"I Don't Like Mondays" is a song by the Boomtown Rats that was a UK number one single for four weeks during the summer of 1979. Written by Bob Geldof, it was the band's second number one single.
According to Geldof, he wrote the song after reading a telex report at Georgia State University's campus radio station, WRAS, on the shooting spree of 16-year-old, Brenda Ann Spencer, who fired at children playing in a school playground at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California on 29 January 1979, killing two adults and injuring eight children and one police officer. Spencer showed no remorse for her crime and her full explanation for her actions was "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day" The song was first performed less than a month later. Geldof explained how he wrote the song:
I was doing a radio interview in Atlanta with Fingers and there was a telex machine beside me. I read it as it came out. Not liking Mondays as a reason for doing somebody in is a bit strange. I was thinking about it on the way back to the hotel and I just said 'Silicon chip inside her head had switched to overload'. I wrote that down. And the journalists interviewing her said, 'Tell me why?' It was such a senseless act. It was the perfect senseless act and this was the perfect senseless reason for doing it. So perhaps I wrote the perfect senseless song to illustrate it. It wasn't an attempt to exploit tragedy.
Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. Amos originally served as the lead singer of 1980s synthpop group Y Kant Tori Read, and as a solo artist was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s. She was also noteworthy early in her solo career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument. Some of her charting singles include "Crucify", "Silent All These Years", "God", "Cornflake Girl", "Caught a Lite Sneeze", "Professional Widow", "Spark", "1000 Oceans", and "A Sorta Fairytale", her most commercially successful single in the U.S. to date.
As of 2005, Amos had sold 12 million albums worldwide. She has been nominated for 8 Grammy Awards. Amos was also named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1996.
Amos was born in Newton, North Carolina. When she was two, her family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where she began to play the piano. By age five, she had begun composing instrumental pieces on piano and, while living in Rockville, Maryland, she won a full scholarship to the Preparatory Division of the Peabody Conservatory of Music. Her scholarship was discontinued at age 11 and she was asked to leave. Amos has asserted that she lost the scholarship because of her interest in rock and popular music, coupled with her dislike for reading from sheet music. In 1972, The Amos family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, where her father, Reverend Edison Amos, became pastor of the Good Shepherd United Methodist church. At the age of 13 she began playing at gay bars and piano bars, chaperoned by her father.
The silicon chip inside her head.
Gets switched to overload,
And nobody's gonna go to school today,
She's going to make them stay at home,
And daddy doesn't understand it,
He always said she was as good as gold,
And he can see no reason.
Cos there are no reasons.
What reason do you need to be shown.
Tell me why.
I Dont't like Mondays.
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
tell me why
I dont like Mondays
I want to shoot.
The whole day down.
The Telex machine is kept so clean.
As it types to a waiting world,
And Mother feels so shocked,
Father's world is rocked,
And their thoughts turn to.
Their own little girl.
Sweet 16 ain't that peachy keen,
No, it ain't so neat to admit defeat,
They can see no reasons.
Cos there are no reasons.
What reason do you need to be shown Oh, woaah
(repeat chorus)
All the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die,
And then the bullhorn crackles,
And the captain tackles,
With the problems and the how's and why's
And he can see no reasons
Cos there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die
Tell me why.
I Dont't like Mondays.
