MUSIC YOU CAN PAY YOUR BILLS TO…

MAKING BREAD’s Top 20 List of Money Songs

rom 1949’s “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” by Jules Styne and Leo Robin, to The Beatles’ ‘60s classic “Can’t Buy Me Love,” down the ages  musicians have been eloquent on the subject of money and the things it can (and can’t) buy. Just for fun, we decided to compile a Top 10 list of money songs—songs you can pay your bills to or whistle on your way to work.  But we found that so many artists have written money songs that we couldn’t narrow the list down to just 10.

There’s ABBA’s “Money, Money, Money,” Pink Floyd’s “Money,” James Taylor’s “Money Machine,” Van Morrison’s “Blue Money,” Garth Brooks’ “Big Money,” John Lee Hooker’s “Women and Money,” and Elvis Presley’s “Money Honey.” And don’t forget Sting’s “Roxanne,” Dolly Parton’s  “9 to 5,” and Laura Nyro’s “Buy and Sell.” Some have messages, others are just cheap thrills. There’s no denying that listening to your favorite song or CD is one of the cheapest good times you can have.

            Below, is MAKING BREAD’s Top 20 list of Money Songs. Click on the link at the bottom of the page to vote for your Top 10 or suggest other song titles.

1. Money (That’s What I Want), The Beatles

2. Money Changes Everything, Cyndi Lauper

3. A Poor Man’s Roses (Or a Rich Man’s Money), Patsy Cline

4.  Material Girl, Madonna

5. Money Don’t Matter 2 Night, Prince

6. Women Be Wise, Bonnie Raitt

7. She Works Hard for the Money, Donna Summer

8. Money Can’t Buy It, Annie Lennox

9. Money Back Guarantee, Jimmy Buffett

10. I Want My Money Back, Saffire

11. When the Money’s Gone, Cher

12. And the Money Kept Rolling In and Out, Madonna (from “Evita”)

13. You Never Give Me Your Money, The Beatles

14. Money for Nothing, Dire Straits

15. Free Money, Patti Smith

16. Tax Man, The Beatles

17. What Is Success, Bonnie Raitt

18. Money, Tina Turner

19. Independent Women, Destiny’s Child

20.  God Bless the Child Who Has His Own, Billie Holiday

           Of course, no list of money songs would be complete without some country-western titles, songs like Willie Nelson’s “If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time,” and the following three titles found in a search for money songs on the Internet.

1. If My Nose Were Full of Nickels, I'd Blow It All On You

2. She Got the Gold Mine and I Got the Shaft

3. If Money Talks, It Ain't on Speaking Terms with Me

          We couldn’t have made these up, if we’d tried! (Well, maybe, if you’d paid us….)

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