This essay will outline the relationship between "money" and its subsequent effects on the culture of the time. Relevant themes surrounding this topic will be economic systems, gender, technology and class. Pink Floyd's song "Money" was released in 1973 with the band's frontman Roger Waters credited as sole songwriter despite Floyd guitarist David Gilmour being the one singing this time. The song was produced by all 4 members of Pink Floyd, with the addition of a saxophone solo provided by Dick Parry. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The song was born during the writing process of the album it belongs to (“The Dark Side of the Moon”) in an attempt to address “the different pressures that apply in modern life,” according to Rogers. With wealth naturally being such a big part of everyone's life, especially back then, the foundation for "Money" was laid and Rogers began writing lyrics for the song. The lyrics themselves contain some elements of satire towards the selfish nature that money incites. in people along with flashes of deeply rooted truth about the social structure of Western society and capitalism as a whole. For example, in the first verse Waters writes “Money, it's a gas. Grab that money with both hands and stock up.” In this sense Roger embodies the spirit of someone who not only understands the game of capitalism but actually enjoys playing it. This is made especially relevant by the fact that Pink Floyd began as a band that believed in socialism and the welfare state, but Waters as an individual ultimately became trapped in the machine and became the very thing he was fighting against. “Money” interested me enormously. I remember thinking, "Well, that's it and I have to decide whether I'm really a socialist or not." I am still enthusiastic about a general welfare society, but I have become a capitalist. You have to accept it…I really wanted all that material stuff. Around the time "Money" was released (and shortly after) Britain was recovering from something known as the "Barber Boom". What was initially set up to offer cheap credit to consumers was followed by “a banking crisis, raging inflation and stratospheric wage deals”. There were other fights for money by the general public at the time in the form of nationwide strikes by the mining industry due to workers' wages falling relative to those of others in the manufacturing industry. Money was obviously a prevalent theme of everyday life in Western society during 1973, which no doubt contributed to the success of "Money", which charted at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 selling over 1 million copies of which over 40 million copies sold. sold all over the world. Waters' social commentary clearly resonated with a wide audience and as a result Pink Floyd was propelled into the mainstream of rock culture. Floyd specifically were known for being a prog-rock band, however with the release of "Money" it became clear that they had more to offer. "Money" is largely written in an unusual time signature, 7/4, giving the track an unresolved feel. and progressive sensation. The chord progression is based on the standard 12-bar blues (I, IV, I, V) in the key of B minor with the vocal melodies and guitar solos based on a typical pentatonic/blues scale. This keeps the song rooted in rock, however Waters sampled various clips of coins jingling, paper tearing, and a cash register ringing among other sounds,.