The minor-key verses of "Friday on My Mind" depict the tedium and drudgery of the work week,taking each day at a time ("Monday morning feels so bad/Coming Tuesday I feel better"). These verses are adorned with a distinctive guitar figure. The build-up to the chorus features a slowly rising vocal,culminating with a shout of "Cos I'll have Friday on my mind!",and launching into a major-key refrain celebrating the pleasures of the weekend in the city.
Though the song has long been termed a "working class anthem",[9]George Young maintained it had "more to do with their outlook on the world than any class statement".[10] According to Harry Vanda,the track's distinctive guitar opening was inspired by a film performance featuring the Swingle Singers:"It went tudutudutudu,which made us all laugh. In the train back from the gig,we were imitating them and suddenly it sounded good. They became the first notes of 'Friday on My Mind'."[11]
Release and aftermath
In addition to its 7" single release in October 1966,the song was issued in the United Kingdom on the band's first album for United Artists titledGood Friday which was also released in North America under the song's title in 1967. In Australia the song was released instead with its B-side,"Made My Bed (Gonna Lie in It)",on the greatest hits package The Best of The Easybeats + Pretty Girl in 1967 and an EP named after the track in September 1967,with the tracks "Sorry","Who'll Be the One" and "Made My Bed,Gonna Lie in It". A 2005 re-release on CD single,along with "Remember Sam","Pretty Girl" and "Made My Bed,Gonna Lie in It",featured a cover (pictured right) based on an earlier French sleeve.
"Friday on My Mind" was ranked No. 10 out of 2006 songs featured in the Triple M Essential 2006 Countdown. In the series 20 to 01,it was No. 1 on the "Greatest Aussie Songs" show.[citation needed]
Initially by Tages,who released the song for their November 1966 album Extra Extra.
The Shadows recorded an instrumental version of the song on their 1967 album Jigsaw.
The song was also performed by Romanian band Phoenix on their first EP,Vremuri ("Old times") in 1968.[21]
David Bowie recorded a version on his 1973 RCA covers album Pin Ups;for Harry Vanda,it was "the only cover I ever liked".[22]
Also in 1973,San Francisco–based Earth Quake covered the song,which was released as the first-ever single on the Beserkley Records label and later included on their 1975 album Rocking the World. The live recording by Earth Quake was well known in Cleveland in the late 1970s,as one of three songs played each Friday at 6.00pm by leading rock radio station WMMS to mark the start of the weekend.[citation needed]
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