At the time of its release, Håkan Steen of Aftonbladet graded the single three out of five points, writing that the song proves that Persson's vocals fit well with country pop guitars. Similarly, Per Hägred of Expressen deemed it a catchy country-flavoured pop song. Johan Lindqvist, writing for Göteborgs-Posten, predicted the song would be commercially successful thanks to its country sound and Persson's star quality.
I Can Buy You
A Camp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know it takes two
And what's the use in being a millionaire
If I can't have you
I want to buy you... a home
I'll pay your friends if you're feeling alone
The pain of losing a guy like you
It's a bigger cost than paying your dues
I can buy you oh yeah oh yeah
But I can't make you do what you don't
And I can hire you oh yeah oh yeah
But I can't make you love me
I can't make you
You say I never go for little
And I always need more
And you're a thousand dollar playboy
That I just can't afford
But I guess you got me oh oh
You got me hanging around for too long
I don't want to stop it oh no oh no
I bought you a life and it's with me you belong
I can buy you oh yeah oh yeah
But I can't make you do what you don't
And I can hire you oh yeah oh yeah
But I can't make you love me
I can't make you care
So if I can't make you love me
If I can't make you care
What prize can take me there
In this world?
Somebody told me cash is king
I didn't mean to force you oh no
But I bet you fortune it's with me you belong
And I can buy you oh yeah oh yeah
But I can't make you do what you don't
And I can hire you oh yeah oh yeah
But I can't make you love me
I can't make you care
I can't take you there
Anymore
The song "I Can Buy You" by A Camp speaks of a relationship that is driven by money. The lyrics suggest that the singer is in love with someone who is only with her because of her financial status. She expresses her willingness to give everything to the person she loves, including a home and even buying her friends, just so they won't feel alone. However, she also recognizes that money can't buy love or make someone do something that they don't want to do. The lyrics seem to hint at the fact that the singer knows the relationship is not genuine, but she still wants to hold on to it.
The line, "The pain of losing a guy like you, It's a bigger cost than paying your dues" suggests that the singer is willing to pay any price to keep the person she loves. Even though she knows that the relationship is not healthy, she still wants to hold on to it. The song speaks to the concept of transactional relationships, where people are willing to use money as a means to get what they want.
The chorus of the song is particularly catchy and carries an important message - money cannot buy love or genuine affection. The singer is willing to do almost anything to keep the person she loves, including buying her, but she knows deep down that she will never be able to make that person love her or care for her.
Overall, "I Can Buy You" is a poignant song that speaks to the complexities of romantic relationships and the role that money plays in them. It suggests that love and genuine affection cannot be bought or sold, and that there are some things in life that are worth more than money.
Line by Line Meaning
A life of sanity and dignity
Living a life of rationality and respectability
You know it takes two
It takes two people to have a successful relationship
And what's the use in being a millionaire
There's no point in having a lot of money
If I can't have you
If I can't have your love and companionship
I want to buy you... a home
I want to provide you with a comfortable place to live
I'll pay your friends if you're feeling alone
I'll keep your company and support by paying your friends
The pain of losing a guy like you
The feeling of losing someone special like you
It's a bigger cost than paying your dues
It's a great loss that can't be compensated for
I can buy you oh yeah oh yeah
I can provide for you financially
But I can't make you do what you don't
I can't force you to do things against your will
And I can hire you oh yeah oh yeah
I can offer you employment
But I can't make you love me
I can't make you have romantic feelings for me
You say I never go for little
You say I always go for big things
And I always need more
And I always want more
And you're a thousand dollar playboy
You're a wealthy and charming man
That I just can't afford
That I can't compete with financially
But I guess you got me oh oh
But I guess you have me hooked
You got me hanging around for too long
You have kept me waiting for too long
I don't want to stop it oh no oh no
I don't want to end this relationship
I bought you a life and it's with me you belong
I have provided you with a comfortable life and you belong with me
So if I can't make you love me
So if I can't make you have romantic feelings for me
If I can't make you care
If I can't make you show concern or interest in me
What prize can take me there
What can I do to win your affection
Somebody told me cash is king
Someone told me that money is the most important thing
I didn't mean to force you oh no
I didn't mean to pressure you into anything
But I bet you fortune it's with me you belong
But I'm confident that you belong with me and my money
I can't take you there
I can't make you feel what I feel or go where I want us to go
Anymore
I can't keep trying to make you love me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Niclas Frisk, Nina Persson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
VitiNorwayByTonNui
A life of sanity and dignity
You know it takes two
And what's the use in being a millionaire
If I can't have you
I want to buy you... a home
I'll pay your friends if you're feeling alone
The pain of losing a guy like you
It's a bigger cost than paying your dues
I can buy you oh yeah oh yeah
But I can't make you do what you don't
And I can hire you oh yeah oh yeah
But I can't make you love me
I can't make you
You say I never go for little
And I always need more
And you're a thousand dollar playboy
That I just can't afford
But I guess you got me oh oh
You got me hanging around for too long
I don't want to stop it oh no oh no
I bought you a life and it's with me you belong
I can buy you oh yeah oh yeah
But I can't make you do what you don't
And I can hire you oh yeah oh yeah
But I can't make you love me
I can't make you care
So if I can't make you love me
If I can't make you care
What prize can take me there
In this world?
