What’s That Song?

If you guessed Rich Girl by Daryl Hall and John Oates, you are correct!

Today’s Bill Campbell What’s That Song, written by Daryl Hall, debuted in February 1977 at number 38 on Billboard‘s Top 40 list. It is about a spoiled girl who relies on her parent’s money to do whatever she pleases. Once rumored to be about the 70’s then-scandalous newspaper heiress Patty Hearst, it was really about one of Hall’s girlfriend’s ex-boyfriends—a fast-food chain heir. According to Daryl in a Rolling Stone interview, “…you can’t write, ‘You’re a rich boy’ in a song, so I changed it to a girl.”

Did you know…

• In March 1977, Rich Girl made it to the top of the Billboard Top 100 list—this was the first of six number one songs for Hall & Oates, all of which appear on the Bigger Than Both of Us album.
• Billboard ranked it as the 23rd biggest hit of 1977.
• Rich Girl appeared in a namesake 1985 episode of the TV series Hunter.
• The indie-pop duo The Bird and the Bee covered this song for their 2010 album, Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates.
• In 1980, Rich Girl was featured in the comedy Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie. It appeared again in a 2003 episode of the TV drama The Shield, Barnstormers.

Rich Girl

You’re a rich girl, and you’ve gone too far
‘Cause you know it don’t matter anyway
You can rely on the old man’s money
You can rely on the old man’s money
It’s a bitch girl but it’s gone too far
‘Cause you know it don’t matter anyway
Say money but it won’t get you too far
Get you too far

Don’t you know, don’t you know
That it’s wrong to take what is given you
So far gone, on your own
You can get along if you try to be strong
But you’ll never be strong ’cause

You’re a rich girl, and you’ve gone too far
‘Cause you know it don’t matter anyway
You can rely on the old man’s money
You can rely on the old man’s money
It’s a bitch girl and it’s gone too far
‘Cause you know it don’t matter anyway
Say money but it won’t get you too far
Get you too far

High and dry, out of the rain
It’s so easy to hurt others when you can’t feel pain
And don’t you know that a love can’t grow
‘Cause there’s too much to give, ’cause you’d rather live
For the thrill of it all, oh

You’re a rich girl, and you’ve gone too far
‘Cause you know it don’t matter anyway
You can rely on the old man’s money
You can rely on the old man’s money
It’s a bitch girl and it’s gone too far
‘Cause you know it don’t matter anyway
Say money but it won’t get you too far
Say money but it won’t get you too far
Say money but it won’t get you too far
Get you too far

And you say
You can rely on the old man’s money
You can rely on the old man’s money
You’re a rich girl, a rich girl
Oh, you’re a rich, rich girl yeah
Say money but it won’t get you too far
Oh, get ya too far
(Rich Girl lyrics © Unichappell Music Inc., Hot Cha Music Co., Warner Chappell Music France, UNICHAPPELL MUSIC, INC., UNICHAPPELL MUSIC, INC. O/B/O HOT-CHA MUSIC CO., Hot Cha Music Co.)

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