| "Don't Take the Money" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byBleachers | ||||
| from the albumGone Now | ||||
| B-side | "Don't Take the Money" (Acoustic) | |||
| Released | 30 March 2017 (2017-03-30) | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
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| Bleachers singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Don't Take the Money" onYouTube | ||||
"Don't Take the Money" is a song recorded by Americanindie pop actBleachers from their second studio albumGone Now (2017). FrontmanJack Antonoff co-wrote the song with New Zealand singerLorde, while production was handled by Antonoff,Greg Kurstin andVince Clarke. It was released on 30 March 2017, byRCA Records as the album'slead single. "Don't Take the Money" is apop andsynth-pop song with influences from 1980s music. According to Antonoff, the song's title is a phrase he uses frequently in a motivational context about meeting a future lover.
"Don't Take the Money" received positive reviews frommusic critics, with several critics complimenting its production. Its sound was compared to the works of American musicianBruce Springsteen. Commercially, it peaked at number three on theBillboardAlternative Songs chart, and number 15 on theRock Airplay chart. An accompanying music video was directed by American actress and filmmakerLena Dunham, Antonoff's girlfriend at the time of the video's release; it was released on 2 May 2017. The video shows Antonoff as a soon-to-be groom as he fights to stay with his lover Giulia. Antonoff promoted the track by performing it live on television on several occasions.
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"Don't Take the Money" was co-written byJack Antonoff, the sole member ofBleachers, and New Zealand singerLorde (credited under her birth name Ella Yelich-O'Connor)[3] with production input from Antonoff,Greg Kurstin andVince Clarke.[4] Lorde provides uncredited backing vocals on the final chorus.[5] The pair wrote the song during a late night studio session. Antonoff proceeded to work for a year on the track "twisting it around".[6]
According to Antonoff, the song's title is a phrase he frequently repeats to himself; it is not about "actual money" but rather a motivation phrase used in different contexts.[3] The track was inspired byLena Dunham, Antonoff's girlfriend at the time.[6] In an interview withNewsweek, Antonoff also said that the song's title means "don't sell out"; the expression describes a lover continuing a relationship despite its misfortunes.[7] The artwork for the song is a shot of Antonoff and American actress and drag queenFlawless Sabrina, with her face out of frame.[8]
"Don't Take the Money" is composed in the key ofD-flat major with atempo of 110 beats per minute. Itschord progression follows a basic sequence of D♭–G♭–B♭m–G♭.[9] It is apop[10] andsynth-pop song,[11] with influences of1980s music.[12] Antonoff revealed in an interview withVulture that theLinn drums fromQueen's 1984 song "Radio Ga Ga" served as inspiration for the track'spercussion.[13] According toNME writer Jamie Milton, the song's lyrics detail adversity "through the lens of a relationship"; the pre-chorus represents a "flaming row" while the chorus "keeps the couple caught up in it together."[14] Mike Wass ofIdolator compared the track to songs fromJohn Hughes film soundtracks whileNylon compared its sound to the music of American singerBruce Springsteen.[15]Newsweek's Tufayel Ahmed called "Don't Take the Money" an "'80s synth-pop nirvana".[7]
A day before the release of "Don't Take the Money", Antonoff announced viaInstagram a scavenger hunt onUnion Square,Manhattan offlash drives labeled with the song's title, which included a file of the track. The flash drives were hidden inside severalpiñatas resembling the singer, along with bats to beat the piñatas with.[16] The single was officially released the following day on 31 March 2017 throughRCA Records.[17] A12" record limited release of the single features an acoustic version of the track as itsB-side.[18] It was released on June 30, 2017, through the Bleachers webstore.[19]
"Don't Take the Money" received mostly positive reviews frommusic critics, with several critics complimenting its production. It was also compared to the music used in films by American filmmakerJohn Hughes.[20]PopMatters writer Ethan King called it the "album's best", praising Antonoff for "combining an infinitely re-playable arena-pop with an emotional gush."[21] In his album review,Pitchfork writer Sam Sodomsky called "Don't Take the Money" a "worthy [addition] to his catalog".[22] Kayleigh Hughes ofConsequence of Sound named it the album's essential track, praising the song for its "romantic pleading, noble desperation, and pure unabashed effusion" as well as its "'80s theatricality".[23] Commercially, "Don't Take the Money" charted at number three on theBillboardAlternative Songs chart.[24] It also peaked on theRock Airplay andHot Rock Songs charts at number 15 and 16, respectively.[25][26] On theAdult Pop Songs, the track peaked at number 22.[27]
