According to Billboard, Chicago was the leading US singles charting group during the 1970s. They have sold over 38 million units in the US, with 22 gold, 18 platinum, and 8 multi-platinum albums. Over the course of their career they have had five number-one albums and 21 top-ten singles.
There are at least two artists with this name:
1. A popular American rock band
2. A psytrance artist
(If you are scrobbling tracks here from Chicago - Music From The Miramax Motion Picture, please fix your tags.)
3. A Japanese vocalist named CHICACO but weirdly gets redirected here. She's been active in LYDIA GRAVE and the touhou arrangement circle ESQUARIA.
The second Chicago is a psytrance artist, the pseudonym of David Potter Christman. He is a member of 1200 Micrograms
I Don't Want Your Money
Chicago Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It don't mean a thing
I don't need no fancy clothes
Or a diamond ring
I don't have to ride in style
In your limousine
I don't want no trouble
Tax or Uncle Sam
I want to be your natural man
I don't need your prestige
'Cause I got my pride
I don't want your social standing
I'd rather stand outside
I don't have no time to worry
'Bout your greedy jive
I don't want your money
I don't like that game
All I want is you
I want to be your natural man
Chicago's song titled, I Don't Want Your Money, was released in 1971 as part of their Chicago III album. The song is a testimony of an individual who sings about how much they care about their significant other and attitudes towards money and materialism. The lyrics express a sort of resentment towards materialism and a longing for authenticity and true love. The singer insists that they don't need the other person's money, prestige or social standing to prove their worth. All they need is their love and companionship to feel complete.
The song is a reflection of the era it was written in - the 1970s, an era of radical social and political upheaval. It was a time of great unrest, a time of protests where people were beginning to question the values of materialism and consumerism as well as the social constructs that held them in place. Against this backdrop, Chicago's song I Don't Want Your Money enveloped the idealistic spirit of the time and expressed a desire for a less materialistic society.
The song is also noteworthy for its wonderful melodies, harmonies, and the distinctive sound of the horn section, which was a trademark of the band. Robert Lamm, the composer of the song, delivered the right mix of musicality, lyrics and a sense of nostalgia that made the song an instant classic.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want your money
I'm not with you for your wealth or material possessions
It don't mean a thing
Money is insignificant and holds no value in our relationship
I don't need no fancy clothes
I don't require expensive designer apparel to feel important
Or a diamond ring
I don't require extravagant material things to prove your love for me
I don't have to ride in style
I do not require you to provide me with luxurious transportation
In your limousine
Even expensive modes of transportation don't impress me
I don't want no trouble
I don't want to be involved in any drama or controversy
Tax or Uncle Sam
I don't care about financial burdens like taxes or government interference
All I want is you
You, as a person, are all that I require in my life
I want to be your natural man
I want to be your partner or spouse as a natural extension of who I am, not because of what you can provide me
I don't need your prestige
I am secure enough in who I am to not care about your high social status or privileges
'Cause I got my pride
I value my own sense of dignity and self-respect more than any status or wealth you could offer me
I don't want your social standing
I don't care about your reputation or social network
I'd rather stand outside
I am content to be an outsider, rather than be part of an insular, superficial community
I don't have no time to worry
I don't have any time or energy to devote to your self-serving schemes or manipulations
'Bout your greedy jive
I won't participate in or be bothered by your materialistic, dishonest ways
I don't want your money
Once again, I'm emphasizing that my love for you is not based on your material wealth
I don't like that game
I won't participate in the shallow, selfish game of using money and material things as a way to manipulate others
All I want is you
You are the only thing that truly matters to me
I want to be your natural man
I want to be your partner or spouse as a natural extension of who I am, not because of what you can provide me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JERRY KATH, ROBERT WILLIAM LAMM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James
on Oh, Thank You Great Spirit
Great song and a fitting tribute to Jimi from his friend and fan Terry Kath, I've all ways believed the song was kind of a prospective of the dead, coming to the realization that they have crossed over and or no longer burden by all of life's problem's and pain's and are now free from all, and now overcome with gratitude to the Great Spirit , Greater of the universe and of life , GOD, that he is now free to fly the heavenly sky's , but ether way death or just a good night's sleep, great song.