The song was a sleeper hit, gaining more attention in 2012. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it their second number-one hit in the United States. It is also their third consecutive number-one single in Australia. The music video was nominated for Best Music Video at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014. The song was also listed as "The Most-Streamed Song of 2013" by Spotify.
Due to the major international success of the duo's "Thrift Shop", there was a resurgence in sales of their previous singles and their album The Heist.
In the United Kingdom, the song debuted in the UK Singles Chart at number 187 on March 17, 2013, climbing up to number 53 the following week. It eventually peaked at number three on the chart. In Australia, "Can't Hold Us" became Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' third consecutive number-one single after "Thrift Shop" and "Same Love", reaching the top of the chart on March 25, 2013. In the United States, the song became a sleeper hit, and following a performance of the song on Saturday Night Live, the song cracked the top 10 at number 7, becoming the duo's second top 10 hit, following the number-one single "Thrift Shop". "Can't Hold Us" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week dated May 17, 2013. They became the first duo to place their two debut singles atop the chart. They also became the fifth act to place their two debut singles atop the Billboard Hot 100, following Mariah Carey with "Vision of Love" and "Love Takes Time", Christina Aguilera with "Genie in a Bottle" and "What a Girl Wants", Lady Gaga with "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" and Bruno Mars with "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade". The song stayed at number one for five consecutive weeks before being surpassed by Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines". As of January 2014, the song has sold 4,383,000 downloads in the United States with 4,260,000 sold in 2013, making it the eighth best-selling song of the year.
With the helpful release and advertisement of DJ crue and several other artists/producers, remixes were made. One of the most successful one's was Eminem, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Just Can't Hold Us. This was hosted by Ryan Lewis himself and produced by many artists such as OfficialDJLithium who is current day DJ Crue, and Sparks Hopes who is currently known as Jimmy Kang.
Sparks Hopes also helped with the dated release/production working closely with Ryan Lewis, going as far as helping with the 2013 YouTube rewind in order to remix the background track in it. Going as far as helping with the film production, as you can see him in the background of the filming. Overall contributing to the monumental success of the launch.
Macklemore premiered the music video for "Can't Hold Us" on April 17, 2013. The video was directed by Ryan Lewis, Jason Koenig and Jon Jon Augustavo, and shooting took place for 17 days, on 2 continents and 16 different shoots, ranging from the Pacific Northwest to Southern California to New Zealand at Cathedral Cove where scenes for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian were also shot. Several prominent parts were filmed on the tall ship Lady Washington.
The video won two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Hip-Hop Video and Director of Photography Jason Koenig, and Mego Lin won Best Cinematography, the video was nominated for Best Direction and Best Editing Nomination to Jason Koenig and Ryan Lewis. It also was placed at No. 12 on BET Notarized Top 100 in 2013. It was nominated for Best Music Video at the 2014 Grammy Awards.
In an interview about “Can’t Hold Us“ and the tour he was on, Macklemore was asked about the inspiration for the song and responded:
"Ryan [Lewis] had the beat a long time ago, like he made that beat in two thousand seven/eight-ish. And I was always just kind of intimidated to write to it, ‘cause it sounded like it was a soccer anthem […]. Finally he’s like “You do have to write to it!“ and I finally listened to him and I, I wrote to it. We had these verses in place when we were going on tour and […] I don’t remember what we did to the hook, but it wasn’t what it ended up being, it was something else. And when we got back, we knew we wanted to knock it out and we had Ray Dalton in mind for it, Ray came over. He kinda had like a melody idea and I wrote the lyrics to it and we all collaborated on what I wrote and fine tuned it and then turned it then turned it to this song. But Ryan put in tons of effort like with Owuour Arunga, trumpet, trombone player Greg – I don’t know his last name; Greg [Kramer], I’m sorry –, but a bunch of amazing musicians got on it, awarded all the arrangements of Greg for the trombone, it’s just a big collaboration, but Ryan put tons and tons, tons of hours into what it is today."
