Is there any better feeling after a hard week than the knowledge that you have two whole days ahead of you to spend at your leisure?
No matter what your occupation, lifestyle, race, colour or creed, there is one thing that brings humanity together on the last day of the working week: that Friday feeling. Let's face it - the phrase 'Thank Crunchie It's Friday' hasn't been subsumed into the modern lexicon for no reason.
In honour of the burst of happiness that accompanies That Friday Feeling, we've tailored a playlist purely to capture its essence and set you up for the weekend.
Turn it up loud!
1. Rebecca Black – 'Friday'
It's only been five years since this ahem... pop classic was released, but it's already attained legendary status. Why? Well, what says it better than the lyrics: "Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday / Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend"? Poetic, concise and soooo true, Rebecca. If this tune doesn't give you That Friday Feeling - literally - there's something wrong with you.
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2. Pharrell – 'Happy'
The song that spawned a thousand YouTube tribute videos, it's difficult to resist the sheer... well, happiness of this song. Damn you Pharrell - you melt even the most cynical of hearts with your feel-good, uptempo, handclap-friendly ditty. Send us headlong into the weekend on a cloud of feelgood Friday vibes, why don't you.
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3. Jackie Wilson – '(I Get The) Sweetest Feeling'
An oldie, but a goodie. If your heart doesn't soar when the chorus of this song kicks in, better check that it's still beating. Turn it on, turn it up, belt it out and get ready for the weekend!
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4. The Cure – 'Friday I'm in Love'
Another Friday-related track, and a bona fide classic for a good reason. A quick blast of Robert Smith and co. of a sunny Friday afternoon, and your mood will be set to 'ecstatic' in no time at all.
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5. Michael Gray – 'The Weekend'
It's funny, we find ourselves humming this tune at the end of every week – but it does exactly what it says on the tin and certainly sets us up for two days of glorious, work-free abandon. If That Friday Feeling could be captured in a song, this one would come pretty close as a contender.
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6. Bob Marley – 'Three Little Birds'
It's impossible to be in a bad mood when you listen to this song. Just impossible. From toddlers to grandparents, its universal message of love and harmony resonates globally. It's also a total choon, which helps. No better song to put you in your happy place just in time for the weekend.
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7. The Beach Boys – 'Good Vibrations'
It's got bucketfuls of harmonies, it's got melody in spades, it's got a chorus that is so uplifting that it might make your heart burst; to us, it's a song that epitomises That Friday Feeling. This Beach Boys classic might be fifty (!) years old this year, but it still ticks every box for putting us in a super mood.
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8. Chumbawamba – 'Tubthumping'
Who doesn't like a bit of anthemic, rousing indie-pop-rock of a Friday? This track is guaranteed to lift your spirits and get you feeling on top of your game as the weekend approaches. And it's a catchy little number, too.
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9. ABBA – 'Dancing Queen'
They're pop icons for a reason, and there were any number of ABBA songs that we could have picked for this playlist. Given that one of the first lines of this song mentions 'Friday', however, it does the job. If you don't like ABBA – and particularly this song – we need to have a serious talk with you. Now, press play and let the weekend vibes flow.
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10. Bobby McFerrin – 'Don't Worry, Be Happy'
It would have been criminal to omit this tune, which is so gloriously laidback and uplifting that it'll turn even the deathliest of frowns into the biggest grins around in nanoseconds. Which is, after all, what That Friday Feeling is all about.
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11. The Pointer Sisters - 'I'm So Excited'
Last but not least, this fizzy, zingy little gem is the perfect number on which to end a playlist of happy songs; it's little wonder that it's soundtracked ads for Cadbury's Crunchie in the past. Dance, click your fingers, shake your tailfeather - it's Friday! Wahoo!
