“In pop music, there’s often a shortage of words that you can fit in to express yourself, so I wrote this as a poem so that I could use as many words as I wanted,” Andy Grammer recently told American Songwriter of his new spoken word track, “I Need A New Money.”
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Grammer certainly doesn’t mince any words on “I Need A New Money.” The track, which is premiering on American Songwriter today, reckons with the value we, as a culture, place on money. He makes a strong case for the notion that it is actually happiness, love, and other intangible—yet inherent—things that are the real currency we should be focusing on.
“I see it in myself,” Grammer says. “I wish I didn’t get a sense of worth from money, but I’ve noticed that I do, so maybe other people feel the same way. If we all are inherently valuable, but we are living like we aren’t, that’s a bummer.”
The stanzas are powerful. Grammer asks hard questions and attempts to find the answers.
He asks: You’re telling me we’ve agreed to tie self-worth to what we’re paid? / What a grave mistake to make / what terrible advice to take / if the scoreboard counts in dollars / what kind of game do you think we’re playing?
He answers: I am not merely an economic unit / I am human.
“I hope that [this track] reminds people of their value and how brilliant they are regardless of monetary worth,” Grammer says. “Music has a way of reminding us of things that are important.”
Alongside the song comes an equally moving video. The visual keeps things simple so as to not distract from the truth Grammer is spitting out at a rapid rate. Directed by Cooper Davidson, the video sees Grammer working as a cashier at a convenience store. Each customer that comes in helps Grammer perform the spoken word.
The diverse group of clientele performing the spoken word together highlights the universality of the message.
“I wanted to make the video around a simple act of going in to take money out of an ATM,” Grammer says of the video. “Then we came up with the mini-mart scene and though I’ve never worked at a gas station, I feel like it strangely fit.”
Get a first look at “I Need A New Money,” below.
Photo: Cooper Davidson / The Oriel
