“The Playboy Mansion” by U2

Pop
Island Records
1997

This song describes the cost of pursuing material wealth and popular approval. The narrator sees the Playboy Mansion as her best chance for achieving her goal of fame and fortune. The pursuit of material wealth and popular acclaim represented by the Playboy Mansion is juxtaposed with our desire for God to accept us into heaven (another kind of mansion). We often mistake society's definition of success for God's. Take particular notice of the gambling theme. U2 equate a destructive gambling habit with our blind pursuit of material wealth and renown.

If Coke is a mystery

Michael Jackson, history

If beauty is truth

And surgery the fountain of youth

What am I to do?

Have I got the gift to get me through

The gates of that mansion?

If OJ is more than a drink

And a Big Mac bigger than you think

If perfume is an obsession

And talk shows, confession

What have we got to lose

Another push and we'll be through

The gates of that mansion

I never bought a Lotto ticket

I never parked in anyone's space

The banks feel like cathedrals

I guess casinos took their place

Love, come on down

Don't wake her, she'll come around

Chance is a kind of religion

Where you're damned for plain hard luck

I never did see that movie

I never did read that book

But love, come on down

And let my numbers come around

Don't know if I can hold on

Don't know if I'm that strong

Don't know if I can wait that long

'Til the colors come flashing and the lights go on

Then will there be no time for sorrow

Then will there be no time for shame

And though I can't say why

I know I've got to believe

We'll go driving in that pool

It's who you know that gets you through

The gates of the Playboy mansion

But they don't mention, the pain to reach

Then will there be no time for sorrow

Then will there be no time for shame

Then will there be no time for sorrow

Interpretation

If Coke is a mystery
Michael Jackson, history
If beauty is truth
And surgery the fountain of youth
What am I to do?
Have I got the gift to get me through
The gates of that mansion?
In the first stanza, the narrator considers the mystery of Coca-Cola (its secret recipe and iconic cultural status) and wonders if this intangible quality with which it projects commercial success is the "truth" she seeks. Or, she wonders, if she could attain Michael Jackson's legendary status by pursuing the same sort of cosmetic reengineering of her appearance. At the very least it might stave off the effects of aging as a "fountain of youth”. But then the narrator asks, “what am I to do?” She wonders if she has the “gift” to be admitted into the Playboy Mansion; more specifically, the sex appeal of “Coke” and the physical modifications of “Michael Jackson”.

If OJ is more than a drink
And a Big Mac bigger than you think
If perfume is an obsession
And talk shows, confession
What have we got to lose?
Another push and we'll be through
The gates of that mansion
The narrator now considers the downside of her dream. She reflects on “OJ” (Simpson) and the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and realizes that celebrity sometimes brings danger. Next she thinks about her weight. She describes the calorie content of McDonald’s “Big Mac” as being “bigger than you think”; it can make her fat and steal her dream. She must keep her weight down and maintain a broader façade of beauty represented by the Calvin Klein perfume, “Obsession”. To reach her goal the narrator will be exposed to media scrutiny. “Talk shows, confession” describes a less-than-private life of celebrity she would experience with paparazzi and non-stop media appearances. However, she shrugs and says, “what have we got to lose?” The narrator believes the future costs are insignificant compared to fame and fortune.

I never bought a Lotto ticket
I never parked in anyone's space
The banks feel like cathedrals
I guess casinos took their place
Love, come on down
Don't wake her, she'll come around
Next, the narrator laments (in a sort of prayer) never trying to cut corners (she “never bought a Lotto ticket”) or cheating (she “never parked in anyone’s space”) because she’s falling on hard times as she strives to enter the Playboy Mansion. “The banks feel like cathedrals” because the narrator feels out of place and in awe when she enters since she has no money. In pursuit of the Playboy Mansion, the narrator took a big gamble (“casinos” took the place of “banks”). This line also hints at her admitting that she has exchanged her real self (a solid bank-type investment) for a phony self (the instability of a casino). But rather than divert from this path she appeals to “Love” to “come on down”. This reference is the first spiritual shade painted into the song. The narrator is speaking to God (U2 often speaks of God in the feminine) asking for help in reaching her goal. When no answer comes the narrator backs off, not wanting to disturb God (“don’t wake her”) but remaining convinced that God will “come around”.

Chance is a kind of religion
Where you're damned for plain hard luck
I never did see that movie
I never did read that book
But love, come on down
And let my numbers come around
The narrator continues seeking God’s assistance in a clumsy prayer. She admits her approach in gaining celebrity status is a gamble, which “is a kind of religion”. The narrator feels “damned” for her “plain hard luck” and blames the media for not showing her the downside of chasing celebrity; she hasn’t seen “that movie” or “read that book” about the people who have made wrecks of their lives by pursuing the Playboy Mansion. She concludes her prayer with one more entreaty. She asks God to “let [her] numbers come around”; to be picked to go through those doors.

Don't know if I can hold on
Don't know if I'm that strong
Don't know if I can wait that long
'Til the colors come flashing and the lights go on
The narrator is at a very low place and wonders if she “can hold on”, if she’s “that strong”, and if she “can wait that long”. She’s waiting for God to change her fortunes and help her become a celebrity. Arriving at her goal will be characterized by “flashing” colors and “lights”, which is a depiction of a photo shoot, movie set, or runway appearance.

Then will there be no time for sorrow
Then will there be no time for shame
And though I can't say why
I know I've got to believe
This stanza reveals the narrator’s belief that achieving celebrity status will bring her happiness. As a celebrity “there will be no time for sorrow” or “shame”. She can’t put her finger on why these things will make her happy but since she has taken this path she has to believe it or face the fact that her dream was foolish. This stanza also opens the possibility that the narrator is considering the other kind of mansion. In God’s kingdom (the other kind of “mansion”) there will be “no time for sorrow” or “shame”.

We'll go driving in that pool
It's who you know that gets you through
The gates of the Playboy mansion
But they don't mention, the pain to reach
The narrator laments the dream that is slipping from her grasp. She really liked the idea of “driving in that pool” (maybe a limo with a built-in pool). Her self-fulfillment was based on popularity and material wealth and it is now gone. She believes “it’s who you know” that gets your foot in the door. This also alludes to knowing God as the only way to enter the other mansion—God’s kingdom. With this dual meaning the final line makes sense. There is great pain associated with striving to enter the Playboy Mansion, which amounts to self-degradation and dehumanization. The great pain associated with entering God’s mansion is giving up our hopes and dreams of material wealth and popular fame.

Then will there be no time for sorrow
Then will there be no time for shame
Then will there be no time for sorrow
This final stanza describes reality in God’s mansion. By giving up her dreams of celebrity, the narrator is now dreaming of God’s mansion where her “sorrow” and “shame” will melt away.