and Kesha. Both of the writers took turns contributing to the message of the good old days. To understand this song better, Macklemore was getting over a drug addiction (Biography.com). So, there is no specific occasion for this song. He was not in a great place in his life at the time he wrote this song. However, it is clear that the targeted audience was themselves, each other, and their friends. The speakers were remembering their good times and warning the audience not to miss the moments they are currently living. The purpose of this piece was to reminisce and relive the good memories from their past. The subject is very clear, one should never take life for granted. At some point, everyone looks back and misses parts of their past. The tone of "Good Old Days" is a calm, soothing, and almost sad feeling. This is because the memories are soothing, but the experiences are gone.

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Good Old Days Lyrics

[Chorus: Kesha ]
I wish somebody would have told me, babe
Someday, these will be the good old days
All the love you won't forget
And all these reckless nights you won't regret
Someday soon, your whole life's gonna change
You'll miss the magic of these good old days

[Verse 1: Macklemore]
I was thinkin' 'bout the band
I was thinkin' 'bout the fans
We were underground
Loadin' merch in that 12-passenger van
In a small club in Minnesota
And the snow outside of 1st Ave
I just wanted my name in a star
Now look at where we at
Still growin' up, still growin' up
I would lay in my bed and dream about what I'd become
Couldn't wait to get older, couldn't wait to be some
Now that I'm here, wishing I was still young
Those good old days

[Chorus: Kesha]
I wish somebody would have told me, babe
That someday, these will be the good old days
All the love you won't forget
And all these reckless nights you won't regret
'Cause someday soon, your whole life's gonna change
You'll miss the magic of the good old days

[Verse 2: Macklemore]
Wish I didn't think I had the answers
Wish I didn't drink all of that flask first
Wish I made it to homecoming
Got up the courage to ask her
Wish I would've gotten out of my shell
Wish I put the bottle back on that shelf
Wish I wouldn't have worry about what other people thought
And felt comfortable in myself
Rooftop open, and the stars above
Moment frozen, sneakin' out, and fallin' in love
Me, you and that futon, we'd just begun
On the grass dreamin', figuring out who I was
Those good old days

[Chorus: Kesha]
I wish somebody would have told me, babe
That someday, these will be the good old days
All the love you won't forget
And all these reckless nights you won't regret
'Cause someday soon, your whole life's gonna change
You'll miss the magic of the good old days

[Verse 3: Macklemore & Kesha]
Never thought we'd get old, maybe we're still young
Maybe you always look back and think it was better than it was
Maybe these are the moments
Maybe I've been missin' what it's about
Been scared of the future, thinkin' about the past
While missin' out on now
We've come so far, I guess I'm proud
And I ain't worried 'bout the wrinkles 'round my smile
I've got some scars, I've been around
I've felt some pain, I've seen some things, but I'm here now
Those good old days

[Bridge: Kesha]
You don't know what you've got
'Til it goes, 'til it's gone
You don't know what you've got
'Til it goes, 'til it's gone

[Chorus: Kesha]
I wish somebody would have told me, babe
Someday, these will be the good old days
All the love you won't forget
And all these reckless nights you won't regret
Someday soon, your whole life's gonna change
You'll miss the magic of these good old days

"Good Old Days" is about making the most of life so years later you aren't dwelling on past experiences with regret., possibly with regret. Ben looks back on his own experiences that might not have been appreciated as much at the time, but were truly good times, and now they're behind him.

Value in your experiences as you're experiencing them, living them to the fullest, so years later you aren't dwelling on them, wishing you acted differently, made different choices, or took advantage of the situation in a better way.

Live life in the moment, live without regret, so when you look back on the good times there won't be room to improve them.

Macklemore reflects on his days performing in relative anonymity at small venues, just hoping to get his name written down somewhere. He reflects on his time as a high school student when he just wished he asked a girl out.

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What have the artists said about the song?

Kesha, she is a great spirit. She is someone that I walked into the room and I immediately just caught a vibe with and became friends with pretty instantaneously. ... She's a musician, she's a writer, she's someone that is not afraid to try ideas in the studio, not afraid to get vulnerable in front of people, not scared to go for the high note when she doesn't know if she can hit it or not. She is a musician in every sense of the word, and she's hilarious.

