Single flashback
Loverboy - Working For The Weekend [1981]
It’s Friday afternoon in Canada. Anywhere in Canada. Big city, small town, something in between, it doesn’t matter.
You climb into your car at the end of your workday. Your classic rock station is still tuned in and turned up. The friendly drive-time jock lets the traffic reporter finish up, and then… cowbell.
The Fri-yay mood is now locked in, because Loverboy said so.
The first single from the Vancouver band’s second LP was a juggernaut on both sides of the border - peaking at #10 at home and #7 on Billboard. In fact, Get Lucky would sell 4x platinum in the States and 5x platinum in the great white north.
All powered by Working For The Weekend.
Working For The Weekend | peaked #10, 1981
Remember the cowbell? It gives way to an absolute wall of sound. The rhythm section locked in with a propulsive bass. The guitars are supplemented by a great synth hook as well.
All powered by the production genius of the late Bruce Fairbairn and his protegé Bob Rock as the engineer.
We’re not channeling Dylan here, these lyrics are arena ready and populist in nature - who among us isn’t Working For The Weekend?
You want a piece of my heart
You better start from the start
You wanna be in the show
Come on baby let's go
In the best possible way, this gives me visions of Fred Flintstone hearing the whistle at the rock quarry and sliding down his dino’s back to get in his foot-powered sedan and make that drive home.
B-Side | Emotional | did not chart
Listen, I’m not saying that Paul Dean was listening to a lot of Rolling Stones growing up, but…
Seeing as Loverboy’s primary songwriter also takes the lead vocal on this track it’s clear that this is his song.
This is what I always like in a B-Side, give me something unique or noteworthy. The track is featured on the album, but as I recall this is the only time where Mike Reno steps back from the front.
Dean would go on to release two solo records, where Reno also sang background vocals.
This single was absolutely massive for Loverboy, home and away. It also propelled them to the #4 spot in our 80s CanCon Power Rankings.
80s CanCon Power Rankings: Part Three
And now, Part Three and the conclusion of Maple Mixtape’s 80s CanCon Power Rankings.
I love your association of the song with the Fred Flintstone image! Nice - it is the same feeling for me too.
Like it or not. This is such an iconic song. There is no child of the 80’s that doesn’t have a memory associated with this song.
It’s one of the ones when as soon as you hear it there is a sense-memory that takes you back.