Bonus Playlist! For the Love of Money, and Lots of It
10 songs about capitalism, consumerism, greed and the need for more, more, more
Hey, Wormheads!
(To those of you who’ve joined in the past 6 months — a little less than a year ago, I took a poll to see what name would be best to call followers of this Substack. I ignored the results and chose Wormheads!)
A couple of posts back, the one featuring the song “Escalator of Life” by Robert Hazard, I mentioned that I was creating a Spotify playlist (and a YouTube playlist) of 10 great songs that explore the pitfalls and benefits of capitalism.
No, there will not be any Beatles songs. No “Money (That’s What I Want)", or “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Both are essential tunes that belong in the rock canon, but I was trying to go a little bit ‘deeper tracks’ than that.
With only 10 songs, I had to be extremely selective. I’m happy with my choices, but I’d love to hear what songs about consumerism and greed you’d add to this list. Leave your picks in the comments.
I’m including alternate versions of the songs in the YouTube clips below whenever possible. The playlists at the bottom will have the original recordings.
Okay, without further ado:
The Clash — Lost in the Supermarket
This is a no-brainer. One of the greatest songs of all time on one of the greatest albums of all time.
I was going to include the Afghan Whigs version of this, as I really like how they slow the song down, giving it some added gravitas, but Greg Dulli’s voice is off-key for a good part of the song, and it grates on me.
There’s also a Ben Folds version that was used in the 2006 animated film “Over the Hedge.” I am a Ben Folds fan, but this cover is not only schmaltzy but exudes the exact opposite energy of the original. So, instead, I’ll leave you with this lovely acoustic version by Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem.
The Style Council — Money-Go-Round (parts 1 and 2)
Is it wrong that I’ve always preferred The Style Council to The Jam or any of the solo works from Paul Weller? This funky track (which certainly nods heavily in the direction of The Clash), is a prime example why.
The lyrics throughout are strong and don’t hold back. Weller has no need for metaphors here:
Too much money in too few places
Only puts a smile on particular faces
Said too much power in not enough hands
Makes me think "get rich quick; take all I can"
They're too busy spending on the means of destruction
To ever spend a penny on some real construction
Daryl Hall and John Oates — Rich Girl
This one, the first H&O single to hit #1 on the Billboard Top 100, takes the topic of wealth in a more personal direction.
According to Songfacts:
The character in this song is based on a real person, the spoiled heir to a fast food fortune who had dated Sara Allen, Daryl Hall's longtime girlfriend. Her stories of him inspired Hall to write this song, but he had to change the character to a girl, since he was the one who would be singing it. According to Hall, his original lyric was:
He can rely on the old man's money
He's a rich guy
Here’s another fun tidbit: if you call (in the U.S.) the phone number 719-26-OATES, you will reach the “Call’n Oates lifeline.” You can hear four H&O hit songs whenever you want. #1 will get you “One On One.” #2 will play “Rich Girl.” #3 is “Maneater.” and #4 plays “Private Eyes.”
I couldn’t find any live versions by H&O that were any good, so I’m choosing this awesome take on “Rich Girl” by Lake Street Dive, replete with some killer trumpet playing.
Pet Shop Boys — Opportunities
I guess I’m not really going too far outside the box with these picks so far. But regardless of how well-known these songs are, they’re all undeniable classics. Pet Shop Boys “Opportunities” is no exception.
It’s impossible not to join in with the sing-a-long chorus:
I've got the brains
You've got the looks
Let's make lots of money
You've got the brawn
I've got the brains
Let's make lots of money
This cover, by Yamil Borges & Matt Lon at The Ballery club in Berlin, is excellent.
Rush — The Big Money
I’m sticking with the ‘80s here for song #5 (The Clash’ London Calling was officially released in ‘79, but became big in 1980). Although I was fully immersed in punk and new wave in 1985 when Rush’s 11th studio album, Power Windows, was released, I never abandoned the Canadian power trio. Partly this was because Rush also changed with the times, adding in elements of new wave and reggae to their sound.
Many old-school Rush fans were up in arms when Rush began adding synthesizers, electronic drums and shorter songs into their repertoire — years before Power Windows. I can only imagine that the groovy, keyboard-heavy “Big Money” made most of them apoplectic. Their loss.
Here’s a favorite lyric:
Sometimes pushing people around
Sometimes pulling out the rug
Sometimes pushing all the buttons
Sometimes pulling out the plug
Lorde — Royals
I might be called an old-fogey if I don’t pick a song from this millennium. Lorde’s “Royals” was a big hit back in 2013 (was that already a decade ago?), and though most new songs that become top-10 Billboard hits do nothing for me, as soon as I heard this song, I knew that Lorde was the real deal. And she’s proven that right, with excellent follow-up albums Melodrama and Solar Power.
Fountains of Wayne — Bright Future in Sales
I was turned on to Fountains of Wayne way back in 1996, with the release of their self-titled debut album and it was love at first listen. Their sweet and quirky power-pop tunes were exactly what my 29-year-old ears needed.
The main songwriters, Adam Schlessinger and Chris Collingsworth would become involved with several other musical projects over the years, so they only recorded five FoW albums, before Schlessinger’s death in 2020 from COVID. I’m still not fully over his passing. I also loved his other band, Ivy, and Schlessinger was becoming an increasingly sought after musician, writing songs and composing music for films. A huge loss.
FoW always knew their way around a smart lyric. This one about how we often prioritize our jobs over our families seems a good example of the dangers of climbing the corporate ladder.
Dead Kennedys — Viva Las Vegas
I could have picked pretty much any DK song for this list. Jello Biafra’s biting, dark, and hilarious lyrics took on pretty much anything and everything in the political and societal spheres. I thought about including “Kill the Poor,” one of my favorite DK songs, but it’s just too damn dark. Their version of “Viva Las Vegas” is a far more effective cultural marker for our obsession with glamour and glitz.
And it’s a brilliant reworking of a classic song to boot.
Adam Freeland — We Want Your Soul
This was the only song that was new to me for this playlist. I found it in one of my Google searches. It was picked on multiple blogs as being especially incisive.
It was a song that became a hit during the MySpace era of the mid-2000s. It doesn’t hurt that it was paired with a brilliant music video; it’s more powerful than the song itself. It feels like a Daniels’ (Everything Everywhere All At Once) video, reminding me of their iconic direction for DJ Snake/Lil Jon’s “Turn Down For What.” It’s that great of a video.
Oingo Boingo — Capitalism
I had to include one pro-Capitalism tune here, to balance things out. “Capitalism"‘s sentiment is something I can sort of get behind as well. It’s taking aim at the people who have benefitted greatly from Capitalist society and protest it from a perch of privilege.
The chorus is especially biting:
You're just a middle class, socialist brat
From a suburban family and you never really had to work
And now you tell me that we've got to get back
To the struggling masses, whoever they are
Click the button below for the YouTube playlist of these 10 songs.
Are there any songs in this list that stood out to you?
Let me know what songs I should include if I expand the list to 20 songs.
Thanks as always for supporting Earworms and Song Loops!
Steve