On one Friday morning, I was on my way to college. I could feel drowsiness wearing me down as I was getting sick of listening to Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" on the radio. I wanted a song that was more upbeat and more joyful. After all, it was a Friday. Shouldn't there be a happy song that could give us a nice start on a Friday? In other words, I wanted to hear a song that would get me motivated and pumped on a Friday. Not to mention, I wanted a song that would put me in a very good mood. That was when I discovered Janet Jackson's "Escapade" on the radio.
Janet Jackson - EscapadeVevo / YouTube
Next thing I knew, I was bopping my head to this catchy little tune and was fully awake. In fact, I was smiling all the way when listening to the song. Its slow, upbeat intro invites the listener with a euphony of tinkling percussion followed by a bass backing track.
Her lyrics then began with:
As I was walkin' by
Saw you standin' there with a smile
Lookin' shy, you caught my eye
Thought you'd want to hang for a while
Well I'd like to be with you
And you know it's Friday too
I hope you can find the time
This weekend to relax and unwind
Not only did she pointed out that it was Friday, but she also reminded us how we feel on a Friday. On Fridays, we would want to take time off from our busy lives and find the time to relax and even wind down. Also, we would want to find the time to hang out with friends and perhaps even with someone you like. That's why the feeling was mutual when listening to this. We just couldn't wait for the weekend to come.
She then continued on:
My mind's tired
I've worked so hard all week
Cashed my check
I'm ready to go
I promise you
I'll show you such a good time
Without a doubt, she mentioned how we get exhausted after a week of hard work and once we get paid, we were free to go on to have a great weekend. She guaranteed that we were going to have such a good time and her means in doing so was through a sweet and thrilling chorus she delivered:
Come on baby, let's get away
Let's save our troubles for another day
Come go with me, we've got it made
Let me take you on an escapade (let's go)
Escapade
We'll have a good time
Escapade
Leave your worries behind
Escapade
Well you could be mine
Escapade
An escapade
So don't hold back
Just have a good time, yeah yeah
We'll make the rules up as we go along
And break them all if we're not havin' fun
This was the part where we would begin to sing along and bop our heads to. Janet was basically telling us to be excited for the upcoming weekend because you were going to have fun. And at the same time, she was telling us to never let your anxieties and troubles spoil your weekend. If you were having a rough time at work, it should stay at work. With that said, the weekend should be your "escapade," where you could escape from your troubles from your busy lives and spend your weekend being happy. She was also telling us not to hold back and burst into joy. Do crazy things that you always wanted to do and don't forget to have fun.
With the chorus repeated throughout the whole song, Janet never failed to make our hearts leap in joy and to get us pumped up to dance as well. This song also never failed to put a smile on your face. In fact, you could actually picture Janet Jackson smiling throughout the song.
After finding such a gem, I put on this song every Friday morning on my way to college. To be honest, this became the first song I listen to Fridays from now on. This song not only gave me good vibes every Friday, but it also gave off a positive start on every one of my Fridays!
