The Apprentice

The very apt theme song for The Apprentice—the one that goes “money, money, money” is officially entitled “For the Love of Money.” It was performed and recorded by Ohio-based Philadelphia soul group The O’Jays. The song was originally part of their 1973 album Ship Ahoy.

The O’Jays still perform to this date but have lost some members and gone through some lineup changes. As not primarily songwriters (The O’Jays), “For the Love of Money” was written by songwriters and producers Gamble and Huff—composed of Kenneth Gamble and Leon A. Huff and bass player Anthony Jackson.

Below is the theme song and the opening sequence from The Apprentice season two. Enjoy:

Lyrics

Money money money money, money

Money money money money, money

Some people got to have it

Some people really need it

Listen to me y’all

Do things, do things, do things, bad things with it

Dollar bills, y’all, come on

Lean, mean, mean green

Almighty dollar

Don’t you know that, money

Give me a nickel, brother can you spare a dime

Money can drive some people out of their minds

Money money money money, money

Money money money money, money.

The show features fourteen to eighteen business people competing for a season, with usually one contestant eliminated per episode. Contestants are split into two “corporations” (teams), with one member volunteering as a project manager on each new task.

The corporation’s complete business-related tasks such as selling products, raising money for charity, or creating an advertising campaign. One corporation is selected as the winner based on objective measures and subjective opinions of the host and his advisors who monitor the teams’ performance on tasks.

The losing corporation attended a boardroom meeting with the show’s hosts and advisors to break down why they lost and determine who contributed the least to the team. Episodes ended with the host eliminating one contestant from the competition, with the words “You’re fired!”