# The Big Money

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This article is about the Rush song. For the novel by John Dos Passos, see [U.S.A. (trilogy)](/source/U.S.A._(trilogy)). For the 1958 film, see [The Big Money (film)](/source/The_Big_Money_(film)). For similarly-titled songs and other uses, see [Big Money (disambiguation)](/source/Big_Money_(disambiguation)).

1985 single by Rush

"The Big Money" Single by Rush from the album Power Windows B-side "Red Sector A" (live) (US) "Middletown Dreams" (UK) "Territories" (UK) Released October 4, 1985[1] Genre Hard rock electronic rock synth-pop Length 5:35 Label Mercury Songwriters Neil Peart Alex Lifeson Geddy Lee Producers Peter Collins Rush Rush singles chronology "Afterimage" (1984) "The Big Money" (1985) "Mystic Rhythms" (1986) Music video "The Big Money" on YouTube

"**The Big Money**" is a song by Canadian [rock](/source/Rock_music) band [Rush](/source/Rush_(band)), originally released on their 1985 album *[Power Windows](/source/Power_Windows_(album))*. It peaked at #45 on the *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))* [Hot 100](/source/Billboard_Hot_100)[2] and #4 on the [Mainstream Rock chart](/source/Mainstream_Rock_(chart)), and has been included on several compilation albums, such as *[Retrospective II](/source/Retrospective_II)* and *[The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987](/source/The_Spirit_of_Radio%3A_Greatest_Hits_1974-1987)*.

The lyrics, written by drummer [Neil Peart](/source/Neil_Peart), reflect on the power of "big money" and the sheer magnitude of trade in the modern global economy, particularly during the 1980s.[3] When asked about the idea that the song's lyrics were inspired by a [John Dos Passos](/source/John_Dos_Passos) book of the same name, Peart replied, "I am a big fan of Dos Passos' stylistic ability, his poetic approach to prose, but the ideas presented in the songs are quite different from those which he exemplified." Peart also stated that "the only connection is in the titles".[4]

## Reception

*[Cash Box](/source/Cash_Box)* said that "The Big Money" had "a huge production sound, a dynamic arrangement and a techno-rock feel" with a "throbbing beat and an array of musical chops."[5] *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))* labeled it as one of the strongest tracks on *Power Windows*.[6] Reviewing a March 15, 1985 concert by Rush at the [Hollywood Sportatorium](/source/Hollywood_Sportatorium) for *[The Palm Beach Post](/source/The_Palm_Beach_Post)*, Jim Presnell reported a performance "The Big Money" that "sound incredibly strong".[7]

## Music video

The video for the track was directed by [Rob Quartly](/source/Rob_Quartly),[8] produced by Allan Weinrib ([Geddy Lee](/source/Geddy_Lee)'s brother), and created by Green Light Productions, using, for the time, state-of-the-art [computer graphics](/source/Computer-generated_imagery) similar to those seen in the video for the song "[Money for Nothing](/source/Money_for_Nothing_(song))" by [Dire Straits](/source/Dire_Straits). The video also features the band performing the song on an oversized [Monopoly](/source/Monopoly_(game))-style game board with the words "Big Money" in the middle. A full-length version of the video was included on the [VHS](/source/VHS) and [laserdisc](/source/Laserdisc) releases of Rush's *[Grace Under Pressure](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grace_Under_Pressure_(video)&action=edit&redlink=1)* tour concert film, while an edited version was released to [MTV](/source/MTV) and other outlets, as well as on the short-lived [CD Video](/source/CD_Video) format, directed by Weinrib.

The car featured in the animated intro has a license plate that reads "Mr. Big", a reference to producer [Peter Collins](/source/Peter_Collins_(record_producer)), who produced *Power Windows*. Neill Cunningham, the album cover model for *Power Windows*, also appears in the video.[9]

## Charts

Weekly chart performance for "The Big Money" Chart (1985–86) Peak position Canada (CHUM)[10] 20 UK Singles (OCC)[11] 46 US Billboard Hot 100[12] 45 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[13] 4

## See also

- [List of Rush songs](/source/List_of_Rush_songs)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Music Week"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1985/Music-Week-1985-10-05.pdf) (PDF). p. 20.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Rush - Chart history | Billboard"](http://www.billboard.com/artist/369299/rush/chart). *www.billboard.com*. Retrieved 2017-06-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Banasiewicz, Bill (1997). *Rush Visions: The Official Biography*. Omnibus Press.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Hansen, Eric. [""'Hold Your Fire' by Neil Peart" - Backstage Club Newsletter, January 1988"](http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19880100backstageclub.htm). *www.2112.net*. Retrieved 2017-06-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Single Releases"](https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1985/CB-1985-11-09.pdf) (PDF). *Cash Box*. November 9, 1985. p. 11. Retrieved August 2, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Spotlight"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1985/BB-1985-11-02.pdf) (PDF). *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. November 2, 1985. p. 72. Retrieved March 12, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-PalmBeachPost_7-0)** Presnell, Jim (March 16, 1985). ["Rush Group Delivers 'Rush' of Excitement"](https://www.newspapers.com/image/129553013/?match=1&terms=%22The%20Big%20Money%22%20Rush). *[The Palm Beach Post](/source/The_Palm_Beach_Post)*. p. A24. Retrieved October 16, 2025 – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** RushVEVO (2013-02-15), [*Rush - The Big Money*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQgu0MpnKq8&list=TLj1DAiih5zks), retrieved 2017-06-30

