1981 Arena Rock Classic, Ranked Among 'Greatest Songs of the '80s,' Became an Instantly Recognizable Party Anthem

For most people, the weekend can’t come fast enough…and it always goes by way too quickly. That’s why Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend” is one of those ’80s songs that’s just as anthemic as ever, nearly half a century later.

“It’s totally a party song, there’s no question about it,” Loverboy guitarist Paul Dean told Guitar Player in 2023.

Released as the lead single from Loverboy’s 1981 studio album Get Lucky, “Working for the Weekend” peaked at #2 on Billboard’s Rock Top Tracks chart in February of 1982 (and #29 on the Billboard Hot 100). But according to Dean, he knew the song would be a success long before it hit the charts.

“It became clear to me that we were onto something when we played it at this pub in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island,” Dean said. “It was a meat-market type of atmosphere, where nobody cared about the music; they were more interested in hooking up with each other.”

“We played our first two sets, all-original stuff, and people were talking and drinking, paying little attention to the band,” he continued. “But when we opened the third set with ‘Working for the Weekend’ the dance floor was packed by the end of the intro.” 

Though “Working for the Weekend” was written mostly by Dean, he credited lead singer Mike Reno with the song’s catchy title.

“That one was originally, ‘Everybody’s Waiting for the Weekend,'” Dean told Songfacts in a 2012 interview.

“I was walking down close to where I was living,” he continued. “It was a Wednesday afternoon, beautiful afternoon, and I’m walking in this heavily populated area, and it was deserted. Everybody was at work. And me being the musician, I’m out working and my work is, okay, what am I going to do for inspiration and where can I find it? So I’m out on the beach and wondering, ‘Where is everybody? Well, I guess they’re all waiting for the weekend.'”

“So that experience spurred that,” Dean added. “And Mike had the great idea of, ‘Why don’t we call it, Working for the Weekend?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, that’s good. That’s fine.’ Not a huge difference, still works, it’s kind of cool, it’s quirky with a little bit of a twist on the lyrics, so yeah, let’s go.”

Over the years, “Working for the Weekend” has continued to resonate with new listeners, thanks in part to movies and TV shows like Zoolander, Saturday Night Live and Family Guy.

“It’s unbelievable how it keeps getting placed in movies and TV shows and how it’s held up…our song ‘Turn Me Loose’ gets a lot of soundtrack stuff too, but nothing like ‘Working for the Weekend.’ It’s a pretty cool one-two punch.”

Indeed. VH1 even included “Working for the Weekend” on a list of the “100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s” (at #100).

Related: 1963 Hit Ranked Among ‘Greatest Songs of All Time’ Became the Ultimate Party Anthem