Something You Can't Buy

Album: Intakes (1977)
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Songfacts®:

  • In this song, Nelson takes a dig at his wife, the former Kris Harmon, whom he married in 1963. They were having problems in their marriage that were playing out in the press; a very high-profile couple, Nelson was one of the biggest stars of the '50s and early '60s and Harmon was the daughter of actress Elyse Knox and football star Tom Harmon. Rick alleged that Kris developed a drug and spending habit that tore the family apart. In this song, he reminds her that one thing she can't buy is love.

    In our interview with their son Matthew, who along with his twin brother Gunnar formed the hit duo Nelson, he said: "He was going through domestic troubles with my mother, who had a habit of spending money before he could make it and was trying to tear him down in a divorce. My dad could really write a velvet-gloved middle finger."

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