by Ryan Lajoie
Eddie Money (1949 – 2019) was an American singer and songwriter who recently passed away. He was known for many hit songs including “Take Me Home Tonight” and “Two Tickets to Paradise.” Everyone knows the famous Geico commercials, and Eddie Money starred in one a few years back. The commercial opens with Money singing “Two Tickets to Paradise” to customers at a travel agency. Then the Geico guys say, while playing the guitar, “You know Ronnie, folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to Geico sure are happy.” “And how happy are they Jimmy?” “Happier than Eddie Money running a travel agency.”
Money’s original last name was Mahoney, but when he dropped out of the NYPD after just two years to pursue a career in music, he decided to get rid of the “ah,” making Money. He told Rolling Stone in an interview in 2018 that he would have been a very lenient cop. Both his brother and father were in the NYPD and when his father found out he was dropping out, he wasn’t thrilled. Rock n roll, however, is seen as a rebellious genre so maybe this gave Money motivation to pursue his dream and master his craft.
“Two Tickets to Paradise” appears in many films, TV shows, and even video games. For example, the song appears in an episode of The Simpsons when Homer sings and plays the air guitar. Another TV show that features “Two Tickets to Paradise” is The Office. During one of the Christmas episodes, the boss Michael Scott sings a parodied version of the song. The wide circulation of “Two Tickets to Paradise” really puts into perspective how popular Eddie Money’s song was and, to a certain extent, still is. Current SUNY Geneseo students who never experienced life in the 1980s can still experience Money’s music through movies such as Grown Ups and Balls of Fury.
Money loved the spotlight and energy that came with being a top rock artist in the 80s. In fact, he was a prime example of an 80s rock star, embracing the party lifestyle. In 1980, after drinking too much, he mistook an antidepressant medication for cocaine and overdosed. He was unable to walk for months and was left with a permanent limp. Money performed in Geneseo on October 8, 1983 and was paid $12,000. “Take Me Home Tonight” wasn’t released until 1986, but “Two Tickets to Paradise” was released in 1977, so that is most likely a song that was performed here on campus. I can’t imagine what Kuhl Gym would look like during a rock concert in the 1980s, but I’m sure it was a night to remember. Eddie Money was a true rock star who loved the lifestyle that came with it, and Geneseo was one of his stops along the way.