Working for the Weekend
| "Working for the Weekend" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Loverboy | ||||
| from the album Get Lucky | ||||
| Released | October 1981 | |||
| Recorded |
1980–81, Mushroom Studios (Vancouver, British Columbia) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:40 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Writer(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Loverboy singles chronology | ||||
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"Working for the Weekend" is a song by Canadian rock band Loverboy from their second studio album Get Lucky (1981). It was written by guitarist Paul Dean, vocalist Mike Reno, and drummer Matt Frenette, and produced by Dean and Bruce Fairbairn, and released as the lead single from the album in October 1981. The song contains more of a pop feel than the other songs that the band produced, but this new sound proved to generate success, as the song reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart in the United States in January 1982.[1]
"Working for the Weekend" is ranked No. 100 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s.[2]
Background
The song originated when guitarist Paul Dean was out walking one Wednesday afternoon, looking for inspiration in his songwriting. He noticed that much of the area was deserted, as most people were at work. "So I'm out on the beach and wondering, 'Where is everybody? Well, I guess they're all waiting for the weekend,'" he later said.[3] Mike Reno, the band's vocalist, suggested they change the title to "Working for the Weekend". According to Dean, he first began writing the song in a hotel room following a Montreal concert. At the time, the band were still playing bars to little response from patrons. After completing the song, they used it to open one set, and Dean recalled that "the dance floor was packed."[3]
Cover versions
The song was covered by former American Idol contestant and country music artist Josh Gracin on the 2005 soundtrack to the film Herbie: Fully Loaded and one episode of the Cartoon Network series Regular Show.
The song was also featured in the 2006 film Click, featuring Adam Sandler, it was sung by Terry Crews while sat in a traffic jam.
American virtuoso guitarist Paul Gilbert included an instrumental cover of this song as the first track on his 2014 album Stone Pushing Uphill Man
Parody
Christian parody band ApologetiX did a parody of the song called "Working for the Weakened" for their all-1980s parody album Wise Up and Rock.
In media
"Working for the Weekend" was used in a Saturday Night Live skit involving Patrick Swayze and Chris Farley as two auditioning dancers hoping to be hired by Chippendales.
The song was featured in the 2001 Ben Stiller film Zoolander during the scene where Derek is working in the coal mines with his father and brothers, and in the 2006 film Click during the scene where a man (played by Terry Crews) sings along to the song in his car.
It was also featured on the soundtracks to the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Saint's Row 2.
It was also used on the Cartoon Network series Regular Show, in the episode "Caffeinated Concert Tickets".
In the episode "It's Never Too Late For Now" of the American comedy 30 Rock, Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit) was said to have been in Loverboy, and a clip from the video for this song, with a young Pete edited in, was played.
Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) performed the song on Conan on 20 November 2013 suggesting he had been asked to cover the song by Rob Ford as Ford's campaign song for re-election as Mayor of Toronto, the lyrics parodying Ford's ongoing substance abuse scandal.[4]
It was used in a TV commercial for Toyota in 2012 which featured NASCAR driver Kyle Busch sing along to the song while driving a Toyota Camry which was transformed from Busch's NASCAR car to a Camry.
It was used in a TV commercial for Radio Shack that aired during Fox's coverage of Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014.
The 2015 film Pixels featured the song as part of its underlying references to the 1980s and its video games.
It was made available to download on May 3, 2011 for play in Rock Band 3 Basic, and PRO mode which utilizes real guitar/bass guitar, and MIDI compatible electronic drum kits/keyboards in addition to vocals.
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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References
- ↑ allmusic ((( Get Lucky > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))
- ↑ http://thecelebritycafe.com/features/7901.html
- 1 2 Dan MacIntosh (May 2, 2012). "Paul Dean of Loverboy: Interview". SongFacts.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ↑ Ron Burgundy Sings Mayor Rob Ford's Campaign Song - CONAN on TBS on YouTube
- ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Loverboy – Working for the Weekend". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ↑ "RPM 50 Singles" (PDF). RPM (Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada) 35 (21). December 19, 1981. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Loverboy – Working for the Weekend". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ "Loverboy – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Loverboy. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ↑ "Loverboy - Chart history". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ↑ "Talent in Action – Top Pop Singles". Billboard 94 (51): TIA-20. December 25, 1982. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
External links
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