Ready for the Weekend (song)
Encyclopedia
"Ready for the Weekend" is a song by Scottish recording artist Calvin Harris
, released as the second single
from his second studio album, Ready for the Weekend.
, Lionel Richie
and Chaka Khan
. Remixes by High Contrast
, Fake Blood
and Dave Spoon
were also announced. It made its world debut on 12 June 2009 with Pete Tong
on BBC Radio 1
. On 13 July 2009 it was featured as the Song of the Day on Popjustice
. Harris performed the song at the iTunes Festival
'09 on 18 July 2009 in London. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart
at number three on 16 August 2009.
During an interview for The Sun
on 10 April 2009, Harris commented on the song:
for the song was directed by Ben Ib and premiered on the British channel T4
on 4 July 2009 at 11:00 am. FHM
model Lauren Pope
makes an appearance in the video. Several dancing females appear wearing red leotards to match Harris' magic portal, shirt and furniture. They next "change into blue and yellow zip-up bathing suits, expanding the palette and multiplying endlessly, just in time for the weekend."
On 23 July 2009, it was reported that the video was removed from YouTube
due to a copyright claim from another party. Harris stated that he was upset it had occurred and believed that the British Phonographic Industry
had prompted the removal.
UK iTunes EP
UK 12" single
|-
!Chart (2009)
!Position
|-
|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|98
|-
|-
! Country
! Date
! Label
! Format
|-
|rowspan="2"| United Kingdom
| 9 August 2009
|rowspan="2"| Fly Eye Records, Columbia Records
| Digital download
|-
| 10 August 2009
| CD single, 12" single
|}
Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris is a Scottish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. His gold-selling debut album, I Created Disco, was released in 2007 and contained the top ten singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls"...
, released as the second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from his second studio album, Ready for the Weekend.
Background
The song features guest vocals by British singer Mary Pearce, who previously worked as a backup vocalist for Beverley KnightBeverley Knight
Beverley Knight MBE is a British soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer who released her debut album in 1995. Heavily influenced by soul greats such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, Knight has released six studio albums to date...
, Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
and Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
. Remixes by High Contrast
High Contrast
Lincoln Barrett, better known by the stage name High Contrast , is a Welsh drum and bass DJ and producer.-History:...
, Fake Blood
Theo Keating
Theo Keating, also known as Touché and Fake Blood, is a British DJ, musician and music producer who made his name as one half of The Wiseguys, a British hip hop/big beat band, together with Paul Eve...
and Dave Spoon
Dave Spoon
Simon Neale, better known as Dave Spoon, is a radio DJ and dance music producer. He is part of the line-up on BBC Radio 1's 'In New DJs We Trust' feature, which runs Thursday night/Friday morning 2am to 4am...
were also announced. It made its world debut on 12 June 2009 with Pete Tong
Pete Tong
Peter "Pete" Tong is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records, and for...
on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
. On 13 July 2009 it was featured as the Song of the Day on Popjustice
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
. Harris performed the song at the iTunes Festival
ITunes Festival
The iTunes Festival is an annual music festival and concert series which is held in London at The Roundhouse art centre and sponsored by Apple Inc. It was first held in 2007...
'09 on 18 July 2009 in London. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number three on 16 August 2009.
During an interview for The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
on 10 April 2009, Harris commented on the song:
"It's different to the first single. It's still happy, dancey, with more singing. The hook's sung by a woman called Mary Pearce, who's a diva. She's got this great big voice and it's like a nod to an old dance classic.
I love underground dance music but I also have an extreme love of commercial dance music. But only the good stuff."
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song was directed by Ben Ib and premiered on the British channel T4
T4 (Channel 4)
T4 is a scheduling slot on Channel 4 from about 09:00 until 14:00 on Saturdays and 17:00 on Sundays. It also airs on weekdays in the school holidays. The slot has a separate station identification on screen graphic from Channel 4 and E4. The logo of T4 is noticeably the top right segment of the...
on 4 July 2009 at 11:00 am. FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
model Lauren Pope
Lauren Pope
Lauren "Popey" Pope is an English glamour model, disc jockey, music producer and entrepreneur. She appears in the ITV2 show The Only Way Is Essex....
makes an appearance in the video. Several dancing females appear wearing red leotards to match Harris' magic portal, shirt and furniture. They next "change into blue and yellow zip-up bathing suits, expanding the palette and multiplying endlessly, just in time for the weekend."
On 23 July 2009, it was reported that the video was removed from YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
due to a copyright claim from another party. Harris stated that he was upset it had occurred and believed that the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
had prompted the removal.
Track listings
UK CD single and iTunes single- "Ready for the Weekend" – 3:37
- "Ready for the Weekend" (High ContrastHigh ContrastLincoln Barrett, better known by the stage name High Contrast , is a Welsh drum and bass DJ and producer.-History:...
Remix) – 5:42
UK iTunes EP
- "Ready for the Weekend" – 3:37
- "Ready for the Weekend" (Fake BloodTheo KeatingTheo Keating, also known as Touché and Fake Blood, is a British DJ, musician and music producer who made his name as one half of The Wiseguys, a British hip hop/big beat band, together with Paul Eve...
Remix) – 5:40 - "Ready for the Weekend" (High Contrast Remix) – 5:42
- "Ready for the Weekend" (Dave SpoonDave SpoonSimon Neale, better known as Dave Spoon, is a radio DJ and dance music producer. He is part of the line-up on BBC Radio 1's 'In New DJs We Trust' feature, which runs Thursday night/Friday morning 2am to 4am...
Remix) – 6:21 - "Ready for the Weekend" (Dave Spoon Dub Remix) – 6:35
UK 12" single
- A1. "Ready for the Weekend" (Original Version) – 3:37
- B1. "Ready for the Weekend" (Dave Spoon Remix) – 6:21
- B2. "Ready for the Weekend" (Fake Blood Remix) – 5:40
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Tip Chart (Flanders) | 2 |
| Belgian Tip Chart (Wallonia) | 7 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 11 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
9 |
| Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
97 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
3 |
| UK Dance Singles Chart UK Dance Chart The UK Dance Chart is a chart compiled by The Official Charts Company from sales in record stores and digital downloads. Although the chart does not currently receive any airplay on the radio or television, the chart can be viewed on the BBC Radio 1 and The Official Charts Company website.Digital... |
1 |
End-of-year charts
{|class="wikitable sortable"|-
!Chart (2009)
!Position
|-
|UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
| style="text-align:center;"|98
|-
Chart procession and succession
Release history
{| class="wikitable"|-
! Country
! Date
! Label
! Format
|-
|rowspan="2"| United Kingdom
| 9 August 2009
|rowspan="2"| Fly Eye Records, Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
| Digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
|-
| 10 August 2009
| CD single, 12" single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
|}