page_title: Don't Take the Money
section_title: Background and composition
hierarchical_section_title: Don't Take the Money / Background and composition
caption_attribution_description: English: Lorde wearing a flower crown performing Loveless at the Riverstage in Brisbane Australia [23 November 2017], as part of the Melodrama World Tour.
context_page_description: "Don't Take the Money" is a song recorded by American indie pop act Bleachers from their second studio album Gone Now. Frontman Jack Antonoff co-wrote the song with New Zealand singer Lorde, while production was handled by Antonoff, Greg Kurstin and Vince Clarke. It was released on 30 March 2017, by RCA Records as the album's lead single. "Don't Take the Money" is a pop and synth-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 from music critics, with several critics complimenting its production. Its sound was compared to the music of American singer Bruce Springsteen and John Hughes film soundtracks. Commercially, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, and number 15 on the Rock Airplay chart. An accompanying music video was directed by American actress and filmmaker Lena 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.
context_section_description: "Don't Take the Money" was co-written by Jack Antonoff, the sole member of Bleachers, and New Zealand singer Lorde (credited under her birth name Ella Yelich-O'Connor) while production was handled by Antonoff, Greg Kurstin and Vince Clarke. Antonoff and Lorde wrote the song during a late night studio session and later recorded a demo. He then worked for a year on the track "twisting it around". Lorde provides uncredited backing vocals on the final chorus. 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. The track was inspired by Lena Dunham, Antonoff's girlfriend at the time. In an interview with Newsweek, Antonoff also said that the song's title means "don't sell out"; the expression describes a lover continuing a relationship despite its misfortunes. The artwork for the song is a shot of Antonoff and American actress and drag queen Flawless Sabrina, with her face out of frame.
  "Don't Take the Money" is composed in the key of D-flat major with a tempo of 110 beats per minute. Its chord progression follows a basic sequence of D♭–G♭–B♭m–G♭. It is a pop and synth-pop song, with a soaring chorus and influences of 1980s music. Antonoff revealed in an interview with Vulture that the Linn drums from Queen's 1984 song "Radio Ga Ga" served as inspiration for the track's percussion. According to NME 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." Mike Wass of Idolator compared the track to songs from John Hughes film soundtracks while Nylon compared its sound to the music of American singer Bruce Springsteen. Newsweek's Tufayel Ahmed called "Don't Take the Money" an "'80s synth-pop nirvana".
caption: "Don't Take the Money" features backing vocals from New Zealand singer and co-writer Lorde
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