In It for the Money - Supergrass

By: Nolan Majerowski

Sunday School

IN IT FOR THE MONEY

Sunday School takes another look at a classic album worth revisiting years after its release. EMMIE staff handpick releases that shaped a genre, defined a generation or deserve a little more recognition. Keep up with Sunday School for your weekly dose of dusted-off classics + throwbacks that merit a second spin.

1995 was undoubtedly the peak of Britpop. Several heavyweights released classics, like Pulp with Different Class, Oasis with the pivotal (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, and Elastica’s self-titled debut. August of that year was plastered with headlines about the chart battle between Blur and Oasis after releasing singles on the same day. Yet amidst the chaos, some young lads who called themselves Supergrass put out a debut album that could rival the giants, I Should Coco. 

I guess it’s easy for me to say that Supergrass was in the background in 1995, considering their place in the legacy of Britpop, but the fourth single from I Should Coco, “Alright,” reached number 2 on the charts, and remains a defining song of the ‘90s for many. This track was and still is the band’s biggest smash by far, and I Should Coco is often unfairly remembered for being the spoon that delivers the sugar. Nonetheless, “Alright” helped shoot the album to number 1 on the UK charts, but the success still felt rather modest compared to Supergrass’ contemporaries. Blur and Oasis had two albums each outsell I Should Coco during the peak of its popularity. All was not lost for Supergrass though because after all, they were young.

The most common praise I see for I Should Coco sounds something like, “For being teenagers, Supergrass were able to craft an album that embodies their youthfulness while also incorporating complex songwriting.” I love this album, but I think this is giving them a little bit too much credit. I totally agree with the statement that this album embodies youthfulness, and that is completely obvious listening to the lyrics; however, most reviewers tend to over-emphasize how young the band was at this time. At release, the members were aged 19, 20, and 24. While certainly young, the way many reviewers talk about this album makes it sound like they wrote and recorded these songs when they were 15. I am not sure what the sentiment surrounding I Should Coco was like 30 years ago, but from my perspective it seems like the public took the album’s rambunctious and fun spirit, and heavily projected that onto the band members. It certainly didn’t help that the “Alright” music video had the members looking like this:

I mean, come on.

The band was embracing being young and frolicking around 1995, which was probably a breath of fresh air to many since the other bands in their sphere were singing about fears of a dull life and reminiscing, topics that seem very adult-ish. In any case, I can’t help but think that Supergrass ran with the whole “they’re just teenagers” thing for their debut since it may have been more marketable to fans. Fair enough, yet, this probably started to (for lack of a better phrase) get old for the lads after a while.

There’s an episode of Nathan for You where in order to sell more of an underperforming toy called the “Doink-it,” Nathan markets owning the ball as “the only way to prove you’re not a baby.” He runs a focus group with a few kids who all admit they want the ball due to their desire to not be viewed as an infant. The show’s satire aside, I think it’s natural for people to want to be viewed as mature, especially when they reach a certain point in which respect is a top priority. With age comes maturity, and with maturity comes respect. This is what I think was going through the band members’ heads before In It for the Money.

In 1997, drummer Danny Goffey was asked his thoughts on the difference between Supergrass’ first two albums. He responded, “I don't know, I suppose we grew up a bit.” This idea was echoed more recently by singer Gaz Coombes in a 2021 interview who answered the same question with, “​​I don’t really know how that musical change happened. Just life experiences and that American tour, being away for seven weeks on a tour bus, you grow up a lot.” 

Even the way the band presented themselves around the time of In It for the Money was more mature. They traded the bikes for cars (yeah, I realize they were jumping on pogo sticks in the “Late in the Day” music video. Whatever, just let me have this) and the colorful t-shirts for button-ups. Their hair was cut shorter and styled neater. This was a group that wanted to show they meant business while still being able to have fun.

Elements from the debut are still present on In It for the Money, like the energetic garage-rock guitars on “Richard III.” More importantly, there’s also intriguing pushes into new directions, like adding more brass instruments on songs like “Tonight,” with its backing horns and trumpet solo. Supergrass produced In It for the Money themselves, a fact that Goffey admitted allowed listeners to “hear everything more.” The sounds were probably tough to balance simply due to the amount of different instruments they incorporated throughout the album from organs to trumpets.

“Cheapskate,” is probably the most fun song on the album, but sounds completely unlike anything the band had made, with its contrasting verse and chorus instrumentals. There is a simple yet effective harmony on the phrase “somebody stop me” during the chorus that adds a lot to the song. The backing vocals and harmonies are absolutely on point across the whole tracklist. Bassist Mick Quinn handled most of these, which is an attest to each members’ indispensability. All three add elements that are integral to the sound of Supergrass, and this is apparent throughout the album.

One of my favorite tracks is “Sun Hits the Sky,” which by itself is a fairly middle of the road Supergrass song, but I love that it showcases the band’s unsung hero, keyboardist Rob Coombes. Rob wasn’t an official member of the band, but made contributions to the debut, and is all over In It for the Money. His brother, Gaz, was incredibly famous at the time, but the band proved that they were the sum of their parts by giving Rob his kudos in the “Sun Hits the Sky” music video. The band is playing in the desert when Rob pulls up in the funkiest car I’ve ever seen and sprints to a synthesizer for a solo. Great songwriting, a catchy chorus, and a spotlight for the keyboard player. Two thumbs up from me.

The band also proves they’ve got the ability to make great slower songs, as the Doors-esque “Hollow Little Reign” is one of the strongest tracks on the album. This was one of the songs that stuck with me upon first listen due to the lovely piano melody and horn section. It’s a song that may have you questioning if you’re listening to the same band that made I Should Coco, but that’s what makes it fantastic. “It’s Not Me” is another softer song, an acoustic ballad made more interesting by intermittent synth bass swells in the background.

In It for the Money has everything I like about Supergrass, as well as pleasant surprises that left me impressed. The band matures from their debut in a way that garners respect naturally from listeners instead of pandering or showing off. Although the legacy of In It for the Money still remains in the shadow of “Alright” and I Should Coco, it sold more worldwide than the debut, a fact that allows the band “to sleep at night.” The album has endured the test of time, and still sounds fresh nearly 30 years later, which is extremely impressive for any project, let alone one that is self-produced. It was selected by a panel of music critics to the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, as well as voted #57 on Q magazine’s The 100 Greatest British Albums list, made in 2000. That list put it ahead of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Ghost in the Machine, and Portishead’s Dummy. It didn’t quite get the recognition it deserves here in the United States, but now is as good a time as any to give In It for the Money its flowers. If it truly was respect that the band wanted from this album, they got it from me.