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I have a theory. This theory postulates that certain songs are “Friday Songs.” Songs that sound best when played on the first day of the weekend. For example, Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town” is a Friday Song. Thin Lizzy’s “Cowboy Song” is not a Friday Song. Toploader’s “Dancing in the Moonlight” is a Friday Song, Thin Lizzy’s “Dancing in the Moonlight” is not a Friday Song. I guess I’m realizing that I listen to a lot of Thin Lizzy. To be clear, this theory doesn’t just apply to classic rock. Both David Guetta’s “I’m Good (Blue)” and Gucci Mane’s “Lemonade” are Friday Songs.
Already, this is turning into just a list of songs. To prevent that here’s a playlist of Friday Songs. I’ve been working on this playlist since 2016. It all started because I was working in an office and put myself in charge of playing music for my side of the cubicles. As a result of figuring out what songs I would play, this theory was born.
I’ll take a moment to do a little explication on what is and what isn’t a Friday Song. That, of course, is harder to do than it sounds, so please, bear with me. Categorization is not an exact science and art invariably escapes the cages that humans make for it. But no one is here to read a dissertation, let alone a philosophical conversation about genre, so let’s just conveniently pretend those questions don’t exist. Thank you, that just made this whole thing much easier.
So, Friday Songs. What are they? First of all, when deciding whether or not something is a Friday Song it is important to always remember that the music being “good” or “bad” has nothing to do with whether or not it is a Friday Song. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, for example, is not a Friday Song while Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)” is. Friday Songs exist across all genres, though not across time. Any song written or performed prior to the early 19th century cannot be a “Friday Song” because the concept of the weekend did not exist before then. It has nothing to do with whether the song is one of the most beautiful things ever written or a near-blasphemous use of musical instruments. I’ll let you decide which one of those descriptions is for Limp Bizkit and which is for Beethoven.
Friday Songs are all about the vibe. Everyone who has ever worked a job where they got the weekends off knows that Fridays have a distinct vibe. A “let’s do this so I can get out of here” vibe. A “let’s just get this damn thing done so I can get home and hang out” vibe. A vibe that’s part middle finger, part beers, part undoing the top two buttons on a button-down shirt, and part “I’m getting my third wind. Let’s get on the road.” If you know what I’m saying. A “The Boys Are Back In Town” vibe.
For those of my readers who are not vibe connoisseurs, let me be a little more scientific. Friday Songs hit heavy, they hit hard, and they get to the damn point. Whether it’s the riff, the melody, or the emotional crux, there’s no dilly-dallying around in a Friday Song. They get to the apex and when they get there, they stick around. There’s no coming down from the high of a Friday Song. These joints are all about instant gratification. Friday is not a time for tantric anything. It’s why “Free Bird” and “Stairway to Heaven” are not Friday Songs. They take too long to get to the good stuff.
A note on speed: while they’re often up-tempo, a high BPM is not a requirement for a Friday Song. After all both “Cat’s in the Cradle” and “Sex & Candy” are Friday Songs. Good things come both fast and slow. As long as the gut punch of the song comes about in a timely manner, you’re golden. With a Friday Song you want to make sure that the listener’s experience with the best part of the song is maximized. There’s no time for noodling around.
After all of that, you might be thinking to yourself, “Aren’t Friday Songs then, inherently personal? Everyone has their own Friday Song playlist within their heart, one that is different from everyone else's.” Incorrect! Some songs are Friday Songs and some are not — no matter who is listening to them. Certainly, there are Friday Songs that I have not discovered, or heard about, but the ones that I do know about are Friday Songs for everyone. There is no spectrum here, no space for distinction, no room for individual opinions. Just like humans need oxygen to breathe, a song being a Friday Song or not is a fact of life. Sorry to all my relativists out there, but some things just are. There’s no room for ifs, ands, or buts in the world of Friday Songs.
There’s one final distinction I’d like to make about Friday Songs. One thing to know about them. Friday Songs do not carry the spirit of Fridays within them, they only enhance the spirit of Friday that exists within the day in question. That is, playing them on a Thursday, Monday, or Wednesday does not make that particular day a Friday. In fact, the song will not sound as good. It might even sound bad when heard on a day other than a Friday. So, I’ll offer up an experiment. If you’re reading this on a Monday and have begun listening to the playlist, remember how you feel when you hear these songs. Maybe write down some notes about them. Wait four more days. Then come back and listen to the playlist again. Tell me the experience isn’t completely different. 100x better. And no, I’m not just trying to bump up the number of readers on this post. I’m doing it to prove a point. That’s much better.
If this still seems a bit out there, don’t worry. You’ll get it eventually. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Hell, they’re still building it! I’ve been at it since 2016 and I still have much to learn about Friday Songs. Oh, and sorry you had to read the word “song” like eight thousand times in this post. Hopefully hearing “Kyrie” by Mr. Mister for the first time in what I’m assuming is a decade made it up for that fact.
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My favorite Friday song— Uncle John’s Band by The Grateful Dead😊🎶 Another inspiring article Dylan!
I'm becoming "that guy", the serial commenter. Sorry in advance.
For the entirety of my married and parental life I have told my 3 special women that I always loved late Friday afternoons at the Beaver Brau, our college pub, playing quarters and getting ready to light the smoking lamp, then all pouring down into the dining hall for dinner where, without fail, LA Woman by The Doors was blasting on the dining hall sound system, thus eternally enshrining it in my Friday Song Hall Of Fame.