Million Dollar Man

“You said I was the most exotic flower Holding me tight in our final hour” He “said”, so it is in past tense. Perhaps this is one of the many sweet things he carelessly told her but it remained in her mind and heart. But even though this is in past tense, I think they are still together.

“I don't know how you convince them and get them, but I don't know what you do, it's unbelievable And I don't know how you get over, get over Someone as dangerous, tainted and flawed as you” This man is very persuasive, sly, and good with his words. I don’t know how you “Convince them” refers to how she doesn’t know what he does or what he says to convince other women to be with him, despite him being already in a relationship or possibly even married. She says he is dangerous, tainted, and flawed because of everything he is capable of doing so easily (hurting her by lying, cheating, etc.) and in spite of it all, she can still be so in love with him. “…I don’t know how you get over, get over…” She is just questioning because she finds it impossible for herself to get over it.

“One for the money, and two for the show I love you honey, I'm ready, I'm ready to go” This man is also someone with wealth and status. Aside from still being madly in love with him, there are two more reasons that she convinced herself to believe as the reasons to why she is doing this to herself and still in this painful relationship. It sounds stupid to still be in love with or cling onto someone who doesn’t love you anymore so she convinces herself that it is okay because she is only staying for the sake of his money and status. One for his money, secondly for the show as in ‘status’… or maybe an alternative interpretation –keeping a relationship even just for “show”, as outsiders don’t know what their relationship really is like at home. So she rather keep things that way because she is in denial and unwilling to accept what their reality is like, a broken relationship. “I love you honey, I’m ready, I’m ready to go” – Either way, she can’t control her feelings; she loves him… so she is ready to go anywhere with him, meaning she will stay by his side.

“How did you get that way? I don't know You're screwed up and brilliant, Look like a million dollar man, So why is my heart broke?” She doesn’t know how/why he changed… probably because he wasn’t like this when they first met and fell in love. She says he is screwed up and brilliant at the same time because despite being smart and successful, his character and personality is so terribly flawed. That is the reason why he looks like a million dollar man –because to people who don’t know him personally on her level, he has everything: wealth, status, success, etc. When she asks, “so why is my heart broke?”, she means why does she still feel so empty inside despite being in a relationship with someone who is an everything-package, or a “million dollar man”? (When she says “broke”, it should be related to the million-dollar-man line, so in that context, broke means “no money” rather than heartbroken. But “million dollar man” meant that he was promising and had content… so the word “broke” in reference to her heart would mean lacking content, in other words, empty.)

“You got the world but baby at what price? Something so strange, hard to define” She is asking him what he gave up and sacrificed for this life of success. The things we would do and the things we would sacrifice for money and success can definitely be “strange” or “hard to define” because we’re all a little crazy for wealth and status in this realistic and capitalistic world… some a little more crazy than others.

“It isn't that hard boy to like you or love you I'd follow you down, down, down, You're unbelievable If you're going crazy just grab me and take me I'd follow you down, down, down, anywhere, anywhere” This part just basically expresses how much she loves him… because she’d follow him anywhere, even if he is destructive in his ways and goes downwards (going through the downs in life). And although he might have a terrible personality or treats her terribly, she still tells him he isn’t hard to like or love (because she is already in love with him and blinded by her emotions and feelings for him). She reminds him that in times of darkness, or when he is “going crazy”, to take her with him because she is still willing to stay by him no matter what.

Overall, I feel like this song depicts the strong feelings this woman still has for her man despite knowing that he has already changed. While they may still be together physically, she feels empty in her heart because mentally and emotionally, he isn’t there. His feelings changed and his heart isn’t there anymore. She knows it; she knows his heart isn’t there anymore but still she cannot let go because she loves him too much. It hurts to stay by his side but it hurts even more to let go and lose him completely… So she stays in this unhealthy relationship reminiscing on the time when he still told her sweet things and said she was the most exotic flower, a happy memory she holds really dear. While staying by his side physically, she is mentally in her own world and lying to herself to cope with the depression.