Money (That's What I Want)
| "Money (That's What I Want)" | ||||
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| Single by Barrett Strong | ||||
| B-side | "Oh I Apologize" | |||
| Released | August 1959 | |||
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| Length | 2:39 | |||
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| Writer(s) | ||||
| Barrett Strong singles chronology | ||||
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| "Money (That's What I Want)" | ||||||||
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| Single by The Beatles | ||||||||
| from the album With the Beatles | ||||||||
| A-side | "Please Mr. Postman" (Japan) | |||||||
| Released | November 22, 1963 | |||||||
| Recorded | July 18, 1963 | |||||||
| Length | 2:47 | |||||||
| Label | Parlophone | |||||||
| Writer(s) | ||||||||
| Producer(s) | George Martin | |||||||
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| "Money" | |
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| Single by The Flying Lizards | |
| from the album The Flying Lizards | |
| B-side | "Money B" |
| Released | 13 July 1979 |
| Genre | New wave |
| Length | 2:31 |
| Label | Virgin |
| Writer(s) | |
| Producer(s) | David Cunningham |
"Money (That's What I Want)" is a song written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford that became the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise. The song was recorded in 1959 by Barrett Strong for the Tamla label, distributed nationally on Anna Records. It went on to be covered by many artists, including the Beatles in 1963 and the Flying Lizards in 1979.
The song was originally recorded by Barrett Strong and released on Tamla in August 1959. Anna Records was operated by Gwen Gordy, Anna Gordy and Roquel "Billy" Davis. Gwen and Anna's brother Berry Gordy had just established his Tamla label (soon Motown would follow) and licensed the song to the Anna label in 1960, which was distributed nationwide by Chicago-based Chess Records in order to meet demand; the Tamla record was a resounding success in the Midwest. The song has Strong curtly insisting that money is what he needs, more than anything else. In the US, the single became Motown's first hit in June 1960, making it to number 2 on the Hot R&B Sides chart and number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was listed as number 288 on Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Greil Marcus has pointed out that "Money" was the only song that brought Strong's name near the top of the national music charts, "but that one time has kept him on the radio all his life."
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