For the Love of Money

This article is about the 1973 O'Jays song. For other uses, see For the Love of Money (disambiguation).

"Money Money Money Money" redirects here; not to be confused with Money, Money, Money; Money Money, More Money; or Money, Money.

"For the Love of Money" is a soul, funk song that was written and composed by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Anthony Jackson; it was recorded by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays for the album Ship Ahoy. Produced by Gamble and Huff for Philadelphia International Records, "For the Love of Money" was issued as a single in late 1973, with "People Keep Tellin' Me" as its B-side. The single peaked at number three on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, and at No. 9 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart in spring 1974. Though the album version of the song was over seven minutes long, it received substantial radio airplay.

"For the Love of Money"
Side A of the US single
Single by The O'Jays
from the album Ship Ahoy
B-side	"People Keep Tellin' Me"
Released	April 1974 (US)
Recorded	October 3, 1973
Studio	Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genre	Progressive soul[1] funk[2]
Length	3:42 (single version) 7:14 (album version)
Label	Philadelphia International 3544
Songwriter(s)	Kenneth Gamble Leon Huff Anthony Jackson
Producer(s)	Gamble and Huff
The O'Jays singles chronology
"Christmas Ain't Christmas New Year's Ain't New Year's Without The One You Love" (1973) "For the Love of Money" (1974) "Sunshine" (1974)
Audio
"For the Love of Money" (album version) on YouTube

The song's title comes from a well-known Bible verse, 1 Timothy 6:10: "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (This translation is from the King James Version of the Bible.) The song was also used as the opening theme song for NBC's The Apprentice as well as Donald Trump's WWE entrance music.^[3]

Production

Anthony Jackson played bass guitar on the song. One day during fall 1973, producer/keyboardist Leon Huff was leading the members of the MFSB rhythm section and Jackson through a rehearsal. Sigma Sound Studios owner/engineer Joe Tarsia noticed that Jackson had a wah-wah pedal attached to his Fender Precision Bass. Tarsia decided to run Jackson's bassline through a phaser, giving it a swishing sound and later mixed in echo. During the final mixing of the track, Kenny Gamble impulsively reached over to the echo button and added echo to Jackson's opening riffs. ^{[citation needed]}

Credits

• K. Gamble – producer, composer, lyricist
• Leon Huff – producer, composer, lyricist
• A. Jackson – composer, lyricist

Awards and accolades

"For the Love of Money" was nominated for the 1975 Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance – Duo, Group or Chorus, losing to "Tell Me Something Good" by Rufus.

In 2016, "For the Love of Money" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.^[4][5]

Chart history

Weekly charts Chart (1974) Peak position Canada RPM Top Singles 29 US Billboard Hot 100[6] 9 US Billboard R&B 3 US Cash Box Top 100 [7] 7

Year-end charts Chart (1974) Rank US Billboard Hot 100[8] 75

Cover versions

• The song was covered by Todd Rundgren's band Utopia on their 1982 album Swing to the Right.
• A cover version recorded by Erroll Starr was nominated for the 1987 Juno Award for "Best R&B/Soul Recording" (see Juno Awards of 1987).
• It was covered by BulletBoys on their eponymous 1988 album, and a video was made for the song.
• A medley of "For the Love of Money" and Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City" was recorded by Troop, LeVert, and Queen Latifah. The medley is featured prominently in Mario Van Peebles's 1991 film New Jack City, and it appears on the film's soundtrack.