Adversity drives creativity like nothing else. Much of the best art, literature, and music in history has been created by tormented souls. People who experience tough times (such as the loss of a loved one, a bad breakup, or financial difficulty) create content which seems to channel an inner muse. Art created during periods of adversity often stands above anything the same people can write, paint, sculpt, sing, or create during times when they are comfortably content with life.
This week, I happened upon an article about a school district in Colorado that is eliminating Mondays. Their rationale is simple and it’s the same refrain as the four-day work week: let’s save money by fitting the academic schedule into just four days, attract and retain better employees, and cut down on peoples’ commutes.
Source: WJBQ.
I’m a big fan of the four-day work week (or zero day if we can figure out how to eliminate work weeks!). Friday is the normal casualty, but if they want to eliminate Mondays, they’ll have plenty of fans. The only people who don’t like it are working parents who have to find child care for an extra day. Understandable, but those same parents would be thrilled if they got an extra day off from their jobs also.
That got me thinking about a world without Mondays. If weekends are spent having fun and enjoying recreational activities with family and friends, Monday is a rude awakening. You are thrust, cold turkey, back into that work or school routine. Certainly, there are reasons to like Mondays for those who enjoy their working lives or routines. But if you took a poll, I’ll bet most people would love to eliminate Mondays. Give us a permanent three-day weekend.
1980s Nostalgia with Ready Player One
Since Ready Player One is a movie now, I’ve had a blast of 1980s nostalgia (yes, I lived through it…I’m old enough). I decided to spin myself a few 80s songs while I was writing something. Then I heard the first drumbeats and that catchy melody… Even before I heard Susanna Hoffs’ seductive voice bringing on Manic Monday, it hit me like WHAM! (an epiphany, not the band).
‘Twas then I realized that Monday was a big topic for songwriters, particularly in the 1980s. Quickly I rattled off a few and found some others online. Yes, people in the 1980s loved songs about Mondays. You had Duran Duran, Boomtown Rats, New Order, and the aforementioned Bangles. Their songs about Mondays were some of the most memorable of the decade.
Source: Ready Player One. Warner Brothers Pictures.
That’s the kind of epiphany that would point the Ready Player One hero towards a new key, but it leads me to a different conclusion. If the adversity of Mondays has spurred songwriters and bands to create some classic songs about Mondays, then wouldn’t we lose that creativity by eliminating Mondays as a work/school day?
Let’s take a look at some Mondays songs (with an emphasis on those from the 1980s) and then decide.
Bangles: Manic Monday (1986)
Manic Monday was written by Prince in 1984, but he gave it to the Bangles after hearing their debut album. Girls with guitars and incredible talent, the Bangles made Manic Monday into a top hit. Ironically, the song peaked at # 2 on the Billboard charts in the U.S. It was blocked from the # 1 spot by Kiss, a song by Prince and the Revolution. So even though he gave away what would become a mega-hit, Prince was never bested by Manic Monday. And the Bangles weren’t complaining; they also had a # 1 hit with Walk Like an Egyptian off the same album.
Manic Monday was more than a hit. For working adults or school-going kids, the song was a fun anthem of sorts for anyone struggling with Mondays. Girls thought it was cool. Cool guys couldn’t admit to liking a girl band, but plenty of them had a crush on the singer and secretly enjoyed the music. MM was part of the soundtrack of the 1980s.
Duran Duran: New Moon on Monday (1983)
Duran Duran was omnipresent in the 80s. Even before their 1990s renaissance, they were all that was cool when Music Television (MTV) launched. New Moon on Monday had lyrics that made little sense and a weird video to go along with it, so I won’t hold it up as an example of anti-Monday music. It wasn’t the band’s favorite either: “Even today, I cringe and leave the room” when anyone plays the video, one of the band’s members said later.
Boomtown Rats: I Don’t Like Mondays (1985 Live Aid Concert)
Bob Geldof, is that the grey-haired guy who limps around with U2 at all of those charity concerts? Yes, he has been a driving force behind a lot of benefit concerts. And in 1985, he didn’t look like an old guy. In fact, he was kind of a big deal back then, beginning with his band, the Boomtown Rats. They were not as popular in the U.S. as in the UK and Europe (where the band had multiple # 1 hits).
Let’s run through the checklist. Mullet, hairspray, tight dark jeans. Yup, 1980s. But it was a song that also had a deeper meaning. The title would tell you it’s a classic anti-Monday song. And many people interpreted it that way. In fact, it was written at least in part to address a school shooting in 1979; the shooter’s excuse had been that she didn’t like Mondays. So the words about the silicon chip inside her head and the Telex machine were written specifically to describe the occasion. “I Don’t Like Mondays” also became the name of a game show.
By the way, kudos to Geldof for all the work he has done throughout his career to raise money for charitable causes. The Live Aid and We Are the World concerts were an antidote to the greed of the 1980s. And as capitalism continued to leave people behind in the decades that followed, Geldof, U2, and others have not let people forget easily about the need to alleviate hunger, create relief for debt in the developing world, and more.
More recently, Geldof said that such concerts are no longer needed, since people can raise the money on social media instead.
New Order: Blue Monday (1983)
The single had an image of a 5 ¼ inch floppy drive on it; this was cutting edge stuff. Some people actually remember where they were in 1983 when they first heard this beat. Blue Monday was influential and it became the top-selling 12” single of all time. Despite the gloominess toward Mondays in the title, the synthesizer in the song was what people remembered most.
Source: Factory Records.
New wave synth-pop was not my favorite part of the 1980s, but it spread widely in the early part of that decade and led to the house beats that took off later that decade. Bands like Depeche Mode, the Human League, the Eurythmics, and many others grew quite popular adapting some form of this style. How is it that songs with Monday in the title did so well in that decade?
Let’s Not Forget Black Monday in 1987
In 1987, the stock market suffered its worst percentage decline in history. So-called Black Monday resulted in a drop of -22.6%. Yet another reason to dislike Mondays if you lived through the 1980s. Here is a short video on it.
Stormy Monday, which I’m co-opting for the 1980s because it was used in the movie of the same name (1988)
Since I wasn’t always happy with the direction the 80s took, I need to end with some great Monday music. Stormy Monday was not a 1980s song, but I’ll adopt it for the 80s because there was a movie by that name in 1988, and of course they played the title song in that film. Stormy Monday is as close to a perfect Blues song as you can get; it has everything. The mood, the lyrics, and the music simply epitomize the Blues genre in every way, not to mention the reality in the song's lyrics that the blues do not end with Monday. Call It Stormy Monday is a T-Bone Walker song from 1947, but everybody who is anybody in the Blues has covered it.
Source: Stormy Monday DVD from Arrow Video. Original film from Atlantic Entertainment (1988).
In the 1988 movie, they used the B.B. King version and he certainly did it justice. Ray Charles, Albert King, Etta James, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lou Rawls, and Eric Clapton are a few others who absolutely rocked that song in their own ways. Judging from YouTube, the Allman Brothers’ version may be the most popular and it is damned good also.
So before we get to the strictly 80s tunes, let’s begin properly with the Blues. Here is B.B. King (a decade later) giving a spirited rendition of the song they included in the 1988 movie. They called him the king for a reason. And for good measure, I'm following it here with the awesome Allman Brothers version from a 1980 concert.
Is Tuesday Just as Bad?
By now, if you were the hero in Ready Player One, you would have enough 1980s knowledge to find the Monday key. In the final analysis, I think the angst of Mondays has stimulated some creative work, in the 80s and beyond. Eliminating Mondays would endanger this creative flow, but that is not reason enough to reject a change that may improve peoples’ lives.
No, there is a better reason to resist the end of Mondays. With no Mondays, weekends would become three days and people would start hating on Tuesdays instead. Isn’t that what the lyrics from the song Stormy Monday suggest? “They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday’s just as bad.” (And the week in that song continues to get worse until Friday.)
