Monday, Monday

"Monday, Monday"
"Monday, Monday"
	West German picture sleeve
Single by the Mamas & the Papas
from the album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears
B-side	"Got a Feelin'"
Released	March 1966
Recorded	December 16, 1965
Studio	United Western, Los Angeles
Genre	Pop, folk rock, sunshine pop[citation needed]
Length	3:25 (album version); 3:09 (Single Version)
Label	Dunhill
Songwriter(s)	John Phillips
Producer(s)	Lou Adler
The Mamas & the Papas singles chronology
Audio
	"Monday, Monday" on YouTube

"Monday, Monday" is a 1966 song written by John Phillips and recorded by the Mamas & the Papas, with backing music by members of the Wrecking Crew^[2] for their 1966 album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears. Denny Doherty was the lead vocalist.^[3] It was the group's only #1 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.^[4]

Background

Phillips said that he wrote the song quickly, in about 20 minutes.^[5] In the lyrics, the singer dislikes Mondays because the person he loved left him on that day. "Oh Monday mornin', you gave me no warnin' of what was to be."^[6]

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.^{[citation needed]}

On March 2, 1967, the Mamas & the Papas won a Grammy Award for the song, in the category Best Contemporary (R&R) Group Performance, Vocal Or Instrumental.^[7] In 2008, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.^[8]

The song was performed at the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967. The performance was filmed for the movie of the festival, but not included in the final print.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Chart (1966)	Peak position
Australia	4
Canada RPM Top Singles^[9]	1
Ireland (IRMA)^[10]	4
New Zealand (Listener)	4
South Africa (Springbok Radio)^[11]	1
Italy (Musica e Dischi)	39
UK (The Official Charts Company)^[12]	3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[13]	1
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 ^[14]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1966)	Rank
UK	35
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[15]	7
U.S. Cash Box ^[16]	31

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[17]	Platinum	1,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

Petula Clark, on the album I Couldn't Live Without Your Love (1966)^[18]
The Beau Brummels, on the album Beau Brummels '66 (1966)^[19]
Neil Diamond, on the album The Feel of Neil Diamond (1966)^[20]
Jay and the Americans, on the album Livin' Above Your Head (1966)^[21]
Sérgio Mendes, on the album The Great Arrival (1966)^[22]
Marianne Faithfull, on the album Faithfull Forever (1966)^[23]
Mrs. Miller, on the album Will Success Spoil Mrs Miller?! (1966)^[24]
Los Darts "Donde Donde", a Spanish version on the album Los Darts (1966)
Dee Dee Warwick, B-side on the single of "I'll Be Better Off (Without You)" (1968)
Lenny Breau, on the album Guitar Sounds from Lenny Breau (1968)^[25]
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, on the album The Beat of the Brass (1968)^[26]
Ed Ames, on the album Who Will Answer? and Other Songs of Our Time (1968)
Circus, on the album Circus (1969)
The Cowsills, on the album The Cowsills in Concert (1969) and on a 1969 appearance on The Johnny Cash Show
The 5th Dimension, on the album The 5th Dimension/Live!! (1971)
Dionne Warwick, a previously unreleased recording on the album Only Love Can Break A Heart (1977)
Galenskaparna och After Shave, Swedish parodic text "Bandy, Bandy" about bandy (1988)
The Adventures, on the album Lions and Tigers and Bears (1993)
Hear'Say, on the album Popstars (2001)
Wilson Phillips three times: a modern rock take on the album California (2004), an a cappella single version the same year, and a straightforward take paying tribute to the original on the album Dedicated (2012)
Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs, on the album Under the Covers, Vol. 1 (2006)
Rick Price and Jack Jones, on the album California Dreaming (2017)
Neggy Gemmy, as a featured artist on the Japanese deluxe edition of the album Fauxllennium (2025)

In popular culture

ESPN announcer Chris Berman has referred to Rick Monday as "Monday, Monday".
The Mamas and the Papas' original version of "Monday, Monday" is heard in a chase scene in the 2010 movie The Other Guys.
The song is used in one of the Discovery Channel's promos for the reality TV series Dirty Jobs, which ran for eight seasons.
The Daredevil villain, Typhoid Mary, sings this song when in her "Typhoid" personality.
ESPN uses the Mamas and the Papas' version in a 2017 TV commercial to promote Monday Night Football.

The song appears on the soundtrack of Michael Apted's 1974 film Stardust.