The accompanying music video for "Don't Take the Money" was directed by American actress and filmmaker Lena Dunham.[29] The video was shot in New Jersey and premiered on Bleachers'YouTube channel on 2 May 2017.[30] Aside from Antonoff, the clip features Italian twin models Giulia and Camilla Venturini as well as American actress and artistAlia Shawkat.[31] Some of the actors in the video aregenderqueer.[32]
The video begins with an audio interlude of a groom (played by Antonoff) speaking to amarriage officiant (played by Shawkat);[33] he expresses worries of marrying the bride (Giulia) due to her limited knowledge of English.[30] The scene later transitions to Antonoff dressed in a bedazzledsailor suit as he sits down in a bright gold background with two identical twins (Giulia and Camila).[34]VCR footage of flower children and the groom's parents is then interspliced with hi-def scenes of the same wedding.[29] Giulia walks down the altar as the chorus begins.[31]
In the following scene,figurines on the wedding cake are shown with bluedisco ball heads. The guests of the wedding are revealed to be hot pinkmannequins.[35] The music stops as Antonoff lifts the bride's veil; the marriage officiant reads the ceremony script from a yellow New Jerseyphone book.[36] She looks up to see Giulia's lover (played by Camila), revealed to be a Russian spy,[30] appear from the bushes dressed incommando clothing and a mesh top.[36] Dialogue captions are shown during Giulia and Camila's scene. Camila punches Antonoff who falls on top of several mannequins; she proceeds to punch and spit on him several times. She drags his body through the wedding aisle and kicks him into a pool.[36] Giulia and Camila then run off together and drive a wedding getaway car. The last scene shows Antonoff passed out in a pool with a bloody nose.[37]
The music video received positive reviews from critics. Its visuals were compared to the films of American directorWes Anderson.[29]Uproxx writer Alex Galbraith stated that the clip "perfectly [captured] the disaffected looks on everyone but Antonoff’s faces" as well as "chintzy and over-the-top decorations of his stage wedding".[36] Lauren O'Neill ofNoisey praised the video's cast, calling it a "perfectly sparkly music video experience".[29]Time's Cady Lang noted that Dunham "borrowed heavily from bright, saturated, ’80s-style aesthetics to keep the concept fun," in contrast with the video's plot twist.[34] Writing forRolling Stone, Sarah Grant commented that the video matched the song's tonality; Grant also noted that the inclusion of a "Russian spy lovers twist" was a "comedic, good-natured nod" to the pair's support forsame-sex marriage.[30]Stereogum writer Tom Breihan called it a "bright, colorful video" and praised itsprogressive portrayal of gender.[28]
Bleachers first performed "Don't Take the Money" onJimmy Kimmel Live! on 17 April 2017. According toSpin, Antonoff was backed by a band and wore aNew York Mets T-shirt.[38]Stereogum writer Tom Breihan said that although Lorde was not present on stage to perform the track, Antonoff "made up for it with gawky nerd charisma and grand-gesture intensity".[39] The song was also performed atThe Ellen Degeneres Show under a "color pastel stage"; Antonoff took off his glasses midway through the performance and started "roaming all over the place."[40] Bleachers served as a musical guest onLate Night with Seth Meyers backed by two drummers;DIY called it a "slightly more meditative, laid-back version of the track" but praised the act's versatility.[41] Antonoff performed the track live onThe Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on 6 June 2017; Breihan fromStereogum called it a "rousing, muscular version of the song".[42] "Don't Take the Money" was also performed live at the2017 MTV Video Music Awards. Towards the end of the performance, Antonoff "started knocking over equipment on stage".[43] Antonoff and Lorde performed the song as part of aMTV Unplugged session;[44] a live-album was released on 10 November 2017 with Lorde credited as a performer.[45]
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofGone Now and the official Bleachers YouTube channel.[46][47]
Weekly charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[54] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
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