This special Cheap Issue-themed playlist is a collaboration between WYCE, AMI Jukeboxes and Revue West Michigan. You can hear this mix as a playlist on AMI Jukeboxes and stream it on wyce.org — from Grand Rapids to the world!
Black Joe Louis & the Honeybears — “I’m Broke”
We lead with the best possible song ever for the “Cheap Issue” — eight out of 10 WYCE programmers agree. We would have also accepted Aloe Blacc’s “I Need a Dollar.”
Penny & the Quarters — “You and Me”
Amidst all this talk about money, this latent classic says “all we need is love” in the heart-grabbing language of 1970s soul. The never-discovered act laid tape on this one in the early ’70s. Ryan Gosling discovered the posthumous release and the song made its way into Blue Valentine.
Charlie Hunter — “Gentlemen, I Neglected to Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid”
It’s a sad fact that musicians just have to be cheap sometimes. Here’s a nonverbal tribute to all of us out there who will do anything to perpetuate the art, even when it means getting stiffed. Here’s to the next one!
Reed Turner — “I Got Love”
Reed is part of a growing group of up-and-coming young musicians who are redefining American roots and rock music. This 2016 song is inspired through scoping some “Chess and King records stuff,” saying “I figure that really good music either makes you dance or makes you think and I’d asked people to do enough thinking.”
Matt the Electrician — “Keep It There”
Wise, cheap words from the Austin, Texas musician, “Got three dollars burnin’ in my pocket…I got to keep it there.”
Valerie June — “Workin’ Woman Blues”
Shout out to women who are working their asses off and not getting paid much.
David Bowie — “Dollar Days”
All music mixes in the foreseeable future must either have a David Bowie song or Bowie tribute song and here we have a cut from his 2016 release. Perhaps the best musician in history to balance art and pop, he left us with a masterpiece.
The Meters — “Stretch Your Rubberband”
The Meters defined the New Orleans-inspired funk and soul sound that made the ’70s and ’80s awe-inspiring. This song might be a little bit of a stretch, but it seems to fit.
Digable Planets — “Nickel Bags”
Just a three-minute nug of a song that sets up the whole idea.
Patty Smith — “Free Money”
From her debut album Horses, this is one of the best songs about money ever sung. The lyrics came to her at 3 a.m. walking along St. Mark’s Place.
Pulp — “Common People” (Full Length Version)
We finish the list with Rolling Stone’s “#1 Brit Pop Song” of all time. Vocalist Jarvis Cocker wrote this one about a wealthy girl from Greece who desired to live like the common people. We ran the full-length version so you get more bang for your buck in the AMI Jukebox.
Others:
Cody ChesnuTT — “Where Is All the Money Going”
Emmylou Harris — “Hard Bargain”
The Motet — “Cheap Shit”
Radiohead — “Dollars & Cents”
Jason Isbell — “Something More than Free”
