There are many types of people in the world, but for the purposes of this introduction, let’s imagine that there are actually only two types of people in this world. The first type of person is one who hears a song and finds joy in the movement of the sound. The second type of person is one who tries to work out how the song relates to the accountancy industry.
For this edition of the Briefcase, we became the second person. And, to be fair, if you listen carefully, a lot of songs are about accountants or people with jobs that are a bit like accountants or tasks that might require someone with the mind of an accountant.
So, without further ado, here’s our attempt
🎸 1. A taxing listen
In 1966, George Harrison discovered that, thanks to the UK’s 95% top marginal "supertax”, once you hit the highest band, most of your extra earnings effectively belonged to the Treasury – hence the immortal line, "there’s one for you, nineteen for me.” And with two of the Beatles edging towards bankruptcy, George decided it was worth kicking off Revolver with. Although, admittedly, even with that tax rate, they must’ve been spending it very foolishly.
'Taxman' wasn’t just Harrison complaining about the money he could’ve spent on drugs and stays in the Ritz, he was also lamenting that their tax bill was helping fund military spending, which was a hard pill to swallow for a longhaired peacenik.
Just to be clear, this wasn’t even the first anti-HMRC sentiment of 1966. The Kinks had already chimed in with the line, "the taxman’s taken all my dough.” in their wonderful song Sunny Afternoon. But it’s hard to imagine Dua Lipa receiving similar plaudits if she penned a song bemoaning the taxes she has to pay in 2026.
🏴☠️ 2. The obligatory Monty Python reference
Monty Python were always interested in wordplay, and they had particular fun with the word chartered. In 'Accountancy Shanty', they imagine mild-mannered accountants dreaming of piracy:
"It’s fun to charter an accountant
and sail the wide accountant sea!”
A cynic might suggest that this is pretty much as far as the concept goes, and that Monty Python were scraping the bottom of the barrel with this one. But we’re writing this newsletter in England, where the social pressure to find this stuff uproariously funny is so intense that you can get barred from a pub for not saying "ni” at the right time.
But this wasn’t the only time Monty Python went after accountants. In another sketch, the life of a chartered accountant is described as the preserve of the "appallingly dull”.
Yet in true Python fashion, the fantasy escalates (or drags on, as others might posit) – in The Meaning of Life, buildings literally transform into pirate ships as the accountants and other office workers finally revolt. Wonderful stuff.
💼 3. A rapper’s best friend
Despite a deluge of nasty stereotyping from all cultural corners, there’s one ally that accountants can always count on – rappers. In Jeezy’s track ‘My Accountant’, the accountant is a central figure in his success story.
Jeezy repeats the line "my accountant lit” three or four times. That might be the most enthusiastic line ever written about professional services.
The intro sets the scene; the first real money arrives, the bank account "got so crazy,” which, as any finance professional worth their salt will advise, means that "you’re gon’ have to pay taxes on these millions”. Perhaps it’s a sign of the times that, by 2022, the taxman is welcomed with open arms, as opposed to Harrison all but gobbing on his visitor. No, you only get that phone call when things are going very, very well.
🧾 4. Sorry Ma, forgot to carry the remainder
This one might be a bit more obscure, but The Replacements are one of the Briefcase’s favourite bands so we had to mention it. In singer Paul Westerberg’s ode to a forgotten generation, 'Bastards of Young', he sings:
"income tax deduction, what a hell of a function”.
Paul Westerberg’s father reportedly used to joke that they had another child for the tax deduction. Which, in 1959 America, had a kernel of truth. Under the tax code at the time, each dependent reduced taxable income through personal exemptions. No child tax credits or benefits, just straight deductions.
It’s a line very typical of the Minnesota punks – a dry little half-joke dripping with bitterness. Was Westerberg really conceived as a tax dodge? That’s maybe a question for another newsletter.
💰 5. Cash is king
Okay, this isn’t directly about accounting, but instead is the noises that might be going through an accountant’s head. Pink Floyd’s 'Money' opens with the most satisfying sound collage ever committed to tape – cash registers, coins clinking, paper tearing – all looped together in a perfectly timed 7/4 rhythm, which gives it this unnerving quality, like the books don’t balance.
Written by Roger Waters for The Dark Side of the Moon, the song blends blues structure with progressive rock ambition. Underneath a dominating bass, the lyrics drip with irony. Waters himself admitted he was torn – he was a committed socialist who would quite like to drive a Bentley around.
And that’s why it resonates. Money captures something accountants understand better than a lot of us do – money makes people weird.
🎓 6. The almost-accountants
Admittedly, it’s hard to imagine any massive star doing any normal job. Madonna couldn’t be an electrician, Bruce Springsteen couldn’t be a civil servant, and Michael Jackson couldn’t be a roofer. But it’s harder still to imagine any of these people as accountants. However, a surprising amount of rock gods came across a fork in the road.
Mick Jagger studied at the London School of Economics. Robert Plant managed two weeks of chartered accountant training before deciding that wailing about stairways to heaven was more sustainable. Kenny G actually majored in accounting at college before becoming the world’s most recognisable saxophone tone. Maybe you could’ve been the next Kenny G? What a joy it would be, to have two Kenny Gs.
🧠 Final thoughts
Money is never far from a musician’s mind – whether they’re global superstars or standing on the street with a hat at their feet, they’ve always got their eyes on the prize. It’s maybe the only thing that accountants and musicians share – this total, obsessive fixation of money – but it’s more than most!
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