| "Money Can't Buy You Class" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art for most digital retailers | ||||
| Single byCountess Luann | ||||
| Released | April 26, 2010 (2010-04-26) | |||
| Studio | KMA Studio (New York City) | |||
| Genre | Dance | |||
| Length | 3:44 | |||
| Label | Ultra | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | Chris Young | |||
| Countess Luann singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Money Can't Buy You Class" onYouTube | ||||
"Money Can't Buy You Class" is the debutsingle by American television personalityLuann de Lesseps, under thestage name and formercourtesy title of Countess Luann. She wrote the song with Chris Young, its sole producer. The song received a limitedsingle release on April 26, 2010, throughUltra Records, before the label issued a wider one to digital retailers the following month. After writing her 2009 non-fiction bookClass with the Countess: How to Live with Elegance and Flair, de Lesseps was inspired to create a song that conveyed a similar message. It is adisco,electronic, andhouse-influenceddance song that usesPro Tools to manipulate de Lesseps' vocals. The lyrics continue the discussion of proper manners and etiquette, as explored in her book.
"Money Can't Buy You Class" received generally negative reviews frommusic critics, who panned de Lesseps' singing abilities. Some reviewers referred to it asso bad it's good. As of September 2011, the song has sold 19,000 copies in the United States. An accompanyingmusic video was released in June 2010, featuring de Lesseps offering advice to a group of polished young men. James Kennedy remixed the song in 2018 for de Lesseps' performance atSan Francisco Pride. Another remix was featured in her traveling cabaret show titledCountess and Friends, and the original was performed on several occasions forWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
During thesecond season of the American reality television seriesThe Real Housewives of New York City, cast memberLuann de Lesseps explored options in writing a non-fiction work on class, manners, and etiquette.[1] The book, titledClass with the Countess: How to Live with Elegance and Flair, was eventually released in December 2009 byAvery Publishing.[2] According to de Lesseps, she wanted to copy the themes and messages discussed in the book and create a song out of it, resulting in "Money Can't Buy You Class".[3] The song was solely produced by New York City-based musician Chris Young, who also co-wrote the track with de Lesseps.[4][5] After she revealed her former dream of becoming a singer, Young convinced her to work with him and create a song, ultimately recording "Money Can't Buy You Class" atKMA Studio inNew York City.[6]
The song premiered as astreaming exclusive viaBravo's website on April 26, 2010.[7] It received a wider release on May 25, being released as adigital download in various countries, throughUltra Records.[8] ApromotionalCD single of the song was developed and released in 2010.[9] de Lesseps later hosted a release party for the CD, and donated a large quantity of copies for an anti-bullying charity event, hosted by fellowThe Real Housewives of New York City cast memberJill Zarin.[10][11] In June, the song appeared on the Ultra Recordscompilation albumDJ Ricardo Presents Out. Anthems 5 (2010).[12] In September 2011,The Hollywood Reporter reported that "Money Can't Buy You Class" had sold 19,000 digital copies in the United States.[13] The song's exposure allowed de Lesseps to record a second single with Young and Ultra Records, "Chic C'est la Vie", in 2011.[5] Reflecting on his work with de Lesseps, Young revealed that after every airing of "Housewives Overboard", aseason 3 episode ofThe Real Housewives of New York City where he appears, he was receiving a substantial increase in demand for his work as a producer.[4][6]
In April 2018, English television personality James Kennedy, a cast member ofThe Real Housewives spin-off seriesVanderpump Rules, teased he was working on a remix of "Money Can't Buy You Class" for de Lesseps.[14] Kennedy worked on the remix with de Lesseps, who was slotted to perform the new version of the song at 2018's annualSan Francisco Pride.[15] Of his experience rearranging the song, he toldPeople: "it just came out perfect, working on this collab with the one and only Countess was awesome."[16] The remix was released to digital retailers in various countries on June 21, 2018.[17]
