Saturday 9: A Hard Day's Night

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (1964)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) John Lennon sings that he's been working like a dog. What's the hardest job you've ever had? What made it so difficult?  Physically, it was the summer I worked in the Poconos for the Youth Conservation Corps. It was hard, manual labor but I loved every minute of it...except the snakes and the bears. 

Mentally, it was either my last one due to my less than wonderful boss or my first babysitting job. That was for my dad's boss so I was afraid to say no or speak up when they only paid me $5 to watch their two kids until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning...and gave me the exact same amount for watching them on New Year's Eve and told their friends they could leave their THREE kids, too. In addition to that the man was a perv. I got the weirdest vibes from him. I found out a few years later when Tim and I got engaged and we both worked at the same factory that he was a swinger...because he asked Tim if we'd want to swing. EWWWWWWWW! That still makes me feel like taking a bath in pure bleach.

2) Despite the hard work, he likes his life and asks, "So why on earth should I moan?" What's the last thing you complained about? Who were you talking to?  As much as I love my grandkids, I'm sure it was the fact that our daughter finds a reason nearly every single day for why I just HAVE to keep them. Love her, too, but she's a bit of a hypochondriac, a drama queen, and has ADD. When the going gets tough, she tends to try and run away from it. I'm sure I was talking to my husband.

3) John was raised by his Aunt Mimi. She meant well when she told the teen-aged John, "The guitar's all right, but you'll never make a living out of it." What's the worst advice you've ever received?  Unless you go to college you'll end up cleaning other people's toilets. That was from my adopted dad. It was not the greatest advice for me. I would have been better off if anyone had ever told me about trade schools. Several friends went to those and had good careers. My dad never even mentioned them, nor did my guidance counselor to be fair. They weren't even on my radar at the time.

4) This week's song was cowritten and also sung with Paul McCartney. Paul's father was more supportive of the lads' show business aspirations than Aunt Mimi was, but he still worried that his son wouldn't be able fully support himself as a musician. To please his dad, 17-year-old Paul worked over the Christmas holiday season as the "second man" on a delivery truck. Paul would be the one to hop off the truck and drop off the packages while the driver could keep the motor running and the heat on. Where was the last package you received from? (Extra points if you share what was in it.)  It was from Amazon and it contained a box of my favorite pens.

5) After Christmas was over, Dad insisted Paul get a full-time, year-around job. He ended up at a factory, winding heavy coils to be used in electric motors. He hated the work but enjoyed the lunch hours, eating jam sandwiches and, weather permitting, kicking a soccer ball around the yard with his coworkers. What's for lunch at your house today?  Leftover pizza.

6) In early March 1961, the Beatles accepted a booking to play lunch hour gigs at Liverpool's Cavern Club, and so February 28, after less than two full months, Paul said goodbye to factory work. What's the shortest you ever stayed at a job?  I lasted one week as a telemarketer.

7) Enough about these Brits! Labor Day was introduced to celebrate the achievements of the American worker. How many different employers have you had?  Ten.

8) This weekend may offer a golden opportunity for napping and sleeping in. Do you snore?  Tim says I do. I think he lies.

9) Labor Day traditionally marks the beginning of the new school year. When she was a kid, Samantha was crazy for her brand new box of 96 Crayola Crayons. It even had a sharpener in the back! What do you remember about preparing to go back to school? If you're an educator, let us know how you get the classroom ready for the kids.  As a kid, I remember dreading the all day, marathon back-to-school shopping trips with my mom, my aunt, and my cousin. Mom and Aunt Peg could shop with the best of them and my cousin (who was a boy) and I considered it pure torture. I'm not a teacher, but when I worked as a school bus driver I always decorated the inside of my bus for back-to-school (and all the holidays).

Thanks, Sam, for the music and the questions!

Play along here.