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After a Long Week: Weekend Songs for Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Weekend songs are for that magical moment when the workweek finally loosens its grip and Friday starts looking like a personality trait. Some songs are literally about weekends. Others are about Friday, Saturday, Sunday, working all week, blowing off steam, dancing, relaxing, road-tripping, or making poor-but-memorable plans after 5 p.m.

This updated weekend song list includes rock, pop, country, R&B, dance, hip-hop, punk, classic oldies, party songs, workweek songs, and long-week survival anthems. Some are about actual weekends. Some are about the days of the week. Some simply sound like the exact moment someone says, “We made it.”

Weekend music can go in different directions. It can be party music, road-trip music, lazy Sunday music, Friday-night country, Saturday dance music, or that one song you play while pretending Monday is not quietly reloading in the distance.

From Working for the Weekend and Friday I’m in Love to Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.), Uptown Funk, Cheap Thrills, and Livin’ for the Weekend, these songs celebrate the end of the grind and the start of something better.

Best Weekend Songs

The best weekend songs usually capture one of three feelings: freedom after work, excitement before going out, or the sweet relief of not setting an alarm. They are not always subtle, but neither is the sound of Friday arriving.

  • Working for the Weekend – Loverboy
  • Friday I’m in Love – The Cure
  • Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) – Katy Perry
  • Finally Friday – George Jones
  • Livin’ for the Weekend – The O’Jays
  • Hymn for the Weekend – Coldplay
  • Ready for the Weekend – Calvin Harris
  • Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
  • Cheap Thrills – Sia featuring Sean Paul
  • Weekend – Kane Brown

Top Weekend Songs After a Long Week

  1. Working for the Weekend – Loverboy
  2. Friday I’m in Love – The Cure
  3. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) – Katy Perry
  4. Finally Friday – George Jones
  5. Livin’ for the Weekend – The O’Jays
  6. Hymn for the Weekend – Coldplay
  7. Ready for the Weekend – Calvin Harris
  8. Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
  9. Cheap Thrills – Sia featuring Sean Paul
  10. The Weekend – SZA
  11. Weekend – Kane Brown
  12. Weekend – Earth, Wind & Fire
  13. Weekends – The Black Eyed Peas
  14. Weekend – The Black Eyed Peas featuring Esthero
  15. Weekend – Michael Gray
  16. House Every Weekend – David Zowie
  17. Friday – Rebecca Black
  18. Friday – Riton and Nightcrawlers featuring Mufasa & Hypeman
  19. Saturday Night – Bay City Rollers
  20. Saturday Night – Whigfield
  21. Saturday in the Park – Chicago
  22. Saturday Sun – Vance Joy
  23. Saturday Nights – Khalid
  24. Sunday Best – Surfaces
  25. Sunday Morning – Maroon 5
  26. One Week – Barenaked Ladies
  27. Eight Days a Week – The Beatles
  28. 40 Hour Week (For a Livin’) – Alabama
  29. Big Weekend – Tom Petty
  30. Another Song About the Weekend – A Day to Remember
  31. Here Comes the Weekend – P!nk featuring Eminem
  32. Here Comes the Weekend – The Jam
  33. Here Comes the Weekend – Roxette
  34. Here Comes the Weekend – The Moody Blues
  35. Kings of the Weekend – blink-182
  36. Love on the Weekend – John Mayer
  37. Lonely Weekend – Kacey Musgraves
  38. Lonely Weekend – Neil Young
  39. Lonely Weekends – The Everly Brothers
  40. Out on the Weekend – Neil Young
  41. One More Weekend – Bob Dylan
  42. Weekend in New England – Barry Manilow
  43. Weekend in L.A. – George Benson
  44. Weekend Wars – MGMT
  45. Weekend Woman – Weezer
  46. Weekend Warriors – Ted Nugent
  47. Weekend Warrior – Iron Maiden
  48. Weekend Warriors – Uriah Heep
  49. Wild Weekend – Hank Williams Jr.
  50. Rock ’n’ Roll Weekend – Sammy Hagar
  51. Seven Day Weekend – ABC
  52. 7 Day Weekend – New York Dolls
  53. 3 Day Weekend – Rise Against
  54. Closed for the Weekend – Citizen King
  55. For the Weekend – Bachman-Turner Overdrive
  56. O Live for the Weekend – Triumph
  57. The Weekend Starts Here – Fatboy Slim
  58. Waiting for the Weekend – Jordan Pruitt
  59. Waiting on the Weekend – Straylight Run
  60. Weekend – Priory
  61. Weekend – Kelis
  62. Weekend – Bloodhound Gang
  63. Weekend – Brooklyn
  64. Weekend Girl – The S.O.S. Band
  65. Weekend Boy – Connie Francis
  66. Weekend Love – Spice Girls
  67. Weekend Love – Golden Earring
  68. Weekend Love – Cam’ron
  69. Weekend Friend – Goth Babe
  70. Weekend Song – Billy Joel
  71. Computer Weekend – Jean-Michel Jarre
  72. Weekapaug Groove – Phish
  73. Weekends!!! – Skrillex featuring Sirah
  74. Workin’ Weekends – Chandler Travis
  75. Days of the Week – Stone Temple Pilots
  76. Days Go By – Dirty Vegas
  77. Days Go By – Keith Urban
  78. Manic Monday – The Bangles
  79. Monday, Monday – The Mamas & the Papas
  80. Tuesday’s Gone – Lynyrd Skynyrd
  81. Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. – Simon & Garfunkel
  82. Thursday – Jess Glynne
  83. Friday Night – Eric Paslay
  84. Friday Night – The Darkness
  85. Friday Night – Lily Allen
  86. Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – Elton John
  87. Saturday Night – Suede
  88. Sunday Morning Coming Down – Kris Kristofferson
  89. Sunday Morning – The Velvet Underground
  90. Beautiful Sunday – Daniel Boone
  91. Blue Monday – New Order
  92. I Don’t Like Mondays – The Boomtown Rats
  93. Everyday of the Week – Jade
  94. Flavor of the Weak – American Hi-Fi
  95. Freak of the Week – Marvelous 3
  96. A Week in a County Jail – Tom T. Hall
  97. Annihilate This Week – Black Flag
  98. 257 Weeks – Nine Days
  99. Two Weeks in Hawaii – Hellogoodbye
  100. Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear
  101. Two Weeks – FKA twigs
  102. Wake Me Up – Avicii

