The Big Money
| "The Big Money" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Rush | ||||
| from the album Power Windows | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | October 1985[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:35 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Rush singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "The Big Money" on YouTube | ||||
"The Big Money" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush, originally released on their 1985 album Power Windows. It peaked at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100[2] and #4 on the Mainstream Rock chart, and has been included on several compilation albums, such as Retrospective II and The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987.
The lyrics, written by drummer Neil Peart, reflect on the power of "big money" and the sheer magnitude of trade in the modern global economy, particularly during the 1980s.[3] When asked about the idea that the song's lyrics were inspired by a John Dos Passos book of the same name, Peart replied, "I am a big fan of Dos Passos' stylistic ability, his poetic approach to prose, but the ideas presented in the songs are quite different from those which he exemplified." Peart also stated that "the only connection is in the titles".[4]
Cash Box said that it has "a huge production sound, a dynamic arrangement and a techno-rock feel."[5]
Music video[edit]
The video for the track was directed by Rob Quartly,[6] produced by Allan Weinrib (Geddy Lee's brother), and created by Green Light Productions, using, for the time, state-of-the-art computer graphics similar to those seen in the video for the song "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits. The video also features the band performing the song on an oversized Monopoly-style game board with the words "Big Money" in the middle. A full-length version of the video was included on the VHS and laserdisc releases of Rush's Grace Under Pressure tour concert film, while an edited version was released to MTV and other outlets, as well as on the short-lived CD Video format, directed by Weinrib.
The car featured in the animated intro has a license plate that reads "Mr. Big", a reference to producer Peter Collins, who produced Power Windows. Neill Cunningham, the album cover model for Power Windows, also appears in the video.[7]
Live performances[edit]
The song was played on every concert tour since it's release, until the Counterparts Tour, when it was removed. The song was then brought back for the following two tours, and then removed again for the next three tours. It was then played for the last time on the Clockwork Angels Tour, and removed from the next tours setlist.[8] When performed live, many of the synthesizers and sound effects heard in the original track are triggered through pedals used by Lee and Alex Lifeson, plus Peart's electronic drum pads. The song appears on the live albums A Show of Hands (1989), Rush in Rio (2003), and Clockwork Angels Tour (2013), filmed on the Hold Your Fire Tour, Vapor Trails Tour, and Clockwork Angels Tour respectively.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "RPM Canadian charts". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013.
- ^ "Rush - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
- ^ Banasiewicz, Bill (1997). Rush Visions: The Official Biography. Omnibus Press.
- ^ Hansen, Eric. ""'Hold Your Fire' by Neil Peart" - Backstage Club Newsletter, January 1988". www.2112.net. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
- ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. November 9, 1985. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
- ^ RushVEVO (2013-02-15), Rush - The Big Money, retrieved 2017-06-30
- ^ Patch, Nick (2016-01-20). "Rush's Power Windows a window into record-store owner's past". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
- ^ "Tours". Rush.com. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
