Jeremy Messersmith gives cheeky nod to "greatest mall in history" in new song "The Mall of America"
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — For generations, it's been an iconic part of the Twin Cities, and now it has its very own song, thanks to one of Minneapolis' own.
Minneapolis-based 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, well, it's complicated – but also has a great hook that you could hear playing in the Mall of America."
The self-described "60s samba" theme really does sound like something you'd hear pumping through the speakers at a mall in the 80s and 90s.
The lyrics themselves, however, take a turn halfway through. In the jolliest of tones, Messersmith describes a scenario where the mall is destroyed, rebuilt over budget and charged to the taxpayers. The song ends with Messersmith proudly proclaiming, "It's the greatest mall in history."
"It was kind of fun just leaning into it. Leaning into something that's a little bit schmaltzy, and then having the lyrics kind of contrast it a bit," he said. "I have a few dozen fans that are like, oh this is great, this is fantastic… Minnesotans are very happy for any mention."
Messersmith sees the song becoming a holiday shopping classic.
"Not a holiday classic, really, Christmas has those kind of on lockdown," he said. "But a shopping classic."
Safe to say, Messersmith doesn't see the song playing at the Mall anytime soon. Still, he's hopeful you might hum the hook the 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 lean into the late-stage capitalism and where it's at."
