"
Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group
The EasybeatsThe Easybeats were a rock and roll band from Australia. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and split at the end of 1969. They are widely regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their classic...
. Written by band members George Young and
Harry VandaHarry Vanda , is a Dutch-Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
, the
British InvasionThe British Invasion is used to describe rock and roll, beat and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States from 1964 to 1966. The Second British Invasion refers to MTV and New Wave acts of the 1980s...
-style number became a worldwide hit, making #1 in Australia, #6 in the UK, #16 in the USA, and charting in several other countries. In 2001, it was voted "Best Australian Song" of all time by the
Australasian Performing Right AssociationThe Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. Its head office is in Sydney, with other offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA) as determined by a panel of 100 music industry personalities.
The minor-key verses of "Friday on My Mind" depict the tedium and drudgery of the work week, taking each day at a time ("Monday morning feels so bad/Coming Tuesday I feel better").
"
Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group
The EasybeatsThe Easybeats were a rock and roll band from Australia. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and split at the end of 1969. They are widely regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their classic...
. Written by band members George Young and
Harry VandaHarry Vanda , is a Dutch-Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
, the
British InvasionThe British Invasion is used to describe rock and roll, beat and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States from 1964 to 1966. The Second British Invasion refers to MTV and New Wave acts of the 1980s...
-style number became a worldwide hit, making #1 in Australia, #6 in the UK, #16 in the USA, and charting in several other countries. In 2001, it was voted "Best Australian Song" of all time by the
Australasian Performing Right AssociationThe Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. Its head office is in Sydney, with other offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA) as determined by a panel of 100 music industry personalities.
Music and lyrics
The minor-key verses of "Friday on My Mind" depict the tedium and drudgery of the work week, taking each day at a time ("Monday morning feels so bad/Coming Tuesday I feel better"). These verses are adorned with a Middle Eastern-sounding guitar figure. The build-up to the chorus features a slowly rising vocal, culminating with a shout of "Cos I'll have Friday on my mind!", and launching into a major-key refrain celebrating the pleasures of the
weekendThe legal workweek varies from nation to nation. What constitutes the workweek is mandated by law in some jurisdictions, but in others custom applies...
in the city.
Though the song has long been termed a "working class anthem", George Young maintained it had "more to do with their outlook on the world than any class statement". According to Harry Vanda, the track's distinctive guitar opening was inspired by a film performance featuring
The Swingle SingersThe Swingle Singers are a vocal group formed in 1962 in Paris, France with Ward Swingle, Anne Germain, Jeanette Baucomont and Jean Cussac. Christiane Legrand, the sister of composer Michel Legrand, was the lead soprano in the group...
: "It went tudutudutudu, which made us all laugh. In the train back from the gig, we were imitating them and suddenly it sounded good. They became the first notes of Friday On My Mind."
Release and aftermath
In addition to its
7" singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
release in late 1966, the song was issued on a
EPAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
in September 1967, with the tracks "Sorry", "Who'll Be the One" and "Made My Bed, Gonna Lie in It".
A 2005 rerelease on
CD singleA CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size compact disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
, along with "Remember Sam", "Pretty Girl" and "Made My Bed, Gonna Lie in It", featured a cover (pictured right) based on an earlier French sleeve.
"Friday on My Mind" was ranked #10 out of 2006 songs featured in the
Triple MThe Triple M Network is a radio station network owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :The first Triple M station was 2MMM Sydney which commenced broadcasting on 2 August 1980. Together with then rival station 2DAY , it was the first commercial FM radio station...
Essential 2006 Countdown. In the series
20 to 01, "Friday on My Mind" was #1 on the "Greatest Aussie Songs" show.
On 28 May 2001,
Australasian Performing Right AssociationThe Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. Its head office is in Sydney, with other offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary by naming the
Best Australian SongsAPRA's Top 30 Australian songs of all time was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary. A panel of 100 music personalities were asked to list the ten best Australian songs, the data was compiled and the Top Ten in numerical order, were...
of all time, as decided by a 100 strong industry panel, with "Friday on My Mind" being selected as the number one song on the list. At the
APRA AwardsThe APRA Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
ceremony
You Am IYou Am I is an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances....
performed "Friday on My Mind" with
Harry VandaHarry Vanda , is a Dutch-Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
of
The EasybeatsThe Easybeats were a rock and roll band from Australia. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and split at the end of 1969. They are widely regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their classic...
guesting on guitar, Ross Wilson of
Daddy CoolDaddy Cool is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1970 with the original line-up of Wayne Duncan , Ross Hannaford , Ross Wilson and Gary Young . Their debut single "Eagle Rock" was released in May 1971 and stayed at number 1 on the Australian singles chart for ten weeks...
performed the #2 listed song "
Eagle Rock"Eagle Rock" is a classic Australian song, released by Daddy Cool in May 1971 on the Sparmac Record Label. It went on to become the best selling Australian single of the year, achieving gold status in eleven weeks, and remaining at #1 on the national charts for a record ten weeks. "Eagle Rock"...
",
Midnight Oil'sMidnight Oil, known also as "The Oils" to fans, is an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
"
Beds are Burning"Beds Are Burning" is a 1987 hit single by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, the first track from their album Diesel and Dust. This song was the second from the album to be released as a single....
" at #3 was shown on video.
Cover versions
The song has been covered many times, notably by
David BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. Active in five decades of popular music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, who recorded a version on his 1973
RCARCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1983 and a partner from 1983 to 1986.-The RCA family of labels:RCA is the name of three different co-owned record...
covers album
Pin UpsPin Ups is an album by David Bowie containing cover versions of songs, released by RCA Records in 1973 . It was his last studio album with the bulk of 'The Spiders From Mars', his backing band throughout his Ziggy Stardust phase; Mick Woodmansey was replaced on drums by Aynsley Dunbar.Pin Ups...
