"Money can't buy everything."
"Someone must have told you that. You'd never think of such a platitude all by yourself. What can't it buy?"
"Oh, well, I don't know--not happiness or love, anyway."
"Generally it can. And when it can't, it can buy the most remarkable substitutes."
- Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind
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Pet_Sounds' Top 50 Beatles Songs
#50: Money (That's What I Want)
Ask anyone to name a song the Beatles covered, and chances are, you'll get the answer "Twist and Shout", the raucous closing track of the band's debut album,
Please Please Me. What isn't so well known is that they recorded an equally powerful cover to finish their second album,
With the Beatles.
John Lennon pulls his weight with any rock and roll vocalist, past or present, and his exceptional voice is showcased on "Money (That's What I Want)". The raw energy is incredible--keep in mind that the Beatles had been playing clubs for years. For about five seconds during the intro, the guitar and piano create some odd blend of sound that always reminds me of the organ lick that opens the Doors' "Light My Fire". It's there for a moment, then gone again. I've never seen it mentioned, so perhaps my ears are playing tricks on me. Who knows.
When reporters asked the Beatles, "When are you going to stop touring?", the answer by default was, "When we stop making money." An interesting comparison can be made between "Money" and the group's 1964 #1 hit, "Can't Buy Me Love".
Can't Buy Me Love:
"I'll give you all I've got to give
If you say you'll love me too
I may not have a lot to give
What I got I'll give to you
I don't care too much for money
Money can't buy me love…"
Money (That's What I Want):
"Money don't get everything it's true
What it don't get, I can't use
Give me money…"
"Your loving gives me a thrill
But your loving don't pay my bills
Give me money…"
Rather contradictory, no? But Paul McCartney said later that "[Can't Buy Me Love] should have been "Can Buy Me Love, actually."
One thing's for certain: whether or not you agree with its philosophy, "Money" is a song you'll be bobbing your head to.