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!