12 Songs About Being Rich You Will Love
Everybody wants to be rich, as money around the world is still very much seen as the ultimate status symbol. So here are 13 songs about being rich that you can listen to the next time you cash your check on payday and you feel like a baller.
Songs About Being Rich You’ll Enjoy
Let’s begin with a song that’s aptly titled “I Wanna Be Rich.”
1. “I Wanna Be Rich” by Calloway
The first step of any dream is to have have a clear goal in mind, and it doesn’t get much more straightforward than “I Wanna Be Rich”. The basic premise of this 1989 toe-tapper by Calloway is that if you’re stressed out because you can’t afford to pay your bills, money will solve all of your problems.
What’s more, obtaining opulence is certain to bring you “love, peace and happiness”. Who wouldn’t sign up for that? Turn up the speakers, brush up on your Electric Slide, and by the end of the second verse you should be well on your well on your way to completing your vision board!
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2. “How to be a Millionaire” by ABC
While some may stumble into prosperity, it often helps to seek advice from experts. Once you’ve finished making your vision board, put on this ABC 1985 new-wave hit, throw on a brightly-colored blazer with oversized shoulder pads, and shimmy your way to the nearest casino. Summoning up all the confidence of Martin Fry’s vocals, stop the first big spender you see and ask them to let you in on the secret to amassing great wealth. Be patient and take notes. And don’t let the infectious groove and free gin and tonics cloud your hearing. Paradise might be “larger than life” but it is also “twice as ugly”.
3. “The Gold Diggers’ Song (We’re in the Money)” by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies (from 42nd Street, the musical)
You’ve studied with the experts, and finally, through hard work, luck, inheritance, sensible investing, illegal activity or some combination thereof, your pockets have become flush! If you’re sensible, the first thing the newly minted you will want to do is to pay off your debts.
Wave goodbye to pesky creditors with the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies’ playful take on this classic tune. Hone your air banjo and toy horn skills as you Lindy hop your way to your landlord’s door, back rent check in hand. As sunny skies bring new opportunities for you, you can safely sing, “Old man depression, you are through!”
4. “Money” by D/R Period
Once you’ve paid off your debts, it’s time to break out the champagne and celebrate! And what better way than by doing the Cat Daddy to the infectious beat of D/R Period’s “Money”? The repeating, ascending chords give the song the feel of taking a never-ending trip on an up escalator. And that’s most likely how your life is feeling right about now.
With all the jewels, fast cars, and sexual prowess D/R Period promises, you’ll soon be the envy of legendary tycoons. But beware, if Jesse’s experience (circa Breaking Bad) with this song is any indication, your newfound freedom may come with a heavy price.
5. “Ain’t This the Life” by Oingo-Boingo
If you really want to take the party and your status to the next level, you’ll need the frenetic new wave energy of Oingo Boingo’s “Ain’t This the Life”. Now that you’ve entered the jet set, enjoy the view from your penthouse.
Crank up the volume and kick up your heels to the spastic guitar riff and pulsing beat of this song. If the neighbors complain about the noise, buy the entire building! You’ll be spending money faster than Danny Elfman can catalog the perks of wealth, which include endless dry martinis, shopping sprees and jacuzzis.
6. “ATM” by J. Cole
Once you’ve grown accustomed to affluence, you’ll inevitably go through a stage of obsessing over how much money you have. When that happens, look to J. Cole. Let the dark buoyancy of “ATM” guide you through the stress of counting big bills.
Cole’s delivery is as urgent as an unfed addiction, and it’s easy to see how this fixation with counting money could simultaneously feel better than sex and make him miserable. Hopefully this song will keep your habit of being controlled by something you can’t take with you when you die but can’t live without in check.
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7. “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” by Good Charlotte
Having money often leads to paranoia, but according to Good Charlotte, your fears wouldn’t be unfounded. Those that have money can, to an extent, have a target on their back—especially if they flaunt their wealth.
With its virulent rhythm, pop punk hit “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous,” speaks to the masses, if the 2003 MTV Viewer’s Choice Awards are to believed. So if you’re looking for songs about being rich and famous, you probably won’t find a more apropos song than this Good Charlotte track.
