Sure, we can go out..."If You Can Afford Me"

Hey KatyCats

    I don't know if you can tell, but I love the Katy songs that people don't really know. So here's another! This one (also off of the "One of the Boys" album) is called "If You Can Afford Me". This is a really fun and funny song of hers but it also shows a lot of her self-confidence and self-worth. So, let's dive in!

    As usual, in order to follow along with my lyric breakdown, I suggest you click here. So, some people think this song is about her being a gold digger, but I think it's the exact opposite. I think references to money in this song are being used metaphorically. I think she doesn't care about money at all. I'll explain my theory. Let's start with these lines- "If you want me, It takes more than a wink, More than a drink, More than you think..." and "If you want me, I'm not a piece of ass, A one night stand, A storage shed..." could possibly mean that she CAN'T be bought with money. It takes more than that- it takes real love and affection to be with her. Then the lines "If you want me you’re gonna have to break the bank tonight" and "
If you wanna ride, Just name your price, Don’t play cheap with your heart" mean that she wants this guy to give her all his love. She doesn't want him to hold back and she doesn't want him to give her only a little piece of his heart. "Cause some don’t have the patience, Some call me high maintenance, But you pay the bill, ‘Cause that’s the deal" mean that she knows she isn't perfect and some people can't put up with her for one reason or another. He'll have to deal with some things about her that he can't change, but she will be worth it. That's what love is! You see all the bad sides of a person and you love them anyway! And by high-maintenance, she's talking about the amount of effort he will have to put into the relationship- not the amount of money. The lines "If you want me, Then stop begging, I don’t put out for charity, If you want me there’s no discount price, Tonight" are talking about how she isn't going to compromise for anything less than the love she is looking for. And the lines "But I don’t need your dollar bills, I just want something real, ‘Cause nothing's free, Except loving me" clearly indicate that she isn't after money and that money isn't what she's talking about in this song. "Don’t make a bet if you can’t write the check" could mean that she is asking for full commitment and that she doesn't want anything less than that. She's asking for him not to promise her anything he cannot give her. And the last lines here to analyze are "‘Cause I can be bought but you’ll pay the cost, If you can afford me". Here I think she's saying that she is available but only if he is willing to do what she needs and be what she needs because she won't settle for anything less.

    So now for my life lesson- don't settle. That is what Katy is trying to tell us all in this song. We need to be confident in ourselves and confident about what we want. We shouldn't settle for anything less than everything we desire in a partner. And relationships help us to figure out exactly what it is we DO want. But once we know- NEVER settle for anything less than that because you're only hurting yourself if you do. Also, don't let anyone try to treat you like you're less than what you're worth. Know that you are a beautiful, wonderful individual and that you deserve the best. Because as she's said before- you're a firework. It's as simple as that.
Love You, KatyCats,
-Autumn the Purrfect KatyCat

P.S. Feel free to check out my new "FAQ's about Katy" page! Also, just so you all know, I will be starting a tutorial session soon. My sweet 16 is Katy themed and I will be giving you all tips on how to have a wonderful Katy party! This will include costumes, decorations, and other little things. I hope you will all enjoy that! Thank you!

"I'm Still Breathing"

Hey KatyCats!

    It's been a while! It feels good to write again, though. So this is another Katy song that isn't very widely known- "I'm Still Breathing". This song was on the "One of the Boys" album and a song that I adore. Its message is confusing to some. Some people seem to think that Katy is talking about suicide. To me, that seems a little dark and a little too shallow for her. I think this song is more about a relationship (as most songs are).
    So, you can find lyrics here and follow along with me. The lines "say something funny, say something sweet, but don't say that you loved me." are a clear indicator that this is about a dying relationship. It's about a love that she wants to save, but knows there is no hope. Here she's telling him not to say at her "funeral" that he loved her because she knows at that point it will not be true. He would be lying. I think it's also that those words would crush her at this point. She wants it to just be over. That's why she says the words "already lost our grip, best abandon ship".  And her message is really clear in this verse: "So as I write this letter, and shed my last tear, Know it's all for the better that we end this here, let's close this chapter, say one last prayer, but don't say that you loved me". She's crushed by the fact that this relationship didn't work out. She also didn't think that she would be able to live through her lose. She thought that nothing else in her life would matter- and she has discovered that this is a little true. That's where the line "I'm still breathing, but we've been dead for a while" comes in. She didn't think that that would even be possible. It's a very damaging thing for her, and yet she finds herself still breathing, still alive, still carrying on. It seems a somewhat confusing state to be in, and yet a definite one because there's nothing she could have done to save their relationship.
    I think that in this particular song there's sort of a message you have to figure out for yourself. Especially if you're in this kind of relationship. If you know it's falling apart and you know that there's nothing you can do to save it, then let it go. Because it's not worth the pain to keep pretending you can keep it up.
    Love you all, KatyCats,
-Autumn the Purrfect KatyCat