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Patch, Nick (2016-01-20). ["Rush's Power Windows a window into record-store owner's past"](https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2016/01/20/rushs-power-windows-a-window-into-record-store-owners-past.html). *[Toronto Star](/source/Toronto_Star)*. Retrieved 2016-01-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Rush"](https://web.archive.org/web/20061107225439/http://www.1050chum.com/index_chumcharts.aspx?artist=7526). [1050 CHUM](/source/CHUM_(AM)). Archived from [the original](http://www.1050chum.com/index_chumcharts.aspx?artist=7526) on November 7, 2006. Retrieved February 7, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-OCC_11-0)** ["The Big Money – Rush"](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/rush-the-big-money/). [Official Charts Company](/source/Official_Charts_Company). Retrieved February 7, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-sc_Billboardhot100_Rush_12-0)** "[Rush Chart History (Hot 100)](https://www.billboard.com/artist/Rush/chart-history/HSI)". *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. Retrieved February 7, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-sc_Billboardmainstreamrock_Rush_13-0)** "[Rush Chart History (Mainstream Rock)](https://www.billboard.com/artist/Rush/chart-history/RTT)". *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. Retrieved February 7, 2026.

v t e Rush Alex Lifeson Geddy Lee Jeff Jones John Rutsey Neil Peart Studio albums Rush (1974) Fly by Night (1975) Caress of Steel (1975) 2112 (1976) A Farewell to Kings (1977) Hemispheres (1978) Permanent Waves (1980) Moving Pictures (1981) Signals (1982) Grace Under Pressure (1984) Power Windows (1985) Hold Your Fire (1987) Presto (1989) Roll the Bones (1991) Counterparts (1993) Test for Echo (1996) Vapor Trails (2002) Snakes & Arrows (2007) Clockwork Angels (2012) Live albums All the World's a Stage (1976) Exit... Stage Left (1981) A Show of Hands (1989) Different Stages (1998) Rush in Rio (2003) R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2005) Snakes & Arrows Live (2008) Grace Under Pressure Tour (2009) Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland (2011) Clockwork Angels Tour (2013) R40 Live (2015) Live videos Exit... Stage Left (1982) Grace Under Pressure Tour (1986) A Show of Hands (1989) Rush in Rio (2003) R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2005) Rush Replay X 3 (2006) Snakes & Arrows Live (2008) Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland (2011) Clockwork Angels Tour (2013) R40 Live (2015) Compilations Rush Through Time (1979) Chronicles (1990) Retrospective I (1997) Retrospective II (1997) The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974–1987 (2003) Gold (2006) Retrospective III: 1989–2008 (2009) Working Men (2009) Video compilations Through the Camera Eye (1985) Chronicles (1990) Box sets The Studio Albums 1989–2007 (2013) Extended plays Feedback (2004) Cygnus X-1 (2017) Singles "In the Mood" "Fly by Night" "Lakeside Park" "The Twilight Zone" "Making Memories" "Closer to the Heart" "Circumstances" "The Trees" "The Spirit of Radio" "Entre Nous" "Limelight" "Tom Sawyer" "Vital Signs" "New World Man" "Subdivisions" "Countdown" "Red Sector A" "Afterimage" "The Big Money" "Mystic Rhythms" "Time Stand Still" "Show Don't Tell" "The Pass" "Dreamline" "Roll the Bones" "Ghost of a Chance" "Stick It Out" "Nobody's Hero" "Test for Echo" "Half the World" "Driven" "One Little Victory" "Secret Touch" "Summertime Blues" "Far Cry" "Caravan" "Headlong Flight" Other songs "Working Man" "Before" and "After" I. "Into the Darkness" "Didacts and Narpets" "2112" "A Passage to Bangkok" "Tears" "Xanadu" "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres" (II. "Apollo Bringer of Wisdom" and III. "Dionysus Bringer of Love" IV. "Armageddon The Battle of Heart and Mind" VI. "The Sphere A Kind of Dream") "Freewill" "Red Barchetta" "YYZ" "Witch Hunt" "The Analog Kid" "Between the Wheels" "Marathon" "Manhattan Project" "Force Ten" "Mission" "Lock and Key" "Second Nature" "Heresy" "Animate" "Cold Fire" "The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)" Tours Hemispheres Tour (1978–1979) Moving Pictures Tour (1980–1981) Exit... Stage Left Tour (1981) Power Windows Tour (1985–1986) Hold Your Fire Tour (1987–1988) Presto Tour (1990) Roll the Bones Tour (1991–1992) Counterparts Tour (1994) Test for Echo Tour (1996–1997) Snakes & Arrows Tour (2007–2008) Time Machine Tour (2010–2011) Clockwork Angels Tour (2012–2013) R40 Live Tour (2015) Fifty Something Tour (2026–2027) Related articles Discography Songs Awards Instrumentals Victor My Favourite Headache A Work in Progress Anatomy of a Drum Solo Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road Hugh Syme Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage Working Man – A Tribute to Rush Category

Authority control databases MusicBrainz work MusicBrainz release group

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Big Money](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Money) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Money?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.