'Lonely Millionaire' by Kacey Musgraves - Lyrics & Meaning

Most of Kacey Musgraves' 2024 studio record, Deeper Well, consists of acoustic-driven serenades reflecting on the last few years of the award-winning hitmaker's life and the many lessons learned and words of wisdom imparted to her along the way.

Across its 14 tracks, most of Deeper Well feels like the Kacey Musgraves equivalent of megastar Taylor Swift's first COVID album, folklore. Taking shape as an introspective sonic journey of folky, stripped back collection of songs, there are a rare outlier or two among its ranks.

One of them is the lo-fi inspired 'Lonely Millionaire'.

Coming in towards the end of the record, it's a tune that breaks away from the folky side of Musgraves artistry, incorporating more poppy elements and bringing listeners back towards the realm of her Grammy-winning Golden Hour.

'Lonely Millionaire' feels like a return for Musgraves, taking on a familiar sound to her usual acid-trip style ditties that transport you somewhere where all your worries and fears seemingly melt away. Her utterly mesmerizing voice comes to envelop you in an unexplainable warmth, making that one part of your brain tickle with glee.

Produced by the trio dream team of Musgraves and frequent collaborators Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian, 'Lonely Millionaire' has clear lo-fi influences baked into its three-minute runtime.

Opening with a vibey keyboard and a slow electric drum beat that both carry through the whole way, Musgraves' hypnotizing vocals softly come in with a Golden Hour era vocal coder hugging the edges of her voice.

Potentially one of the most produced tracks on the record, 'Lonely Millionaire' feels like the lo-fi yin to the yang found on tracks like 'Slow Burn', serving as a masterful reflection of Musgraves' artistry.

As some orchestral instrumentation swells at various points throughout, it's also worth mentioning that the song samples rapper JID's 'Kody Blue 31', which was released in 2022.

"You can step off a plane
Into a black car
You can pay ‘em to wait
You can wear a gold watch on your wrist
But it won’t give you back
The moments you miss"

After a lengthy instrumental opening, Musgraves starts by explaining that no matter how much money you have or how high of a position you hold, status, money and fame won't buy you happiness.

Even if you have a private jet, a chauffeur and the most luxurious accessories, you can't get back the time that you waste on things that don't matter and with the people who mean the most to you.

"When I get paid I want to spend it on you
Baby, that’s what it’s for
I’d burn it all to keep you warm"

Though 'Lonely Millionaire' doesn't follow a traditional song structure, this stanza is the closest thing to a pre-chorus.

Musgraves notes that all the money she makes, she wants to spend it on her lover. After all, that's what money is for, isn't it?

Rather than keeping it all or spending it on herself, she explains that she would give it all away if it meant that she could provide for her partner.

"Who wants to be a lonely millionaire?
Coming home ain’t no one there
That you can talk to in your king size bed
Be careful what you wish for
I see it all the time
The money and the diamonds
and the things that shine
Can’t buy you true happiness"

In the closest thing resembling a chorus, Musgraves poses the question of "who wants to be a lonely millionaire"?

If there's no one waiting for you at home after a long day or no one to share the big and little moments with at night in your big king bed, what's the point?

Musgraves warns listeners to be careful what they wish for when it comes to wanting money, fame or other material things. Perhaps she's speaking from experience as she cautions that those pretty expensive things that look so tempting and great from the outside can't really buy you anything of true value.

"All I want
All I want
All I want
Is you

Be careful what you wish for
I see it all the time
The money and the diamonds
and the things that shine
Can’t buy you true happiness"

As you repeats the last bit of the would-be chorus, it's proceeded with a chant of her singing about how all she wants is her love. Not the money, not the diamonds, not the awards... just her partner.

You can step off a plane
Into a black car
You can pay ‘em to wait
You can wear a gold watch on your wrist
But it won’t give you back
The moments you miss

When I get paid I want to spend it on you
Baby, that’s what it’s for
I’d burn it all to keep you warm

Who wants to be a lonely millionaire?
Coming home ain’t no one there
That you can talk to in your king size bed
Be careful what you wish for
I see it all the time
The money and the diamonds
and the things that shine
Can’t buy you true happiness

La la la la
La la la la
La la la

La la la la
La la la la
La la la

All I want
All I want
All I want
Is you

All I want
All I want
All I want
Is you

Be careful what you wish for
I see it all the time
The money and the diamonds
and the things that shine
Can’t buy you true happiness

La la la la
La la la la
La la la
Hmmm

––

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