My friend hates this song, but we can’t help singing along:
“Billionaire” by Bruno Mars and Travis ‘Travie’ McCoy
Like “Love the Way You Lie” the chorus follows a radically different narrative from the rap. Here, the chorus is exclusively self-interested, while the rap includes material about using money for social good. Below I’ve broken down the lyrics into a table:
| Self-Serving | Public Interest |
| I wanna be a billionaire so fucking bad buy all of the things I never had I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine smiling next to Oprah and the Queen Oh every time I close my eyes I see my name in shining lights A different city every night Oh I swear the world better prepare for when I’m a billionaire Yeah I would have a show like Oprah. . . . . . . . s s s. yeah can’t forget about me stupid Oh every time I close my eyes I’ll be playing basketball with the President . . . I know we all have a similar dream I wanna be a billionaire so fucking bad |
I would be the host of, everyday Christmas give Travie a wish list I’d probably pull an Angelina and Brad Pitt and adopt a bunch of babies that ain’t never had shit give away a few Mercedes like here lady have this and last but not least grant somebody their last wish its been a couple months that I’ve single so you can call me Travie Claus minus the Ho Ho get it, hehe, I’d probably visit where Katrina hit and damn sure do a lot more than FEMA did. . . s s s s s s s s s we in recession but let me take a crack at it |
Other than the beat, what I like about this song is the assumption that having money obliges a person to help others. It’s automatic: if the singers were millionaires, they use their money on themselves, those around them, and those far away. Perhaps Peter Singer would be proud.
Inspirational Quote:
“I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.”–Mark Twain
