Top 10 Songs About Money

This is guest article from Andrew Salmon. He writes about IVAs for the website IVA.net.

Who hasn’t felt that having a lot of cash is something to crow about? Well, these great musicians and singers did indeed sing about the trials and tribulations of making money. Here are the top 10 songs about money:

1. Money (Pink Floyd)

Simple and to the point, this song celebrates the lettuce, the long green, dead presidents, cold, hard cash. It’s about greed, looking out for number one and how much fun piling up cash can be. Ebenezer Scrooge’s theme song.

2. Cats In The Cradle (Harry Chapin)

More so today than when it was first written, this song keeps the proper perspective on earning our daily bread by reminding us that money is a means to an end and not the end itself. And that there is a price to be paid for everything.

3. Can’t Buy Me Love (The Beatles)

Here’s another essential tune to remind us that you can’t put a price on the things that really matter in life. And that compared to the true secrets of happiness, money is pretty worthless in the end.

4. Money Money Money (Abba)

Who hasn’t fantasized about being rich at one time or another? This song celebrates the nice little daydream we’ve all had about being rich. Not a bad way to help pass the time while doing one’s taxes.

5. Sixteen Tons (Merle Travis)

A traditional folk song, this song tells it like it is when you’re barely getting by. No sugar coating here, the song celebrates the struggle with all its warts and roses. There’s no easy living in the world today but whatever does not kill you, makes me stronger.

6. Money, Money (Liza Minnelli)

This catchy ditty from the musical Cabaret has the all-encompassing refrain: “Money makes the world go round, the world go round, the world go round” which pretty much says it all.

7. 9 to 5 (Dolly Parton)

An anthem for the common man and woman. An ode to the daily grind. And yet, it’s catchy-ness puts a jaunty spin on our daily toils. Whether you believe life is easy or hard, you’re right. What a way to make a living!

8. Money Talks (AC/DC)

Even veteran hard rockers know the value of a dollar. Maybe all those years scraping by on the road helped this Aussie band pen a catchy, toe-tapping rocker about the siren song of cold hard cash.

9. Material Girl (Madonna)

Why shouldn’t the gold-diggers get in on the act? At least the song is honest about greed and the price to pay for riches. Buyer beware! This one is not about true love.

10. Money For Nothing (Dire Straits)

And where would we be without this ode to the video generation of musicians? A common man’s view of the music world where a fortunate few get money for nothing and chicks for free.

If only the music business really was that simple. Then we could all get rich doing nothing.