Well, it’s almost here — the Labour Day long weekend. To some, the end of summer (although the calendar begs to differ) and signifying nothing more than another extra day off. But, for others, it’s much more important. Hopefully you can enjoy some time to relax on this day (or weekend) to honour the worker. If not, maybe these songs about work can get you through the day:
“Working Class Hero” — John Lennon (Green Day cover): Even though Lennon was raised in an upper-middle-class setting in the U.K., this was his tale of hard work getting you to the top — be it in the music game or anywhere in life. For some, it’s become a sort of Labour Day anthem.
“Working for the Weekend” — Loverboy: ‘Nuff said? A lil’ ditty originally dreamed up as “Waiting For the Weekend” by guitarist Paul Dean, sitting on the beach on a Wednesday, wondering where everybody was. Changing that one word, though, made all the difference in elevating it to an ode to “mailing it in” and getting to the most important part of the day — after work.
“Livin’ on a Prayer” — Bon Jovi: Tommy used to work on the docks and Gina workin’ at the diner all day to help them make ends meet. The couple Jon was singing about have become legends as the whole world sings along to this one.
“Working Man” — Rush: I thought it fitting to have a fair bit of Canadian rock on this list (as Labour Day is celebrated on different dates around the globe). But it was an American radio station (in Cleveland) that made this song popular, back when Rush was still on their own record label. It didn’t hurt being the ’70s, being a seven-minute-long song — and Cleveland being known as a working class city.
“Working on the Highway” — Bruce Springsteen: Reminds me of a friend who quit radio to run a packer and take some shifts on “sign duty.” Seems he’s never been happier. Although the character The Boss refers to in this one doesn’t meet the same fate as my buddy, in the end.
“Work Shoes” — USS: Ash, from the band, says “they’re the words I wanna here when my alarm goes off … I am gonna choose to have a great day today … happiness is a choice you make every moment.” Goes well with the lyric “I can’t wait to kick off my work shoes.”
“My Music at Work” — The Tragically Hip: Is the song about the work-a-day world or about the work of writing music? Or neither? Only the iconic Gord Downie knows for sure.
“Takin’ Care of Business” — BTO: TCB by BTO. A work anthem, although the Randy Bachman lyric “If it was easy as fishin’, you could be a musician” might make you daydream more so about days off or rock star fantasies.
“Why Don’t You Get A Job?” — The Offspring: A song about a couple who refuse to find gainful employment. Unsurprisingly, those around them do not approve of this.
“Blue Collar Man” — Styx: This ’70s prog-rock classic is about a guy who longs for some good, honest labour. A guy who wants to be back on the payroll as a “blue collar man.” Kind of reminiscent of the end of “Office Space,” where the guy who’s happiest is the one who ditched his office-drone-like gig for one on a construction crew.
“Take this Job and Shove It” — Johnny Paycheck: Who amongst us hasn’t had this thought on a groggy morning. No matter how much you like your profession, there’s always those days you wake up on the wrong side of the bed. And then, of course, there are those jobs you never liked in the first place. In which case, you might be humming this one in your head the rest of the day.
Trapper John can be heard on 105.3 ROCK and http://www.rock1053.ca weekdays from 3-7 p.m. and Saturday afternoons. You can also find him on twitter @TrapperCR.