(for Harry Vanda, it was "the only cover I ever liked"). The same year, San Francisco-based
Earth QuakeEarth Quake was an American rock and power pop band formed in the San Francisco area in 1966, who released several albums in the 1970s, mostly on Beserkley Records, a company which they were involved in setting up....
covered the song, which was released as the first-ever single on the
Beserkley RecordsBeserkley Records was an independent record label based in Berkeley, California from 1973 to 1984. Beserkely is usually regarded as a power-pop label; during the seventies, the band released albums by Earth Quake, Greg Kihn, Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, The Rubinoos, and The Tyla Gang...
label.
Other acts who have covered the song include
Gary MooreGary Moore is a Northern Irish guitarist and singer.In a career dating back to the 1960s, Moore has played with artists including Thin Lizzy, BB King, Colosseum II, Greg Lake and the Blues-rock band Skid Row, as well as having a successful solo career...
,
Peter FramptonPeter Kenneth Frampton is a British/American musician, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd, among others. In 1982 Frampton tried unsuccessfully to split his ties with A&M Records; however, he re-signed with the label in...
, Richard Thompson (
1000 Years of Popular Music),
Ben LeeBenjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
,
The BustersThe Busters are a German third wave ska band who were formed in 1987. Playing 2 Tone-influenced ska, they became the best-known German ska band by having minor hit singles in Germany with "Ska Muzik" and a ska cover of Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry Be Happy". They signed to Sony Music in Germany in...
and the punk band
LondonThis article is about the English band London. For the American band with the same name, see London. London were a four piece punk band formed in London in 1976 and were best known for their wild stage act. The line-up was Riff Regan , Steve Voice , Jon Moss and Dave Wight...
, whose version was recorded by producer
Simon Napier-BellSimon Napier-Bell has undertaken many jobs in the music industry, including bandboy, manager, producer, songwriter, journalist and author...
in the same recording studios (
IBC StudiosThe IBC Recording Studios were recording studios in 35 Portland Place, London, England. After the Second World War it was the address of the leading independent studio in London and the British Isles...
in London) where The Easybeats had cut the original. The song was also performed by
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
n band
PhoenixTranssylvania Phoenix is a Romanian rock and roll band, the first one to take musical inspiration from ancient Romanian folk themes....
on their first EP,
Vremuri ("
Old times") in 1968. In 1979, the "house band" of
Sawmills StudioSawmills Studios, created in 1974 near Golant on the banks of the River Fowey in Cornwall, England is best known as the recording studio used by musicians such as Robert Plant, Oasis, The Coronas, The Verve, Supergrass, Muse, The Holloways, Razorlight, The Stone Roses, The Dukes of Stratosphear ...
, the Golant Pistons (who later became Al Hodge and the Mechanics), covered the song, which was released on a 1980 punk rock compilation album of cover songs, entitled
We Do 'em Our Way, on the MFP Ltd. label.
http://tralfaz-archives.com/coverart/V/Various/we_do.html
In 2001
Vanessa AmorosiVanessa Amorosi is an Australian singer and recording artist. To date she has sold over 1.6 million albums.-Early life:Amorosi was born in Beaconsfield, Melbourne, Australia. When Amorosi was 4, along with her younger sisters, she would go to tap, jazz and classical ballet classes, which were being...
and
Lee KernaghanLee Kernaghan OAM is an Australian country music singer and songwriter. He was the 2008 Australian of the Year.-Honours:Kernaghan was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1994....
recorded a version of the song that was used as the official
NRLThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL competition is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
Friday Night FootballFriday Night Football may refer to:* Friday Night Football * Friday Night Football...
theme, featuring on Channel Nine's weekly primetime broadcast of the
Rugby LeagueRugby league football is a full-contact form of football, played with a prolate spheroid ball by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. Rugby league is one of the two codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union...
every Friday night at 8:30pm.
The band Noogie covered the tune for the soundtrack of the film
A Walk to Remember (2002).
MoneenMoneen is an indie rock band from Brampton, Ontario, Canada.-History:The band formed in 1999 after the dissolution of another band, called Perfectly Normal. Moneen's original bass player, Mark Bowser, was replaced by Chris Slorach, who left the band after the release of The Theory of Harmonial Value...
sampled the guitar in their song "The Passing of America" in 2006.
Track listing
- "Friday on My Mind" ( Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda , is a Dutch-Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
, George Young) – 2:47
- "Made My Bed (Gonna Lie in It)" (Young) – 2:20
Personnel
The Easybeats members
- Dick Diamonde
Dick Diamonde was the bassist with The Easybeats. Widely regarded as Australia's greatest pop group of the mid-1960s, the Easybeats had their beginnings in Sydney's Villawood Migrant Hostel...
— bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
- Gordon "Snowy" Fleet — drums
A drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
- Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda , is a Dutch-Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
— lead guitarA lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays...
- Stevie Wright
Stephen Carlton "Stevie" Wright , formerly billed as Little Stevie, is an Australian musician and songwriter who has been called Australia's first international pop star. During 1964–1969 he was lead singer for Sydney-based rock and roll band The Easybeats, widely regarded as the greatest...
— lead vocals
- George Young — rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is the use of a guitar to provide rhythmic chordal accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a musical ensemble. In ensembles or "bands" playing within the acoustic, country, blues, rock or metal genres , a guitarist playing the rhythm part of a composition supports the...
Recording details
- Producer – Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy is an American record producer, songwriter, arranger best known for his work in London with The Who and The Kinks in the 1960s....
External links