8. “Super Rich Kids” by Frank Ocean
Paupers aren’t the only ones you’ll need to watch out for when you’re Daddy Warbucks-level rich. In this exquisitely produced banger–which draws musical inspiration from Elton John’s 1974 hit “Bennie and the Jets,” itself a satire on the greed of the music industry–Ocean explains that not even your inner circle, replete with fake friends with absent parents, can be trusted.
And if you can’t trust those closest to you, you can forget about “searching for a real love”. Instead, let Earl Sweatshirt’s rhymes and the silky melody and tight arrangement of “Super Rich Kids” provide the sonic cotton candy you need to keep you warm at night.
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9. “Show Biz Kids” by Steely Dan
If you’re unlucky in love, try carving out a family amongst like-minded acquaintances. Gather some fellow jaded, well-heeled Steely Dan fans to roam the street with you at night, making it rain like a wild pack of Vanderbilt vampires.
After you’ve grown weary of the adrenaline rushes provided by gambling, traveling around the world and binge drinking, taunt the poor 9-to-5’ers trying to get a good night’s sleep by throwing empty bottles and casino chips at their windows. Rent out production studios by the hour and make movies of yourselves! And if you tire of all that, you can always take solace in the fiery slide guitar solo Rick Derringer lays down in your crew’s groovy, unrelenting theme song.
10. “Mo Money Mo Problems” by The Notorious B.I.G.
If your primary daily concerns are how to get more money, how to spend the money you already have before the taxman comes to take it away, and how to get your name on a blimp, then this 1997 hit is the song for you. Have federal agents have tapped your home phone? No problem!
Just Diddy Bop on down to your yacht, where Fortune photographers await, and the chic guitar licks sampled from Diana Ross’s “I’m Coming Out” color the air with festive monotony. “Mo Money Mo Problems” doesn’t offer any solutions to your fiscal woes but Kelly Price’s vocal hook at least makes you feel seen!
11. “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” by Eric Clapton
What goes up must come down. You’re not quite sure where the money went so quickly but the government has auctioned off your yacht, and you’re left cleaning out your thrice-mortgaged penthouse. Luckily for you, Eric Clapton’s Unplugged live take on this old blues classic makes for great packing music.
The song, lead by Chuck Leavell’s piano, ambles along with the easygoing sorrow of no accountability. Sure, lonely is the head that used to wear the crown but enjoy your freedom while it lasts. Seeing as how “when you get back up on your feet again, everybody wants to be your long-lost friend,” perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to extend your stay in the poorhouse.
12. “Rich Man” by Little Big Town
In a perfect world, you would never have had to give up your seat on the Ferris wheel of fortune. In a just world, hopefully you’ll have learned to value what means most in life. The earnest and transparent “Rich Man” can help you figure out what that is. If some of your former vampire buddies have reached a similar fate, call them up and have them help you out with Little Big Town harmonies.
This song of pure acceptance offers recognition of and gratitude for the only things one truly needs to be rich. In your search for happiness, this “Rich Man” may be “the perfect little piece to the puzzle” you didn’t know you needed.
13. “Rich Girl” by Hall and Oates
Looking for songs about being a rich girl? Look no further than this classic Hall and Oates ditty. On “Rich Girl,” the boys talk directly to a woman that has a sugar daddy. But this song isn’t about fun and games—it actually serves as a very clear warning.
On this track, Hall and Oates try to tell the girl that it’s not wise to take money just because it’s given to you. They caution her that she’s going to regret her decisions, and that if she’s not careful, she’s bound to get in far too deep with the old man showering her with cash—and she won’t be able to find her way back.
This article was written by Amelia, with one addition by Michael (“Rich Girl.”)
Conclusion
If you’re still dreaming about fat pockets, it may do you good to study the lessons taught in these 13 songs about being rich. Stay hungry but also aware. Make wise investments, avoid alimony payments, and above all, surround yourself with people you can trust and who love you. And maybe call around to get some price estimates for blimp engraving before pressing the “Buy Now” button.
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