{"id":66012,"date":"2011-02-23T14:00:13","date_gmt":"2011-02-23T21:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/getrichslowly.org\/blog\/?p=66012"},"modified":"2023-09-18T09:58:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-18T15:58:38","slug":"10-money-lessons-from-music-lyrics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/10-money-lessons-from-music-lyrics\/","title":{"rendered":"10 lessons from song lyrics about money"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When you&#8217;re looking for personal finance advice, you probably check out books and websites like GRS, but what about turning on the radio?<\/p>\n<p>Recently, I wrote about <a title=\"The Cost of Love\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/the-cost-of-love\/\">the cost of love<\/a> and mentioned several songs with lyrics about love and money. This got me thinking about how many songs have lyrics about money in general and what lessons we can learn from them.<\/p>\n<p>Yeah, I know, I know. It&#8217;s a light-weight topic. So sue me. Not every post can be about funding your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/how-to-start-a-roth-ira-and-where-to-do-it\/\">Roth IRA<\/a> or finding a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/best-online-high-yield-savings-accounts\/\">high-yield savings account<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p>Without further ado (and in no particular order) here are ten songs that espouse sound financial advice:<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;Free Money&#8221; by Patti Smith<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Free Money --- Patti Smith\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JSHf1svbQrA?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Every night before I go to sleep<br \/>\nFind a ticket, win a lottery,<br \/>\nScoop the pearls up from the sea<br \/>\nCash them in and buy you all the things you need.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Winning the lottery is a bad financial plan \u2014 you can <a title=\"How to Win the Lottery\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/how-to-win-the-lottery\/\">expect an 80% loss on your &#8220;investment.&#8221;<\/a> Put it in a savings or retirement account that you can use later to &#8220;buy all the things you need.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;The Pretender&#8221; by Jackson Browne<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Pretender | Jackson Browne | Lyrics \u263e\u2600\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2ROK1-VvOQ0?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I&#8217;m going to be a happy idiot<br \/>\nAnd struggle for the legal tender<br \/>\nWhere the ads take aim and lay their claim<br \/>\nTo the heart and the soul of the spender<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This might not be the songwriter&#8217;s intent, but to me, these lyrics are about goals. If you never establish life goals, you&#8217;re likely to fall into line with what the people around you are doing \u2014 even if they are working 80 hours a week at jobs they hate just to buy fancy cars and big houses they can&#8217;t afford. As J.D. says, <a title=\"The Road to Wealth is Paved with Goals\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/the-road-to-wealth-is-paved-with-goals\/\">the road to wealth is paved with goals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;Money, Money, Money&#8221; by ABBA<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Abba - Money, Money, Money (Official Music Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ETxmCCsMoD0?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay<br \/>\nAin&#8217;t it sad?<br \/>\nAnd still there never seems to be a single penny left for me<br \/>\nThat&#8217;s too bad<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In all but the most dire cases, it is possible to <a title=\"How I Escaped from Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/how-i-escaped-from-living-paycheck-to-paycheck\/\">break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck<\/a>, and it&#8217;s critical that you do. Even if you aren&#8217;t accumulating debt, one emergency can put you deep in the red.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;If I Had a Million Dollars&#8221; by The Barenaked Ladies<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"If I Had $1,000,000 - Barenaked Ladies [BEST ONE]\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LHacDYj8KZM?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>If I had a million dollars<br \/>\nWe wouldn&#8217;t have to walk to the store<br \/>\nIf I had a million dollars<br \/>\nWe&#8217;d take a limousine cause it costs more<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Barenaked Ladies know a thing or two about <a title=\"How To Protect Yourself From Lifestyle Inflation\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/lifestyle-inflation\/\">lifestyle inflation<\/a>. If you start to make more money, it&#8217;s common to start looking for ways to upgrade your life \u2014 bigger house, new TV, taking a limousine to the corner store. Avoid lifestyle inflation by asking yourself if a purchase is a need or something you&#8217;ll really value, or something you want only because &#8220;it costs more.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;Life&#8217;s Been Good&#8221; by Joe Walsh<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Joe Walsh - Life&#039;s Been Good\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BXWvKDSwvls?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I have a mansion, forget the price<br \/>\nAin&#8217;t never been there, they tell me it&#8217;s nice<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>There&#8217;s a big <a title=\"Clutter's Last Stand: The Cost of Buying Things You Will Not Use\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/the-high-cost-of-clutter\/\">cost in owning Stuff you don&#8217;t use<\/a>. Especially if it&#8217;s a mansion.