Richie Kotzen
Musicien

Américain

Richie Kotzen describes “Big Money Club” as a character study inspired by a particular kind of person he began noticing after moving to Los Angeles.

“It isn’t about one specific person,” Kotzen says. “It’s this character I kept encountering over the years. Everybody knows him, everybody likes him, he’s at the private party, the expensive restaurant, backstage, behind the velvet rope—but nobody really knows what he does.”

What interested Kotzen was less the character’s apparent wealth than the mystery surrounding it—and the unquestioned access that seemed to accompany him.

“There was always a story about where the money came from. Family money, some huge publishing deal, tech money, some business connection. But the story had a way of changing depending on who was telling it. The funny thing was, nobody really questioned it. Somehow every door opened and everybody just accepted that he belonged there.”

That ambiguity became central to the song. “Big Money Club” never reveals whether its central character inherited his position, earned it, fabricated it, or simply became so embedded in the scene that the distinction stopped mattering.

“That was the interesting part to me. Everybody seems to know this guy, but nobody actually knows him. You hear all these stories and eventually the mythology becomes more interesting than whatever the truth might be.”

Musically, “Big Money Club” moves away from heavy guitar rock toward a clean, groove-driven sound drawing from classic rock, pop rock and the Philly soul music that formed part of Kotzen’s early musical vocabulary.

“I didn’t want to explain who he is because I don’t know who he is. That’s really the whole point. He’s the kid from the Big Money Club.”

WORDS AND MUSIC WRITTEN BY RICHIE KOTZEN
PRODUCED, PERFORMED AND RECORDED BY
RICHIE KOTZEN

BIG TIME
BIG TIME
TALK IS ON THE STREET SAYIN’
YOU’RE THE KID FROM THE BIG MONEY CLUB

YOU STEP OUT EVERYTHING BREAKING
BUT YOU STILL GET TO YOUR DESTINATION
BUT YOU BETTER NEVER LOOK AROUND

BIG TIME RIGHT INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
DROP DEAD ALWAYS ON THE TAKE
SLOW ROLL ‘EM LAY BEHIND THE BEAT
SANGIN’ YOU’RE THE KID FROM THE BIG MONEY CLUB

GROWED UP PROUD
FAKED IT AND YOU MADE IT
YOU’RE THERE YOU LAUGH AND YOU’RE EVERYBODY’S FAVORITE
BUT YOU BETTER NEVER LOOK AROUND

BIG TIME RIGHT INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
DROP DEAD ALWAYS ON THE TAKE
SLOW ROLL ‘EM
LAY BEHIND THE BEAT
SANGIN YOU’RE THE KID FROM THE BIG MONEY CLUB
COLD BLOOD LEARNED IT FROM YOUR FATHER
ALL STYLE THEY SAY THE MONEY RUNS DEEP
LIKE A ROTHSCHILD
TALK IS ON THE STREET SAYIN’ YOU’RE THE KID FROM THE BIG MONEY CLUB

(GUITAR SOLO)

BIG TIME RIGHT INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
DROP DEAD ALWAYS ON THE TAKE
SLOW ROLL ‘EM
LAY BEHIND THE BEAT
SANGIN’ YOU’RE THE KID FROM THE BIG MONEY CLUB
COLD BLOOD LEARNED IT FROM YOUR FATHER
ALL STYLE THEY SAY THE MONEY RUNS DEEP
LIKE A ROTHSCHILD
TALK IS ON THE STREET SAYIN’
YOU’RE THE KID FROM THE BIG MONEY CLUB
LOOK AT JOEY BIG TIME
BIG TIME BIG TIME
THEY SAY THE MONEY RUNS DEEP
LIKE A ROTHSCHILD
TALK IS ON THE STREET SAYING YOU’RE THE KID
FROM THE BIG MONEY CLUB