Money Changes Everything
Encyclopedia
"Money Changes Everything" is a song written by Tom Gray, frontman of The Brains, and was the band's only underground hit. It was recorded by Cyndi Lauper
for her debut album, She's So Unusual
and was released as a single in 1984, peaking at #27 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The song is about how money interferes with interpersonal relationships.
. They rerecorded the song under the guidance of producer Steve Lillywhite
for their 1980 debut album, The Brains. Critic Greil Marcus
, listing it at #10 of his Real-Life Rock Top Ten 1979, said, "Singer Tom Gray told his story in a strangled voice, as if he were trying to explain, but instead he laid a curse. This damned single ranks higher than I've placed it, but if it were anywhere else I couldn't end with it, and there's no other way the decade could end." Marcus would later write of the song, "It was hard, it hurt, and Cyndi Lauper's version makes the original sound compromised. She makes you wonder if Brains composer and singer Tom Gray even knew what he was talking about."
Gray, with his band Delta Moon, also recorded a version of the song for their album Clear Blue Flame.
's recording of "Money Changes Everything" was released as the fifth single from her album She's So Unusual
. It has been released in over 27 variations across the world, the most common being a two track 7" vinyl single (with varying covers). There was also a less common 12" vinyl single version. Lauper's cover features an appearance by Rob Hyman
of the band The Hooters
, playing his "hooter" (a Hohner
Melodica
) on the song's solo.
Lauper recorded an acoustic version, with guest artist Adam Lazzara
(from the band Taking Back Sunday
), for her 2005 album The Body Acoustic. "Money Changes Everything" became She's So Unusual' s first release to fail to achieve top ten status on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 27.
. The song was not included on the album, but was officially released on May 24, 2011 as a track on "Total Clarity".
recorded a version with different lyrics and a slightly altered song structure. There is also a cover of "Money Changes Everything" on the 1997 album Becoming Wheels by Siren. Punk band The Vindictives covered the song on their album Partytime for Assholes.
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
for her debut album, She's So Unusual
She's So Unusual
She's So Unusual is the debut studio album by American pop singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper. Released in 1983 by Portrait Records, the album catapulted Lauper to stardom with such hits as "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop", "All Through the Night", and "Money Changes...
and was released as a single in 1984, peaking at #27 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The song is about how money interferes with interpersonal relationships.
The Brains recordings
The initial underground success of the song led to The Brains being signed by Mercury RecordsMercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
. They rerecorded the song under the guidance of producer Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
for their 1980 debut album, The Brains. Critic Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.-Life and career:Marcus was born in San Francisco...
, listing it at #10 of his Real-Life Rock Top Ten 1979, said, "Singer Tom Gray told his story in a strangled voice, as if he were trying to explain, but instead he laid a curse. This damned single ranks higher than I've placed it, but if it were anywhere else I couldn't end with it, and there's no other way the decade could end." Marcus would later write of the song, "It was hard, it hurt, and Cyndi Lauper's version makes the original sound compromised. She makes you wonder if Brains composer and singer Tom Gray even knew what he was talking about."
Gray, with his band Delta Moon, also recorded a version of the song for their album Clear Blue Flame.
Cyndi Lauper version
Cyndi LauperCyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
's recording of "Money Changes Everything" was released as the fifth single from her album She's So Unusual
She's So Unusual
She's So Unusual is the debut studio album by American pop singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper. Released in 1983 by Portrait Records, the album catapulted Lauper to stardom with such hits as "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop", "All Through the Night", and "Money Changes...
. It has been released in over 27 variations across the world, the most common being a two track 7" vinyl single (with varying covers). There was also a less common 12" vinyl single version. Lauper's cover features an appearance by Rob Hyman
Rob Hyman
Robert Andrew "Rob" Hyman is an American singer, songwriter, keyboard player, accordion player, producer, arranger and recording studio owner, best known for being a founding member of the rock band The Hooters.-Early life:Hyman started taking piano lessons at the age of four and grew up playing...
of the band The Hooters
The Hooters
The Hooters is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By combining a mix of rock and roll, reggae, ska and folk music, The Hooters first gained major commercial success in the United States in the mid 1980s due to heavy radio and MTV airplay of several songs including "All You...
, playing his "hooter" (a Hohner
Hohner
Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a company specialising in the manufacture of musical instruments. Founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner , Hohner is identified especially with harmonicas and accordions. The Hohner company has invented and produced many different styles, and most of the...
Melodica
Melodica
The melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
) on the song's solo.
Lauper recorded an acoustic version, with guest artist Adam Lazzara
Adam Lazzara
Adam Burbank Lazzara , is the lead singer of the American rock band, Taking Back Sunday. Along with singing lead vocals, Adam Lazzara occasionally plays guitar and harmonica.-Biography:...
(from the band Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday is a rock band from Long Island, NY, formed in 1999 by guitarist Eddie Reyes. Current members of the band are Adam Lazzara , John Nolan , Eddie Reyes , Shaun Cooper and Mark O'Connell ....
), for her 2005 album The Body Acoustic. "Money Changes Everything" became She's So Unusual
Against Me! version
American punk band Against Me recorded a cover of the song in 2004-2005 as a demo for their 2005 album, Searching for a Former ClaritySearching for a Former Clarity
Searching for a Former Clarity is the third album by the Gainesville, Florida punk rock band Against Me!, produced by J. Robbins and released on September 6, 2005 by Fat Wreck Chords. Supported by singles and music videos for the songs "Don't Lose Touch" and "From Her Lips to God's Ears ", it was...
. The song was not included on the album, but was officially released on May 24, 2011 as a track on "Total Clarity".
Chart performance
Lauper's version charted in the Top 100 in seven countries, including:| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
27 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 37 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles Cashbox Top 100 number-one singles of 1984 This is a list of singles that reached number one on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart in 1984, present in chronological order.-References:*http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/randypny3/cashbox/1984.html*http://www.cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/1984.html... |
31 |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
19 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
30 |
| Chile Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... an Singles Chart |
10 |
| Colombia Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the... n Singles Chart |
3 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
54 |
| New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... RIANZ Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
14 |
12" LP single
- "Money Changes Everything" (12" version) – 5:02 (Tom Gray)
- "He's So Unusual" – 0:45 (Abner Silver; Al Lewis; Al Sherman)
- "Yeah Yeah" – 3:17 (H Huss; Mikael Rickfors)
- "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (Extra Fun) – 5:05 (Robert Hazard)
Official versions
- Edit version – 3:59
- Live version – 4:35
- Short live version – 4:13
- That Live Version – 6:04
- This Live Version – 5:48
Other versions
Ska-punk band Choking VictimChoking Victim
Choking Victim was a United States punk rock band formed in New York City, which were together from 1992 to 1999. Playing a mix of hardcore punk and ska with anarchist lyrics...
recorded a version with different lyrics and a slightly altered song structure. There is also a cover of "Money Changes Everything" on the 1997 album Becoming Wheels by Siren. Punk band The Vindictives covered the song on their album Partytime for Assholes.