Lyrical: “Monday” (Part One)

“She Wolf” is a song by Colombian singer Shakira, released in 2009 as the lead single and title track from her eighth studio album, She Wolf. Shakira wrote the song with American songwriter and producer John Hill and Sam Endicott of the Bravery, with Shakira and Hill producing the recording. Musically, it blends electropop, synth-pop,

dance-pop and disco influences, while Shakira’s distinctive vocal performance and unusual wolf imagery give it a playful, sensual and unconventional character. The song is about female independence, desire and breaking free from a restrictive relationship; the “she wolf” represents the instinctive, liberated side of a woman who refuses to remain domesticated or controlled. Shakira first released the Spanish-language version, “Loba,”

followed by the English-language “She Wolf.” The Spanish version included additional lyrics by Jorge Drexler. Several remixes and alternate versions were subsequently released, including a remix featuring T-Pain. “She Wolf” became a major international hit, reaching No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart and No. 4 in the United Kingdom.

“Loba” was particularly successful in Latin markets, reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart. The Jake Nava-directed music video emphasized the song’s themes through surreal imagery, cages, caves and Shakira’s famously acrobatic choreography. “She Wolf” remains one of Shakira’s most distinctive and experimental pop singles.

“She Came In Through the Bathroom Window” is a Beatles song written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, recorded in 1969 and released on September 26, 1969, as part of Abbey Road. At only 1:57, it forms part of the album’s famous second-side medley, following “Polythene Pam” and leading into “Golden Slumbers.”

The song was inspired by a real incident involving the Apple Scruffs, devoted Beatles fans who gathered outside the group’s homes and offices; one fan reportedly entered McCartney’s London house through an open bathroom window. McCartney transformed the incident into a surreal story filled with deliberately cryptic images and references to a silver spoon, dancing, leaving the police department and finding a steady job.

McCartney sings and plays bass, with John Lennon on acoustic guitar, George Harrison on lead guitar and Ringo Starr on drums. Earlier versions from the January 1969 Get Back sessions were later released on Anthology 3, while additional takes and mixes appeared on the expanded Abbey Road editions. The Beatles did not release the song as a single, so it has no individual Beatles chart position.

Joe Cocker recorded a radically rearranged, soulful version in 1969 that reached No. 30 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1970, while Ike & Tina Turner also recorded the song. It remains a memorable and highly regarded component of the Abbey Road medley.

“Monday, Monday” is a 1966 song by the Mamas & the Papas, written solely by John Phillips and produced by Lou Adler. Recorded in December 1965 and released in March 1966 on Dunhill Records, it appeared on the group’s debut album, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, with Denny Doherty handling the lead vocal and members of the Wrecking Crew providing much of the instrumental backing.

Phillips reportedly wrote the song in about 20 minutes after Doherty urged him to come up with new material, and its deceptively simple lyrics explore the unpredictable nature of Mondays and, more broadly, the changing emotions of a romantic relationship. The song’s distinctive arrangement combines folk-rock and sunshine-pop with the group’s trademark four-part harmonies, including a dramatic pause and a final upward key change. The single, backed by “Got a Feelin’,”

became the Mamas & the Papas’ only No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining at the top for three weeks; it also reached No. 3 in Britain and No. 1 in Canada and South Africa, while finishing No. 7 on Billboard’s 1966 year-end chart. It won the group a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary (R&R) Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental,

and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008. Numerous artists recorded versions, including Petula Clark, the Beau Brummels, Neil Diamond, Jay and the Americans, Sérgio Mendes and Marianne Faithfull. Although some group members reportedly disliked the song initially, it became their biggest commercial success and remains a defining recording of the 1960s.

“Rainy Days and Mondays” is a 1971 song by the Carpenters, written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols and produced by Richard Carpenter. Released May 14, 1971, as the first single from the album Carpenters, it features Karen Carpenter on lead vocals and drums, with Richard Carpenter on keyboards and the duo’s lush harmonies and orchestration creating its melancholy, introspective mood.

The lyrics describe loneliness, sadness and the vague feeling that something is wrong without a clear reason, expressed through the recurring association of rainy days and Mondays with emotional blues. Williams and Nichols originally wrote the song for the Carpenters after being approached by A&M Records, and Williams later said the title came from his own feelings about Mondays.

The recording became one of the duo’s signature songs, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart and No. 13 in the United Kingdom. It was kept from the Hot 100 top spot by Carole King’s “It’s Too Late” and James Taylor’s “You’ve Got a Friend.” The song has been covered by numerous performers,

including Toots and the Maytals, Shonen Knife, Claudine Longet, Perry Como and J.D. Souther, while the Carpenters’ recording has appeared on numerous greatest-hits and compilation albums. Its sophisticated arrangement, Karen Carpenter’s warm and vulnerable vocal and instantly recognizable opening line have helped make “Rainy Days and Mondays” one of the most enduring recordings of the Carpenters’ career.

“Manic Monday” is a 1986 song by the Bangles, written by Prince under the pseudonym Christopher and produced by David Kahne. Prince originally recorded a version with his group Apollonia 6, but it remained unreleased at the time; he gave the song to the Bangles after hearing their music. Released January 27, 1986, as the lead single from Different Light,

it features Susanna Hoffs on lead vocals and became one of the group’s signature songs. The lyrics humorously describe the frustration of having to return to work after a carefree weekend, with the narrator wishing Sunday could last forever and complaining that Monday arrives too soon. Musically, it combines bright pop-rock with new-wave influences and sophisticated

vocal harmonies, creating an upbeat contrast with its theme of weekday misery. “Manic Monday” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, behind Prince’s own “Kiss,” and also reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. It became the Bangles’ first major international hit and helped establish them as one of the

leading American pop-rock groups of the 1980s. The Bangles’ recording has appeared on numerous compilations and greatest-hits collections, while Prince’s original demo and other recordings have subsequently surfaced through archival releases. The song remains particularly notable because its writer and the performer who kept it from reaching No. 1 on the U.S. chart were both Prince.

“Long, Long Way from Home” is a 1977 song by British-American rock band Foreigner, written by guitarist Mick Jones and singer Lou Gramm and released as the group’s second single from their self-titled debut album, Foreigner. Produced by Gary Lyons and Mick Jones, the recording features Gramm on lead vocals, Jones on guitar and keyboards,

Ian McDonald on guitar, keyboards and saxophone, Al Greenwood on keyboards, Ed Gagliardi on bass and Dennis Elliott on drums. The song reflects the loneliness and disorientation of being far from home, with the narrator struggling to adjust to life in an unfamiliar place while recognizing that he has a long journey ahead.

Its driving guitar riff, strong rhythm section and memorable chorus helped establish Foreigner’s signature hard-rock sound. Released in 1977, the single reached No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 21 on the Canadian chart, becoming the band’s second U.S. Top 20 hit after “Feels Like the First Time.” It was also issued in edited and album versions,

while live performances have appeared on later Foreigner releases. “Long, Long Way from Home” remains one of the best-known songs from Foreigner’s debut and has been included on numerous greatest-hits and retrospective collections. Its success helped demonstrate the commercial potential of the newly formed band, whose combination of British and American musicians, melodic songwriting and hard-rock power quickly made Foreigner one of the major rock acts of the late 1970s.