MULTIMEDIA-ENGLISH
Love don't cost a thing (Jennifer López)
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5:07
Video page URL
https://multimedia-english.com/videos/music/love-dont-cost-a-thing-jennifer-lopez-3548
Description

Jennifer López, one of the most successful Latino singers in the USA, peaked number three with this song on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2001, topping #1 in the UK (her one and only). Her version in Spanish, "Amor se paga con amor" also peaked high on the charts of many countries.

Transcript

Hello? Hi! You're not gonna be able to make it?....again.     No, uh yeah I got it. Actually I was just opening it. It's beautiful. I just wish that you could've been here instead of a... bracelet. 'K? 'cause the last thing I need is another bracelet. *click*

Think you gotta keep me iced? you don't
Think I'm gonna spend your cash? I won't
Even if you were broke
My love don't cost a thing

Think I wanna drive your Benz? I don't
If I wanna floss, I got my own
Even if you were broke
My love don't cost a thing

When you rolled up in the escalade
Saw the dub you gave to the valet
Knew that it was game when you looked at me
Pullin' up your sleeve so I could see the rolley bling

Saw you later in the corner booth
Raisin' up a toast so I would notice you
But your heart's amiss
Think you outta know
Doesn't matter if you're ballin' out of control

All that matters is
That you treat me right
Give me all the things I need
That money can't buy, yea

Think you gotta keep me iced? you don't
Think I'm gonna spend your cash? I won't
Even if you were broke
My love don't cost a thing

Think I wanna drive your Benz? I don't
If I wanna floss I got my own
Even if you were broke
My love don't cost a thing

When I took a chance
Thought you'd understand
   (You - Can't - Understand)
Baby, credit cards aren't romance
So you're tryna' buy what's already yours
What I need from you is not available in stores

Seen a side of you that I really feel
   (You – Feel – Much - Real)
Doing way too much, never keep it real
If it doesn't change, gotta hit the road
Now I'm leaving, where's my keys?
I've got to go

All that matters is
That you treat me right
Give me all the things I need
That money can't buy, yea

Think you gotta keep me iced? you don't
Think I'm gonna spend your cash? I won't
   (Baby)
Even if you were broke
My love don't cost a thing
  (Love don't cost a thing)

Think I wanna drive your Benz? I don't
If I wanna floss, I got my own
Even if you were broke
My love don't cost a thing, thing, thing, thing

--

Think you gotta keep me iced? you don't
Think I'm gonna spend your cash? I won't
Even if you were broke
My love don't cost a thing

Think I wanna drive your Benz? I don't
If I wanna floss, I got my own
Even if you were broke
My love don't cost a thing

Think you gotta keep me iced? you don't
Think I'm gonna spend your cash? I won't
Even if you were broke
My love don't cost a thing

Think I wanna drive your Benz? I don't
If I wanna floss, I got my own
Even if you were broke
My love don't cost a thing, thing, thing, thing

You think the money that you make
   (That you make)
Can substitute the time you take
   (The time you take)
Take the keys here to my heart
Then you can win my heart, and get what's in my heart

I think you need to take some time
To show me that your love is true
There's more than dollar signs in you
Then you can win my heart, and get what's in my heart

Think you gotta keep me iced? you don't
Think I'm gonna spend your cash? I won't
Even if you were broke
My love don't cost a thing

Think I wanna drive your Benz? I don't
If I wanna floss, I got my own
Even if you were broke
My love
Don't cost a thing

Think you gotta keep me iced? you don't
Think I'm gonna spend your cash? I won't
Even if you were broke
My love don't cost a thing

Think I wanna drive your Benz? I don't
If I wanna floss, I got my own
Even if you were broke
My love
Don't cost a thing

Think you gotta keep me iced? you don't
Think I'm gonna spend your cash? I won't
Even if you were broke
My love don't cost a thing

Think I wanna drive your Benz? I don't
If I wanna floss, I got my own
Even if you were broke
My love
Don't cost...

Explanations

This song has many colloquial and slang forms, so there are many things to explain.

GONNA= (coll.) Going to.