References

^ ^a ^b Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn (2019). Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-4408-6579-4.
^ Hartman, Kent (2012). The Wrecking Crew. St. Martin’s Griffin. pp. 261–263. ISBN 978-1-250-03046-7.
^ Songfacts
^ The Mamas and the Papas
^ John Phillips interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
^ Bing.com "Lyrics - Monday, Monday" Retrieved July 12, 2024.
^ "Mamas And The Papas | Artist | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame | Hall of Fame Artists | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1966-05-30. Retrieved 2018-09-16.
^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Monday Monday". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
^ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (M)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
^ "Official Charts Company". Retrieved 2018-07-19.
^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, May 21, 1966
^ "Top 100 Hits of 1966/Top 100 Songs of 1966". musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
^ http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1966YESP.html Archived 2017-02-17 at the Wayback Machine Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 24, 1966
^ "American single certifications – The Mamas & The Papas – Monday, Monday". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 3, 2023.

External links

Listen to this article (10 minutes)

This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 25 December 2024, and does not reflect subsequent edits.

Monday, Monday at Myspace (streamed copy where licensed)
The Mamas & the Papas - Monday, Monday on YouTube

[Goldsmith-1] Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn (2019). Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-4408-6579-4.

[2] Hartman, Kent (2012). The Wrecking Crew. St. Martin’s Griffin. pp. 261–263. ISBN 978-1-250-03046-7.

[3] Songfacts

[4] The Mamas and the Papas

[pc36-5] John Phillips interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)

[6] Bing.com "Lyrics - Monday, Monday" Retrieved July 12, 2024.

[7] "Mamas And The Papas | Artist | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2024-02-28.

[8] "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame | Hall of Fame Artists | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2024-02-28.

[9] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1966-05-30. Retrieved 2018-09-16.

[sc_Ireland2_-10] "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Monday Monday". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 26, 2018.

[11] "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (M)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 8 September 2018.

[12] "Official Charts Company". Retrieved 2018-07-19.

[13] Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X

[14] Cash Box Top 100 Singles, May 21, 1966

[15] "Top 100 Hits of 1966/Top 100 Songs of 1966". musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.

[16] ttp://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1966YESP.html Archived 2017-02-17 at the Wayback Machine Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 24, 1966

[United_StatesThe_Mamas_&_The_PapasMonday,_MondaysingleCertRef-17] "American single certifications – The Mamas & The Papas – Monday, Monday". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 19, 2024.

[18] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.

[19] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.

[20] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.

[21] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 2, 2023.

[22] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 2, 2023.

[23] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 3, 2023.

[24] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 8, 2023.

[25] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.

[26] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 3, 2023.

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v t e The Mamas & the Papas
Denny Doherty Cass Elliot John Phillips Michelle Phillips Lisa Brescia Jill Gibson Laurie Beebe Lewis Deb Lyons Spanky McFarlane Barry McGuire Scott McKenzie Mackenzie Phillips
Studio albums	If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966) The Mamas & the Papas (1966) Deliver (1967) The Papas & the Mamas (1968) People Like Us (1971)
Compilations	Farewell to the First Golden Era (1967) 16 of Their Greatest Hits (1969) Greatest Hits (1998) 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Mamas & the Papas (1999) All the Leaves Are Brown (2001)
Singles	"Go Where You Wanna Go" (1965) "California Dreamin'" (1965) "Monday, Monday" (1966) "I Saw Her Again" (1966) "Words of Love" (1966) "Dancing in the Street" (1966) "Look Through My Window" (1966) "Dedicated to the One I Love" (1967) "Creeque Alley" (1967) "My Girl" (1967) "Glad to Be Unhappy" (1967) "Twelve Thirty" (1967) "Safe in My Garden" (1968) "Dream a Little Dream of Me" (1968) "Do You Wanna Dance" (1968)
Related	Discography The Beach Boys The Journeymen The Halifax Three The Big 3 The Mugwumps

v t e Jay and the Americans
Sandy Deanne Howie Kane Jay Reincke Marty Sanders Jay Traynor Kenny Vance Jay Black
Studio albums	She Cried Come a Little Bit Closer Blockbusters Sunday and Me Livin' Above Your Head Try Some of This! Sands of Time Wax Museum Capture the Moment
Singles	"She Cried" "Come a Little Bit Closer" "Let's Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key)" "Cara Mia" "Some Enchanted Evening" "Sunday and Me" "Crying" "No Other Love" "This Magic Moment" "Walkin' in the Rain" "There Goes My Baby"
Cover songs	"Here, There and Everywhere" "Hushabye" "It's a Big Wide Wonderful World" "Maria" "Monday, Monday" "Nature Boy" "Since I Don't Have You" "Solitary Man" "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" "Tonight"