Working For The Weekend

A buddy of mine from university recently posted a reference to an old Loverboy song in his status update. It's one of those types of Facebook status updates that I'm fond of -- the kind that make you pause for a moment and stirs up a bit of brain activity -- this can easily be achieved without too much effort when you borrow a line or two from a song and put THAT into your updates.

I mean, status updates and Twitter are a neat way to broadcast to the world things that you're currently doing or working on and sometimes they're fun if you're actually doing something interesting.

But let's face it, does anybody really care that Bob from Denver is washing the dishes right now, or that Sally from Saskatoon is watching a rerun of "Who's The Boss?"

Perhaps if Bob was spending the afternoon at the skydiving classes his girlfriend bought him for Christmas or Sally was working on a novelization of that old television show, those would be interesting things. But sometimes those mundane status updates/tweets can be a bit tiring.

"Oh look, John is sitting on the crapper right now."

"Hey, check it out, Samantha is having eggs and toast for breakfast. For the third day in a row."

"Sorry, no time for that, I'm too busy keeping updated on Fred. Apparently he's doing really well on Guitar Hero."

"What are you guys talking about? I'm riveted by Todd's angst over his hang-nail."

But I digress. What I mean to say is I rather enjoy it when people tweet or use their Facebook status updates for either actual interesting or unique things (rather than the daily mundane things), or just to inject a little bit of humour into the world. Let's face it, the world is a pretty serious place with tons of negative things going on all over -- a little bit of humour in small shots is some pretty decent medicine.

And thus back to goofy and silly Facebook status updates that liberate lyrics from music. I always find those fun because there's an ability for others to easily recognize the song you're using and perhaps make a game out of trying to determine the artist and song that you're referencing. A short, silly distraction in one's day, but something that can be a little fun (and doesn't require you to install yet another cluttering application to your profile).

But sometimes I find myself getting TOO distracted on minor things.

Like when my buddy referenced the Loverboy song. (See, I take sidetracks, but occasionally I actually get back to the subject matter at hand)

He was working on the weekend. But rather than just stating it in that boring, mundane way, he injected it with a bit of fun uniqueness and referenced the Loverboy song "Working for the Weekend"

And that's where I started thinking about those lyrics.

Everybody's working for the weekend
Everybody wants a little romance
Everybody's goin' off the deep end
Everybody needs a second chance
- Loverboy "Working for the Weekend" from Get Lucky, 1981

You see, I'd always thought that the song was referencing the fact that everyone is working in anticipation of the weekend.

IE, they drudge through their week days mindful of the fact that when Friday evening comes, they're free to enjoy life again or "come out tonight" and try to "get it right" or, as the album title the song suggest, try to get lucky.

I always thought the song meant they were working for (ie, for the purpose of) the weekend the way that David Wilcox is "Layin' Pipe" (forgetting the double entendre for a moment and assume he's working a tough construction job) to satisfy his woman with expensive tastes by buying her "the latest things, a diamond ring, a car with an ultra-glide." Like Mr. Wilcox, who (again forgetting the double entendres throughout the song), is working a long, exhausting night shift and taking ten minute breaks to have a cigarette. Wilcox is working for his woman the way Loverboy is working for the weekend.

I figured if the song was about working ON the weekend (as in working Saturday and Sunday), that it'd sound more like Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 (with a weekend kind of twist, of course) and less like trying to get lucky.

But that's just me.

Do you see how I can get distracted and find myself a few moments of silly amusement all because one of my cool dude friends decided to have a little bit of fun with his Facebook status update?

But that's a far better thing than if he dediced to use the status update to simply complain that his hemorrhoids were itchy.

Isn't it?