Financial Crisis Music: A Recession Playlist

I’m sure our readers are well aware of the economic meltdown that’s occurring throughout the world and in the US. The reports are dire and the predictions for recovery are dipping lower than the neckline of J-Lo’s Versace dress during the 2000 Grammys. Nevertheless, whether you’re of the right or left persuasion, I’m sure we can all come together and appreciate a playlist of songs to blast as the financial sector goes to hell in a hand basket.

Music for the recession:

1. You Never Give Me Your Money- The Beatles
“”You never give me your money. You only give me your funny paper, and in the middle of negotiations, you break down”
I guess John and Paul were psychics, because this scenario seems to be repeating all too often lately.

2. Rich- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
“She slipped down a rot drink/Unzipped, she doesn't exist/ So unloved/ I took them standing up/ So stuck up/ Rawr/ I'm rich . . .”
The lyrics are sexually charged and a little unsettling. Is the woman she speaks of a consenting partner or a victim to a “rot drink” from a shady character? Who knows. One thing for sure if that the ambiguity surrounding the situation isn’t dissimilar to what’s going on in the world today.

3. 10 Dollar- M.I.A.
“What can I get for a ten dolla'? Anything you want”
Well, maybe in a third world country?

4. Everyday I think of Money- Stereophonics
“Everyday, I dream of money. Everyday, I think of running”
Clearly this was excerpted from an executive from AIG’s journal.

5. Money Folder- Madvillan
“And just like he said, I coulda told ya MF, the holder of a boulder, Money Folder”
MF- as in, the motherfuckaz in Congress who neglected to oversee the financial meltdown?

6. Baby, You’re a Rich Man- The Beatles
Ironic. No?

7. Rich Girls- The Virgins
“We'll walk around/ Pretending we're all grown up/ Hey, rich girls!/Well can you tell me why/ You're so stuck up?/and act like you're so down”
This song was written in 2007. I wonder what happened to those girls….

8. Money- The Rolling Stones
“The best things in life are free/ Look I'll give 'em to the birds and bees/ want money (that's what I want)”
Oh Mick, you’re not the only one.

9. Money Honey- Lady Gaga
“Thats m-o-n-e-y…so sexy”
Maybe that’s why so many women find men like Rupert Murdoch attractive.

10. Penny Lane- The Beatles
“Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes/Four of fish and finger pies/ In summer, meanwhile back”
These lyrics are like unregulated derivatives. No one knows what the fuck they’re about.

11. You Stole My Money Honey- The Stereophonics
“You stole my money honey/ You're cold your blood's stopped running/ And know you're buying your new life/Can't help but find you funny/The clothes you wear are something/You made your whole life boasting lies”
Enough said.

12. It’s All Gonna Break- Broken Social Scene
“We've got to get/out of here/why are you always………Its been and it settles down and fights to love/Its all gonna break.”
Kind of like how our economy inevitably did.

13. Money- Pink Floyd
“Money, get away/Get a good job with good pay and you’re okay/Money, it’s a gas”
Tell this to the 9.8% of Americans who are currently unemployed.

14. Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)- Wyclef
“See I’mma tell you like you told me/Cash Rules everything around me/Singin’ dollar dollar bill yall (dollar, dollar bill yall)/Singin’ dollar dollar bill yall(dollar, dollar bill yall)”
Why only a dollar?

15. Everything’s Just Wonderful- Lily Allen
“I wanna get a flat I know I can't afford it/It's just the bureaucrats who won't give me a mortgage,/Well it's very funny cos I got your fucking money/And I'm never gonna get it just because of my bad credit”
Who knew a hard-partying British chanteuse could speak for the common folks?

In the words of Metric (whose concert your lovely Editrixes have spent their last remaining $$ to attend, next week at the 9:30 club): "money is a sick muse."–Auntie A