Suits’ Theme Song Explained: “Greenback Boogie” Lyrics & Meaning

Summary Suits' theme song "Greenback Boogie" by Ima Robot references the great lengths people go to make money, fitting the show's focus on lawyers hustling to secure billables and keep the firm afloat.

The song's lyrics highlight how earning money becomes addicting over time — somehow mirroring Mike's journey

Director Kevin Bray chose "Greenback Boogie" as the theme song. They considered another song as well, but ultimately realized that the catchy and thematically fitting track worked well for Suits.

Suits opens with its addicting theme song, and the Suits theme song lyrics have a deeper meaning. Four years after it ended its original run on USA Network, Suits finds new life when it arrived on Netflix. Since becoming available on the streaming platform, it has consistently topped charts, with numbers combined with data from Peacock. The legal drama follows the lives of the lawyers at Pearson, Hardman (and its subsequent iterations) as they operate in New York City.

The premise of Suits is quite simple, Pearson, Hardman's top lawyer, Harvey Specter hires Mike Ross as his associate. Mike's deep knowledge of the legal system and eidetic memory, not to mention swagger made him the perfect mentee for Harvey. However, there is one big problem: he never went to Harvard Law or any law school for that matter. Despite this, Harvey still hires Mike, starting their thrilling time working together while also trying hard to ensure that their secret never comes out. While not obvious, the Suits theme song lyrics directly relate to this.

Related Suits L.A.: Cast, Story & Everything We Know About The Suits Spinoff With Suits finding new life on streaming, a spinoff, Suits L.A. has been announced which will continue the popular legal drama on the West Coast.

What Suits' Theme Song "Greenback Boogie" Means

The Song Is About How Money Becomes Addicting Over Time

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Suits' 134 episodes all opened with its introductory scene with its theme song: "Greenback Boogie." Performed by American band Ima Robot, the song was released in 2010 as the B-side to Another Man's Treasure. "Greenback" is an American slang term for money, while "Boogie" refers to people's efforts to earn a living. Together, it means the great lengths that people go to just to make money. The lyrics of the song talk about how earning money becomes addicting over time. Someone's initial intention changes after they get a taste of what it's like to have financial ability.

Related Suits Cast & Character Guide The USA Network's long-running legal drama Suits featured a wide array of acting talent from established veterans to up-and-coming stars.

The Full Lyrics To "Greenback Boogie"

The Full Song Features More Lyrics Than What's Heard In The Suits Intro

See the money wanna stay, for your meal Get another piece of pie, for your wife Everybody wanna know, how it feel Everybody wanna see, what it's like Baby wanna be a queen, well alright We all deserve the finer things, in this life So working on a little job, in the night It's forty dollars an hour when I, see the light The boss say you got a little time, and oh my He'll be working in a small box, till he die Me, I gotta be free, all my life I want a little cream cheese, in my pie Alright... Yeah! I'll step back, while you go dance The greenback boogie Mother fing boogie Now I'm putting on a big wig, walking hard Hanging with them big pigs, all them dogs Got me a couple ideas, straight from God I want a bean pie Order me a bean pie I'll even eat a bean pie, I don't mind Me and Missy is so very busy busy making money Alright... All step back, I'm 'bout to dance The greenback boogie The greenback boogie Boogie now for me Hey! Say, it's far better, when you give it away It's called the greenback boogie What people don't say, I say It's better, when you give it away It's called the greenback boogie Don't give it away now, I say It's better, when you give it away It's called the greenback boogie Don't give it away now, I say See the money wanna stay, for your meal I'll say it's gonna put some love, in your life Don't you really wanna know, how it feel? Everybody wanna see, what it's like Babe you wanna be inside, it ain't lies We all know there's better things in this life Yes I'll step out, on your expense Doin' the greenback boogie Mother fing boogie Boogie oogie oogie Greenback Boogie Come on back to paradise Come on back to paradise Come on back to paradise Come on back to... Come on back to... Come on back to paradise Come on back to paradise Come on back to paradise Come on back to... Come on back to... It's the greenback boogie It's the greenback boogie Don't give it away now Don't give it away now, I say It's better, when you greenback boogie Well don't give it away Well don't give it away, I say It's better... It's the greenback boogie Don't give it away...

"Greenback Boogie" is available to listen to on Spotify and Apple Music.

How The "Greenback Boogie" Lyrics Connect To Suits

The Song Refers To The Lawyers' Attempts To Keep Pearson, Hardman Afloat

In the case of Suits, "Greenback Boogie" refers to the Pearson, Hardman lawyers' work to secure their billables and keep the firm afloat amid a string of crises. On a smaller scale, it could be about Mike at the start of the show. He was desperate to get some money to ensure that his grandmother was fully taken care of. This forced him to partake in Trevor's drug dealing scheme, which almost got him caught. When he met Harvey, he started to earn more as he presented himself as a legitimate lawyer.

Suits creator Aaron Korsh has revealed that he wasn't the one who chose "Greenback Boogie." Instead, the pilot's director and producer for seasons 1 and 2, Kevin Bray, decided on it. Apparently, there was another song that they were considering, but he couldn't remember what it was. In any case, the song worked well as Suits' theme song. Not only is it catchy, but it also has ties to the legal drama's narrative.

Other TV Shows With Fitting Theme Songs

A Memorable Opening Track Like Suits Makes A Show Near-Impossible To Forget

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Suits is far from the only show to have an incredibly fitting theme song, or one that's since become synonymous with the show thanks to it being so apt and memorable. Many TV shows, most often sitcoms, have an incredibly well-selected intro track that perfectly fit their theme and premise. One of the best examples, of course, is Friends.

"I'll Be There For You" by rock duo the Rembrandts was made specifically for Friends, and to say that it's perfect for the show is an understatement. Interestingly, the original plan was to use the R.E.M song "Shiny Happy People", which would have been equally fitting (although the band chose not to license the track out in the end). The catchy lyrics of "I'll Be There For You" fit Friends incredibly well though, and this is one of the key reasons it worked so well for the show and, arguably, helped it gain popularity during its first few seasons.

Another TV theme song that was made specifically for a show and fits incredibly well is that of The Big Bang Theory. The sitcom's theme song is titled "The History Of Everything", and is by Canadian rock group the Barenaked Ladies. As well as containing the show's title in the lyrics, the quick-fire listing of key historical and scientific events feels incredibly fitting for the core characters of the show like Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj, all of whom are scientists and (in Sheldon's case at the very least) literal geniuses.

Two more prominent examples are the Malcolm in the Middle theme song "Boss of Me" by They Might Be Giants, and "Superman" by Lazlo Bane from Scrubs. "Boss of Me" was written specifically for Malcolm in the Middle, and won They Might Be Giants a Grammy Award.

"Superman", on the other hand, wasn't written with Scrubs in mind, which is incredibly surprising given just how well the lyrics fit JD's journey from being a naive and nervous junior doctor to being one of the most capable on the team. All in all, as much as the theme song of Suits is perfect for the show, it's far from the only series with an incredibly appropriate intro track.