Songs about Money

[Charlie]

This may overlap the SOTW R&B compilation in places, but I feel we should bring to the surface some songs that suddenly feel very contemporary (please note that this list is updated on page 2 of this thread):

Ain't Nothin' Going' On But The Rent - Gwen Guthrie
Brother Can You Spare a Dime? - Ronnie Lane (or am I dreaming that he did a great version?)
Busted - Ray Charles
Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles
Fannie Mae - Buster Brown (I know, I know, it's not actually about money but...)
It Should've Been Me - Ray Charles
Love for Sale - Billie Holiday
Million Dollar Baby - Helen Humes
Money - Barrett Strong (or the Beatles if you wish, their version's fine too)
Money - Pink Floyd
Money Honey - Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters
Money in My Pocket - Dennis Brown
Money Money Money - Abba
Money's Too Tight to Mention - The Valentine Brothers
No Money Down - Chuck Berry
Somebody Loan Me a Dime - Fenton Robinson
Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran
Shoppin' for Clothes - The Coasters
Tired, Broke & Busted - Floyd Dixon
The Very Thing That Makes You Rich - Ry Cooder (but who did it first, back in the 1920s?)
Yakety Yak - The Coasters
You Got What It Takes - Marv Johnson
Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash - The Clovers

There must be some great country songs, but I'm too tired to think straight. Look forward to opening up this thread tomorrow and seeing what you've come up with.

We're starting to get duplications, so I've reordered the list alphabetically

Meanwhile, credit to the Guardian's readers who came up with this selection:

1 How to Be a Millionaire - ABC

2 Money (That's What I Want) - Flying Lizards (same song as Barrett & the Beatles, above)

3 Funky Dollar Bill - Funkadelic

4 Money Money - Horace Andy

5 Bills, Bills, Bills - Destiny's Child

6 Rent - Pet Shop Boys

7 You Never Give Me Your Money - The Beatles

8 Free Money - Patti Smith

9 Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? - Bing Crosby

10 Be Thankful For What You Got - William DeVaughn

[Rob Hall]

Yes it is late isn't it?

Easy Money - Rickie Lee Jones / Lowell George
Greenbacks - Ray Charles
You Never Give Me Your Money - the Beatles

[Alan]

Money, Marbles And Chalk, Jimmy Rogers and Little Walter
Money Talks, J.J. Cale
Unemployment Stomp, Big Bill Broonzy
Ain't Got The Money To Pay For The Drink, George Zimmerman & The Thrills with The Bubber Cyphers Band
Hard Times In New York Town, Bob Dylan
Paid in full, Eric B and Rakim
Liquidator, Harry J Allstars
On The Nickel, Tom Waits
Hard Times Ain't Gone Nowhere, Lonnie Johnson
Abramovic Blues, Just Kiddin'

[Rob Hall]

The Very Thing That Makes You Rich - Ry Cooder (but who did it first, back in the 1920s?)

Ry also covered "Never Make Your Move Too Soon" which has a nice money theme. If you don't want too much Ry you might prefer to consider BB King's version.

[CantSleepClownsWillGetMe]

Cash Machine - Hard-Fi
Material Girl - Madonna
Working for the Yankee Dollar - The Skids

J

[Dayna]

Take The Money and Run- Steve Miller Band

[Rod B.]

Staple Singers - When will we be paid (for the work we've done)

[Gordon Neill]

Dead Presidents Little Walter
Long Green Stuff Howlin' Wolf
Can't Buy Me Love Beatles
Money For Nothing Dire Straits
Tramp Otis Redding and Carla Thomas

[uiwangmike]

There must be some great country songs, but I'm too tired to think straight.

Offhand, the only ones I can think of that mention money in the title are Hoyt Axton's Greenback Dollar, Tom T. Hall's Ballad of 40 Dollars and Travis Tritt's Here's a Quarter Call Someone who Cares. Since country music deals in the essential verities of life, there must be more, but I can't think of any, not even one by Johnny Cash.

[kas]

Then there are of course:

Money - Pink Floyd
Money, money - Liza Minelli & Joel Grey (from Cabaret)
Why Don't You Do Right
How Do You Spell Love ('M-O-N-E-Y')
Pennies From Heaven (try Django Reinhardt's version)

Somebody over in the internet also mentioned
M-O-N-E-Y by Lyle Lovett

[uiwangmike]

Nothing by Ray Price either, but I remembered . . .
Cash on the Barrelhead - The Louvin Brothers
If you've got the money I've got the time - Lefty Frizzell
Summer Wages - Ian Tyson

[Jamie Renton]

Capitalism Gone Mad - The Mighty Sparrow
Money Worries - The Maytones
Everything Crash - The Ethiopians
How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times & Live - Blind Blake (or, if you prefer, Ry Cooder)
Do-Re-Mi - Woody Guthrie (or, if you prefer, Ry Cooder)

[Rob Hall]

How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times & Live - Blind Blake (or, if you prefer, Ry Cooder)
Do-Re-Mi - Woody Guthrie (or, if you prefer, Ry Cooder)

Taxes On The Farmer Feed Them (Us) All - Fiddlin' John Carson (or, if you prefer, Ry Cooder).

A few others -

Your Cash Ain't Nothing But Trash - the Clovers (or, if you prefer, the Steve Miller Band)
Three Dollar Bill - Maria Muldaur (though she may not have been singing about finance here)
It's Money That I Love - Randy Newman
Bank Robber - The Clash

[Dominic]

Take The Cash (KASH) - Wreckless Eric

[Alan Balfour]

A couple of obscurites from truly bygone times:

I'll Turn Your Money Green - Furry Lewis
Sales Tax On It - Bo Carter
Ragtime Millionaire - William Moore
Stack O'dollars - Sleepy John Estes
How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times & Live - Blind Alfred Reed
(Jamie, I think you are getting your blind men confused. Blake never recorded this. (laugh)