Ok, haha. We’ve all gotten our jollies making fun of and over-reporting Rebecca Black’s “Friday.” Even Pitchfork got in on the act, as it claimed Black’s charting (charting!) single contained all of the things that great pop songs have, as if generic qualities were the only prerequisites. For Pete’s sake everyone, it’s not “I Saw Her Standing There.” It’s an Internet single that means nothing. Our rabid fascination with its inferiority has only served to bury the most important aspect of the song: it’s about Friday.
In the spirit of Friday, let’s run through some of the songs that best exemplify the days of the week they are named for.
SUNDAY: The Velvet Underground “Sunday Morning”
Perhaps no other song on this list better exemplifies its day than The Velvet Underground’s first song from their slightly overrated debut album. Hazy, hung over and cute, “Sunday Morning” is about worrying about the realities of what is coming, the darkness on the horizon—it’s exactly like Sunday. Sunday doesn’t feel like part of the week or weekend; it feels like a disconcerting static of in-between. But that in between is warm, tinkering and easy. Sunday morning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09bHvtAz4j8
MONDAY: Wilco “Monday”
It’s pretty easy to say “Manic Monday” here, but Wilco’s song about Monday is perfect because it achieves something so much more than talking about what a day is—it possesses the innate ability to turn around depression with trumpets. I mean seriously! Those trumpets against the somewhat depressing story of a band who could never get gigs, bring out crowds or get critical attention doesn’t fit in any way, but those same trumpets still manage to make the depressing story sound fun. And that’s what a song on a Monday should sound like—yeah, it’s Monday, but dude—it’s MONDAY!
TUESDAY: The Pogues “Tuesday Morning”
Tuesday has such a hard-to-define feeling. It’s not Monday, which I guess is a good thing. But it’s nowhere close to Friday. You’re getting into the groove of the week, but it’s still so far away. When you listen to a Tuesday song, you want to something not exactly cheery, just consistent enough to get you through. Ergo, The Pogues’ “Tuesday Morning,” a sorrowful love song that chugs along like a train with mandolin and harmony. One of those songs that’s not about singing along, or clapping your hands or even dancing; no, “Tuesday Morning” is about just keeping on, because something better is coming.
WEDNESDAY: Simon & Garfunkel “Wednesday Morning, 3 a.m.”
Wednesday is right in the middle of the week. It’s a weary acknowledgment that the glass is half-full and half-empty. While Simon & Garfunkel’s “Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.” is, on its face, a very depressing song, a tune of admittance that the narrator will no longer see his beautiful love because of crimes he’s committed. And yet, he still takes his time viewing her, taking in the joy of those last moments. Wednesday is about savoring the half-done and ruing the half to come. It’s more a bummer that you’ve done so much work, but at least it’s not as much as Monday. That’s something, right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqze7vUif7M
THURSDAY: Asobi Sesku “Thursday”
Back in college (you all remember that right?), the concept of Thursday brought with it two things—the promise of the weekend and the promise of deals at bars for Thirsty Thursday. Thursday nights in college were almost as celebrated as the weekend, simply because it was more joyous and simple; take any chance to drink and have fun, at any cost. That’s what Asobi Sesku’s unusually clear-headed “Thursday” is about—losing your way but being happy doing so. It’s anthemic and ebullient, confused and relaxed. It’s Thursday night, when you know the week is almost over.
FRIDAY: Rebecca Black “Friday”
Say what you want about Rebecca Black. Say what you want about the goodness or badness of the song itself. Good or bad, sloppy or sugary, contrived or classic, Rebecca Black, and the legend that it has created for itself in its 15 minutes of fame is exactly what Friday is about. “Friday” the song could be the ramblings of a drunken madman, obsessed with achieving the full magnitude of his buzz, spouting off inanities that only the chemically doctored could come up with. It’s limp-wristed beat, it’s ear-worming catchiness—it all smacks of camp and advantageous circumstance. Which is, after all, exactly what Friday is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0
SATURDAY: Elton John “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)”
Saturday should get mentioned with Friday, but it doesn’t, because it means the weekend is half over. There’s always a nagging anger with a Saturday night party, or even your Saturday daytime activities. With Sunday comes the dread of the week; with Saturday that dread is on the horizon. And since you can’t do anything about that, why not get angry? Elton’s most metal song (yep, metal) rocks out like barely any other Elton song does because it’s angry. It’s masculine and brash, proving it can still rock on in the face of a possibly bad night. Get drunk, get pissed, get fighting. It’s Saturday and your weekend is almost over—what else are you going to do?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I8LHRJsZBg&feature=fvst
