Whether it’s getting scorched under the beating sun or straining the eye against a bright computer screen, work is work. We love it, we hate it, we have to do it, but thank goodness there’s a song for it.
Videos by American Songwriter
From “9 To 5” to “Takin’ Care of Business,” there is a number of tunes that have been written about work just to help get us through the day. Here are some of our favorites.
1. “Workin’ For A Livin’” – Huey Lewis & The News
Somedays won’t end ever and somedays pass on by / I’ll be working here forever, at least until I die, Huey Lewis sings the words to “Workin’ For A Livin’” only because he’s lived them.
Lewis, no stranger to hard work in or out of the music industry, penned the song while working as a truck driver pre-fame and has since made a career out of crafting hits for the working stiff. “Workin’ For A Livin’” is among his most relatable, detailing the daily grind of the dead-end job.
2. “Manic Monday” – The Bangles
The Bangles delivered an ode to the Monday woes when they released the bubbly and all-too-relatable “Manic Monday.” While the song sounds like a perky hit, it details the moment we all dread: the beginning of the work week, a day where anything can and will go wrong.
3. “Take This Job And Shove It” – Johnny Paycheck
Take this job and shove it / I ain’t working here no more, Johnny Paycheck bellows in another relatable song about work. While an aggressive sentiment, “Take This Job and Shove It” is a tune we’ve all been able to identify with at one point or another.
4. “She Works Hard For The Money” – Donna Summer
When Donna Summer sang She works hard for the money / So you better treat her right, she was singing about a restroom attendant named Onetta Johnson, who she encountered at a party and sympathized with immediately.
Summer wrote “She Works Hard For The Money” as an ode to the woman, and the song has since become a rallying cry to all the hard workers out there.
5. “9 To 5” – Dolly Parton
Workin’ 9 to 5 / What a way to make a livin’ / Barely gettin’ by / It’s all takin’ and no givin’, Dolly Parton sings in her hit “9 To 5,” a catchy tune about a serious matter. The song speaks volumes about the toxic workplace, touching on unfair treatment from employers and reaching anyone who has ever felt taken advantage of in their profession.
6. “Workin’ Man Blues” – Merle Haggard
I’ve been a workin’ man, dang near all my life / I’ll be workin’ long as my two hands are fit to use, plays Merle Haggard’s “Working Man Blues.” His deeply honest lyrics illustrate a man who does backbreaking work without complaint in order to provide for his wife and nine kids. The song makes a hero out of the blue-collar worker while also shedding light on his plight.
7. “Working Girl” – Cher
She’s just a pawn in the struggle / In a never-ending fight to survive / Mama had to play someone else’s game / You learn to keep it inside / Working girl, livin’ in a man’s world / Working girl, you gotta take a stand, girl, Cher sings in her solemn tune “Working Girl.”
She honors the woman who does what she has to do in order to survive. For those hungry to achieve, it’s a powerful anthem about struggle, strife, and the fight to the top.
8. “Shiftwork” – Kenny Chesney
Calling it as he sees it, a big ol’ pile of shiiiiiiii…ft work, Kenny Chesney crafted a gem when he made “Shiftwork.” The country tune about hard work and little thanks is lovable with its tongue-in-cheek lyricism, but above all relatable.
9. “A Hard Day’s Night” – The Beatles
It’s been a hard day’s night / And I’ve been working like a dog, the Beatles sing in their classic tune “A Hard Day’s Night.” A song actually about the person who makes that long day of work all worth it, the early Beatles ballad is an endearing one that reminds us why we do what we do.
10. “Takin’ Care of Business” – Bachman Turner Overdrive
If you ever get annoyed, look at me, I’m self-employed / I love to work at nothing all day / And I’ve been takin’ care of business, every day / Takin’ care of business, every way, plays Bachman Turner Overdrive’s “Takin’ Care of Business.” Probably the greatest tune about work, the rollicking rock hit says you can still get the job done without doing a thing, or at least BTO can.
Photo by David Redfern/Redferns