Somebody told me cash is king
I didn't mean to force you oh no
But I bet you fortune it's with me you belong
And I can buy you oh yeah oh yeah
But I can't make you do what you don't
And I can hire you oh yeah oh yeah
But I can't make you love me
I can't make you care
I can't take you there
Anymore
Bjørn-Sondre Svensen
@tingletangle1 Is it a crime to be a HUGE fan of Nina Persson or what??? I've always been a very very very HUGE fan of Nina Persson all the time since i heard her BEAUTIFUL and UNIQUE voice for the first time in my life in 1996 and i will always be a HUGE fan of Nina Persson for the rest of my life and that's not only because she looks BEAUTIFUL but she's also REALLY REALLY TALENTED and she's my absolute favorite singer songwriter of all times.
So if you think that you can use it against me you really has to think again because you are really messing with the wrong guy now.
And it's very very clear that you don't mean anything that you have written in your comment AT ALL because you has only written it just to mess with me it's no doubt about that and if you don't has anything better to do then search for music videos on YouTube and mess with the fans then you really should find something other to do because what you've done is actually one of the most stupid things someone can do.
And i know that it will never happen to me that i bump into Nina Persson when i'm walking down the street because first of all i don't live in a big city or in Malmö in Sweden where Nina lives but i do really really wish that i could have met her in person just one time in my life.
And just so you know it Nina Persson and Nathan Larson was married in 2001 the same year as A Camp released their first album also called A Camp the album that this song is on so Nina Persson is allready taken and she allready has a son. So i actually don't know where you got that stupid idea from.
Wasamon Posre
Artist : A Camp
Album : A Camp
Title : I can buy you
A life for sanity and dignity, no way takes to
And what's to use to me a millionaire if I can have you
I wanna buy you a home, I'll pay your friends if you're feeling alone
A pain of losing a guy like you
It's a bigger cause than pain you do
* (And) I can buy you, oh yeah, oh yeah
But I can't make you do what you don't
And I can hire you, oh yeah, oh yeah
But I can't make you love me, I can't make you care
You say I'll never go for little and I always need more
And you're thousand dollars playboy than I just can't afford
But I guess you caught me, oh oh
You caught me hanging around for too long
I don't wanna stopping don't know always
I bought your life that will need belong
[Repeat *]
So if I can make you love me, if I can make you care
What cries can't take me there in this world
Somebody told me can't escape
I didn't mean to force you always
But I meant to force you what you need belong
[Repeat *]
I can't take you there, anymore
Liv McBride
i have been unnaturally in love with this song for almost 10 years now... lone nina!!!
Rohit Waghmare
@Deric me,.nii
Deric
@Silversurfer 21 years now, also their second album Colonia is a masterpiece!
Joseph Pavone
@Silversurfer Definitely me. I still have the CD.
Silversurfer
what about now, after 20 years?
DJ Grim
There is loads of A Camp music on Spotify in addition to Cardigans music so why isn't this? The only single / minor hit for A Camp and yet not there. Reached #2 in my chart in 2001.
DJ Grim
Oh yeah I forgot Randall & Hopkirk Deceased theme isn't on Spotify either. That was a duet with Nina Persson and David Arnold in 2000. That one went all the way to #1 in my chart.
mrhovis
great song, Nina has an amazing voice
TheAlistairDick
What a beautiful song. RIP to Mark Linkous who produced as well
Johanna Pettersson
One of the greatest videos of all time