1. The theme of this song, although referencing sexual undertones in “getting lucky” with a girl, can be translated to Bassanio’s wild dreams of becoming rich. When I think of Bassanio’s scheme to get rich, I imagine that his plan requires a lot of luck to succeed–and it does, as no other suitor correctly guesses the chest with Portia’s portrait before he arrives. The lyrics “We’re up all night to get lucky” remind me of Bassanio’s scheme, as he puts so much effort into marrying Portia and implicates Antonio. Although Bassanio succeeds in getting rich, Antonio is now extremely unlucky as all his ships have sunk and he is indebted to Shylock–a turn of events that was not expected to happen. Additionally, Bassanio claims that when he lost an arrow, he “shot his fellow of the self-same flight / The self-same way with more advised watch, / To find the other forth” (1. 1. 142-143). This strategy requires a lot of luck as if he lost an arrow the same way the first time, the chances are low that he would find the second and first one in a similar manner.
2. “I think I did it again / I made you believe…”
“I played with your heart / Got lost in the game”
“Oops, you think I’m in love / That I’m sent from above / I’m not that innocent”
Bassanio’s scheme in taking Antonio’s money to make himself rich to woo Portia hinges on making both Antonio and Portia believe in him. Antonio needs to believe that Bassanio can return his money and Portia needs to believe that Bassanio will be a good husband who truly loves her. Therefore, the lyrics “I think I did it again / I made you believe…” relate to Bassanio’s characterization of a confidence man who makes everyone around him believe in his plans and words. Additionally, the lyrics “Oops, you think I’m in love / That I’m sent from above / I’m not that innocent ” specifically relate to Bassanio’s relationship with Portia, as he succeeds in getting her to believe that he wants her for more than just her money. By hinting to Bassanio which chest to pick, Portia believes that Bassanio provides a little bit of freedom from her father’s control as she got to pick her husband. This is ironic, as Bassanio is not the innocent character that he successfully portrays and now retains control over Portia’s life and money. Her choice traps her even more, and the control Bassanio holds over her makes him anything but heaven-sent.
3. The lyrics “Whoever said money can’t solve your problems / Must not have had enough money to solve ‘em” are eerily reminiscent of Bassanio’s character. The play starts with a broke Bassanio who plans to make his life better by making the same mistake that led to him becoming broke: pretending to be rich by living above his means. His problem is that he is broke and cannot enjoy the wealthy life he pretended to have, and his solution is to borrow more money to act wealthy and woo Portio to become rich for real. With this attitude to life, Bassanio’s greed prevents him from realizing his past mistake of how chasing money led to his downfall. This approach sets him up for future failure as no amount of money will ever be able to satisfy him.
4. “I love you, but I don’t like you”
The lyrics “I love you, but I don’t like you” depict Bassanio and Portia’s relationship. The only thing Bassanio loves in his relationship with Portia is her money, but he doesn’t care about getting to know her better or leading a life with her as equal partners. He upholds the facade that he loves her to prevent any doubts that she may have against him in using her just for money. The lyrics “You might misunderstand” also emphasize Portia’s misunderstanding that Bassanio truly loves her, although this is arguably not her fault as Bassanio is extremely capable of putting on a false show of emotion for something other than money. Overall, the song portrays a relationship in which one partner does not have feelings for the other even though it seems as they do. This relationship idea corresponds to how Bassanio has misled Portia into believing that they have a reciprocative relationship.
5. The lyrics “I just can’t control myself” reflect Bassanio’s greed. The fact that he is unable to learn from his mistakes implies that his fatal flaw is greed, and there is nothing he can do to stop it from driving his decisions. Additionally, the lyrics “Gimme more” literally indicate Bassanio’s need to become as rich as possible. Overall, Spears’s sultry voice in this song evokes a sinful and greedy tone. This sinful tone is reminiscent of Bassanio’s behavior, as his desire to become as wealthy as possible drives him to misguide Portio into believing that he truly loves her.
6. “I don’t mean to come off selfish, but I want it all”
“I’m a prisoner to my addiction / I’m addicted to a life that’s so empty and so cold / I’m a prisoner to my decisions”
The lyrics “I don’t mean to come off selfish, but I want it all” can be applied to Bassanio’s greed. He does not come off as selfish to the people he deceives, but as an ambitious person instead. This is how he convinces Antonio to let him borrow money under credit, as he allows Antonio to believe that his ambitiousness will lead both of them to power and success when in reality, Bassanio has his self-interests at heart. Furthermore, the lyrics “I’m a prisoner to my addiction / I’m addicted to a life that’s so empty and so cold / I’m a prisoner to my decisions” reflect how Bassanio’s confidence tricks and greed are an addiction for him, as he cannot pull himself out of that life even after it has failed several times. Because he prioritizes his money over everything else, he is unable to maintain normal relationships, as he uses Antonio for his money and does not seek a true connection with Portia even after knowing he’ll spend the rest of his life with her.
7. This song’s ideas are similar to Bassanio’s plan to look wealthy, or “cool”, in front of Portia even if it means depicting a fake personality. The lyrics “Adjust my hair, adjust my clothes… And it’s all for show” really speak to this, as Bassanio’s whole persona of wearing fancy clothes and depicting a rich persona is for show. Additionally, the lyrics “But at least I look cool / At some house I can’t afford” reflect Bassanio’s reasoning that pretending to be rich will help him win Portia’s heart. Sloan’s attitude in the song as to not caring about anything except getting that “fire [social media] post” is similar to Bassanio’s shallow personality in making himself out to be a different person than he is. In Sloan’s case, this leaves her feeling lost without a sense of her true self, and I wonder if Bassanio feels a similar emptiness once he marries Portia and realizes his friend is in trouble.