Money Top Ten: Beer Money (#2)

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Everybody knows what the #1 song is, so the suspense stops today. While you’ve never heard this song it’s one of my favorites…and, if you remember the era that spawned this song, this also may be one of the funniest songs you’ve ever heard. And here we go. #2: Beer Money - Young Fresh Fellows One of my BIG THRILLS the night the Baseball Project came to Louisville was getting to meet Scott McCaughey, the brains behind this song, and thank him for it. (The other BIG THRILL was having my picture taken with R.E.M.’s Mike Mills. ) Here’s what happened: back in the 80s something started sneaking into music tours, a little demon known as “corporate sponsorship.” Some were obvious pairings (George Strait even did a Bud Light commercial because they sponsored him), and others were about as weird as Joe Namath wearing panty hose. (Those of you not old enough to remember that, look it up. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, anyway.) About that time, Miller High Life came up with a pretty smart marketing idea: “American music, American beer.” They got some college rock bands (the ones I remember seeing were Los Lobos, the Del Fuegos [referenced in this song], and the Long Ryders), stuck ‘em in a bar, and showed how music and beer go so well together. Then we had people like Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Tina Turner, and Glenn Frey doing Pepsi ads. (The hilarious thing about Frey is that the Eagles sued their publishing company back in the 70s because the company authorized Firestone to use “Take It to the Limit” in a commercial, prompting Frey to say, “Those songs are our legacy and our children’s heritage…plus, it meant I didn’t have to hear ‘Take It to the Limit’ as a tire commercial.” Guess he didn’t think that about “Better in the U.S.A.” or “You Belong to the City,” both of which ended up in the Pepsi ad he did with Don Johnson. ) Neil Young (hi Phred!) took the serious route with the song “This Note’s for You,” emphasizing the point in the video where he turns a beer can around at the end and shows the message, “Sponsored by no one.” Then you have the Young Fresh Fellows, who decided it was all too funny to believe. Hence, this song. Loaded with great lines that slap at others who went the money route (“I’d even drink Pepsi if you paid me enough;” “the beer is free, and we’re on MTV, and we’re opening up for the Del Fuegos”), this song wasn’t intended to be a hit. What it was intended to be was biting satire that Randy Newman would be proud of. And, to that end, they succeeded magnificently. Beer Money Written by Scott McCaughey Recorded by the Young Fresh Fellows From The Men Who Loved Music, 1987 You can say that we’ve sold out: