BARRY LEVINE: Working up a few more Labor Day songs

Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-parter to honor the reason for the Labor Day holiday with songs pertaining to jobs and labor. The songs are listed in chronological order.

“Working in the Coal Mine” – Written by record producer Allen Toussaint, it became a smash hit for Lee Dorsey, climbing to No. 8 on the charts in 1966. The song is about the plight of miners who rise before 5 a.m. in order to work in the mines five days a week where the conditions were dangerous. Interestingly, neither Toussaint nor Dorsey had ever been in a mine. This was Dorsey’s second – and last — Top 10 hit. His first, “Ya Ya,” reached No. 7 in 1961.

“Five O’clock World” – The Vogues’ 1966 tune discarded the doldrums of the working day for that wonderful moment when the whistle blows. In this song, the singer works hard all day to earn a living, but he comes alive at the 5 o’clock quitting time. This was The Vogues best-known of their four Top 10 hits. The others were “You’re The One,” No. 4, 1965; “Turn Around, Look at Me,” No. 7, and “My Special Angel,” No. 7, both in 1968. “Five O’clock World” also was used as the theme for “The Drew Carrey Show.”

“Takin’ Care of Business” – Randy Bachman wrote the song while he was a member of The Guess Who, but it was recorded after he formed Bachman-Turner Overdrive. BTO recorded the song for their second album “Bachman–Turner Overdrive II.” The song reached No. 12 on the charts in 1974. “Takin’ Care of Business” spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100, longer than any other BTO single. The song tells the story of a white collar worker from the time he takes the 8:15 a.m. train through the remainder of his day. The group had their biggest hit in 1974 when “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” climbed to No. 1.

“Take This Job and Shove It” – David Allen Coe wrote the 1977 country song and Johnny Paycheck recorded it. The tune focused on the bitterness of a man who worked long, hard hours with no obvious reward. The record was No. 1 for two weeks on the country charts where it spent 18 weeks. It was Paycheck’s only chart topper. Besides “Take This Job and Shove It,” Paycheck had seven other Top 10 hits including two that peaked at No. 2 – “She’s All I Got” in 1971 and “Mr. Lovemaker” in 1973.

“Welcome to the Working Week” — The song on Elvis Costello’s 1977 debut album runs only 84 seconds. It says everything — “Welcome to the working week/I know it don’t thrill you/I hope it don’t kill you.” Costello was singing to some girl who’s wronged him, so he secretly hoped it did kill her. In 1977, Costello left his job as computer operator at a cosmetics factory so he understood the workingman. Although releasing 62 singles, Costello only had one Top 20 hit – “Veronica” No. 19 in 1989.

“9 to 5” – Released in November 1980, “9 to 5” was written and performed by Dolly Parton in the comedy film by the same name which starred Jane Fonda, Lili Tomlin and Parton in her movie debut. The three working women who lived out their fantasies of getting even with and overthrowing the company’s autocratic, egotistical boss, played by Dabney Coleman. The tune garnered one Academy Award nomination and four Grammy nominations, winning for “Best Country Song” and “Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.” “Fame” from the movie by the same name won the Oscar for best song. The song reached No. 1 on both the Country and Hot 100 charts. The song — and movie — garnered their titles from an organization founded in 1973 with the aim of bringing better treatment for women in the workplace.

“Workin’ for a Living” – Huey Lewis and the News released this song in 1982 and it managed to climb into the Top 40. The work song was about spending your paycheck before getting it and never getting paid what you’re worth. “Workin’ for a Living” was a straightforward tribute to the working man and woman. This is one of Huey Lewis and the News’ earliest hits. They had two No. 1 hits – “The Power of Love” in 1985 and “Stuck with You” in 1986. The group also had eight other Top 10 hits.

“She Works Hard for the Money” – Donna Sumner’s disco hit and one of her signature songs tells the story of a woman who has been waitressing for nearly three decades. Few jobs are more grueling than waitressing: All the heavy lifting, being on your feet all day, working for tips. Summer captured it in this song. “She Works Hard for the Money” peaked at No. 3 in 1983 on the Hot 100 and was No.1 on the R&B chart for three weeks. “The Disco Queen” had 10 other Top 10 hits, three of which topped the charts – “MacArthur Park” in 1978 and “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls” in 1979.

“Working on the Highway” – Although seven songs from Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 “Born in the U.S.A.” platinum album made the Top 10 as singles, “Working on the Highway” never was released as a single. Making the Top 10 were “Dancing in the Dark,” “Cover Me,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” “I’m on Fire,” “Glory Days,” “I’m Going Down” and “My Home Town.” Springsteen, who built a career singing about the working man, focused on a man who dreams of a better life while holding a red flag as part of a construction crew in “Working on the Highway.” Although “Working on the Highway” was not released as a single, it remains popular in Springsteen concerts, with more than 375 performances through 2016.

Barry “The Old Rocker” Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].