(How to Be A) Millionaire

"(How to Be A) Millionaire"
Single by ABC
from the album How to Be a ... Zillionaire!
B-side	"(How to Be A) Billionaire"
Released	2 November 1984 (1984-11-02)[1]
Recorded	1984
Genre	Synth-pop[2]
Length	3:34
Label	Mercury Neutron Phonogram Vertigo
Songwriter(s)	Martin Fry Mark White
Producer(s)	Martin Fry Mark White
ABC singles chronology
"S.O.S." (1984) "(How to Be A) Millionaire" (1984) "Be Near Me" (1985)

"(How to Be A) Millionaire" is a song by English pop band ABC. It was the first single taken from their third studio album, How to Be a ... Zillionaire! (1985).

The single peaked at a modest No. 49 on the UK Singles Chart, though it fared better in the US where it reached No. 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100[3] and No. 4 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.[4]

Critical reception

Upon its release, the song received a poor reception by Smash Hits reviewer Neil Tennant who found ABC imitating American dance records "There's no originality or feeling - ABC are just desperately apeing an already over-imitated sound."[5]

Music video

The animated music video shows a cartoon Martin Fry and Mark White being overwhelmed by their luxury goods, which are continually growing in size. The other two band members make a brief appearance also in animated form.[6]

Track listing

7": Neutron NT107

1. "(How to Be A) Millionaire" – 3:30
2. "(How to Be A) Billionaire" – 3:37

12": Neutron NTXR 107

1. "(How to Be A) Zillionaire" (Bond Street Mix) – 6:05
2. "(How to Be A) Millionaire" (Single Remix) – 3:31
3. "(How to Be A) Millionaire" (A Capella Version) – 3:30

12": Neutron NTX 107

1. "(How to Be A) Zillionaire" (Wall Street Mix) – 7:33
2. "(How to Be A) Millionaire" – 3:31
3. "(How to Be A) Millionaire" (Accapella) – 3:30
4. "(How to Be A) Millionaire" (Nickel & Dime Mix) – 5:22 (included on US version only)

Chart performance

Chart (1986)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	49
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	20
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	4

In popular culture

• The CBS Orchestra played the song for Regis Philbin when he was a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman.[7] Philbin was the former host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for the ABC television network.
• The song appears in Party Monster (2003).
• The song appears on the in-game radio station Wave 103 in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, released in 2006.

References

1. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 28.
2. Phares, Heather. ABC - 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best of ABC (2000) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
3. "ABC Chart History". Billboard.
4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 16.
5. Tennant, Neil. "Singles". Smash Hits 21 November 1984. p. 20.
6. (How to Be A) Millionaire. MTV. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015.
7. Letterman – Regis Is Shrek – YouTube

External links

• "(How to Be A) Millionaire" at Discogs (list of releases)