Barenaked Ladies: If I Had $1000000 Meaning

Song Released: 1992

If I Had $1000000 Lyrics

If I Had $1000000 (If I Had $1000000)
I'd buy you a house (I would buy you a house)
If I Had $1000000 (If I Had $1000000)
I'd buy you furniture for your house
(Maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman)
If I Had $1000000 (If I Had...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Dec 18th 2006 !⃝

   Uh, the most telling line is the last line, but it's not "I'd buy your love," but rather "I'd be rich." If he had $1,000,000, all he would be in the end is rich, because he wouldn't have the person he is singing to.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   Carveyfan

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   Oct 23rd 2005 !⃝

   Don't strain yourself trying to find a hidden meaning. Take this song at face value. It's simply a humorous song about what the singer would buy for his girlfriend/wife out of love if he was rich.
3. anonymous

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   Sep 18th 2020 !⃝

   Not an interpretation.
   
   I just want to point out that people are posting and telling us to stop trying to find a meaning behind song lyrics on a site specifically made for this purpose.
   
   Also, why are people who think this even on this site anyway? I thought that was kind of hilarious, to be honest.
4. anonymous

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   Nov 11th 2018 !⃝

   Honestly I want to say this song is kind of sad in a way. "$1000000" is a lot of money, and for many its unachievable. So all these things he states he would buy for the woman he loves, are never going happen. Yes its happy on the surface, kind of like when you're in love, you're all happy and bubbly about your crush at first. But then because she is $1000000 away, she becomes his unachievable goal. The last line of the song is really striking, because it's the one line in the chorus that's different. "I'd be rich," it almost seems to say that even if I could achieve the unachievable, I'd still never have her, and all I'd be is rich. Of course as others have mentioned, the song takes stabs at rich people, and is an ongoing theme; theres the idea that a rich person could buy her love, but in the last line it suggests that money cant buy her love, cause all youd be is rich. The speaker is however not rich, he does not have $1000000, and this girl is merely a crush.
5. anonymous

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   Apr 15th 2009 !⃝

   I've always felt that this song was about the complete opposite of what the singer is singing about. He is singing this song to the girl he loves, and who loves him back. He makes up all of these things that he would buy her, but they both know he doesn't need to buy her anything. He can't buy her love and he doesn't need to, they already love each other. She is his "million dollars" and he already is rich in their love. The song is just them having fun together.
6. anonymous

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   Apr 8th 2008 !⃝

   I agree with the most recent post for the most part.
   
   It seems to me mostly just a fun song with fantasy hypothetical situations, cute flirting and pillow talk.
   
   The superfluous stuff he lists are the part making fun of rich folks, but the "I'd buy your love" resounds a bit. (specially with the harmonies drawing attention to it within the song) It's like the act of dropping tons of money on an engagement ring, the notion that there are rings she just can't say no to. It makes fun, not only, of rich folks but a lot of the ideals of our society. The setting is innocent and fun enough but that doesn't mean there isn't an underlying meaning.
7. anonymous

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   Jun 4th 2007 !⃝

   I think this song is wrapped with irony. Why would you buy a K car, green dress, expensive ketchup packets if you were rich. "We'd take a limousine 'cause it costs more," just because it costs more? I think this song is making fun of people that have too much money and don't know what to do with it. Coincidentally those are the people that think that love can be bought, which it can't. It's just a silly song that makes fun of rich people. "If I had $1,000,000 I'd be rich."
8. anonymous

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   Apr 11th 2007 !⃝

   God who cares!! Barenaked Ladies are a fun group! That's it. This is a fun song! THAT'S IT!
9. anonymous

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   Nov 25th 2006 !⃝

   See the above comments regarding what the singer would buy his girlfriend - BUT - the most telling line is the last line in the chorus, "I would buy you." He would buy off his girlfriend...
   
   (As a side note, I talked my friend out of putting this on a mix tape for somebody he was trying to get back together with. I think it would have sent the wrong message to say that he wanted to buy her back.)

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
10. anonymous

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    Feb 14th 2006 !⃝

    Like the person above said, don't try too hard to find some kind of subliminal meaning to this song. The singer is singing a humorus song about a girl he wants but doesn't have and what he would buy her to win her love.

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