BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – It’s been an iconic part of the Twin Cities for generations, and now it has its own number, thanks to a song from Minneapolis.
Minneapolis singer-songwriter Jeremy Messersmith’s “Mall of America” is an ode to the megamall.
“I’ve always wanted to write something about the Mall of America,” he said. “I kind of wanted to write something that says, it’s complicated, but it also has a great hook that you could hear playing at the Mall of America.”
The self-proclaimed ’60s samba’ theme really sounds like something you heard pumping through a mall’s speakers in the ’80s and ’90s.
However, the lyrics themselves change halfway through. Messersmith cheerfully describes a scenario in which the mall is destroyed, rebuilt on budget and billed to taxpayers. The song ends with Messersmith proudly proclaiming, “It’s the largest mall in history.”
“It was kind of fun to just lean into it. Lean into something that’s a little schmaltzy, and then contrast the lyrics a little bit,” he said. “I have a couple dozen fans saying, oh this is great, this is fantastic… Minnesotans are very happy with every mention.”
Messersmith sees the song becoming a holiday shopping classic.
“Not really a holiday classic, at Christmas there are those kinds of lockdowns,” he said. “But a shopping classic.”
It’s safe to say that Messersmith doesn’t see the song playing on the Mall anytime soon. Still, he hopes you can hum the hook next time you’re there.
“You just have to lean into the experience,” he said. “You can’t be cynical when you’re at the Mall of America. You just have to be mindful of late-stage capitalism and where it is.”
Adam Duxter
