‘Monday, Monday’ is a 1966 song written by John Phillips and recorded by the Mamas & the Papas, using background instruments played by members of the Wrecking Crew for their 1966 album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears. Denny Doherty was the lead vocalist. It was the group's only #1 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
While awaiting the release of ‘California Dreamin',’ band member Denny Doherty was prodding songwriter John Phillips to come up with some new material. Phillips said he would come back in the morning with "A song with universal appeal." Ignoring the sarcastic comments from the group members, Phillips came up with ‘Monday, Monday.’ It's about the lousy feeling that comes with the end of the weekend and beginning of another workweek.
Phillips said that he wrote the song quickly, in about 20 minutes. The song includes a pregnant pause before the coda, which modulates up a semitone. Succeeding ‘Good Lovin'’ by the Young Rascals in the number one position, the event marked the first time in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 two songs with pregnant pauses were consecutive number one hits. This was the first Hot 100 chart-topper with a day in the week in the title, and the only one with "Monday." (‘Manic Monday’ by the Bangles and ‘Rainy Days And Mondays’ by the Carpenters both stalled at #2.)
Denny Doherty, who sang lead on this song for The Mamas & the Papas thought very little of ‘Monday Monday’ when they recorded it. "Nobody likes Monday, so I thought it was just a song about the working man," he said. "Nothing about it stood out to me; it was a dumb f--kin' song about a day of the week." As you can imagine, he was taken by surprise when the song became a huge hit. Doherty wasn't alone in his incredulity: Mama Cass and Michelle Phillips didn't like the song either, and John Phillips claimed he had no idea what the song meant.
On March 2, 1967, the Mamas & the Papas won a Grammy Award for this song, in the category Best Contemporary (R&R) Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental. In 2008 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Label – Dunhill
Songwriter – John Phillips
Producer – Lou Adler
SONG LYRICS
Bah-da bah-da-da-daBah-da bah-da-da-da
Bah-da bah-da-da-da
Monday, Monday, so good to me
Monday mornin', it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday mornin', Monday mornin' couldn't guarantee
That Monday evenin' you would still be here with me
Monday, Monday, can't trust that day
Monday, Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way
Oh Monday mornin' you gave me no warnin' of what was to be
Oh Monday, Monday, how could you leave and not take me
Every other day, every other day
Every other day of the week is fine, yeah
But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
A-you can find me cryin' all of the time
Monday, Monday, so good to me
Monday mornin', it was all I hoped it would be
But Monday mornin', Monday mornin' couldn't guarantee
That Monday evenin' you would still be here with me
Every other day, every other day
Every other day of the week is fine, yeah (yeah)
But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
A-you can find me cryin' all of the time
{Pause}
Monday, Monday, can't trust that day
Monday, Monday, it just turns out that way
Oh Monday, Monday, won't go away
Monday, Monday, it's here to stay
Oh Monday, Monday
Oh Monday, Monday