If the featured image looks familiar, that’s because it is. I used it in a recent post called The Mother’s Milk Of Politics in which I expressed skepticism that the late influx of MAGA money would change the course of the campaign. It certainly hasn’t helped the hapless Ken Paxton in Texas. He may pull it out because the Lone Star state has been so red for so long but Paxton’s crowds are tiny and Talarico’s are large. Does size matter?
This listicle is inspired by the campaign. The Insult Comedian is trying to buy votes, Elon Musk is trying to buy a senate seat in Texas, and Vivek Ramaswamy is trying to buy the statehouse in Ohio. So why not post a Money Songs Dozen?
The rules of the road are the same as usual: The tunes are arranged in chronological order and the versions are the ones I like the most, not necessarily the OG. It’s a literal listicle: all the songs have the word money in the title.
Let’s kick off the festivities with the Fab Four’s cover of a Motown song:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I’ve forgiven Van Morrison for his malakatude during the pandemic. I never thought he was a nice man but I dig his music, especially his early stuff. Blue Money has a great groove and goofy lyrics.
Cabaret is one of my all-time favorite films. It’s a 4 star stone cold classic as is this clip featuring Oscar winners Liza Minelli and Joel Grey.
Pink Floyd rarely rocked as hard as they do on this song about greed and avarice. It’s 53 years old so it’s not about Trump 2.0 but it could be.
This post-Motown tune by Gladys and krewe is, well, on the money.
This 1976 Steve Miller hit shares a title with Woody Allen’s second directorial outing.
It’s reality show time. For The Love Of Money was the theme song for The Apprentice. It was the show that helped elect Trump president. It presented him as a shrewd tycoon instead of as an idiot. But I don’t blame the O’Jays or Team Gamble-Huff.
The Who’s Face Dances album was the soundtrack of my life in 1981. This song poses a question that Team Trump could answer in the affirmative.
Cyndi Lauper. Say no more.
Here’s Dire Straits with the ultimate MTV era video featuring Sting on backing vocals. How Eighties is that?
I’ve used this Randy Newman classic multiple times as the last word of posts. Today’s song order is cool because Mark Knopfler plays lead guitar on this track about a rich guy pitying an old acquaintance. But it has bupkis to do with New Year’s Eve.
This Oasis tune is another reality show theme song. It’s the theme song for the Canadian version of Dragon’s Den, which is what Shark Tank is called elsewhere. Sorry for making you think of Mr. Wonderful DBA Kevin O’Leary who was on both shows. He’s an insufferable Trumper asshole, which is why I no longer watch Shark Tank. Mr. Wonderful can go fuck himself.
That concludes the Money Song Dozen proper. It’s time for some improper lagniappe. It involves 4 songs with the same title: Easy Money. That should be easy to understand.
We begin with some basic Basie for a Sunday morning.
Have I told you lately how much I love Count Basie?
Next, a song by my favorite, albeit short-lived, iteration of King Crimson. What’s not to love about Bill Bruford on drums and John Wetton on bass and vocals?
Rickie Lee Jones turns 72 on November 8th. HBD, RLJ.
Finally, some easy 21st Century money from The Boss.
That was a load of lagniappe. Bruce Springsteen, however, doesn’t get the last word. It goes to the countdown guy:
