As lovers around the globe settle on their sofa with glasses of red wine, chocolate coated strawberries and the crackle of a vinyl playing in the background, Sarah Turner considers Jamie T’s ‘If You Got the Money’ – a decidedly anti-Valentine’s Day song.
Jamie T is certainly not renowned for being sensitive and charming, and this is ever apparent in ‘If You Got The Money’, the second single from his debut album, Panic Prevention, which was released in 2006, making it a baffling 12 years old. The English singer/rapper depicts a boozy night out in the chaotically upbeat track.
‘If You Got The Money’ has a nostalgic twinge running through it, and of course the lyrics perfectly portray a lairy British youth culture, and are about as far away from romantic as you can possibly get. Nothing quite says “I love you” like borrowing someone’s girlfriend and taking her out on a cheap date: “If you got the money / I think it would be funny ah ah oh / to take your girl and spend a bit of your cash for me / cos’ then she might be happy / no longer lonely ah ah oh / and I could take her out the next day for pretty much free”
Words by Sarah Turner