“Benji the Dog” by Mac Miller
The late Mac Miller’s “Benji the Dog” deals with a myriad of issues. And it is named after “Benji”, a fictitious dog who now has had a movie career spanning over four decades. It is not clear how the title relates to the song since “Benji” is never mentioned in the actual lyrics, although the instrumental does sample a track entitled “Benji” from 1972.
It has been postulated that just like the dog in the movies, in this particular track, Miller is trying to be helpful to the audience, although in the end he feels unworthy to offer them advice considering his own struggles.
So here we have Miller delivering somewhat of an autobiographical piece in which he talks about his mom, interactions with other women, his fame and of course drug use. And what it all ultimately boils down to is that Miller finds it “so hard to stay sober” amongst the many stresses he faced in life, although he also recognized being intimate with women as something which helped keep him “straight”. But he understood that such, particularly when it comes to the drug use, was not an ideal way to conduct himself. However, he ultimately takes a philosophical approach in acknowledging that such unfavorable situations are an intrinsic part of life not only for himself but for others also. Yet despite these challenges, he encourages the addressees to adopt a disposition similar to his own. And what is this disposition? It simply is to “pick it up and keep going” instead of succumbing to unfavorable situations.
Facts about “Benji the Dog”
- The aforementioned 1972 song “Benji” which is sampled in this track is by Valerie Simpson.
- “Benji the Dog” also features a quote derived from the 2016 television show The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story.
- And although that particular snippet is once again from 2016, it has been generally concluded that Mac Miller actually recorded this track in 2015. Miller is also the sole writer of the song.
- “Benji the Dog” was leaked online as a single on 19 May 2019. Till date, the origins of the leak are unknown.
