Dave Edmunds (born April 15, 1944) is a singer, guitarist and producer from… Read Full Bio ↴Dave Edmunds (born April 15, 1944) is a singer, guitarist and producer from Cardiff, Wales. Though he was primarily associated with pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the late 70's and early 80's, he was steadfastly devoted to pre-Beatles rock and roll. An infrequent songwriter, Edmunds has largely relied on cover songs or custom-written material to sustain his career.

In the late 1960s he led a blues-rock trio called Love Sculpture, who scored a quasi-novelty hit by reworking Khachaturian's classical piece "Sabre Dance" as a speed-crazed rock number. "Sabre Dance" became a hit after garnering the enthusiastic attention of British DJ John Peel.

After Love Sculpture split, Edmunds had a number one single with "I Hear You Knocking", a Smiley Lewis cover. His only acting role followed, as a band member in the David Essex movie Stardust (1974 movie). After learning the trade of producer, culminating in a couple of singles in the style of Phil Spector, "Baby I Love You" and "Born To Be With You", he became linked with the pub rock movement of the early 1970s, producing Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, and also The Flamin' Groovies, using a stripped down, grittier sound.

His own solo LP from that era, Subtle As A Flying Mallet, was similar in style. In 1977, the Brinsley Schwarz connection brought about a collaboration with Nick Lowe under the name Rockpile, with Billy Bremner and Terry Williams. For contractual reasons they could not record as Rockpile until 1980, but contemporary solo LPs (such as Nick Lowe's Labour of Lust and Edmunds' own Repeat When Necessary) were in fact group recordings. Dave Edmunds had more hits during this time, including Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk", Nick Lowe's "I Knew The Bride", Hank DeVito's "Queen of Hearts" ), Graham Parker's "Crawling From The Wreckage", and Melvin Endsley's "Singing The Blues" (originally a hit for Guy Mitchell).

Unexpectedly, after Rockpile relased their first LP under their own name (1980's Seconds Of Pleasure), the band split, generally attributed to tensions between Edmunds and Lowe. Edmunds spent the 1980s collaborating with and producing an assortment of artists, from Paul McCartney to King Kurt, and from The Stray Cats to Status Quo. He recorded the soundtrack for Porky's Revenge, supplying the main theme, "High School Nights", and was the musical director for a television special starring Carl Perkins, with assorted guests including George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Rosanne Cash.

On his 1983 and 1984 releases, Information and Riff Raff, Edmunds collaborated on two songs with Jeff Lynne, the lead musician of Electric Light Orchestra. He recorded less frequently after the mid 1980s.

Edmunds now lives in Wales in semi-retirement, touring Scandinavia infrequently, after surviving a quadruple bypass several years ago.

Blue Monday
Dave Edmunds Lyrics

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Blue Monday, how I hate blue Monday
Got me workin' like a dog all day
Here comes Tuesday, oh hard Tuesday
I'm so tired, I've got no time to play
Look out Wednesday I'm beat to my bone
My girl calls, I gotta tell her I'm not home
She knows Thursday is a hard workin day
Til Friday I get paid

Oh Saturday morning, Saturday morning
All my tired has gone away
Got my money and my honey
And we're out on the town to play
Sunday morning my head is bad
But it's worth it, all the times I had
But I've still got to get my rest
For Monday is a mess Saturday morning,
Oh Satirday morning
All my tired has gone away
Me and my honey, we got some money
And were out on the town play
Sunday morning my head is bad
But it's worth all the times I had

But I've got to go and get some rest
For Monday is a mess!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dave Edmunds's song, "Blue Monday," portray the relatable experience of the dread and exhaustion of a workweek, and the release and excitement of weekend freedom. The singer expresses their strong dislike of Mondays, which they liken to working like a dog all day. Tuesdays are just as hard, and they are too tired to play. By Wednesday, the exhaustion has caught up, and they are bone-tired. The singer's girlfriend calls, but they cannot respond because they are too tired, and she understands that Thursdays are a hard-working day. The anticipation of payday on Friday finally brings some relief.

Saturday morning finally arrives, and the exhaustion of the past week has dissipated. The singer has money, company, and the freedom to go out and play. Sunday morning comes with a hangover from the wild weekend, but the singer declares it worth it for the good times they had. However, the singer must still get rest, for Monday, yet again, looms with its own set of pressures and stress. The song's lyrics reveal an individual's longing for the freedom of the weekend and their dread of returning to work on Monday.

Line by Line Meaning

Blue Monday, how I hate blue Monday
I despise Monday because it means I have to go to work

Got me workin' like a dog all day
I have to work hard and for long hours like a dog

Here comes Tuesday, oh hard Tuesday
Tuesday is also hard, maybe even harder than Monday

I'm so tired, I've got no time to play
I am exhausted and cannot find the energy to engage in leisure activities

Look out Wednesday I'm beat to my bone
By Wednesday, I am completely exhausted

My girl calls, I gotta tell her I'm not home
I am so tired that I do not feel like talking to my girlfriend

She knows Thursday is a hard workin day
My girlfriend understands that Thursday is also a difficult day for me

Til Friday I get paid
I have to work until Friday to finally receive my paycheck

Oh Saturday morning, Saturday morning
Saturday morning finally arrives, bringing a sense of relief

All my tired has gone away
I am no longer tired, thanks to the weekend

Got my money and my honey
I have my paycheck and my girlfriend with me

And we're out on the town to play
We are going out to have some fun and enjoy ourselves

Sunday morning my head is bad
On Sunday morning, I have a headache, possibly due to having a little too much fun the night before

But it's worth it, all the times I had
Despite the headache, the memories of the fun I had make it worth it

But I've still got to get my rest
I need to rest and recover from the weekend's activities

For Monday is a mess
I know that Monday will be difficult, so I need to be well-rested to face it

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Dave Bartholomew

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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