BE ABLE TO= Can.
"Can" is a defective verb (it only has some tenses) and "Be able to" means the same but it's a complete verb (we can use it for all the tenses), so we use the verb "can" in the simple present tense, "could" for the future and conditional forms, and "be able to" for all the other forms.
- I can speak Spanish (present)
- I could dance tango, but I forgot (past)
- I could help you... if I were stronger (conditional)
- I'm able to speak Spanish (present)
- I'll never be able to learn this (future)
- I need to be able to change that (infinitive)

MAKE IT= Come here, go there, arrive.
- Sorry, I can't make it= sorry, I won't be able to meet you.
- We took a taxi to be faster, but we couldn't make it= we didn't arrive there in time.
- It's too late, you can't make it to the trains= You won't arrive to the railway station in time.
- Your birthday party? Sorry, I can't make it, I'll be away for a week= I can't go.

I GOT IT= (coll.) I have it, I've got it.  (also, in other contexts: I understand).

ACTUALLY= In fact.

'K= Ok.

'CAUSE= (coll.) Because.

THE LAST THING I NEED...= I definitely don't need that.

THINK YOU GOTTA...= (coll.) Do you think you have to...
In colloquial speech it is not uncommon to drop the subject pronoun if it is obvious, and also drop the auxiliary DO for questions.

KEEP ME ICED= (coll.) Buy me a lot of diamonds/jewels (diamonds look like ice).

THINK I'M GONNA= (coll.) Do you think I'm going to...?

CASH= (coll.) Money in general.
In standard English, "cash" is the real money you can touch (coins and bank notes/bills), as opposed to cheques, credit cards and other forms of virtual money. But in colloquial English we use "cash" simply as a synonym for "money".

BROKE= With no money.

LOVE DON'T COST A THING= Love costs absolutely nothing.
In very colloquial English they can use "don't" for the third person singular instead of "doesn't".
This expression follows the same rules as other emphatic negatives:
- She didn't say a word= She was completely silent
- He couldn't walk a step= He couldn't walk anymore
Etc
- I don't hear a sound= I can't hear everything; everything's silent.

WANNA= (coll.) Want to.

BENZ= Mercedes-Benz (an expensive German car brand)

FLOSS= To floss is to clean the space between your teeth using a floss, a special waxed thread (see to floss)

I GOT MY OWN= I have my own floss, I'm not going to use yours, don't worry.

ROLL UP= (slang) Arrive.

ESCALADE= (slang) Large car, luxurious car.

DUB= (slang) 20 dollars (a 20-dollar bank note)

VALET= /væl/ (also /lɪt /) An employee, as in a hotel or on a ship, who performs personal services for guests or passengers (in this case, he got his car to park it, so the man gave him a huge tip because he was very rich).

KNEW THAT IT WAS GAME= (coll.) I knew that something was going to happen, that you liked me.

SLEEVE= The part of a sweater, jacket, etc. that covers your arms.

ROLLEY= A Rolex watch (a very very expensive brand of watches)

BLING= (coll.) Shine (talking of jewellery, especially when they're flashy and ostentatious.
(Rolex are often made of gold, so that's what she probably means here)

BOOTH= (slang) A very cool place (in this case, an expensive stylish bar)

A TOAST= The action of raising your glass of wine (or another drink) and say you drink to honour somebody or something, or you simply say "cheers" (often touching other people's glasses with yours to make them go "cling").
When toast is uncountable, it means slices of baked bread, usually for breakfast:
- For breakfast I have milk and toast, usually two pieces of toast.

AMISS= Faulty, not working properly.

THINK YOU OUTTA KNOW= I think you should know (OUTTA /ɔ:tə/ or /ɔ:Rə/ = Ought to = should)

BALLIN'= (slang) Partying, having a wild time.

ALL THAT MATTERS IS...= The only important thing is...

TRYNA'= (coll. spelling) Trying to.
(trying to = tryin' to --> in American English N+T often = N)

WAY TOO MUCH= "way too" is an emphatic form of "too".

HIT THE ROAD= (coll.) Leave.
In colloquial English, to hit a place is to go there:
- Hit the road Jack, and don't you come back no more = Go away and never come back (go to the road = take your car and go to the road = go away, very far away)
- After exercising, we all hit the showers (we went to the showers)

WHERE'S MY KEYS= The word "keys" is plural, so it should be "where are my keys". But on Jennifer's mind, "the keys" is just one single object, so she's thinking about it in the singular (the keys, attached to a keyring, makes up one single object, even with different parts).

Meaning

This song is quite straight-forward, for a change. What she means is that she doesn't care about his money, all she wants is his love, and love means devotion and dedication: time.

He's rich, he says he loves her but he doesn't spend time with her, instead, he buys her presents, but presents and riches don't mean a thing to her, she wants him, not his money.