"Big Spender" is a song written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields for the musical Sweet Charity, first performed in 1966. Peggy Lee was the first artist to record the song (on single released on Jan 29, 1966), also on the album Big Spender (released July 30, 1966). It is sung, in the musical, by the dance hostess girls; it was choreographed by Bob Fosse for the Broadway musical Sweet Charity and the 1969 film Sweet Charity. It is set to the beat of a striptease as the girls taunt the customers.

Shirley Bassey version

A hit version of the song by Shirley Bassey (released September 1967) reached No. 21 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1967. This version is featured in the 2004 film The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, and in the 2005 film Nynne. Bassey often performed the song live, including at the 80th birthday of Prince Philip and the 2007 Glastonbury Festival. In December 2007, the Shirley Bassey version was re-released in a new remixed version as a digital download. This was the third and final single released from the album Get the Party Started. The single features a remix from Pink Pound and two instrumental remixes that were not included on the album release. Unlike the previous two singles this track featured a remix of a previous released recording, the vocal track was taken from a session recorded in 1984 for the album I Am What I Am. There was no promotion undertaken for the single and no video was made to support the release.

Track listing

Other versions

Parodies and alternate lyrics

Samples

Television and film appearances