Ryan [Lewis] had a session with her in Seattle. ... They had already done "Praying" and they were working on a couple other records that I don't think made her album. She had [an] off day and I hit Ryan and was like, "Would you mind if hit up Kesha?" And he was like, "Of course not."

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Good Old Days Lyrics: I wish somebody would have told me, babe / Someday, these will be the good old days / All the love you won't forget / And all these reckless nights you won't regret / Someday soon

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The video of "Good Old Days" portrays two singers having a good time with their friends. The speakers are Macklemore and Kesha. There is no specific occasion in the video. It was just the two of then walking around telling a story. They have flashbacks of a camping trip, sitting by a fire with friends, and spending time together. Just like with the lyrics, the audience was themselves, each other, and their friends. The audience was very personal to their story. It was everyone who was part of their memories. The purpose was reliving their memories. The speakers never want the audience to forget all of the good times they had. Macklemore and Kesha want their audience to understand the focus of their subject is not to take life for granted. Memories are the only thing that lasts a lifetime. The tone in the video is light-hearted, romantic, and quiet.

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MACKLEMORE FEAT KESHA - GOOD OLD DAYS (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

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Macklemore and Kesha are the speakers attempting to tell themselves, one another, and their friends that they should cherish the current moments.  In the future, they will look back on these memories as the good old days. To do this, they use the appeals of pathos and ethos in the lyrics. They use the appeals of pathos and logos in the video . In analyzing the lyrics and video, it appears that their use of these appeals is effective in convincing their intended audience to cherish every moment.

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"Good Old Days" is a song that focuses heavily on personal experience and emotion. The writer, Macklemore, had a life changing drug and alcohol addiction. After getting the addiction under control, Macklemore wrote this song (Biography.com). He uses ethos to appeal to his audience through his lyrics. His credibility is undeniable because he personally fought this battle. For instance, when he writes, "Wish I put the bottle back on that shelf", Macklemore gets his audience to trust him because of his honesty about his personal experience. This is very effective because many people try to hide their addiction, but he uses it to help others not make some of the same mistakes. He also writes, "Wish I would've gotten out of my shell". The appeal to ethos in this line is very evident because people in addiction normally withdraw to themselves. Macklemore admits his personal experience in withdrawing and that it was a mistake. This use of ethos was effective because people feel like they can trust him and they relate to his painful personal experiences.

Macklemore also uses pathos to appeal to his audience. Pathos uses emotion to persuade the audience. For instance, when he writes, "You'll miss the magic of these good old days", he appeals to sadness, reverence, and belonging. The emotion of reverence is holding the experiences and memories in high importance. He remembers things that he took for granted and realizes how special they really were. The use of the word magic ties a positive feeling to the regret that those days are gone. His use of pathos was very effective because in this line he used both positive emotion and regret. He continues with the line, "I've felt some pain, I've seen some things, but I'm here now". Macklemore appeals to emotion by saying that he has been through a lot. However, he has made it through these times. This demonstrates that he is proud to survive the mess that he has been through. This line reaches out to other people who have been through bad experiences and gives them emotional support that they will make it. This is effective because people may not relate to his addiction, but almost everyone can relate to pain and survival.

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In "Good Old Days", Macklemore and Kesha are telling themselves, one another, and their friends that they should value life and realize that these may be the best times of their life. While they are telling their story, the speakers are reliving their memories. The speakers use both ethos and pathos in the lyrics to get their point across. The honesty and openness about Macklemore's personal experience is very effective. The use of pathos to appeal to his audience was very effective. In the video, the speakers also use pathos very effectively. Videos are a very good way to demonstrate emotion and connect to the audience. The speakers also use logos in the video. This is the weakest form of appeal in this song. However, it clearly makes a connection with the audience. Overall, "Good Old Days" does a very effective job of connecting to their audience and making the purpose of valuing life while it happens.

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Haggerty, Benjamin, and Kesha Sebert. “Macklemore (Ft. Kesha) – Good Old Days.” Genius, 19 Sept. 2017, https://genius.com/Macklemore-good-old-days-lyrics.

Prouctions, RyanLewis, director. MACKLEMORE FEAT KESHA - GOOD OLD DAYS (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO). YouTube, YouTube, 21 Sept. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yYV9-KoSUM. Accessed 19 Dec. 2022.

Biography.com Editors. “Macklemore.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 22 Aug. 2019, https://www.biography.com/musician/macklemore.