On the Love of Fridays
Few feelings seem to match the quiet joy of Friday afternoons, when work ends and freedom begins. In this post, I explore how The Cure's "Friday I'm in Love" captures that magic and why even Aristotle would approve of its celebration of leisure.
TGIF. Thank God It’s Friday.
It’s a phrase I’d bet most Americans have heard at least once if not a million times. We’ve all seen the restaurants.
I realize I run the risk of depressing you, the reader, by talking about Friday on a Sunday. Bear with me. I promise there’s a method to my madness.
Everyone knows the magic of the Friday feeling.
You close your laptop for the last time. You say farewell to your co-workers. If you’re in office, you walk to your car, perhaps with some added pep in your step. Some of you might even stop for a sweet treat on your way home (you know who you are).
Friday afternoon-into-evening brings a seemingly unending potential and joy.
You might think it would be impossible to bottle up that feeling into a work of art. If so, you need to listen to “Friday I’m in Love” by the Cure.
“Friday I’m in Love” is a song that perfectly encapsulates the Friday feeling I described and reminds us that leisure isn’t just a good thing, it’s necessary.
The Band Behind the Song
The song comes from an unexpected place. It’s written and performed by the Cure, a British rock band that formed in the late 70s.
As you might be able to guess from the band’s photo, the Cure had kind of a goth/post-punk vibe going for them. This was something Robert Smith, the band’s vocalist and guitarist, was hyper aware of.
"It's always been paradoxical that it's pushed down people's throats that we're a goth band. Because, to the general public, we're not. To taxi drivers, I'm the bloke that sings 'Friday I'm in Love.'" – Robert Smith
Nevertheless, a band that was known for edgy music gave birth to a pop anthem.
A Happy Little Accident
The song almost didn’t happen.
While composing the piece, Smith thought that he had stolen the chord progression from some other song.
Thankfully, after calling around, he realized that he did in fact come up with it himself. “Friday I’m in Love” was the outcome of that tune stuck in Smith’s head.
It was originally written slower before getting sped up in the final version. Everything about this song is upbeat and happy.
“‘Friday I’m in Love’ is a dumb pop song, but it’s quite excellent actually, because it’s so absurd. It’s so out of character – very optimistic and really out there in happy land.” – Robert Smith
“Friday I’m in Love” was the second single off the Cure’s ninth studio album, Wish.
Of course, they had to debut the song on a Friday, but because the billboards at the time traditionally expected songs to release on Mondays, the song debuted quite low.
It quickly started to rise the following week, and it ended up being one of the highest charting songs for the band, reaching 6 on the billboards in the United Kingdom and 18 in the United States.
The Cure captured lightning in a bottle with the song. The guitar plays an infectious and bright melody, while the drums encourage you to loll your head along with the beat.
Singing the Calendar
It’s a song that just makes you want to move. The lyrics come at you like a chant, summoning the Friday love.
I don’t care if Monday’s blue /
Tuesday’s grey, and Wednesday too
The antithesis of Friday is Monday. There’s a reason we relate to Garfield’s hatred of Mondays. It’s the start of the week. Soon enough, though, Tuesday and Wednesday roll through. You’re halfway through the week.
Thursday, I don’t care about you /
It’s Friday, I’m in love
Even Thursdays don’t live up to the Friday feeling. The weekend truly arrives when we hit Friday.
They repeat the weekdays throughout the song, given various reasons for not caring about any other day, chasing the feeling of Friday.
Monday, you can fall apart /
Tuesday, Wednesday, break my heart /
Oh, Thursday doesn't even start /
It's Friday, I'm in love
Even the weekend doesn’t make it out unscathed from the Cure’s song.
Saturday, wait /
And Sunday always comes too late /
But Friday, never hesitate
We want Saturday to slow down. Often when Saturday evening rolls along, I feel like the weekend is already over.
We’ve surpassed the weekend’s halfway mark before arriving at an all-too-late Sunday, where you’re just holding on for dear life. With football season back, Sunday Night Football feels like the last fleeting shot of freedom.
Friday, though. Friday is perfection. It is anticipation bottled up alongside endless possibilities. You can stay up late and still have days to catch up on sleep.
The Cure knows their audience in this song. It’s for the average person, the weekend warrior, who is just making ends meet. The freedom that comes at the end of the week is magical.
Smith and company understand why Fridays are beloved. We want to rest and enjoy ourselves. Leisure is important, which is an idea as old as humans.
Aristotle and Leisure
In researching the song and the topic, I looked for other thinkers who talked about the importance of leisure.
One of the first names to come up was Aristotle, the ancient Greek Philosopher.
Apparently, the notion of “work hard, play hard” is ancient. In one of his more popular works, Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle communicates his stance on leisure. We work so that we have our freedom.
“And happiness is thought to depend on leisure; for we are busy that we may have leisure...” – Aristotle, Book X, Chapter 7 of Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle thought that leisure was important because it gave people time to pursue knowledge, which he believed would lead to our ultimate goal of increased happiness.
It’s important not just to have leisure but to spend the time well.
Is it really relaxing to spend your free time, your weekends, scrolling on your phone for hours? What if, instead, you spent that time hiking, hanging out with friends, reading, exploring, growing?
That, Aristotle would argue, is valuable leisure.
Time for Some R&R
Music is a combination of poetry and instrumentation. William Wordsworth called poetry “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.”
“Friday I’m in Love” is a poem that captures the powerful feeling of freedom.
I’m glad the Cure ventured outside their gloomy goth rock comfort zone to produce this song. It’s one of my favorites. I used to listen to it every Friday at a certain point in life.
It’s a reminder that leisure is necessary and that there might just be “good” leisure. I know all too often I tell myself that I’ll scroll on my phone to relax, yet I never feel much better afterwards.
If you need a pick me up this week, I recommend you give “Friday I’m in Love” a listen. Before we know it, Friday evening will be upon us, and we’ll once again face the question, “how will we spend our free time?”
I hope I haven’t got you too eager for this coming Friday. We just have to get through Monday first. Thanks for reading!
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