A Short Pecuniary Playlist

Introduction

There are a lot of songs that relate to money which is not surprising given that money has become the new god of the Western world. The billionaires in this world have never really worked and could never spend the money that they have, but thanks to the brainwashing of the media these lucky individuals are worshipped as gods when all that happened is that they got lucky.

For this playlist I am trying to stray a little off the beaten track for my selections so hopefully you will discover some songs that you did not know existed.

When you think about it, that is not too surprising as every month the world's musical catalogue increases, probably exponentially, but that is probably a subject for another story.

So here goes

Johnny Marr - "Easy Money"

I remember that Johnny gave away this incredible song on Amazon. I do think his trajectory since The Smiths split has been definitely upward and he is a far more engaging character than Morrisey.

I also met his son Nile and his band Man Made supporting King Charles at the Newcastle Riverside with my daughter Kirsty.

The Wonder Stuff - "It's Yer Money I'm After Baby"

I remember seeing these on some BBC program after getting home from work in Newcastle one Thursday night. Belinda Carlisle was on the same bill and I was shocked at how bad her singing was in the live setting. The Wonder Stuff impressed me so much that I went out the following day and bought the album.

This was the third song on the album and still makes me smile today.

Wreckless Eric - "Take The Cash (K.A.S.H.)"

Financial advice from Wreckless Eric. First heard him with the simple and beautiful "Whole Wide World" which I am sure I played live at some point. I remember my friend Mick Errington singing at a party while I played guitar. He impressed the girls, I, of course, didn't.

The Pretenders - "Brass In Pocket"

A great brooding single from Chrissie Hynde and co. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott, and produced by Chris Thomas, released in 1979. It features on the debut album ‘Pretenders’, released in January 1980.

The band's third single hit number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1980 (it was the first new number-one single of the eighties) and number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.

Hynde got the idea for the song's title when, during an after-show dinner, she overheard someone enquiring if anyone had, "Picked up dry cleaning? Any brass in pocket?"

The Motors - "The Day I Found A Fiver"

A mostly piano-led instrumental from the album "Approved By The Motors" until the title is continually repeated until the fade. It was decided that the band were not very photogenic on the original album cover so it was replaced by the one you see in the video.

Cyndi Lauper – Money Changes Everything

This was released in 1978 by The Brains. Cyndi Lauper recorded the song for her debut album, "She’s So Unusual" in 1983 and it was released as a single the following year.

Patti Smith - "Free Money"

I have been a fan of Patti Smith from the first time I heard her, and I love the way that this builds up from a gentle start, with Patti reciting the lyrics like the true poet that she is. It was co-written with Lenny Kaye, for her 1975 debut studio album, "Horses".

“It’s really a song for my mom,” Smith told The Guardian in 2005. “She always dreamed about winning the lottery. But she never bought a lottery ticket! She would just imagine if she won, make lists of things she would do with the money – a house by the sea for us kids, then all kinds of charitable things.”

Alice Cooper - "Billion Dollar Babies"

The title track of possibly the band's last great albums. This hits my player at least once a week and one that I have both on vinyl with its dollar bills inside the cover and on CD and digital format.