Friday Songs for the End of the Workweek

Friday songs are the official soundtrack of “I have survived another week and would like a receipt.” These songs work when the week is almost over and the weekend is close enough to wave at.

  • Friday I’m in Love – The Cure
  • Finally Friday – George Jones
  • Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) – Katy Perry
  • Friday – Rebecca Black
  • Friday – Riton and Nightcrawlers featuring Mufasa & Hypeman
  • Friday Night – Eric Paslay
  • Friday Night – The Darkness
  • Friday Night – Lily Allen
  • Friday on My Mind – The Easybeats
  • Friday – Ice Cube

Saturday Songs for Going Out

Saturday songs tend to have more swagger. Friday escapes the week. Saturday owns the room, borrows the aux cord, and makes questionable footwear decisions.

  • Saturday Night – Bay City Rollers
  • Saturday Night – Whigfield
  • Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – Elton John
  • Saturday in the Park – Chicago
  • Saturday Sun – Vance Joy
  • Saturday Nights – Khalid
  • Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
  • Cheap Thrills – Sia featuring Sean Paul
  • House Every Weekend – David Zowie
  • Ready for the Weekend – Calvin Harris

Sunday Songs for Slowing Down

Sunday songs are different. Some are peaceful. Some are reflective. Some sound like coffee, laundry, regret, or the first small shadow of Monday appearing on the wall.

  • Sunday Best – Surfaces
  • Sunday Morning – Maroon 5
  • Sunday Morning – The Velvet Underground
  • Sunday Morning Coming Down – Kris Kristofferson
  • Beautiful Sunday – Daniel Boone
  • Sunday Girl – Blondie
  • Lazy Sunday – Small Faces
  • Sunday Sun – Beck
  • Sunday – Sonic Youth
  • Easy – Commodores

Weekend Party Songs That Do Not Need Permission

Some songs do not have “weekend” in the title, but they belong on a weekend playlist because they sound like a door opening, a group text forming, and somebody saying, “One drink,” which history knows is not binding.

  • Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
  • Cheap Thrills – Sia featuring Sean Paul
  • Wake Me Up – Avicii
  • Can’t Stop the Feeling! – Justin Timberlake
  • Shut Up and Dance – Walk the Moon
  • I Gotta Feeling – The Black Eyed Peas
  • Get Lucky – Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams
  • Good as Hell – Lizzo
  • Levitating – Dua Lipa
  • 24K Magic – Bruno Mars

Workweek Songs and Long-Week Survival Tracks

Before the weekend feels good, the week has to be survived. These songs are about work, weekdays, exhaustion, routine, or the emotional science of staring at the clock on Thursday afternoon.

