Jerry Butler, No Money Down | Throwback Vibez

In the 27th edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “No Money Down” by legendary soul musician, Jerry Butler.   

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez ! Throwback Vibez is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils ! All genres of music are welcome. . In the 27^th edition of Throwback Vibez ️ (2025), we recollect and reflect on “No Money Down” performed by Jerry Butler.

“With no money down / Pay later not now.” Jerry Butler (1939 – ) ranks among the greatest soul musicians. After his position as the original lead singer of The Impressions (pre-Curtis Mayfield), Butler went on a phenomenal run as a solo artist.  Some of his greatest hits include “Let It Be Me” (with Betty Everett), “Only The Strong Survive”, and “Ain’t Understanding Mellow”. Another song that stands out in his illustrious catalog is “No Money Down”. “No Money Down” appears on a Butler album that is hard to come by: You & Me from 1970.  The non-single also appears on his 2001 compilation album, The Philadelphia Sessions. Butler penned “No Money Down” alongside iconic producer and songwriters Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. Gamble, Huff, and the late, great Donny Hathaway (1945 – 1979) produced it.  The musical backdrop and production work are utterly sublime. The orchestration is celestial: the assertive brass, playful woodwinds (the flute trills), glorious strings, and the locked-in rhythm section. “No Money Down” exemplifies the refined, sophisticated Philly soul sound.  

“Oh, I should’ve / Thought about it twice / But when I ask the man about the price / He said, ‘You can have those rings / With no money down.” Interesting.  So, Jerry Butler thought that his relationship with her was worth ‘putting a ring on it’ on “No Money Down.”  When he goes to make his purchase, the jeweler allows him to do so without a down payment, hence, allowing Butler to pay for it later. “So, baby, I brought those rings / And I brought you all my dreams / ‘Cause I love you / I-I-I love you,” he sings in the second verse, continuing, “And I thought they guarantee /That you’d always be in love with me.” He was dead wrong! Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as Butler had hoped (“But, baby, now / That our love’s gone bad / Girl, I feel a little cheated”).  Word. Butler delivers top-notch vocals. He sings with incredible ease yet packs a mighty punch. His cool energy is epic. A baritone, Butler also impresses with a dash of falsetto, specifically on the keyword, “rings.” “No Money Down” is an album track that deserved to be a hit single. Butler put his foot into this one! Notably, The Game samples “No Money Down” in one of the best songs of his career, “Dreams”.  As a millennial, I’ll admit, that was my first introduction to this marvelous Jerry Butler classic.

Jerry Butler // The Philadelphia Sessions // The Island Def Jam Music Group // 2001

Jerry Butler, No Money Down: Throwback Vibez ️ No. 27 (2025) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; The Island Def Jam Music Group; AcatXlo, OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]