Can't Hold Us
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Good to see you, c'mon, dude, let's go
Yeah, let's go
Alright, alright, okay, ah, alright, okay
Alright, okay
Return of the Mack, get 'em, what it is, what it does, what it is, what it isn't
Looking for a better way to get up out of bed
We get up, fresh out, pimp strut walking
Little bit of humble, little bit of cautious
Somewhere between like, Rocky and Cosby, sweater game
Nope, nope, y'all can't copy that
Bad, moonwalking, this here, is our party
My posse's been on Broadway, and we did it our way
Grown music, I shed my skin and put my bones into everything, I record to it
And yet I'm on, let that stage light go and shine on down
Got that Bob Barker suit game and Plinko in my style
Money, stay on my craft and stick around for those pounds
But I do that to pass the torch and put on for my town
Trust me, on my I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T shit, hustling
Chasing dreams since I was fourteen
With the four-track, bussin'
Halfway 'cross that city with the backpack, fat cat, crush shit
Labels out here, now they can't tell me nothin'
We give that to the people, spread it across the country
Labels out here, now they can't tell me nothin'
We give it to the people, spread it across the country
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Now, can I kick it? Thank you
Yeah, I'm so damn grateful
I grew up really wanting gold fronts
But that's what you get when Wu-Tang raised you
Y'all can't stop me, go hard like I've got an 808 in my heartbeat
And I'm eating at the beat like you gave a little speed
To a great white shark on Shark Week, raw
Time to go up, I'm gone
Deuces, goodbye, I've got a world to see
And my girl, she wanna see Rome
Caesar make you a believer, nah
I never ever did it for a throne
That validation comes from giving it back to the people, now
Sing this song and it goes like
Raise those hands, this is our party
We came here to live life like nobody was watching
I got my city right behind me
If I fall, they got me
Learn from that failure, gain humility
And then we keep marching, I said
Can we go back? This is the moment (woo)
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
(But so we put our hands up)
(But so we put our hands up)
(Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh)
(Let's go) na, na, nana, na, na, nana
(Aha) hey
(And all my people sing)
Na, na, nana, na, na, nana (ha, that's right, feels good)
Hey (and all my people sing)
Na, na, nana, na, na, nana (you do it, Ray)
Oh (and all my people sing)
Na, na, nana, na, na, nana
Mack-le-eh-eh-eh-eh-more
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
In "Can't Hold Us," Macklemore and Ryan Lewis celebrate their success while giving credit to their Seattle origins. The phrase "return of the Mack" may reference the popular 1997 song by Mark Morrison, who also hailed from the UK like Macklemore's producer Ryan Lewis. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis reject passive internet browsing as a way to better their lives, instead favoring hard work and independence to help them succeed. Macklemore acknowledges the influence of rappers like Wu-Tang Clan in his music and his emphasis on giving back to the people, which he celebrates with his community when performing in Seattle.
Line by Line Meaning
Ayy, ayy, ayy
Greeting and acknowledgement
Good to see you, c'mon, dude, let's go
Friendly invitation to proceed together
Yeah, let's go
Confirmation of agreement to proceed together
Alright, alright, okay, ah, alright, okay
Expression of affirmation
Alright, okay
Reiteration of affirmation
Return of the Mack, get 'em, what it is, what it does, what it is, what it isn't
Acknowledgement of success and focus, contrasting what something is and is not
Looking for a better way to get up out of bed
Desire for an improved lifestyle
Instead of getting on the internet and checking a new hit
Avoiding unproductive habits
We get up, fresh out, pimp strut walking
Confidence and swagger in actions
Little bit of humble, little bit of cautious
Mix of modesty and wariness
Somewhere between like, Rocky and Cosby, sweater game
Identifying with different icons and styles
Nope, nope, y'all can't copy that
Uniqueness of approach and skill
Bad, moonwalking, this here, is our party
Boldness and ownership of celebration
My posse's been on Broadway, and we did it our way
Accomplishments on a grand stage, with individuality
Grown music, I shed my skin and put my bones into everything, I record to it
Mature and personal music-making
And yet I'm on, let that stage light go and shine on down
Success and readiness to perform
Got that Bob Barker suit game and Plinko in my style
Distinctive fashion sense
Money, stay on my craft and stick around for those pounds
Commitment to craft and success
But I do that to pass the torch and put on for my town
Investment in future and hometown pride
Trust me, on my I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T shit, hustling
Self-reliance and hard work
Chasing dreams since I was fourteen
Determination since adolescence
With the four-track, bussin'
Achievements with limited resources
Halfway 'cross that city with the backpack, fat cat, crush shit
Overcoming obstacles and making strides
Labels out here, now they can't tell me nothin'
Independence from commercial labels
We give that to the people, spread it across the country
Sharing of creativity and energy with fans
Can we go back? This is the moment
Request to relive a special time
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
Determination and resolve for the current occasion
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us
Celebrating and expressing uncontainable joy
Now, can I kick it? Thank you
Asking for permission to proceed
Yeah, I'm so damn grateful
Appreciation and contentment
I grew up really wanting gold fronts
Desire for material success and swagger
But that's what you get when Wu-Tang raised you
Influence and inspiration from Wu-Tang Clan
Y'all can't stop me, go hard like I've got an 808 in my heartbeat
Undeterred persistence and intensity
And I'm eating at the beat like you gave a little speed
Metaphor of devouring and dominating the music
To a great white shark on Shark Week, raw
Likening oneself to a ferocious predator
Time to go up, I'm gone
Moving onward and upward
Deuces, goodbye, I've got a world to see
Farewell and exploration of life
And my girl, she wanna see Rome
Partner's desire for new experiences
Caesar make you a believer, nah
Rhetoric about one's power and persuasion
I never ever did it for a throne
Lack of interest in dominion or status
That validation comes from giving it back to the people, now
Recognition and appreciation from fans
Raise those hands, this is our party
Encouragement to participate and enjoy
We came here to live life like nobody was watching
Embracing uninhibited existence
I got my city right behind me
Connection and support from hometown
If I fall, they got me
Trust in community and support system
Learn from that failure, gain humility
Lessons and growth from setbacks
And then we keep marching, I said
Continued perseverance and progress
(But so we put our hands up)
Reiteration of celebratory gesture
(Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh)
Musical interlude
(Let's go) na, na, nana, na, na, nana
Encouragement to move and dance
(Aha) hey
Verbalized acknowledgement
(And all my people sing)
Joining in the collective experience
Na, na, nana, na, na, nana (ha, that's right, feels good)
Upbeat lyrics and praises
Hey (and all my people sing)
Continued inclusion and camaraderie
Mack-le-eh-eh-eh-eh-more
Chanting and acknowledgement of artist
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Benjamin Haggerty, Ryan Scott Lewis, Raymond A. Dalton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@patsys5357
Hey, hey, hey
Good to see you
Come on, dude, let's go
Yeah! Let's go!
