The Boomtown Rats had a hit single with ‘I Don’t Like Monday’s’ all the way back in 1979. At a first listen, the song seems faultlessly catchy; it wasn’t until recently that I learned the true nature of the lyrics.
The song was inspired by 16-year-old Brenda Spencer’s school shooting of the same year. When asked why she did it, she simply said ‘I don’t like Mondays’. Her complete lack of remorse during these events is what Bob Geldof writes about in this hauntingly likeable track.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kobdb37Cwc&w=740&h=422]
The song itself is ambiguously upbeat, in complete contrast to the lyrics. It reached number one in the charts that summer, and it’s no wonder, the ominous piano during the opening, and Geldof’s dramatic pause after the line “and the lesson today is how to die” completely rounds off the whole sinister feel to the song.
Words by Zoe