Five Best...Songs about Money

As appeared in Tuesday's issue of The New School's newspaper, Inprint.

#5. “Money” by Pink Floyd

-I actually hate this song but not including it on a list about money would be like not including The Bad News Bears Go to Japan on a list of the worst movies of all-time or “existentialism” on the list of words stupid people use to sound smart.

#4. “Money, Money, Money” by ABBA

-Considering this song rhymes “money” and “funny,” it’s no wonder ABBA is in the top-20 for number of records sold. Ca-CHING!

#3. “Song for the Dumped” by Ben Folds Five

-When this song came out in 1997 , Ben Folds was money…and now he’s sunk so low that he recorded an alternate version of “Rockin’ the Suburbs” for the Over the Hedge soundtrack with William “James T. Kirk” Shatner.

#2. “Carrying the Banner” by Christian Bale and um…other Newsies

-As any self-respecting newspaper (or “papes”) person should know, it’s all about making the money. Or dough, scratch, bits, greenbacks, dead presidents, moolah, simoleons, and other clever names for the green piece of paper or shiny coin.

#1. “Money (That’s What I Want)” by…

-The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Buddy Guy, The Kingsmen, The Doors, Pearl Jam, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Smashing Pumpkins, Josie and the Pussycats (!), The Blues Brothers and The Supremes, among others. It’s definitely the king of money songs and yet, I’ve never met anyone who really likes this song.