There’s no cure for the blues at the beginning of the week. And the same quantity of work still needs to get done, whenever you choose to do it. Short of creating a 7-day weekend with no work at all, that early week angst is likely to continue on whatever day that week begins. And maybe that’s not such a bad thing after all.
Sources:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/03/23/school-district-4-day-weeks-no-monday-class-colorado-students/452178002/
https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/15/health/four-day-workweek/index.html
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/stormy-mondaythe-story-behind-the-song/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manic_Monday
http://duranduran.wikia.com/wiki/New_Moon_on_Monday
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Monday_(New_Order_song)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Don%27t_Like_Mondays
http://www.radiox.co.uk/news/music/bob-geldof-live-aid-gig-doesnt-work-social-media/
Top image is public domain.
And don't forget to pick up your slick, new Monday key on your way out. If you got this far, you've earned it.
interesting read, thanks for the nostalgia trip, I remember these songs fondly. whatever day we started the week on would be the same, the weekend is a tease of a work free life and the first day back is the realisation of that tease.
Nice post
@donkeypong, Very interesting to read amazing blog post you provided there. I'm not a student yet and already being member of member of my working place. I'm really enjoy with No Mondays. You heard before every employees, students told something. They all don't like Mondays. For me, Monday is a hard working day and if not that day I think absolutely I'm free. But It's only psychological thought. If there were no Mondays, peoples hate surely Tuesdays. I'm really enjoying with watch awesome video musics you shared. Thanks for given most awesome article given to community.
Great review of the 80s, i was not alive during the 80s at all but it influenced my life in a lot of ways anyways! I've watched tons of movies from the 80s, a few of my favorite bands started or had their peak career points in the 80s and its overall one of the richest cultural for movies and music so far!
I watched Ready Player One on the movie teather last week, i had already read the book and listened to the audiobook so i came in with certain expectations that i managed to keep under control, but Spielberg did not dissapoint, he and Ernest may have changed a lot but its still a decent movie! even with all the mother stuff that you have to put on the movie, he managed to give it that 80s style everyone wanted and it did not dissapointed if you watch it with little expectation and just to have fun and bask in nostalgia!
Haha. No Mondays , man you are making life easy for everyone. The employees will surely enjoy no Mondays, Mondays hurt them. Lol haha
And yeah students love four day weeks. This way they will get to play more and study less. The students will praise you my friend.
Look now you are justifying your no Mondays with these songs. Anyways a few of these are awesome. I love music, who doesn't.
As long as people can get their work done in fewer days, it's fine with me.
I love the sounds of no monday! People wouldn't be so exhausted from a long week of work
Wow what an amazing post. Yeah i am still a schools student, i hate sunday you know why because here saturday is on Weekend. As m experience is going i think each and everyone hate the day after weekend it doesn't have one reason it have many as teacher give more homework as there weekend they give more to study because it's weekend.They take test the day after weekend. As the day after weekend is mondays there.so probably they will have mondays and the weekend is monday they will hate tuesday. Loved the music you shared. Love to listen them as it so relate.Really enjoyed reading it. I loved weekend an i think everyone does.Thanks for sharing it with us.. @donkeypong
A choice between more homework or more class time...hmm. That is a tough one.
Yeah, When you have extra class even in the weekend, it's like hell.Even no time form relaxment. Now days school doesn't see the capacity student all they see is has they scored good mark and will it make school name higher.What is meaning of studying when you cannot use in life.
Aaaand, I'm caught listening to a playlist of the most popular New Order songs, starting with #1 Blue Monday.
I've always had the impulse to do stuff like this, chipping off the parts of my life that I don't like regardless of how much I'll have to sacrifice in the future for that. I guess that it's not really a self-destructive impulse but more like carpe diem.
I'd like to work 4 hours a day 4 days a week. Let's remove Monday or Friday. I don't really have a problem. Will I start hating Tuesdays? Maybe, but I'll be happier while hating on Tuesday because I'll have a victory behind me, having eliminated Monday from my work-week.
Maybe you can try out that schedule and let us know how it works for you. :)
What an intriguing piece. I caught this the very second it dropped.
