For the Love of Money

"For the Love of Money"
Side A of the US single
Single by The O'Jays
from the album Ship Ahoy
B-side	"People Keep Tellin' Me"
Released	April 1974 (US)
Recorded	Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia: October 3, 1973
Genre	Progressive soul[1] funk[2]
Length	3:42 (single version) 7:14 (album version)
Label	Philadelphia International 3544
Songwriter(s)	Kenneth Gamble Leon Huff Anthony Jackson
Producer(s)	Gamble and Huff
The O'Jays singles chronology
"Christmas Ain't Christmas New Year's Ain't New Year's Without The One You Love" (1973) "For the Love of Money" (1974) "Sunshine" (1974)
Audio
"For the Love of Money" (album version) on YouTube

"For the Love of Money" is a soul, funk song that was written and composed by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Anthony Jackson; it was recorded by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays for the album Ship Ahoy. Produced by Gamble and Huff for Philadelphia International Records, "For the Love of Money" was issued as a single in late 1973, with "People Keep Tellin' Me" as its B-side. The single peaked at number three on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, and at No. 9 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart in spring 1974. Though the album version of the song was over seven minutes long, it received substantial radio airplay. The song's title comes from a well-known Bible verse, 1 Timothy 6:10: "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (This translation is from the King James Version of the Bible.) The song was also used as the opening theme song for NBC’s The Apprentice.