The Big Money

Infobox Single
Name = The Big Money


Artist = Rush
from Album = Power Windows
Released = October, 1985
Format =
Recorded = 1985
Genre = Progressive rock
Length = 5:35
Label = Mercury Records
Producer = Peter Collins and Rush
Last single = "Afterimage"
(1984)
This single = "The Big Money"
(1985)
Next single = "Territories"
(1985)
Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = Power Windows
Type = studio
prev_track =
prev_no =
this_track = "The Big Money"
track_no = Track 1
next_track = "Grand Designs"
next_no = Track 2

"The Big Money" is a song by progressive rock group Rush from their album "Power Windows". It charted at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on album-oriented rock charts, and has been featured on many "Best-Of" compilations.

The lyrics, written by drummer Neil Peart, reflect on the power of "big money" and the sheer magnitude of trade in the modern global economy, particularly during the 1980s.Fact|date=July 2008 Regarding the idea that the song's lyrics were inspired by a John Dos Passos book of the same name, Peart replied "I am a big fan of Dos Passos’ stylistic ability, his poetic approach to prose, but the ideas presented in the songs are quite different from those which he exemplified." - Neil Peart, "Backstage Club Newsletter", January 1988.

The video for the track was created by Green Light Productions, using state-of-the-art (at the time) computer graphics similar to those seen in the video for "Money for Nothing", performed by Dire Straits. The video also features the band performing the song on a giant Monopoly-style game board with the words "Big Money" in the middle. A full-length version of the video was included on the VHS and laserdisc releases of Rush's "Grace Under Pressure" tour concert film, while an edited version was released to MTV and other outlets, as well as on the short-lived CD Video format. The video for "The Big Money" was not included in the 2006 Rush Replay X3 re-release of "Grace Under Pressure Tour" on DVD, and the full-length version of the video has never been re-released.

The car featured in the animated intro has a license plate that reads "Mr. Big", a reference to producer Peter Collins, who produced "Power Windows".

When performed live, many of the synths and sound effects heard in the original track are triggered through pedals and switches used by bassist Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson plus Peart's electronic drum pads.