Your musical collection says a lot about you @donkeypong. You are simply a "dope guy", in every cool sense of that word. Quite a versatile musical background you had growing up.
As for the issue with Monday, you stole my thoughts completely, with your last two paragraphs.....
Regardless of whatever day, the week is made to start on, just to satisfy "Monday-Haters", the supposed "new" first working day of the week will eventually get hated as well.
The problem with Monday isn't the day itself, I believe. People that loath Monday, probably loath "their work", and the "job and responsibilities" they have to do on that very Monday....not necessarily, because it is Monday.
If for instance, the work week starts on Sunday, and Weekend begins on Thursday, running through to Saturday....Sunday would become the new day to be dreaded or hated.
So, like you adequately summarized in this post....
Mondays isn't the problem, People's Jobs and Responsibilities on that Monday is what they hate and dread.
To think of it, if you do enjoy your job, you wouldn't dread doing it. Regardless of whatever day you have to do it.
I better stop here. This is turning into a post of its own....Lolz
Thanks for exposing us to your cool '80s musical collection. Like I said, you are a "dope guy" @donkeypong.
That's true. Jobs and responsibilities are the issue, not Mondays themselves. Yes, you might have enough fuel for a post there. :)
It is amazing the cultural importance of Mondays. when you mentioned the music my head went straight to Monday Monday by the Neil Diamond. I think we all have a love-hate relationship with Monday's. It sucks that it is the end of the weekend but it is also the start of something new.
As a teacher, I have been part of many discussions about the school year schedule and how it can be revamped or improved. Many school districts are stuck in the usual 10 months of school and a two-month summer vacation. There are some schools near us trying out the idea of a year-round school schedule with more regular one or two week breaks. I see the advantages of this as I find two months off to be a long time and there is a great deal of regression in many kids learning. I could see the 4 day week fitting into that type of schedule as well. It would basically only add about 1-1 1/2 hours to the school days. I think I could work with that but I think this might be a little long for the younger kids. Maybe a tiered approach, whereas they get older we pull back on the number of days? It is a great debate.
Yes, it is good to have the discussion. Neil Diamond: good memory, though it wasn't an 80s song. There must be some more good Monday songs I forgot to mention also.
Black Monday, Blue Monday, Stormy Monday. Hahahaha. Mondays have always been depressing for most people, especially after the restful weekend, the body struggle to adapt. Like you rightly said sir, the same amount of work for that week, would still be done, as good as it sounds to have a free Monday, it's like no free Monday at all, as the work schedule gets piled up for four days, and you might have to take some home. Haha.
This got me sir;
This is absolutely true. I wrote something about this yesterday, but not entirely on this view. Really love this.
P.S: I actually don't feel any odd about Mondays, maybe because I don't even have Saturdays as a free day, so it doesn't make much difference to me.
Haha, yeah I think we all imagined what it would be if Mondays would no longer exist. And, all of us imagined that it would be so great and fantastic. But in reality, you would start hating Tuesdays, because you would have to do the same amount of work in a shorter time span.
If we're going to delete Mondays, why don't we just delete all week days? Let's no longer have Mondays, Tuesdays and so on...
"Hey, what day is it? - It's just day" LOL
You are very carefully @donkeypong. I just realized that there are many songs and movies that raised Monday as the title. Instead of considering it as a problem, Monday is a day that inspires creative people. As we often hear, a problem is an opportunity.
However, other days are also inspiring. There is my favorite Bon Jovi song; Someday I'll Be Saturday Night and many more inspiring days. If there is no Monday, we will lose inspiration on that day, as the other day.
Happy weekend @donkeypong!
We all hate mondays, but would we have all these classic movies and music without them?
Hey, it took me over 1000 words to say that. Good summary!
I think we as a whole envisioned what it would be if Mondays would never again exist. What's more, every one of us envisioned that it would be so incredible and fabulous. Be that as it may, as a general rule, you would begin despising Tuesdays, on the grounds that you would need to do a similar measure of work in a shorter time traverse.
