Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is a two-time Grammy Award-winning… Read Full Bio ↴Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is a two-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist, musician, songwriter, and producer from the United States. Over the course of a three-decade career, Jones has recorded in various musical styles including R&B, blues, pop, soul, and jazz standards. Rickie Lee Jones is a singer songwriter whose style leans on jazz and pop/R&B timing and personification.

Jones settled in LA at the age of nineteen, doing the classic waiting tables stuff until she landed a recording contract with Warners. Her self-titled debut album in 1979 was a big success, as was the single, Chuck E.'s in Love, about her musician friend Chuck E. Weiss. At the 1980 Grammy Awards, she won a Grammy for Best New Artist, and also received four more nominations: for Record of the Year; Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female; Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female; and Song of the Year (for "Chuck E.'s in Love"). While none of her subsequent recordings achieved the same level of commercial success, Jones has continued releasing critically acclaimed albums that have explored a variety of sonic terrain from jazz standards to trip hop influenced works.

Jones' pursuit of jazz standards led to the recording of "The Moon Is Made of Gold" and "Autumn Leaves" for Rob Wasserman's album Duets in 1985. The latter track earned her another Grammy nomination. And in 1990, her duet with Dr. John, a cover of "Makin' Whoopee", earned the artist her second Grammy Award, this time in the category of Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group.

At the time of recording her debut album, Jones was in a romantic relationship with Tom Waits; she is the girl draped over the car on the cover of his 1978 album Blue Valentine.

Early in her career, Jones was known for her drinking and substance abuse. She eventually tempered those demons, and came to terms with herself, and her own uncertain spirituality, and has maintained respect of her musical peers.

She's devoted to her talents, beyond music, one of which is raising her teenage daughter, and has even run her own political website and made music critiquing the Bush administration. She is involved in left-wing politics and community activism, partly through her web community, Furniture for the People (http://www.furnitureforthepeople.com/).

A greatest hits collection on Rhino called The Duchess of Coolsville was released in 2005.

In 2007 she signed to New West Records releasing The Sermon On Exposition Blvd, a record exploring lyrical territory inspired by Lee Cantelon's 1991 book The Words, which attempted to translate Christ's teachings into a more accessible contemporary format. Cantelon's friend, Guitarist Peter Atanasoff was instrumental in the creation of the eventual record.

Discography

1979: Rickie Lee Jones – Warner Bros.
1981: Pirates – Warner Bros.
1983: Girl at Her Volcano (EP) – Warner Bros.
1984: The Magazine – Warner Bros.
1989: Flying Cowboys - Geffen
1991: Pop Pop - Geffen
1993: Traffic From Paradise - Geffen
1995: Naked Songs - Reprise
1997: Ghostyhead – Warner Bros.
2000: It's Like This - Artemis
2001: Live at Red Rocks - Artemis
2003: The Evening of My Best Day – V2
2005: Duchess of Coolsville - Rhino
2007: Sermon On Exposition Boulevard - New West
2009: Balm in Gilead

Easy Money
Rickie Lee Jones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There was a Joe
Leanin' on the back door
A couple Jills that had their eyes on a couple bills
Their eyes was statin'
They was waitin'
To get their hands on some easy money

They flipped a dime

One said, "Well, I'll take heads this time"
One stepped up
One stepped back
One loosened her shoulder strap
She couldn't speak
Her knees got weak
Oh, she could almost taste that easy money

There was this old black cat
Who was sittin' in a old black Cadillac
And the Joe smelled sweet
So she curls up at her boyfriend's feet
She said "I got a plan listen, Sam"
"How'd ya like to make some of that easy money?"

He say, "Yes! Oh yes!"
"Jus' tell me what you want me to do "
She says, "Baby, you can trust me"
"Oh baby, but you must be hidin' in my room at a quarter to two"

Well, the cat told the boy
"Come on up to the room and play with my toys honey"
But the Jill set the bait
And she wasn't gonna sit around and wait
But this guy was wise to all the lies
And he flies out the door with the easy money

Oh because there ain't no man
Who got the money in his hand
Who got any of that bread
By bein' the slow in the head
The easier it looks
The hotter it hooks
There ain't no such thing as easy money

We say, "Yes! Oh yes!"

Ooh, Saturday night
There was a terrible, terrible fight
Between two dames who was losin' the same game

It wasn't clear
But I hear somebody was lookin' for some easy money

Overall Meaning

The song "Easy Money" by Rickie Lee Jones describes a group of people who are desperate for money, willing to do anything to get it. The song is a commentary on the pursuit of material wealth and the consequences that come with it. The lyrics describe a group of people waiting for an opportunity to make some "easy money." They are willing to take risks and deceive others to get what they want. The song's protagonist experiences a moment of clarity and realizes that there's no such thing as easy money, and that the pursuit of wealth is often a fool's errand.

The lyrics are also a commentary on societal expectations and the pressure people feel to achieve financial success. The characters in the song are driven by their desire to live up to these expectations, even if it means resorting to immoral behavior. The song highlights the futility of this pursuit, suggesting that true happiness and fulfillment cannot be achieved through material wealth.

Overall, "Easy Money" is a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed and materialism. It suggests that there's more to life than money and that true happiness cannot be found through material possessions.

Line by Line Meaning

There was a Joe Leanin' on the back door A couple Jills that had their eyes on a couple bills Their eyes was statin' They was waitin' To get their hands on some easy money
A couple of women, nicknamed Jills, caught the attention of a male called Joe, standing by the back door. The women were eyeing some cash and waiting to get their hands on it.

They flipped a dime One said, "Well, I'll take heads this time" One stepped up One stepped back One loosened her shoulder strap She couldn't speak Her knees got weak Oh, she could almost taste that easy money
The women flipped a coin to decide who would heist the money. One of the Jills offered to take the lead while the other hesitated. One of the Jills got weak in her knees seeing how close they were to getting some free cash.

There was this old black cat Who was sittin' in a old black Cadillac And the Joe smelled sweet So she curls up at her boyfriend's feet She said "I got a plan listen, Sam" "How'd ya like to make some of that easy money?" He say, "Yes! Oh yes!" "Jus' tell me what you want me to do " She says, "Baby, you can trust me" "Oh baby, but you must be hidin' in my room at a quarter to two"
An old cat, sitting in his old car, smelled the sweet scent of easy prey: that is a woman, who he took to his room. She enticed her boyfriend by promising him some cash, but he had to hide in her room at a certain time.

Well, the cat told the boy "Come on up to the room and play with my toys honey" But the Jill set the bait And she wasn't gonna sit around and wait But this guy was wise to all the lies And he flies out the door with the easy money
The old cat asked the woman's boyfriend to come upstairs and have some fun. Meanwhile, the Jill set the trap to get the money for themselves. However, the man realized what was happening and left empty-handed.

Oh because there ain't no man Who got the money in his hand Who got any of that bread By bein' the slow in the head The easier it looks The hotter it hooks There ain't no such thing as easy money
No one ever got easy money by being naive. The easier the money looks, the more enticing it can be, but in the end, there's no such thing as easy money.

We say, "Yes! Oh yes!"
The phrase "Yes! Oh Yes!" is a callback to the boyfriend's eagerness to get the easy money, despite knowing it's probably not real.

Ooh, Saturday night There was a terrible, terrible fight Between two dames who was losin' the same game It wasn't clear But I hear somebody was lookin' for some easy money
On a Saturday night, a terrible fight broke out between two women, both trying to get the easy money. It's unclear who was looking for the money, but someone was probably up to no good.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Rickie Lee Jones

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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