Pot Of Gold

Album: The R.E.D. Album (2011)
Charted: 58
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The second official single from West Coast rapper The Game's fourth studio album The R.E.D. Album features vocals from R&B singer Chris Brown.
  • Game and Chris Brown penned the song with Sam Hook, who is a songwriter signed to Ne-Yo's Compound Entertainment record label. It was produced by Los Angeles-based production/writing duo The Futuristic (Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Wiz Kalifa, Akon).
  • The song finds Game contemplating his material possessions in the face of the world's problems, whilst Brown sings about how he misses the days "when life was simple." "You never grasp a hold of every coin in the pot, so you gotta take as much as you can," the Compton, California, rapper told MTV News of the lyrical content. "To me, those coins are my family, my girl, my friends — nothing materialistic."
  • The song's Bryan Barber directed video was shot on June 28, 2011 at an abandoned East Los Angeles residence. Game's lyrics shaped the video's direction. "He wanted to do a concept that was kind of a tribute to everything that has influenced him over the years and got him to the place that he's at now," Barber told MTV News.

    The clip acts as a retrospective of Game's own life growing up in Compton. It begins with him rapping in an attic reminiscing on simpler days. It gave the rapper a chance to look back on his childhood and to connect with his own son by showing him where daddy grew up. "First scene is I'm up in this attic with all these Tupac posters and Snoop Dogg and just basketballs. It's sorta real reminiscent of my room growing up in my house," said Game. "I got my son in there. So it's like me bringing my son back to where I grew up because he doesn't know anything about that. He's spoiled, he lives far out, he goes to private school. So just showing him the things that existed and the daily routine when I was a kid."
  • Game told the story of the song in an interview with Artist Direct: "It's nothing but a positive song. I think after 'Red Nation' getting banned it was pretty much perfect for what I was trying to do. We wanted to paint a picture that everything doesn't have to be so negative. That's why I got Chris Brown on the song because he's been faced with as much criticism and controversy as I have over the last few years. He came back and rose to the top. I wanted to tell the story and uplift people like I usually do. It's more of an international appealing song too."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Danny Kortchmar

Danny KortchmarSongwriter Interviews

Danny played guitar on Sweet Baby James, Tapestry, and Running On Empty. He also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Dirty Laundry," "Sunset Grill" and "Tender Is The Night."

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"They're Playing My Song

Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.