Ha-ha-ha-ha alright
Alright, okay
Uh, alright, okay
Alright, okay
Return of the Mack
Get 'em, what it is, what it does, what it is, what it isn't
Looking for a better way to get up out of bed
Instead of getting on the Internet
And checking on who hit me, get up
Thrift shop, pimp-strut walkin'
Little bit of humble, little bit of cautious
Somewhere between like Rocky and Cosby
Sweater game, nope-nope, y'all can't copy
Yeah, bad, moonwalking, this here is our party
My posse's been on Broadway, and we did it our way
Grown music, I shed my skin and put my bones
Into everything I record to it and yet I'm on
Let that stage light go and shine on down
Got that Bob Barker suit game and plinko in my style
Money, stay on my craft and stick around for those pounds
But I do that to pass the torch and put on for my town
Trust me, on my I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T shit, hustlin'
Chasing dreams since I was 14
With the four-track, bussin'
Halfway cross that city with the backpack
Fat cat, crushing labels out here, nah, they can't tell me nothin'
We give that to the people, spread it across the country
Labels out here, nah, they can't tell me nothin'
We give it to the people, spread it across the country
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Now, can I kick it? Thank you
Yeah, I'm so damn grateful
I grew up really wanting gold fronts
But that's what you get when Wu-Tang raised you
Y'all can't stop me
Go hard like I got a 808 in my heartbeat
And I'm eating at the beat like you gave a little speed
To a great white shark on Shark Week, raw!
Time to go off, I'm gone
Deuces, goodbye, I got a world to see
And my girl, she wanna see Rome
Caesar'll make you a believer
Nah, I never ever did it for a throne
That validation comes from giving it back to the people
Now sing a song, and it goes like
Raise those hands, this is our party
We came here to live life like nobody was watching
I got my city right behind me, if I fall, they got me
Learn from that failure, gain humility
And then we keep marching, I said...
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
And so we put our hands up
And so we put our hands up
Oh, oh, oh, oh (let's go)
Na na na na, na na na na
Hey-ee ay-ee ay-ee ay ay-ee ay-ee, hey
And all my people say
Na na na na, na na na na
Hey-ee ay-ee ay-ee ay ay-ee ay-ee, hey
And all my people say
Na na na na, na na na na
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
And all my people say
Na na na na, na na na na
Mack-le-eh-eh-eh-eh-more!
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
@kajci4307
Lyrics :
Hey, hey, hey
Good to see you
Come on, dude, let's go
Yeah! Let's go!
Ha-ha-ha-ha alright
Alright, okay
Uh, alright, okay
Alright, okay
Return of the Mack
Get 'em, what it is, what it does, what it is, what it isn't
Looking for a better way to get up out of bed
Instead of getting on the Internet
And checking on who hit me, get up
Thrift shop, pimp-strut walkin'
Little bit of humble, little bit of cautious
Somewhere between like Rocky and Cosby
Sweater game, nope-nope, y'all can't copy
Yeah, bad, moonwalking, this here is our party
My posse's been on Broadway, and we did it our way
Grown music, I shed my skin and put my bones
Into everything I record to it and yet I'm on
Let that stage light go and shine on down
Got that Bob Barker suit game and plinko in my style
Money, stay on my craft and stick around for those pounds
But I do that to pass the torch and put on for my town
Trust me, on my I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T shit, hustlin'
Chasing dreams since I was 14
With the four-track, bussin'
Halfway cross that city with the backpack
Fat cat, crushing labels out here, nah, they can't tell me nothin'
We give that to the people, spread it across the country
Labels out here, nah, they can't tell me nothin'
We give it to the people, spread it across the country
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Now, can I kick it? Thank you
Yeah, I'm so damn grateful
I grew up really wanting gold fronts
But that's what you get when Wu-Tang raised you
Y'all can't stop me
Go hard like I got a 808 in my heartbeat
And I'm eating at the beat like you gave a little speed
To a great white shark on Shark Week, raw!
