Kutless – Million Dollar Man

My first introduction to Kutless was a decade ago from their live album Live from Portland.  It blew me away!  Songs like Sea of Faces, Pride Away, and Troubled Heart pulled at my heartstrings.  I thoroughly enjoyed their mix of worship and rock in a cohesive blend.

As I dusted off old Christian Rock music, Million Dollar Man percolated within my mind.  “Is this biblical?” I asked myself.  So, I decided to review it.  Enjoy!

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

Kutless teaches us a great lesson on the loneliness that wealth brings to those who are enslaved by it.  Though the rich man has regret for his decision, there is no genuine repentance for his wrongdoing.  However, that is part of the point: regret without repentance leads to despair.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

All of it!  Lyrics posted with permission*.

[Verse 1]

He’s driving down a road to nowhere

That is, the road that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).

The moon reflects off his spotless car

He is more concerned about the moon in its reflection than praising God who created it (Psalm 8:1-4).

Speeding away from all he’s known

It seems clear that this man made his decision in haste, which often leads to error (Proverbs 19:2).  Though Kutless does not tell us what this man left behind, there are hints in Verse 2.

To greener grass on the other side

A nod to the old adage “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”.

[Chorus]

He’s a million dollar man
He’s got everything he wanted
But now what he wants is what he had
But he threw it all away
For a life filled with cars and rings
And everything that money can bring

Sound familiar?  Solomon wrote about this in the book of Ecclesiastes.  Check out his sobering words about pursuing material wealth for its own sake in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 and Ecclesiastes 5:10-17.  He calls these “vanity” and a “striving after the wind”.  In his love for money, he pierced himself with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:9-10).

[Verse 2]

Now everything is not what he thought
As guilt reaches in for all of his wrong

The deception of wealth complete, he realizes that what he did was wrong.  Given what is written in the Chorus, we can discern that he has chosen to remain in his lavish lifestyle rather than to remedy his guilt, forfeiting his soul (Mark 8:36.).  This tells us that this millionaire had regret but not repentance, much like Judas Iscariot after he betrayed Jesus (see Matthew 27:1-5).  A great example of Biblical repentance can be found in Psalm 51:1-19.

The profit is worthless when you’re alone
The grass isn’t greener on this lonely side

Presumably, he was not lonely prior to his pursuit of material wealth.  This gives us a better idea of his guilt.  Most likely, he left his family, friends, or both.  Also, it is not good for a man to be alone (Genesis 2:18).

[Bridge]

He threw it all away

Repeat of Chorus, line 4.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

This great lesson on the allure of material wealth will not be lost on many outside Christianity.  There is no compromise in the message when presented to outsiders.

Score: 10/10

4. What does this song glorify?

By bringing attention to the enslavement of material wealth and the devastating consequences on those enticed by its “affection”, Kutless indirectly glorifies God.  Thankfully, they do not glorify material wealth.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

There is a valuable and important lesson taught by Kutless in Million Dollar Man.  While there is nothing inherently wrong with riches, we as Christ followers must avoid enslavement (1 Corinthians 6:12).  We cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13).  Even if one is not a believer, we can all benefit from the failures of this rich man.  We must not allow our material possessions to have mastery over us.

Final Score: 10/10

Artist Info

Track: Million Dollar Man (listen to the song)

Artist: Kutless

Album: Hearts of the Innocent

Genre: Hard Rock

Release Year: 2006

Duration: 2:56

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*Copyright © 2006 Indecisive Music Pub (ASCAP) Thirsty Moon River Publ. Inc. (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.