A Sneak Peek ...
And this time, the reason why we "don't like Mondays"...
On Monday, January 29, 1979, a tragic incident occurred and inspired the writing of the song "I Don't Like Mondays", by "The Boomtown Rats".
The sad story goes like this. Brenda Ann Spencer, a 16-year-old high school student, got a rifle as a Christmas present from her father. Brenda lives across from the Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California. On Monday, January 29, 1979, she opened fire on the school playground, with the rifle she got as a present from her father. She kills two adults (including the school principal) and injures nine more children.
Police surrounded Brenda's house. She waited about seven hours before giving herself up. While waiting at her home she spoke to a reporter on the phone. When asked why she did the horrible act ('Tell me why?'), She replied, "I just started shooting, that's it. I just did it for the fun of it. I just don't like Mondays. I just did it because it's a way to cheer the day up. Nobody likes Mondays".
At the same time, Bob Geldof, leader of "The Boomtown Rats", along with band keyboardist Johnnie Fingers, were interviewed on WRAS radio station, at the University of Georgia in Atlanta, USA. A telex message arrived at the station with the shocking headline about Brenda's act and the answer she gave the reporter.
Geldof returned to the hotel where he was staying and wrote the song on the spot. The first version of the song was Reggae style. When Geldof arrived in Los Angeles shortly thereafter, he recorded a demo version with piano and vocals. By the time the song was first unveiled during a performance in "Loch Lomond", Scotland, the song had already undergone a dramatic change and approached , closer to the now known familiar version.
The lyrics and the video clip that was filmed for the song include an implicit reference to the events of that day and to Brenda Spencer.
Brenda's parents tried to prevent the release of the single in the US, but without success. The song was included on the band's third album "The Fine Art of Surfacing", which was released in June 1979 and later also released as a single, on July 13, 1979.
It was the greatest hit of the band. It went straight to #1 hit in 32 different countries, but not in the US, probably since gun violence is a big issue in America
Years later Geldof admitted that he regret writing the song, since he made made Brenda famous.
For Listening to the song: Spotify, Apple Music