Balloons by Tom MacDonald

September 06, 2024

by Amanda London · Published November 15, 2021 · Updated November 15, 2021

Tom MacDonald is not a conventional rapper, in that his lyrics are usually politically-focused as opposed to being centered on, say money, sex and violence. But occasionally he does adopt a more conventional industry disposition, such as in “Balloons”, which focuses on the negative effects of the vocalist having blown up.

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That is not to say that mainstream rappers, i.e. the likes of Travis Scott or Drake for instance, commonly sit around bi–hing and moaning about being famous. But others, such as Logic, NF and even – dare we say it in a Tom MacDonald context – Eminem are known to regularly resort to such a standpoint.

Tom’s Issues with Fame

And as with the aforementioned rappers, it can be said that MacDonald’s gripe is largely twofold. On one hand, it’s like he can’t go out in public without people recognizing and resultantly wanting to interact with him.

So it’s as if being famous has cost the vocalist his privacy and right to freely enjoy the outdoor life. And secondly, as detailed most explicitly in the third verse, he is dealing with a bunch of mental problems. Logically we would presume that said issues or stress are anxiety related.

But Tom also notes that he’s just “bored of the fame”. And honestly, by the time all is said and done, the lyrics imply that he may be dealing with much deeper problems than those brought on by the nature of his success. Or at least that’s the impression we get when he rather identifies music as an effective remedy in combating thoughts of suicide.

Another less-than-ideal aspect of MacDonald’s fame, as presented, is that Tom is worried about someone rolling up on him in his home. He doesn’t specify if this perceived threat is in the form of haters and/or thieves. But all things considered, it may well be both.

A Common Problem among White Rappers?

And we’re not trying to sound racist or anything, but it usually seems to be the White rappers, like those mentioned above, who drop songs as these. All major rappers in some way, shape or form, tend to acknowledge that being successful has its drawbacks. And we know that, literally speaking, there are Black rappers who have developed serious mental issues over the course of their careers also.

But it appears to be a more common motif amongst their White counterparts, to come off as if they’re actually being bested by the game. And ultimately, such is likely indicative of the aforementioned Eminem’s impact on the industry, with Shady being the first rapper to really harp on the topics of being a successful yet stressed musician and growing weary of being famous.

“Balloons”

Meanwhile, the title of this song is indicative of the vocalist’s fantasy to like jump in a hot air balloon and “float away” from his troubles, depression, etc. And even then, it’s as if the haters are to trying damage the balloon and in the process do him in.

So as far as a thesis sentiment is concerned, regardless of all the various types of bellyaching going on in the song, what is really bothering MacDonald, most simply put, would be the persistence of haters.

Tom MacDonald and “Balloons”

Tom MacDonald is an indie rapper who has done quite well for himself considering that he isn’t mainstream. That is to say that his songs regularly do well on streaming services.

This includes “Balloons” which made it onto the top 10 of the iTunes US Songs chart about a month after its issuance. And he’s also had a few songs appear on the more standard US Billboard charts during 2021. This is a feat that MacDonald, with a discography that dates back to 2015, never accomplished prior.

“Balloons” was written and produced by MacDonald. And it is one of the singles from his project titled “Us Against the World”. This is his second studio album, after “As Far as the Stars”, that he put out in 2021.

When was “Balloons” released?

“Balloons” has a release date of 3 September 2021.

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