Time to go off, I'm gone
Deuces, goodbye, I got a world to see
And my girl, she wanna see Rome
Caesar'll make you a believer
Nah, I never ever did it for a throne
That validation comes from giving it back to the people
Now sing a song, and it goes like
Raise those hands, this is our party
We came here to live life like nobody was watching
I got my city right behind me, if I fall, they got me
Learn from that failure, gain humility
And then we keep marching, I said...
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
And so we put our hands up
And so we put our hands up
Oh, oh, oh, oh (let's go)
Na na na na, na na na na
Hey-ee ay-ee ay-ee ay ay-ee ay-ee, hey
And all my people say
Na na na na, na na na na
Hey-ee ay-ee ay-ee ay ay-ee ay-ee, hey
And all my people say
Na na na na, na na na na
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
And all my people say
Na na na na, na na na na
Mack-le-eh-eh-eh-eh-more!
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
@ifeelallfidgetyandwarm6098
lyrics
Hey, hey, hey
Good to see you
Come on, dude, let's go
Yeah! Let's go!
Ha-ha-ha-ha alright
Alright, okay
Uh, alright, okay
Alright, okay
Return of the Mack
Get 'em, what it is, what it does, what it is, what it isn't
Looking for a better way to get up out of bed
Instead of getting on the Internet
And checking on who hit me, get up
Thrift shop, pimp-strut walkin'
Little bit of humble, little bit of cautious
Somewhere between like Rocky and Cosby
Sweater game, nope-nope, y'all can't copy
Yeah, bad, moonwalking, this here is our party
My posse's been on Broadway, and we did it our way
Grown music, I shed my skin and put my bones
Into everything I record to it and yet I'm on
Let that stage light go and shine on down
Got that Bob Barker suit game and plinko in my style
Money, stay on my craft and stick around for those pounds
But I do that to pass the torch and put on for my town
Trust me, on my I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T shit, hustlin'
Chasing dreams since I was 14
With the four-track, bussin'
Halfway cross that city with the backpack
Fat cat, crushing labels out here, nah, they can't tell me nothin'
We give that to the people, spread it across the country
Labels out here, nah, they can't tell me nothin'
We give it to the people, spread it across the country
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Now, can I kick it? Thank you
Yeah, I'm so damn grateful
I grew up really wanting gold fronts
But that's what you get when Wu-Tang raised you
Y'all can't stop me
Go hard like I got a 808 in my heartbeat
And I'm eating at the beat like you gave a little speed
To a great white shark on Shark Week, raw!
Time to go off, I'm gone
Deuces, goodbye, I got a world to see
And my girl, she wanna see Rome
Caesar'll make you a believer
Nah, I never ever did it for a throne
That validation comes from giving it back to the people
Now sing a song, and it goes like
Raise those hands, this is our party
We came here to live life like nobody was watching
I got my city right behind me, if I fall, they got me
Learn from that failure, gain humility
And then we keep marching, I said...
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
And so we put our hands up
And so we put our hands up
Oh, oh, oh, oh (let's go)
Na na na na, na na na na
Hey-ee ay-ee ay-ee ay ay-ee ay-ee, hey
And all my people say
Na na na na, na na na na
Hey-ee ay-ee ay-ee ay ay-ee ay-ee, hey
And all my people say
Na na na na, na na na na
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
And all my people say
Na na na na, na na na na
Mack-le-eh-eh-eh-eh-more!
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Can we go back? This is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up
Like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
@rexlmao1947
0% naked girls
0% annoying special effects
100% talent
@alangonzalez2184
Good one
@laurakazzy
Snap Shot Could you have possibly done a more unoriginal comment?
@burtonl7239
Well there was a half naked man and there were a shitload of props including a gaudy ship and a bunch of live animals, which makes it as cringey and fake as special effects. As for talent, well, if it was truly just 100% talent, it would just be a video of naked Macklemore singing as he wouldn't need so many hired actors and props to distract from the fact that he is terrible.
@Alex.500
@@burtonl7239 no
@Pseudynom
0% naked girls,
but what about that topless dude?
@streetsmart.69
Who’s here in 2024?!✨
@jhaber.2024..
2012s-2015s was the best time period.
@MtnDewforever
Me. Hearing this song today..
hits different.
@nostalgiahitsdifferent.
Nostalgia