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
tell me why
I don't like, I don't like, I don't like Mondays
tell me why
I don't like, I don't like , I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot, the whole day down
(Bob Geldof)
The silicon chip inside her head,
Got switched to overload
Nobody's gonna go to school today,
She's gonna make them stay at home,
And Daddy doesn't understand it,
He always said she was good as gold,
And he can see (no reasons)
'Cause there are (no reasons)
What reason do you need to be shown
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot the whole day down
The telex machine is kept so clean
And it types to a waiting world,
Her Mother feels so shocked
Father's world is rocked
And their thoughts turn to
Their own little girl
Well sweet 16 ain't she peachy keen,
And it ain't so neat to admit defeat,
There could be (no reasons)
Because there are (no reasons)
What reasons do you need, oh,
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays
I'm gonna shoot the whole day down, down, down
I'll shoot it all down
And all the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while
And school is out, oh and soon we will learn that
the lesson today is how to die
And then the bullhorn crackles,
And the captain tackles
with the problems and the how's and why's
and he can see (no reasons)
'Cause there are (no reasons)
What reasons do you need to die, die, oh
And the silicon chip inside her head
gets switched to overload, oh
and nobody's gonna go to school today
She's gonna make them stay at home
And Daddy doesn't understand it
He always said she was good as gold
And he could see (no reasons)
'Cause there are (no reasons)
What reason do you need to be shown
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays
(Tell me why) I don't like , I don't like
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays
(Tell me why) I don't like , I don't like
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays
The silicon chip inside her head,
Got switched to overload
Nobody's gonna go to school today,
She's gonna make them stay at home,
And daddy doesn't understand it,
He always said she was good as gold,
And he can see (no reasons)
'Cause there are (no reasons)
What reason do you need to be shown
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays (3x)
I want to shoot the whole day down
The telex machine is kept so clean
And it types to a waiting world,
Her mother feels so shocked
Father's world is rocked
And their thoughts turned to their own little girl
Well sweet 16 ain't she peachy keen,
And it ain't so neat to admit defeat,
There could be (no reasons)
Because there are ( no reasons)
What reasons do you need, oh,
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays (3x)
I'm gonna shoot the whole day down, down, down
I'll shoot it all down
And all the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while
And school is out, oh and soon we will learn that the lesson today is how to die
And then the bullhorn crackles,
And the captain tackles with the problems and the how's and why's
And he can see (no reasons)
'Cause there are (no reasons)
What reasons do you need to die, die, oh
The silicon chip inside her head,
Gets switched to overload
Nobody's gonna go to school today,
She's gonna make them stay at home,
And daddy doesn't understand it,
He always said she was good as gold,
And he can see (no reasons)
'Cause there are (no reasons)
What reason do you need to be shown
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays (2x)
(Tell me why) I don't like, I don't like
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays
(Tell me why) I don't like, I don't like
(Tell me why) I don't like Mondays (2x)
I want to shoot the whole day down
The silicon chip inside her head
gets switched to overload
and nobody's gonna go to school today
she's gonna make them stay at home
And Daddy doesn't understand it
He always said she was good as gold
And he can see no reason
Cos there are no reasons
What reasons do you need to be shown
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down
The telex machine is kept so clean
and it types to waiting world.
And Mother feels so shocked
Father's world is rocked
And their thoughts turn to
Their own little girl
Sweet 16 ain't that peachy keen
No it ain't so neat to admit defeat,
They can see no reasons
Cos there are no reasons
What reasons do you need to be shown
All the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys awhile
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
That the lesson today is how to die
And then the bullhorn crackles
And the captain tackles
With the problems and the how's and why's
And he can see no reasons
Cos there are no reasons
The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload.
And nobody's gonna go to school today,
She's going to make them stay at home.
And daddy doesn't understand it,
He always said she was as good as gold.
And he can see no reason
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown?
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The whole day down.
The telex machine is kept so clean
As it types to a waiting world.
And mother feels so shocked,
Father's world is rocked,
And their thoughts turn to
Their own little girl.
Sweet 16 ain't so peachy keen,
No, it ain't so neat to admit defeat.
They can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown?
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The whole day down.
All the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while.
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die.
And then the bullhorn crackles,
And the captain crackles,
With the problems and the how's and why's.
And he can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die?
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload.
And nobody's gonna go to school today,
She's going to make them stay at home.
And daddy doesn't understand it,
He always said she was good as gold.
And he can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown?
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The whole day down.
The telex machine is kept so clean
As it types to a waiting world.
And mother feels so shocked,
Father's world is rocked,
And their thoughts turn to
Their own little girl.
Sweet 16 ain't that peachy keen,
No, it ain't so neat to admit defeat.
They can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reasons do you need.. ooh
-ooh-ooh
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The whole day down, down, down... shoot it all down
All the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while.
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die.
And then the bullhorn crackles,
And the captain tackles,
With the problems and the hows and whys.
And he can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die, die, ooh...ooh?
The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload.
And nobody's gonna go to school today,
She's going to make them stay at home.
And daddy doesn't understand it,
He always said she was good as gold.
And he can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown?
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why?
I don't like, I don't like, I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like, I don't like, I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot