This essay will describe the relationship between "money" and its subsequent effects on culture at the time. Relevant themes around this topic will be economic systems, gender, technology and social class. The Pink Floyd song "Money" was released in 1973, with the band's frontman Roger Waters credited as the sole songwriter, although Floyd guitarist David Gilmour was the one performing the vocals this time. The song was produced by all 4 members of Pink Floyd, along with a saxophone solo added by Dick Parry. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not 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 cope with "the different pressures that apply in modern life", according to Rogers. With wealth naturally being an important part of everyone's life, especially at the time, the foundations for "Money" were laid and Rogers began writing the lyrics for the song. The lyrics themselves contain some elements of satire towards the selfish nature that money incites. in people alongside 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 is a gas. Take this money with both hands and make a hiding place.” In this line, Roger embodies the spirit of someone who not only understands the game of capitalism, but actually enjoys playing it. This is made particularly relevant by the fact that Pink Floyd started out as a band that believed in socialism and a welfare state, but Waters, as an individual, eventually got caught up in the machine and became this counter what he was fighting for. “'Money' interested me enormously. I remember thinking, "Well, this is it and I have to decide whether I'm really a socialist or not." » I am still in favor of a general welfare society, but I have become a capitalist. You have to accept it… I really wanted all this material stuff. During the period in which "Money" was released (and shortly after), Britain was recovering from what is known as the "Barber Boom". What was initially set up to provide cheap credit to consumers was followed by “a banking crisis, soaring inflation and stratospheric wage deals”. There were other struggles over money at the time for the general public in the form of national strikes in the mining industry due to workers' wages being lower than those in the manufacturing industry. Money was obviously a predominant theme of daily life in Western society in 1973, which undoubtedly contributed to the success of "Money", which peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100, selling at over a million copies, of which over 40 million copies have been sold. sold worldwide. Waters' social commentary clearly resonated with a wide audience, and as a result, Pink Floyd was propelled into the mainstream of rock culture. Specifically, Floyd was known for being a progressive rock band, but with the release of “Money,” it became clear that they had more to offer. “Money” is written largely in an unusual time signature, 7/4, giving the track an unresolved character. and a progressive feeling. 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 being based on a scale,.