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;Money Becomes King&#8221; by Tom Petty<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Money Becomes King\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Evs5HjjL0PM?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8230;everything got bigger<br \/>\nAnd the rules began to bend<br \/>\nAnd the TV taught the people<br \/>\nHow to get their hair to shine<br \/>\nAnd how sweet life can be<br \/>\nIf you keep a tight behind<br \/>\nAnd they raised the cost of living<br \/>\nAnd how could we have known<br \/>\nThey&#8217;d double the price of tickets<br \/>\nTo go see Johnny&#8217;s show?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Advertising raises what we consider to be our personal cost of living, making it hard to distinguish needs from wants, but knowing some of the <a title=\"Beware the Insidious Power of Marketing\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/power-of-marketing\/\">tricks of the marketing trade<\/a> can help us make more informed decisions, at least <em>some<\/em> of the time.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;Mo Money, Mo Problems&#8221; by Notorious B.I.G.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Notorious B.I.G. - Mo Money Mo Problems (Official Music Video) [4K]\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gUhRKVIjJtw?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I don&#8217;t know what they want from me<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s like the more money we come across<br \/>\nThe more problems we see<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Big Papa knew that sometimes being rich isn&#8217;t all it&#8217;s cracked up to be \u2014 especially when <a title=\"How to Lend Money to Friends (Without Ruining the Relationship)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/how-to-lend-money-to-friends-without-ruining-the-relationship\/\">friends and relatives hit you up for a loan<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;You Can&#8217;t Always Get What You Want&#8221; by The Rolling Stones<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rolling Stones - You can&#039;t always get what you want.\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CySmd8M8oIM?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>You can&#8217;t always get what you want<br \/>\nBut if you try sometimes you might find<br \/>\nYou get what you need<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Most of us have a lot of wants. For example, I want a sailboat, a Le Creuset Dutch oven, a farmhouse in Italy, and baby grand piano. That&#8217;s okay so long as I don&#8217;t try to satisfy all of those wants on my current income! But if I work hard and save money, I <em>could<\/em> afford any one of those things, if they were my primary goal. <a title=\"How to Afford Anything (But Not Everything)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/how-to-afford-anything-but-not-everything\/\">It&#8217;s possible to afford almost anything you want, but not <em>everything<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;Low Budget&#8221; by The Kinks<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Kinks - Low Budget\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0HEW5bXqKbU?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Circumstance has forced my hand<br \/>\nTo be a cut price person in a low budget land<br \/>\nTimes are hard but we&#8217;ll all survive<br \/>\nI just got to learn to economize<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Cutting expenses isn&#8217;t fun, but it&#8217;s necessary when your income drops or you want to save more. Start with <a title=\"Want to Save? Give up the Big Things!\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/want-to-save-give-up-the-big-things\/\">cutting big expenses for big wins<\/a>, then move to smaller ones.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;Satisfied Mind&#8221; by Jeff Buckley<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jeff Buckley - Satisfied Mind\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/N8uk9Ql8J-A?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Money can&#8217;t buy back all your youth when you&#8217;re old<br \/>\nA friend when you&#8217;re lonely, or peace for your soul<br \/>\nThe wealthiest person is a pauper at times<br \/>\nCompared to the man with a satisfied mind<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>We trade life energy to make money, and that&#8217;s okay because most people want to live a comfortable life and afford to do fun things. But <a title=\"Finding Balance Between Time and Money\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/finding-balance-between-time-and-money\/\">find a balance<\/a>. Don&#8217;t wait for a tragedy to remind you of what&#8217;s most important in life.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>What are your favorite songs about money?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you&#8217;re looking for personal finance advice, you probably check out books and websites like GRS, but what about turning on the radio?<\/p>\n<p>Recently, I wrote about <a title=\"The Cost of Love\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/the-cost-of-love\/\">the cost of love<\/a> and mentioned several songs with lyrics about love and money. This got me thinking about how many songs have lyrics about money in general and what lessons we can learn from them.<\/p>\n<p>Yeah, I know, I know. It&#8217;s a light-weight topic. So sue me. Not every post can be about funding your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/how-to-start-a-roth-ira-and-where-to-do-it\/\">Roth IRA<\/a> or finding a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/best-online-high-yield-savings-accounts\/\">high-yield savings account<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[31919],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66012"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66012"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66012\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}