Hurray for Friday! This is probably the most awaited day when school and work are out for the week. It signals the start of the weekend fun.
That said, Friday represents freedom and possibility. No day of the week more fully embodies a sense of opportunity and joy. So, unsurprisingly, songs about Friday often celebrate partying, dancing, and having a little time and money in our pockets.
Ranging from disco to hip-hop, the following 15 of the best songs about Friday explore everything memorable about this day of the week. Have fun reading!
1. “Friday I’m in Love” By The Cure
History remembers The Cure as a bleaker and more hopeless band than they actually were. Robert Smith and friends are positively joyous in “Friday I’m in Love,” one of the band’s biggest hits.
The buoyant ode to love charts a difficult week. According to the singer, all the other days of the week bring gloominess. He wades through various complications until Friday brings romance and happiness.
“Friday I’m in Love” was a massive hit for the band. The song charted in thirteen countries and reached #1 on the United States Alternative Airplay list. “Friday I’m in Love,” featured on the band’s 1992 album Wish, was The Cure’s final American top 4 hit.
Related: Our list of songs about each day of the week.
2. “Dancing Queen” By Abba
Unsurprisingly, “Dancing Queen” is as close to a universally beloved disco song as you’re likely to find. Abba’s ode to youth and dancing perfectly captures the anticipation of a Friday night. In fact, the titular royalty hunts for her partner on a Friday evening.
Abba released the enduring classic in 1976. The Swedish pop juggernauts infused American disco with Europop flair with wild success.
Upon release, “Dancing Queen” was an unstoppable hit. The song charted in 22 countries, reaching #1 on most lists. The song returned to pop music prominence in 1992, 2008, and 2021. The tune has inspired multiple covers and has been featured in a multitude of media.
3. “Friday” By Rebecca Black
In late 2010, Rebecca Black was a nobody. But in early 2011, she became a household name when her song became viral. Her career-defining “Friday” is more infamous than celebrated though.
Black’s mother bought the rights and production of “Friday” as a vanity product for her daughter. While the lyrics are basic and the tune derivative, the song undeniably filled an open pop culture position. That position just happened to be a punchline.
Despite the derision, “Friday” dominated 2011’s media conversation. Critics maligned the song but still talked about it, cementing it as a pivotal part of the pop culture landscape. “Friday” even charted in eight countries.
4. “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” By Katy Perry
American singer-songwriter Katy Perry can’t abandon bad ideas in “Last Friday Night.” The song details the various misadventures the singer gets into on the first night of the weekend.
The narrator’s debauchery includes drinking too much and committing an arrest-warranting crime. She is having too much fun but can’t remember every single thing she did on this night.
Perry released “Last Friday Night” in 2011, including the single on her album Teenage Dream. The dance-pop song performed massively well on the charts. The hit landed on lists in 33 countries, reaching #1 in the United States.
5. “Cheap Thrills” By Sia
After Katy Perry’s drunken Friday night, Sia celebrates a simple Friday evening in “Cheap Thrills.” The singer explains that she’s content to spend the weekend dancing. She does her nails and makeup in preparation, content to pass a low-cost evening enjoying good music and dancing it out.
Sia initially composed “Cheap Thrills” for Rihanna. However, Rihanna rejected it, leaving Sia to record the reggae-inspired song herself. The songstress included “Cheap Thrills” on her 2015 album This is Acting.
Rihanna’s loss was Sia’s gain. “Cheap Thrills” was a massive hit, charting in 42 countries and claiming the #1 spot on multiple global lists. The song inspired several remixes as well.
6. “Good Friday” By Cowboy Junkies
Our next song with “Friday” in the title is a hit from the Cowboy Junkies. The band included “Good Friday” on their 1998 album Miles From our Home. Their primary songwriter, Michael Timmins, penned the melancholy song.
The band built a successful career around poetic but abstract lyrics on heady subjects. Their song “Good Friday” finds the singer watching dawn break and marveling at the natural beauty surrounding her.
The song takes place on a Good Friday morning when the narrator watches the world awake. She ponders challenging philosophical ideas about life, death, and existence. She also wonders about Christ’s feelings and actions on a similar morning, 2000 years prior.
7. “Finally Friday” By George Jones
Texas-born George Jones is a country music luminary, and “Finally Friday” finds him singing the genre’s hits. The song embraces a working-class celebration of the weekend after a long workweek.
The narrator has lined up a classic Friday evening to start a wild weekend. He plans to drink too much, spend his one hundred dollars, and dance with his girlfriend.
He acknowledges he’s out of control when this day comes around. He knows he’ll feel the consequences on Monday and Tuesday. But by Wednesday, he’ll turn a corner and prepare for another intense Friday night.
8. “Friday On My Mind” By The Easybeats
Continuing the long tradition of songs anticipating the first day of the weekend is “Friday on my Mind” by The Easybeats. The band released the song in 1966 to global acclaim. The Australian hit charted in ten countries, reaching #1 in the Netherlands and Australia.
