A new, seven-part series as a thiny veiled excuse to have something to write about: three songs that have a day of the week in the title. Not (just) in the lyrics but in the title. Today, part five, which must mean the weekend is nearly here ... it's Friday.
You can't be my age and not have a soft spot for Shed Seven. This might not be their finest hour, but it's called She Left Me On Friday, so it's getting included here. Save your disappointment for the comments...
And here comes the song I started this mini series to feature: this is Friday On My Mind by 60s combo The Easybeats. I didn't know, until researching this, that they came from Australia, did you? Anyway, I properly love this, especially the verses - it's the very unusual guitar lines that run through it, I think. They sound like they should come from the more experimental, psychedelic end of the 60s, don't they? Anyway... love this.
I also love The Cure, and have done since first hearing A Forest way back when. So you can guess what's coming next, can't you? Possibly their most commercially successful single, certainly one of their most covered. It's the shiny, atypically-happy brilliance of Robert Smith's pension plan, Friday I'm In Love.
Well that's the working week over, time to kick back for the weekend...
Was expecting the Cure, had forgotten about Shed Seven. No one else did Britpop like Shed Seven, 'she left me on Friday and it ruined my weekend'.
ReplyDeleteThe Cure were a shoo-in as soon as I had the idea for the series.
DeleteI could almost believe Shed Seven were deliberately parodying britpop
ReplyDeleteAgreed, especially in the middle where they seem to throw as many Britpop tropes at the song as they can to see which stick.
DeleteShed Seven were a really good singles band back in the day, though admittedly this is the one single of theirs that I'm not that partial to. The Easybeats and The Cure selections are absolutely top notch tunes. I first heard 'Friday on My Mind' via Bowie's fairly faithful cover on 'Pin-ups' in 1973. Back then the song felt positively prehistoric to us kids, but in reality it was only 6 or 7 years old at the time!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to find so many Friday options loitering in my collection, as the three you've featured were the only titles that came readily to mind. For a change of pace, check out Bonnie Prince Billy's rather lovely 'Big Friday' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjPqgAv2PjU) from his ace 2006 album 'Letting Go'. Will Oldham re-recorded the song 12 years later and issued it under his own name. It's also lovely, but I think the original pips it.
Looking forward to finding out what tomorrow brings.
I guess things moved on a lot in those six or seven years, and black and white beat combos probably seemed arcane in the glam technicolour of 73.
DeleteSo sorry to be late to this lovely series. I really should play through each day's tunes on the appropriate days next week now to be truly correct, but I might cheat...
ReplyDeleteI never grow tired of Friday On My Mind, or Friday I'm In Love. Timeless.
They both are, aren't they? And don't wait for next week, you need to play catch-up before the weekend tunes start tomorrow!
DeleteExpected the Cure and Easybeats but Shed Seven new to me.
ReplyDeleteI researched the Easybeats for a piece at my place and all down to the Young family of Glasgow who emigrated to Australia in 1963. George Young formed the Easybeats then his brothers Angus and Malcolm formed AC/DC. In the '90s George formed Flash In The Pan with an ex-Easybeats bandmate. Their sister sewed their clothes on her sewing machine and came up with the name AC/DC when she saw that switch on her machine. Every day's a school day!
Blimey! Nice work, Alyson - a school day indeed.
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