Musically, "Money Can't Buy You Class" is adisco,house, andelectronic-influenceddance song that features de Lesseps singing in anAuto-Tune-altered manner.[3][16][18] It opens with ajazz-style piano introduction.[16] Amelie Gillette fromThe A.V. Club noted de Lesseps' distinctively deep voice.[19] Because of her inexperience when it came to music training, Young was driven to produce a song for de Lesseps that would be easily accessible in respect to her vocal abilities. He used the digital applicationPro Tools to manipulate her voice and laid out a track that could be sung in her normal speaking tone, specifically avoiding writing aballad. He clarified: "With the aid of a computer, a producer should be able to derive listenable product from anyone, if he uses his imagination [...] She hasn't had much formal training, it's pretty clear."[4] de Lesseps compared "Money Can't Buy You Class" to the fictional character ofHolly Golightly, describing its style as "runway, glamour-puss".[20] Rya Backer fromMTV News summarized the song's sound: "It's kind of like ifEmily Post hooked up withT-Pain to record a spoken word jam at a late '90sBar Mitzvah jam."[7]
"Money Can't Buy You Class" is set in thetime signature of common time, and has an averagetempo of 124 beats per minute. Thekey of the song is inA minor and it advances with a setup of two verses, each followed by arefrain. The song utilizes thechord progression of F-Dm-Em-F throughout.[21] The lyrics to "Money Can't Buy You Class" serve as a continuation of de Lesseps' discussion of class and etiquette, as first explored inClass with the Countess: How to Live with Elegance and Flair.[3][20] They describe New York City'shigh society scene, as told through her point-of-view, and provide advice to the listener, suggesting tips such as "Life is all about elegance and flair and savoir-faire" and "It's not about where you're from, it's about what you've learned."[7][22]
Mostmusic critics gave "Money Can't Buy You Class" negative reviews, although some described it as beingso bad it's good. Marshall Heyman ofThe Wall Street Journal called the song "simultaneously abysmal and amazing".[4] Gillette panned the song, dismissing de Lesseps' singing abilities as aspoken word style and comparing them to smokers who are featured incigarette advertisements; she added that "when [de Lesseps] sings she sounds like a dream – a creepy,campy, wholly computer-generated dream".[19]Entertainment Weekly's Chris Nashawaty called the song tacky and panned her singing: "her husky man-voice and stiff delivery sounds so god-awful".[18] Sadie Gennis fromTV Guide Magazine listed "Money Can't Buy You Class" as the fifth bestReal Housewives-related song, explaining: "This song is absolutely terrible. And yet we love it."[23]People's Dave Quinn called it the franchise's fourth best song and de Lesseps'signature song; he continued: "Like a fine wine, this bop has only gotten better with age."[24] ThePittsburgh Post-Gazette called the song indulgent, noting its timing in the aftermath of de Lesseps' divorce from her husband.[20] Kelly Conaboy fromThe Cut, reviewing Kennedy's remix of the song, called the new version even worse than the original.[25]
Themusic video for "Money Can't Buy You Class" was released to Ultra Records'YouTube account on June 1, 2010.[28] The video is an extension of the song's lyrical content, and finds de Lesseps offering etiquette advice to a group of young men. She "straightens up a young hunk’s tie, takes away the cellphone of a gentleman who’s texting on a 'date', and swaps out the beer bottles of her young squires for champagne flutes".[26] Several reviewers discussed de Lesseps' appearance in the video.Idolator's Erika Brooks Adickman suggested that she had been "visually auto-tuned", while Edith Zimmerman fromVulture, despite calling the video delightful, remarked: "Money can't buy you class, but it can apparently buy you the technology to make yourself look like a different human being."[26][27] Lanford Beard fromPeople was less critical, calling de Lesseps' outfit in the video "on point".[29] ABillboard staff member suggested that the video was hypocritical: "As she warns against texting during a date and not opening doors for ladies, the Countess revels in the nightlife and shares a bed with a dozen male models."[30]
During de Lesseps' US cabaret showCountess and Friends, abaritone,beatbox remixed version of the song was performed.[31][32] Alex Catarinella fromPaper referred to her performance as the "most captivating" and said de Lesseps sang very well.[31] She has also performed the song multiple times on Bravo'sWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, including in November 2020 when de Lesseps simultaneously debuted her new single "Viva la Diva" live for the first time.[33][34]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Money Can't Buy You Class" (radio edit) | 3:44 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Money Can't Buy You Class" (James Kennedy remix) | 2:42 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | April 26, 2010 | Streaming (viaBravoTV.com) | Original | Ultra | [7] |
| Various | May 25, 2010 | Digital download | [8] | ||
| United States | 2010 | PromotionalCD single | [35] | ||
| Various | June 21, 2018 |
| James Kennedy remix | Self-released | [17] |
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