Many artists have felt the same urge as the “average” working person to expound on the virtues of those three most beautiful days of the week: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Also known as the weekend (depending on your definition of course, because some people consider only the last two to be the weekend).
These days are all great in their own way. Friday because (although it’s a work day), it is the last work day of the week, so when you’re done with work, you know you can enjoy those evening and night hours as you don’t have to wake up early the next day. Which is what most people will attest to: Friday evening is party time.
Saturday is cool, well because it’s a full free day without any stress before or after it. Apart from possibly the anxiety regarding what you did on Friday night and/or the hangover.
Sunday is another full free day so, props for that. And it’s also the day of respite before you start another week. The calm before the storm.
With these three days particular qualities and appeal, it’s only natural that there are many dedications to them out there. So let’s have a look at 5 weekend themed songs.
1. Sam Cooke – Another Saturday Night
Written by the artist in 1963 as he was touring England with another of the Greats, Little Richard, this song has a cool bouncy rhythm to it with nicely woven vocals to match. The chorus is also real catchy, despite the sad declarations that “it’s Saturday night and I ain’t got nobody” and “I’m in an awful way”.
Overall a touching, sincere song that could well soothe some lone heart by singing about similar feelings.
2. Tom Waits – (Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night
If the previous entry’s instrumental was relatively chill and stable, content, if not happy, the instrumental for Tom Waits’ croon masterpiece is sad. As are the vocals and the lyrics. If the weekend caught you in a melancholic mood and you need something to let it all out and help you reach some way to catharsis, this might just be the thing.
3. Grateful Dead – One More Saturday Night
This one’s a party song with a twist. Which has to do with the lyrics. Which seem very… sarcastic. As they give the impression of a wild abandon form the mortal level up to the divine one. Still, it’s clearly a party song. And it’s a dance song too, if you wanna boogie with abandon.
4. The Easybeats – Friday On My Mind
The Australian rock band The Easybeats might not be that very famous (especially nowadays), but it’s sure to peak people’s interest to know that one of the guitarists and songwriters of the band was George Young, the older brother of the Young brothers of the famous AC/DC.
This particular song, that he wrote with the band in 1966, was the first Australian single to be an international hit. It’s a rock n roll tune that you can surely tap your foot to.
5. The Bay City Rollers – Saturday Night
Long before Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” was to be a weekend themed song that reached no. 1 in the tops, there was another one that held this record, belonging to a rock band.
These guys were actually from Scotland. And not only was this song the first single from a Scottish act to reach the Billboard Hot 100 (which it did in 1976) it also set the above-mentioned record that would be tied by Katy Perry more than three decades later.
It’s a bit like an anthem, but still dance-able and it also features the then very popular shout of Saturday spelled letter by letter that all the fans were chanting back then, probably to the exasperation of those who weren’t fans.