  • 40 Hour Week (For a Livin’) – Alabama
  • Working for the Weekend – Loverboy
  • Bang the Drum All Day – Todd Rundgren
  • Manic Monday – The Bangles
  • I Don’t Like Mondays – The Boomtown Rats
  • 9 to 5 – Dolly Parton
  • Working in the Coal Mine – Lee Dorsey
  • Workin’ for a Livin’ – Huey Lewis and the News
  • Five O’Clock World – The Vogues
  • Take This Job and Shove It – Johnny Paycheck

Weekend Country Songs

Country music understands the weekend because country music understands work, paychecks, bars, trucks, regrets, and trying to look fine by Friday night. That is basically a complete life cycle in three chords.

  • Finally Friday – George Jones
  • 40 Hour Week (For a Livin’) – Alabama
  • Every Other Weekend – Reba McEntire
  • Wild Weekend – Hank Williams Jr.
  • The Weekend – Brantley Gilbert
  • Weekend – Kane Brown
  • Friday Night – Eric Paslay
  • Chattahoochee – Alan Jackson
  • Red Solo Cup – Toby Keith
  • Drink in My Hand – Eric Church

Rock Songs About the Weekend

Rock weekend songs often lean into escape, noise, rebellion, travel, and the fine art of pretending sleep is optional. Several of these sound like they were built specifically for Friday at 5:01 p.m.

  • Working for the Weekend – Loverboy
  • Big Weekend – Tom Petty
  • Another Song About the Weekend – A Day to Remember
  • Here Comes the Weekend – The Jam
  • Kings of the Weekend – blink-182
  • Weekend Wars – MGMT
  • Weekend Woman – Weezer
  • Weekend Warrior – Iron Maiden
  • Rock ’n’ Roll Weekend – Sammy Hagar
  • Annihilate This Week – Black Flag

Weekend Songs Trivia

  • Labor Day became a federal holiday in the United States in 1894. It is now one of America’s most familiar long weekends and unofficially marks the end of summer for many people.
  • The 40-hour workweek became the modern U.S. standard under the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime structure. The 40-hour threshold took effect in 1940, which gives 40 Hour Week a little workplace-history backup.
  • Friday I’m in Love is one of The Cure’s brightest singles. It became a rare Cure song that could make goths, pop fans, and wedding DJs briefly agree.
  • Working for the Weekend became the obvious anthem for people counting down to Friday. The title alone does half the work.
  • The word “weekend” is newer than the feeling. People have always wanted rest days, festivals, market days, holy days, and excuses to avoid Monday.
  • Weekend songs are not always happy. Lonely Weekend, Every Other Weekend, and Weekend in New England show that the weekend can also be sad, reflective, romantic, or complicated.
  • Friday songs and Saturday songs have different energy. Friday is release. Saturday is action. Sunday is laundry with feelings.

Why Weekend Songs Always Work

Weekend songs work because nearly everyone understands the emotional math. A long week builds pressure, and the weekend promises release. That promise can mean dancing, resting, driving, dating, sleeping late, seeing friends, watching sports, catching up, or doing absolutely nothing with professional commitment.

The best weekend songs are flexible. They fit Friday afternoons, Saturday nights, Sunday mornings, long weekends, road trips, bar playlists, family cookouts, country nights, retro dance floors, and the first five seconds after closing your laptop.

Some songs celebrate the weekend directly. Others simply sound like the weekend feels. Either way, they help turn ordinary time off into a small weekly holiday.

Sources and Further Reading

  • U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Day history: https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
  • U.S. Department of Labor, Fair Labor Standards Act overview: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/flsa
  • Library of Congress, labor history resources: https://guides.loc.gov/labor-history
  • Britannica, the five-day workweek and labor history context: https://www.britannica.com/money/topic/workweek

Weekend Songs for Friday Freedom and Sunday Recovery

Weekend songs turn the end of the week into music. They capture the relief of Friday, the rush of Saturday, and the slower Sunday mood that arrives whether invited or not.

From Working for the Weekend to Friday I’m in Love, from Finally Friday to Hymn for the Weekend, and from Uptown Funk to Sunday Best, these songs make the weekend feel bigger, louder, softer, stranger, and much easier to sing along with after a long week.