Every great movement needs an Anthem – an amazing song that sparks comradery, joy, and excitement. I’m going to take it upon myself to declare the Anthem of the financial independence movement – firstly because I know of a great song that’s a perfect fit and secondly because no one else did it yet (that I know of!).
The Anthem of Financial Independence
I know you are all dying to know what song I’ve unilaterally decided should be the Anthem of Financial Independence. That song is…
*Drumroll!!!*
Why the Anthem?
Ok, why is “the Anthem” the anthem of financial independence? Well first, it’s already called “the Anthem”. You can’t get more apt than that. But second, and more importantly, the song really does embody the spirit of the financial independence movement. It’s all about living life on your own terms and opting out of the system. Isn’t that exactly what we are doing?
The Lyrics
The System Sucks
Every lyric of Good Charlotte’s the Anthem is about living the way you want to live. The first verse implies that the life society dictates for us isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. They stress the monotony of modern society with their first few lyrics:
“It’s a new day, but it all feels old, it’s a good life, that’s what I’m told, but every day it all just feels the same”
He goes on to express that he hated high school and felt stuck while he was there. I don’t necessarily agree with his take here, because I think schooling is important, but I do agree that they system we have in place doesn’t work for everyone. We should have more opportunities for kids who don’t do well in traditional educational environments, and people should have more options than just school – work – die.
Opting Out
The second verse is just as fun and even more in line with the tenants of the financial independence movement. It’s all about opting out of the life that society dictates, and living life the way you want.
“Go to college, or university, get a real job, that’s what they say to me. But I could never live the way they want”
Ditching our real jobs and not living the way they want is the entire point of the financial independence movement! At least it is to me. I don’t want to be stuck in a “real job” until I’m 65, and then live the rest of my life too old to do anything. That’s not a life to me. And I think a lot of us are interested in financial independence for that very reason!
“I’m gonna get by, and just do my time, out of step while they all get in line. I’m just a minor glitch so pay no mind”
Although I think the movement is gaining traction, I don’t think we are in line with the majority. We are all minor glitches in the giant cog of work-retire-die. A lot of people think the whole idea of financial independence is ridiculous and unachievable. So they get in line with capitalistic culture and materialism. Pay no mind to those of us looking for something different – outside of reading our blogs of course!
I Don’t Want to be Like You!
The chorus of the song definitely embodies how I feel about the system.
“I don’t ever want to be like you, I don’t want to do the things you do, I’m never going to be part of the crowd, ‘cause I don’t ever want to be you”
I don’t want any part in it! Who wants to be like the average person living a miserable life because they are doing what society told us we need to do? Not me!
Runners Up
It was so tough to pick an Anthem of financial independence! There are quite a few songs out there that embody the spirit of the movement. The two closest runners up for me were “Festival Song” by Good Charlotte (I swear they aren’t even my favorite band!) and “The Nights” by Avicii.
Festival Song
I was super close to naming this blog “I don’t want your 9 to 5” after Festival Song. Lyrically, this song does just as good of a job at embracing living life on your own terms as “The Anthem”.
“I don’t want your boring life, and I don’t want your 9 to 5, or anyone to tell me how to live my life”
I mean, that really does embody a huge part of financial independence, doesn’t it? Although the lyrics are great, I chose “The Anthem” instead because it’s much more upbeat, and I think the anthem of financial independence should make you want to get up and dance. It should pump you up! Festival song is great, but it’s too whiney to make a good anthem.
The Nights
How many of us are pursing financial independence so that we can live extraordinary lives? I think that’s a huge goal for most of us! “The Nights” by Avicii, to me, is all about living an amazing life.
“Someday, we’ll leave this world behind, so live a life we will remember”
Although I do love the theme of living an extraordinary life that this song embodies, there is nothing in the song that speaks to me about opting out of what society expects. You can live the type of life Avicii extols quite easily by spending all of your money. None of us are into that. Therefore, I don’t think it qualifies as the anthem of financial independence.
What do you Think Should be the Anthem of Financial Independence?
I think I made a great case for the Anthem, but I’d love to hear your thoughts! What song gets you pumped up about your decision to seek financial independence? What song can we all band around and call the true anthem of our movement?
Melanie launched Partners in Fire in 2017 to document her quest for financial independence with a mix of finance, fun, and solving the world’s problems. She’s self educated in personal finance and passionate about fighting systematic problems that prevent others from achieving their own financial goals. She also loves travel, anthropology, gaming and her cats.
I always thought “Movin’ Out” by Billy Joel was a good one to describe people working too hard for a life that they don’t even want.
Great post Mel!
I always thought “moving out” was about leaving the parents house…I never actually paid attention to the lyrics until you mentioned it! I agree, it would be a great runner up!
It’s hilarious that you chose this song.
I played this song to my psychology class last week to cover James Marcia’s identity status stages. While we were listening, I made the same connections to personal finance that you did.
Great choice, it’s all about making decisions that are what’s best for you, not what society tells you to do.
Right! I’m glad at least someone agrees hahaha!