Top Songs about Money
Say what you will about money or how people react to it. But the fact is that it has become an indispensable part of our everyday lives in the modern world. And most of us, even from our childhood spend the majority of our waking hours endeavoring to put ourselves in the position to make or receive money. Well with that being said, of course the power and impact of cash has not gone by unnoticed by our favorite musicians. And below you fill find a list of some of the most-popular songs these artists have dropped in relation to this all-important topic.
C.R.E.A.M. BY WU-TANG CLAN
Hip Hop group The Wu-Tang clan released the track ‘Cash Rules Everything Around Me’ and explained that it was centered on the individual lives of members of the band. Where they came from and how they rose from nothing to something. ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ came out in 1994.
DID YOU STEAL MY MONEY? BY THE WHO
The Who’s ‘Did you Steal my Money?’ centers on the narrator taking a lady with him home only to find out later that she had possibly stolen from him because he could not find his money. The Who released this classic in 1981.
FREE MONEY BY PATTI SMITH
In 1975, ‘Free Money’ was released by Patti Smith from her noted album titled ‘Horses’. The lyrics of ‘Free Money” tells the tale of a person who needs money so badly for something important that they end up stealing it and feeling no remorse.
INDEPENDENT WOMAN BY DESTINY’S CHILD
Girl group by name Destiny’s Child released the track ‘Independent Woman’ in the year 2000. The song centers around Beyoncé who was part of the group. She mentioned that she wrote it after having issues with her man and realizing she could be independent and did not need him. And of course one of the best ways of becoming independent is by making a ton of money!
MONEY (THAT’S WHAT I WANT) BY BARRETT STRONG
This song was written by Berry Girder with the help of Janie Bradford. It was released as a single by Barrett Strong in 1959. As the title clearly implies, this classic talks about money being what the writer wants. Interestingly, the song became such a big hit it ended up giving both singer and writers a lot of money.
MONEY TALKS BY AC/DC
‘Money Talks’ was brought to us by the band AC/DC. It was written by Malcolm and Angus Young and released in 1990 as a product of the album ‘The Razors Edge’. The lyrics tell the tale of a rich arrogant guy who tries to use his riches to get girls.
OPPORTUNITIES (LET’S MAKE LOTS OF MONEY) BY PET SHOP BOYS
In 1985, Pet Shop Boys released the track as a single but re-released it as a part of the album ‘Please’ in 1986. It was mentioned by Neil Tennant (one half of the group) that the song was him telling his other half in their group that he had the brains and the other had the looks so they should make money with it.
THE MONEY WILL ROLL RIGHT IN BY NIRVANA
After listening to the lyrics of Nirvana’s “The Money Will Roll Right In”, you realize the narrator is talking about making it big in Hollywood with confidence. He knows how good he is at what he does and is therefore harboring no worries of rejection. He’ll definitely make it big in Hollywood at the end of the day!
EASY MONEY BY JOHNNY MARR
On ‘Easy Money’, Johnny Marr appears to be talking about how easily money could corrupt a person. He explains how people chase money with the hopes that it will make them extremely happy. Marr released this money-themed tune in 2014 from his ‘Playland’ album.
FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY BY THE O’JAYS
In 1973, this song was released as a single by The O’Jays. Most fans have assumed that this song hails money. However, on the contrary, it is based on the Bible verse 1 Timothy 6:10 warning people that money is the root of all evil.
GOLD DIGGER BY KANYE WEST (FT. JAMIE FOXX)
Kanye West’s ‘Gold Digger’ was released in 2005. When well listened to, one can easily understand that ‘Gold Digger’ is about a woman whose primary goal in life is to make money via men. Kanye and Jamie explain that she does not want broke men because they can’t help her achieve her goal.
GOT MONEY BY LIL WAYNE
‘Got Money’ was released as part of Lil Wayne’s ‘Tha Carter III’ album in 2008.He featured T Pain on this track. It is apparent that he is talking about how easy it is to flaunt wealth when you have it and how guys will hate you when their girls are checking you out.
I NEED A DOLLAR BY ALOE BLACC
Aloe Blacc released this song in 2010. It can be found on his album ‘Good Things’. Here, Aloe Blacc is talking about how a person feels when they have no money; when they have to worry about where the next bill is going to come from. The singer, who is clearly dealing with the predicament of lack of money, wishes for only one thing in life – money!
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS BY PUFF DADDY AND THE FAMILY
American Rapper Puff Daddy released this track as part of the album ‘No Way Out’ in 1997. Here, the rapper sheds light on how important money is when one wants to live the good life. He asks that he should not be hated for wanting to make or have money.
MO MONEY MO PROBLEMS BY THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G
This song by Notorious B.I.G featuring Mase and Puff Daddy is all about how complicated life can get the more you make money. It explains how people will try to negatively use your wealth to elevate themselves. ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’ came out in 1997.
MONEY BY THE FLYING WIZARDS
The Flying Wizards, an English Band, shared this song with the public in 1979 from their ‘Flying Lizards’ album. According to the band, the best things in life are free but they don’t need those; all they need is money and lots of it.
MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING BY CYNDI LAUPER
Cyndi recorded this song though it was written by Tom Gray. It was released in 1984 as one of the songs from her ‘She’s So Unusual’ album. The title of the song makes it the whole song so self explanatory. As soon as one gets money, everything becomes different. The track talks about a lady choosing money over love and explaining that sometimes, money wins over love.
MONEY FOR NOTHING BY DIRE STRAITS
‘Money for Nothing’, which is arguably one of the most songs ever written about money, was released by Dire Straits in 1985. It can be found on their iconic album, ‘Brothers in Arms’. Mark Knopfler explained that the inspiration for the song came from a delivery man he met who assumed or told him that musicians were paid a lot of money for doing nothing and on top of that they also got women easily.
RICH GIRL BY HALL AND OATES
‘Rich Girl’ appears on Hall and Oates’ album titled ‘Bigger Than Both Of Us’. The duo released it in 1977. It is believed that the lyrics of this classic are autobiographical in nature.
SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY BY DONNA SUMMER
In 1983, Donna Summer’s hit song ‘She Works Hard for the Money’ was released from her album of the same name. This Donna Summer hit is about a lady by name Onetta Johnson who the singer met in the bathroom of a restaurant. The lady in question, who was a bathroom attendant, was exhausted and napping because she worked two jobs. The song was inspired by her. To pay tribute to this hardworking woman, Donna not only mentions her name in the lyrics, but she also used her picture on both the single and album’s covers. ‘She Works Hard for the Money’ went on to become one of Donna’s biggest hits.
MONEY,MONEY,MONEY BY ABBA
Our list will not be considered complete without ABBA’s ‘Money, Money, Money’, which is widely regarded as the most famous song about money. On this classic, ABBA talks about how our lives can easily be affected by money. The narrator talks about how she works tirelessly for money but at the end of the day, it feels like there’s never any of it in her hands. The narrator goes on to mention how life will be easier if she had a lot of money via a rich man and how hard it was to find a man like that. ABBA released this iconic track in 1976.
