The Moneygoround (Sunny Afternoon)
In “The Moneygoround”, The Kinks are singing about how their money keeps getting split up and re-spent before it reaches them. The band, naturally, does not sound happy about this…
Read MoreAuthor: mattrousu
Vanilla Ice Cream (She Loves Me)
Amalia is thinking about writing a letter to a potential suitor, but gets distracted because Georg recently brought her ice cream when she was sick. The fact that Georg brought…
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Fidelity Fiduciary Bank (Mary Poppins)
Thanks to Brian O’Roark and Dirk Mateer for creating this video. The bankers singing the song Fidelity Fiduciary Bank in the movie version of Mary Poppins provide a perfect example…
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The World Will Know (Newsies)
Outraged after publisher Joseph Pulitzer increases the cost of newspapers for the delivery boys (“newsies”) by ten cents per hundred, head newsie Jack Kelly organizes a union and ultimately a…
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Try Me (She Loves Me)
In “Try Me”, delivery boy Arpad Laszlo is pleading for a promotion. After two years of self-training in Maraczek’s Parfumerie to prepare himself for a potential new job as a…
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Cabinet Battle #1 (Hamilton the Musical)
Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton have a “rap-off” about whether to have a national bank and whether the US government should assume the debts of the states. Hamilton is for…
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Just a Housewife (Working)
“Just a Housewife” from the musical Working features housewife Kate Rushton, singing how society does not perceive her as intelligent due to her choice to be a stay-at-home mom. Her…
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My Shot (Hamilton)
“My Shot”, from the musical Hamilton contains lyrics that illustrate several economic concepts. First, Hamilton is talking about going to King’s College (which is now Columbia University) to gain skills…
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Shipyard (The Last Ship)
The musical The Last Ship is set in Wallsend, England. In this town, there is one shipyard that will close in the near future. The workers sing about how “the only…
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The Winner Takes It All (Mamma Mia)
The singer, Donna is singing to her one-time romantic partner. In singing “The Winner Takes it All”, she is implying that romantic relationships are a zero-sum game, that one person’s…
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