Give 'Money' another listen

American Songwriter argued this week that Pink Floyd’s “Money” is one of the classic-rock staples worth hearing again, not skipping on reflex. (americansongwriter.com) The piece, published April 23, 2026, put “Money” on a list of six songs dulled by repetition on classic-rock radio but still packed with musical detail. Writer Melanie Davis framed the case as listening past familiarity and back into the arrangement. (americansongwriter.com) That argument lands on a song with a long commercial afterlife: “Money” appeared on *The Dark Side of the Moon* in 1973, was written by Roger Waters, and became Pink Floyd’s first hit single in the United States. Billboard’s artist archive and reference listings for the song place it in the band’s 1973 breakthrough period. (pinkfloyd.com) (billboard.com) (en.wikipedia.org) The reason musicians keep pointing back to “Money” is structural, not nostalgic. The main riff runs in 7/4 time — seven beats to a bar instead of the four that dominate rock radio — before shifting into 4/4 for the solo sections. (en.wikipedia.org) (neptunepinkfloyd.co.uk) The record also opens with a tape loop built from cash-register sounds, coins, tearing paper and other money noises, which lock into the groove before the full band enters. Apple Music’s credits list Waters on bass and tape, and the official Pink Floyd album page traces the band’s extended studio development of the album in 1972 and 1973. (music.apple.com) (pinkfloyd.com) That is the larger point behind the re-listen pitch. Songs that became shorthand for “overplayed” often got there because they solved a musical problem memorably, and “Money” solved several at once: an odd-meter riff, a sound-effects hook and a blues-rock release that still worked as a pop single. (americansongwriter.com) (en.wikipedia.org) Pink Floyd had already been performing early versions of *The Dark Side of the Moon* live for about a year before finishing the album, according to the band’s official site. That long runway helps explain why a song with an unusual count still feels tight and immediate on record. (pinkfloyd.com) Radio overplay remains the counterargument. Familiarity can flatten songs into intros, choruses and punchlines, and “Money” has spent decades in heavy rotation as one of the most recognizable tracks in the classic-rock catalog. (americansongwriter.com) (billboard.com) Davis’ case is narrower than saying every giant hit is underrated. It is that some songs stop sounding inventive only after listeners stop paying attention to how they are built, and “Money” is one of the clearest examples. (americansongwriter.com)