For those of us whom grew up in the 80s Shakin’ Stevens was unavoidable. His cheesy covers of 50’s rockabilly numbers made him the biggest selling artist of the decade, all the girls at school swooned over his every move and he seemed to embody the idea of recycled pop for the masses. However looking a bit deeper into his roots this latest tune by the 75 year old raven-haired rocker is perhaps less surprising than you’d think.
He’ll no doubt get plenty of stick for ‘All You Need Is Greed’ having once been very rich and successful. But the former milkman (remember them?) from a mining family has never really forgotten his roots. Prior to his meteoric rise to stardom in 1981 he was a hard grafting touring musician who was known for playing gigs in support of the Young Communist League. Whether or not he was ever a party member is unclear.
So this latest song with its drone footage of ruined miners cottages and less than subtle swipes at the financial establishment is more a rediscovery of his past than an attempt to radically change direction at the end of his career. It will hopefully provided food for thought for all those middle aged folks whose childhoods were defined by his moves on Top of the Pops. If nothing else its another and refreshingly unexpected voice added to the chorus of disapproval for where we’re all presently heading. We’re actually kind of excited about what his new album ‘Reset’ will bring. Here are the lyrics:
Welcome to the firm, welcome to the house of lies
Greed is all you need, to take the suckers for a ride
We move the money round, we really shake ‘em down
Down, down, down
Welcome to the bank, this is where we bleed ‘em dry
Just gimme all you get, I’m a money sucker, feed me debt
We’re too big to fail, so gentlemen, place your bets
Wheel is spinning round and round,
You’ll make a fortune, don’t look down now
Greed is all you need, it’s all you need
Consider it a calling
Vig ‘em till they’re crawling
It’s easy if you don’t look down
I don’t give a damn, how you make the money, son
I’m hungry like a black hole, stick it to ‘em, get it done
Rules were made for breaking
And those fools, they’re made for taking, trust me
Greed is all you need, it’s all you need
Consider it a calling
Vig ‘em till they’re crawling
It’s easy if you don’t look down
Wheel is spinning round and round,
You’ll make a fortune, don’t look down now
Greed is all you need, it’s all you need
Ain’t no misdemeanours
So take ‘em to the cleaners
Money makes the world go round
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