Monday is usually the worst day for anyone with a grumpy boss. I see that day of week as a remembrance day because it brings back all the unpleasant memories of the past week and all you can think about is how to fast forward the day, delete it, or just make it disappear.
If you speak today monday. Monday is where the first day moves after a holiday .. it's time to work. For some people will be very lazy to face monday. Especially if there are work demands. And Monday is the first day to think of doing something and if on Monday we make a good work, then the next day feels light, relaxed and enjoy.
Interesting music compilation (bookmarked it) and yes, Tuesday would just be bad.
Yet instead of 4-days work, it would be great to work normal week for 8 month and take a 4-month vacation for me lol.
Now you're talking. I like that idea also.
Actually if i can finish all my work on monday, the rest of the week can be a weekend.
Interesting enough it's such a pain how we dread Monday like something bad about it.
New days are coming, where your monday is a friday, actually bars work on Mondays too..lol
Guess efficiency is way better than blindly working hard.
From now, No more Mondays i guess.
There you go, the one-day week! Only Mondays. Or whatevers. As long as the other 6 are work-free, that's fine with me.
I always found mondays easy. I knew what and where i was supposed to be and do.
Now, i have no weekends. Sunday and monday are interchangeable.
I feel, without this adversity, we would just write better songs about better things.
Some of us work too hard and the days don't matter anymore. :)
Smiles....
I also do not like Mondays, it is most definitely a rude awakening to our weekend.
And it always just feels somewhat too long....
But there's a little bit of truth in the song..."Is Tuesday just as bad"
If there were no Mondays, then people would start hating on Tuesdays instead.
They would. And if the workday was only one day long, whichever day that was, people would hate it just as much.
Bottom line?
People generally are lazy.... 😂 😂 😂
And would want everyday to be a work free day.....
Thanks Sir
You said it all here, eliminating mondays will only turn tuesdays to another monday. Truth is, the weekend is never long enough, and making monday a weekend will only make week days shorter and more work. Have never been a monday hater, rather is a day I always look forward to. Too many activities on weekend. Monday is more of a rest recuperating day for me. Nice post @donkeypong.
Cool!...:)...
And then they will ask for a 3 day week. And then for a 2 day week...
And after a while there will be non-workers revolution!
When I started reading the post, my intention was to comment that Tuesday would just be equally be hated like Mondays, if not more since the three day weekend would simply intensify the relaxation, resulting in a 'ruder' awakening on a Tuesday.
You just have to inspire yourself to get motivated for the new week.
Lovely piece though. I would be sure to check out those songs on mondays.
I love old school vibes, even though I am a nineties kid - lady. There's something nostalgic about all those people when you look about their then and now, and you can't help but wonder about time. That's not the reason I love them though, I just love the sounds -timeless.
And yes! I am about a quarter pages into Ready Player One! I read the review some where on steemit this week, and I was blown. I never knowingly watch a movie before reading the book, so I though I read it up first.
Even though I went on YouTube to watch the trailer
Hehehe. with the Monday is the day Tuesday, indeed everyone just wants a Sunday.
Mondays that sucks, you have to get up early leaving the whole comfortable warm bed, to get up and serve the people that you never want or don't give a fuck about.The whole problem is the money if this money wouldn't have been there the whole scenario would have changed.You wud feel like being in paradise, get up when you want at the leisure of time, enjoying every moment.
Mondays suck, there is another way to get rid of the problem ,put the day off.lets change the world.
Hahaha!! No Monday? All dem workie won't love to hear that atall. In fact they have saved the next Monday date in their calendar and once they get home on Friday. All they think about is Monday as if Saturday or Sunday is not part of the calendar. hahaha☺
Hahaha, no Mondays?, well it looks like it's gonna be fun, but then if anyone finds it difficult to start a new week on Monday then same thing is gonna happen even if you give a 5 days weekend. So give everyone a no Mondays week, and they will start hating Tuesdays.