In the song, the narrator endures the petty grievances of the work week. He looks forward to Friday by focusing on the good times it holds.
In 2001, the Australasian Performing Right Association named “Friday on my Mind” the number one greatest Australian song of all time. This ode to weekend freedom inspired many covers, including one by David Bowie.
9. “Friday” By Ice Cube
The producers of the 1995 comedy Friday were smart enough to capitalize on Ice Cube, the film’s star. He contributed “Friday” to the movie’s soundtrack and helped cement its place in movie history.
Despite featuring on a comedy soundtrack, “Friday” addresses heavy issues with righteous fury. The song tackles intense subject matter, including gang violence and ghetto politics. But Ice Cube contrasts these with bars about playing Nintendo, hanging out with his girl, and relaxing.
The Friday soundtrack was successful. That’s thanks in no small part to Ice Cube’s song and its impressive grasp of internal rhyme schemes.
10. “Black Friday” By Steely Dan
Our next song, Steely Dan’s “Black Friday,” in no way pertains to the post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas shopping bacchanalia. The rock pioneers seldom followed conventional songwriting narratives. “Black Friday” found them exploring a failed 1869 financial scheme.
The song’s narrator is a fictional amalgam of shady investors. He uses unscrupulous means to amass a fortune. Then he high-tails it to Australia to enjoy the fruits of his labors.
“Black Friday,” a catchy song about terrible people, remains a Steely Dan fan-favorite. The band included the song on their album, Katy Lied. It was a modest success, reaching #37 on the American charts.
11. “Friday Night” By Lily Allen
The 2006 hit “Friday Night” finds Lily Allen at her cantankerous best. This song that mentions “Friday” only once in the lyrics takes a snarky approach to detail a potentially confrontational Friday night at a club.
The narrator details several combative occurrences. First with a bouncer, then with another girl who’s also getting into the club. In each instance, the singer refuses to back down, prepared to hold her own against her antagonists.
She warns the girl, “Don’t try and test me.” The singer doesn’t care who she is, but she’s ready for action. It seems that she knows the goings on in places like the club and the attitude of those who frequent it.
12. “Just Got Paid” By Johnny Kemp
In “Just Got Paid,” Johnny Kemp celebrates two of the best possible feelings. A freshly filled wallet and a wide-open weekend ahead. The 1988 new jack swing hit details all of Kemp’s plans now that he’s solvent and off for the week.
The narrator plans to enjoy innocent fun, dancing with a pretty girl, spending lots of money, and partying with his friends. His plans largely revolve around getting pretty funky.
“Just Got Paid” reached #1 on the United States R&B charts and received a Grammy nomination. The song inspired three notable covers by NSYNC, CDB, and Kurupt.
13. “Get ‘Em Out By Friday” By Genesis
In a song with “Friday” in the lyrics, Peter Gabriel marked his Genesis tenure with thoughtful and progressive lyrics. “Get ‘Em Out by Friday” fuses science fiction and social commentary into a futuristic epic with resounding social relevance.
The song tells the story of a corrupt landlord evicting various tenants from low-rent housing. That’s so he can re-sell the property for massive profits. The ambitious composition features three characters. These were all performed by Gabriel, adopting different vocal affectations.
The song clocks in at a staggering eight minutes and 30 seconds. Genesis featured “Get ‘Em Out by Friday” on their 1972 critical darling album Foxtrot.
14. “Friday’s Child” By Nancy Sinatra
Up next is a song that deviates from the standard weekend fare. Nancy Sinatra‘s “Friday’s Child” doesn’t celebrate the endless possibilities of two work-free days. Nor does it anticipate evenings of dancing, drinking, and romance.
Sinatra sings about the titular character being a creature of suffering and loss. She describes this Friday’s child as homely, poor, not terribly ambitious, and unloved. Then the singer identifies herself as Friday’s child.
Though the song is short, it mentions Friday 23 times. The singer included “Friday’s Child” on her 1966 album Nancy in London.
15. “Friday Night, Saturday Morning” By The Specials
Our last song on the list, “Friday Night, Saturday Morning” by The Specials, recounts the exploits of a narrator who takes the weekends seriously. The singer begins celebrating his weekend on Friday night and doesn’t wrap up until the next day.
Despite the considerable length committed to revelry, the singer indulges in PG-rated fun. He dances, drinks, and hangs out with friends. Eventually, he and his crew catch up with some bachelorettes and party some more.
Our hero wraps up his long night out waiting for a taxi in a puddle of a stranger’s vomit. The evening is a success.
Summing Up Our List Of Friday Songs
Now that we’re at the end of this post, we’re pretty sure you’re craving for Friday to come. If it hasn’t yet, that is.
Indeed, a lot of people anticipate this day coming around because of the fun it promises. We wish for Monday through Thursday to pass quickly, making plans for a fun weekend. Or even a quiet night at home.
Regardless of the mood or occasion, we hope this list has provided you with some great tracks to add to your playlist. Enjoy your Friday!
