JUKEBOX: ‘Cause I’m the Taxman
Two days ago was every American’s favorite time of the year: Tax Day. If you were one of the millions of people rushing to the post office to mail your forms and checks to Uncle Sam, you’re probably not the happiest person right now. Maybe you were the person filed for an extension to maintain your status as the President of Procrastination. If you filed early, you were probably laughing at everyone else’s hysteria. And if you’re expecting a refund, you’re just counting down the days until that sweet check is in your hands, all the while fantasizing about how you’re going to spend that money. (Might we suggest treating yourself tomorrow for Record Store Day?)
In this week’s JUKEBOX, we’re looking at songs about taxes and money, good or bad. While we can’t supply you with the most obvious track, “Taxman” by the Beatles, on our Spotify playlist, we’re sure you’ll enjoy our other choices.
1) “Sunny Afternoon,” The Kinks (1966)
One of the most bitter and poignent opening lines for of any song, “The taxman’s taken all my dough / And left me in my stately home,” gripes about the state of the typical British band that had made it big in the mid-’60s. Like the popular Beatles’ track, the song responds to the extremely high taxes imposed on the top-earners in England at the time, thanks to the Labour goverment in power at the time, headed by Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Ray Davies’ uses the line to set the tone of the narrator’s depressing tale of being broke and dumped, leaving him with nothing but the nice weather to soothe his woes. Hopefully this song will make you feel better about your own empty wallet.
2) “Money (That’s What I Want),” Barrett Strong (1960)
When Tax Day comes around, the only thing anyone’s really interested in is whether or not they’re getting back a nice, fat check. This song has been covered by too many artists to mention, but we’ve offered the original Barrett Strong recording for Tamla. No doubt this was a personal mantra when you were meeting with your accountant, and you’re probably singing it to yourself while you wait for your refund to arrive.
3) “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” Billy Joel (1977)
In this ’70s classic, Billy Joel sums up the frustrations of working hard for what seems like nothing. You struggle and strive to save your money, but naturally life always gets in the way. For some, tax season is just another reminder that you never have as much money as you’d like, and owing money just makes working seem all the more futile. Of course, you can always “pay Uncle Sam with the overtime.”
4) “Queen and Country,” Jethro Tull (1974)
What seems like an odd period piece about sea merchants is really a wonderful allegory about the consequences of success. The line, “And it’s been five long years / Since we signed our souls away” alludes to the time since Jethro Tull made it big as a successful, and therefore profitable, rock group in Britain, letting them creep into those higher tax brackets to give all of their money to Queen and country. They spent a year in France to avoid paying. In the ’70s many British music artists became tax exiles in an attempt to keep their hard-earned money, including the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Marc Bolan.
5) “Man With Money,” The Everly Brothers (1965)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9NWoUvEGyw
If there’s one thing we all know, it’s that money is appealing. It’s a necessary evil and sometimes people will do anything to get it, legal or otherwise. In this underappreciated Everly Brothers tune, the subject of the song reduces himself to a criminal to get the money he thinks he needs to win over a girl because she doesn’t want “a poor boy.” But buying romance won’t get you anywhere, and neither will getting your money dishonestly to avoid paying the government. You don’t want the IRS, or the police, knocking on your door!
Check out the entire JUKEBOX playlist of 16 songs below. Maybe you’ll add some of them to your collection with your refund!