Meanwhile, great videos of some 80's music you shared there, I was still a baby in the 80's, born 1985, I couldn't have enjoyed those songs even though they were the rave of the moment, so once again thanks for sharing.
Still your boy @royaltiesboss-eu
Excellent article. Really Monday is a hard day. We in the country also have a lot of songs about Monday and there is a saying. If a person loser about him say "on Monday was born" :) Thanks for the exchange.
A nice article relating to history with excellent photography,
Actually Monday is the next day of holiday so its not liked due to the busy schedual after a relaxed day so it is some extent irritating.
I apreciate your article at all.
I'm all for this, especially if society could get on board with this as a whole. We could be just as productive (students and adults alike) and happier, which in turn helps the quality of productivity, which is a big 'ol win-win.
I was born in '89, so I'm not super familiar with all your 80's music stuff here, but I totally love your cadence / the way you write.
:) #BanMondays
hahahahahahaha!!!!!!
I was just thinking about how much I hated Monday's today. They are made much worse when it's not just your work you are overwhelmed by, but by toxic work culture, and
office politics. Glad I came across your post.Glad to know so many people are affected by it and it was not just all in my head. For now all I can do about mondays is use Mondays to drive creativity. Mondays or any other adversity for that matter.
A beautiful article related to history with nice photography. Monday is busy day so it is not think as good. Your article is to much interesting.
Mondays are like hectic days for some and good day for some. Good day for some who enjoy their work as you once said and bad day for the ones which their boss are so tough . and bad days for lazy ones
Hah.
Give me a world without working mondays and with STEEM at 20$. I won't ask anything else from life. :D
I am as yet a schools understudy, I detest sunday you know why in light of the fact that here saturday is on Weekend. As m encounter is going I think each and everybody detest the day after end of the week it doesn't have one reason it have numerous as educator give more homework as there end of the week they offer more to contemplate in light of the fact that it's weekend.They take test the day after end of the week. As the day after end of the week is mondays there.so most likely they will have mondays and the end of the week is monday they will despise tuesday. Cherished the music you shared. Love to listen them as it so relate.Really appreciated understanding it. I adored end of the week an I think everybody does.Thanks for offering it to us.. @donkeypong
wow that's awesome collection.
A world free of Mondays seems like a nice one.... The traffic demons that comes out on mondays are special (Nigerian stuff)
I'm also a fan of the four day work week. But I think it's a bad idea for students. They need the discipline, I think.
The best bet for nicer mondays is waiting for UBIs to become mainstream :P
In the 80's, i'd probably be in my mother's womb or still contemplating whether to come over here or not. It amused me how you talked about the happenings then. I have no idea either.
Like you are a fan of the four-day work week, i would be the biggest fan of 2-day work if possible. But the rationale for the school to scrap off Monday isn't such a proper one for me. Though i'm looking it from the perspective of a typical african.
If that happens here, Its an avenue for schools to extort the parents big time, And for the children to have more play time. Lol.
How i wish Monday is counted as weekend.
What a beautiful piece @donkeypong
My my my no Monday's 😁 I can tell you as a mom of twins, my kids are THE WORST getting go up and going to school on Monday. Seriously I dont know what happens, but once Tuesday comes they're fine. Here here for a four day week . Oh and AWESOME POST! 😊
Definitely!! Amazing and trustworthy I think. I hope this post can concealment your cost!
Is amazing post to monday mr @donkeypong !! Cool post 😎
Does anyone remember the I don't like Monday shootings?
Hello @donkeypong and guests of this blog! Please read my massage only if you have an opportunity to help me out.
Last month my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer and now we are doing all in order to gather the funds needed for treatment and surgical operation. Unfortunately a major part of my cryptocurrecy stuck on HitBTC exchange and I don’t know when I will be able to withdraw them. I want to ask you to financially help me; even $20 will help my family a lot! Sorry for begging, but sadly I have no choice at the moment.
Please donate me with Steem, SBD, of Ethereum. ETH address:
0xeb2eaef6c5be069751185f325939fcdcc47d6f2f
Is monday, a mysterious day?