THE FRIDAY CLICK (Back-story, Lyrics, and Link to Song)

THE FRIDAY CLICK (Back-Story, Lyrics, and Link to Song)

Back-story:

I taught high school English in Canandaigua, NY, from 1974 to 2006, a long chapter, but probably one of the finest ones in my life.  During that time, a myriad of students, colleagues and friends enriched my life with stories of their lives, and a lot of these tales became the topics in many of my songs.  After retiring in 2006, I stayed in Canandaigua, and many of my former students became my friends and acquaintances.  Most of the time I would connect with them at places where Siobhan and I played our music.  The Timbercreek Tavern, one of these venues located in Manchester, NY, is where I met up with Tom Clark, Bill Ridley, and Jill (Quayle) Johnson, former

students from the ‘70s and ‘80s. These folks became the catalyst for “The Friday Click.”

One Friday afternoon, Siobhan and I were sitting at the bar having lunch at the Timbercreek.  Tom and Bill were sitting down the bar from us chatting about hunting, one of their favorite topics, and Jill was behind the bar serving food, drinks, and telling humorous and interesting stories, one of her incredible talents.  I sat there just taking in the energy usually generated in pubs at the end of each work week.  On a Friday in most neighborhood bars , the sounds of the TVs, jukebox, clinking ice cubes, and beer cans popping, and the smells of French-fries, burgers, and chicken wings have a tendency to enhance the excitement and joy about the upcoming two days off.  As I sat there listening, I heard Jill pop open several beer cans, and deliver them to patrons, two of which were Tom and Bill.  I looked in Tom and Bill’s direction and said, “Ah, the sound of the Friday click.  It doesn’t get any better.”  Not missing a beat, “Tom replied enthusiastically, “You have to write a song about it!”  So, the Friday click idea took its place in my notebook with numerous other ideas, many of which have not yet and probably won’t materialize into songs.

I thought about the Friday click, and the only lyric I could develop was based on the speed at which beer tabs come off the top of the can.  Here’s what developed.

“Some snap off slowly, others pop off quick

I don’t care about the speed; I love that Friday click”

These lines stayed in my notebook for a couple of months, and then the song began to develop more during our monthly gig at The Timbercreek, a happy hour from five to eight every second Thursday.  Thursday was “Pizza Night,” and religiously, Tom, his wife, Brenda, Bill, his wife, Jean, and their friends, Rick and Donna Waterman would show up for some pizza, beer, and music.  They sat at the table right in front of Siobhan and me, the table that eventually became the famous “Table #1.”  After a round of drinks, Jill would bring them a pizza, and when the pizza was finished, the party really got rolling.  They would sing along with just about every song, and the positive feedback they gave to Siobhan and me only gave us the energy to play better.  This enthusiasm generated by “Table #1” quite often spread through the bar, and it drew the other patrons into having fun with us.

As the night wore on and the beer intake increased, Tom frequently started playing air-harmonica or air-guitar along with the band, and the crowd loved it.  Following any song where he accompanied us, I thanked him and commended him for his hot licks.  One night after thanking Tom for joining us, the word licks triggered this lyric.

“When the band cuts him a lead, we love to hear his licks

Really gets us psyched for just a few more Friday clicks”

From here, I thought about other words that rhymed with click, Rick, chick, and thick, and these became the key words that created a story about a fun night at The Timbercreek.  Sorry, folks. There’s no deep theme to this one, just a good-time fun song for you.

With “The Friday Click” being a somewhat good-time party song, I created a somewhat upbeat folk/country sound with a melody and chord progression to compliment the lyrics and story, and then Siobhan and I went to work arranging it.

After rehearsing the song several times, we recorded the basic tracks, guitar, bass, and vocal, in our little homemade studio.  Following this, we brought in our good friend Perry Cleaveland to add some harmony and leads and filler with his fiddle, mandolin, and electric mandolin.  The sounds of Perry’s fiddle and electric mandolin really give the song a nice country feel to it.  We finished up with me adding some harmonica filler, and some background harmonies.  Then, Siobhan went to work mixing and mastering

the tracks until we got the recording to where we liked it.  I hope it appeals to you too.

We had many great nights at The Timbercreek, and I’d like to thank Susie, the owner, Hillbilly, Susie’s right-hand man, Jill, “Table #1,” and all the other patrons who came to The Creek to support our music.  You all created another beautiful chapter in this story Siobhan and I have been developing and enjoying for the past thirty-eight years.  Hats off to all of you!

 

Lyrics:

Verse 1:

I am Just a working man who likes a real good time

I spend all week long on the assembly line

When my work week’s over, I call my good friend Rick

We head down to The Timbercreek to enjoy some Friday Clicks

 

Chorus:

And well, sometimes it’s a Coors Light, sometimes it’s a Blue

Sometimes a Bud Light harmonizes with those two

Some snap off slowly, others pop off quick

I don’t care about the speed; I love that Friday Click

 

Verse 2:

Rick and me, we love The Creek, it’s a lot of fun

Especially when we can sit at “Table #1”

The women at the table sound just like The Dixie Chicks

We love to sing along with them and enjoy some Friday clicks

 

Chorus:

 

Verse 3:

Jill, she works behind the bar and serves us up our beer

Her stories make me laugh so hard; my eyes fill up with tears

When she brings our pizza, the cheese on it’s so thick

We just love to wash it down with a few more Friday clicks

 

Chorus:

 

Verse 4:

When the night gets rollin’, Tom starts playing air-guitar

Bill has high hopes for him, he’s our local star

When the band cuts him a lead, we love to hear his licks

Really gets us psyched for just a few more Friday clicks

 

Chorus: (two times)

 

If you would like to listen to the song on Spotify, Here’s a link to it.  Provide a username and password, and you’ll be good to go with a free account.

https://open.spotify.com/album/0iA7Gq5Ynh0LrKd7z3SEEc

If you would like to listen to the song on Apple Music, here is a link to it.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-friday-click-single/1540134278

If you would like to listen to the song on Amazon, here is a link to it.

https://music.amazon.com/albums/B08P8T27JJ