Working for the Weekend

"Working for the Weekend"
Single by Loverboy
from the album Get Lucky
Released October 1981
Recorded 1981
Studio Mushroom Studios
(Vancouver, British Columbia)
Genre
Length 3:42
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Loverboy singles chronology
"The Kid is Hot Tonight"
(1981)		 "Working for the Weekend"
(1981)		 "When It's Over"
(1981)

"The Kid is Hot Tonight"
(1981)		 "Working for the Weekend"
(1981)		 "When It's Over"
(1981)

"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 Bruce Fairbairn and Dean, and released as the lead single from the album in October 1981. It has more of a power pop feel than the other band's other songs, but this new sound proved to generate success; the song reached number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number two on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart in January 1982.[1]

"Working for the Weekend" is ranked number 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]

In media

The song was featured in the 2001 Ben Stiller film Zoolander, in the scene where Derek Zoolander goes to work in the mines with his father and brothers.

It was used on video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack radio station V-Rock. It was also used in the video game Saints Row 2, on the 107.77 The Mix radio station.

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.

It also featured in the 2006 film Click, featuring Adam Sandler; it was sung by Terry Crews while he sat in a traffic jam.

In 2014, the song was featured in the RadioShack Super Bowl XLVIII commercial "The '80s Called".[4]

Cover versions

American virtuoso guitarist Paul Gilbert included an instrumental cover of this song as the first track on his 2014 album Stone Pushing Uphill Man.

Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) performed the song on Conan on November 20, 2013, suggesting he had been asked by Rob Ford to cover the song as Ford's campaign song for re-election as Mayor of Toronto, the lyrics parodying Ford's ongoing substance abuse scandal.[5]

Charts

References

  1. ↑ allmusic ((( Get Lucky > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))
  2. ↑
  3. 1 2 Dan MacIntosh (May 2, 2012). "Paul Dean of Loverboy: Interview". SongFacts.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  4. ↑ Jones, Nate (2 February 2014). "Celebrating Every '80s Reference in That RadioShack Super Bowl Commercial". People. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  5. ↑ Ron Burgundy Sings Mayor Rob Ford's Campaign Song - CONAN on TBS on YouTube
  6. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Loverboy – Working for the Weekend". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  7. ↑ "RPM 50 Singles" (PDF). RPM. Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada. 35 (21). December 19, 1981. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Loverboy – Working for the Weekend". Top 40 Singles.
  9. ↑ "Loverboy – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Loverboy. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Loverboy - Chart history". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Talent in Action – Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 94 (51): TIA-20. December 25, 1982. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
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