THURSDAY

Songs for Each Day of the Week: Day 4

So what do ya know, there's supposed to be a Thursday-titled song out there by The Hollies, however, it's apparently nowhere to be found! So before you think this week's theme has turned in to kind of a bust, I'm posting two fun songs today that involve something to do with the "day" in general.

So instead of a Thursday, how about a good ol' "sunny afternoon?" Another group from the British Invasion, it's the English rock band The Kinks, one of the most influential and important rock acts of the 1960's! Influenced by several genres of music including rhythm and blues, British music hall, folk, and country, brothers Ray Davies (lead vocals/rhythm guitar) and Dave Davies (lead guitar/vocals) remained members for the group's entire 32-year run. Fueled by the observational writing style of chief songwriter Ray Davies, "Sunny Afternoon" was a mellower, satirical single and a stylistic change for the group from their previous hard-driving, power chord hits. Released in June of 1966, this tune bumped The Beatles' "Paperback Writer" off the #1 position on the UK charts, becoming the biggest hit of that summer. As my dad was a big fan of The Kinks, I grew up totally loving their varied sound, so this definitely won't be the last you'll see these guys on this blog. Here's the promotional video for the single where it doesn't exactly look like a "sunny afternoon" in this cold, snowy location!

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And I guess no one said I couldn't post a song that includes all the days of the week in the lyrics. So we already know that The Beatles are the most important and influential band of the 1960's, so they had no further introduction! From March 1968, "Lady Madonna" is a boogie-woogie rock song about an overworked, tired mother who faces new challenges each day of the week (although Saturday was accidentally overlooked!). Written mostly by Paul McCartney, the song was inspired by 1950's rock/blues pianist Fats Domino, who recorded his own cover version of this song later that same year. Reaching #1 in the UK, this was the last Beatles single released on the Parlophone record label before they switched to their own label, Apple Records. This promotional film for "Lady Madonna" was shot in the recording studio in February of 1968, however, in the footage, they are actually working on "Hey Bulldog," a song that would first appear on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack the following year. Looks like they're having a good time at Abbey Road Studios!

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And just as I was about to post this, I actually came across a Thursday-titled song by Scottish folk singer Donovan! Unfortunately, I'm out of time but you can check it out here. I don't know about you but I've got Friday on my mind!