The song ‘I don’t like Mondays’ was a direct appeal to Brenda Spencer, seeking an explanation of the 1979 school shooting at Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego. The implied audience however was a very specific sixteen year-old girl, named Brenda Ann Spencer. The intended audience of the Rats was those who were either a part of, on exposed to this cultural movement. Geldof became known for his initial activism however, in a more domestic setting, through the release of the Rats hit song, ‘I don’t like Mondays’.Īt the release of the song, the Boomtown Rats were at the height of their fame in the midst of the punk rock movement, which swept the UK and North America in the 1970’s. Now however, he is a political activist, having raised money for famine and Ebola relief in Africa, as well as having organized ‘Commission for Africa’, which led a year-long study on the living conditions of several countries and caused the British government to double their aid efforts and reform trade regulations. The lead singer and songwriter of the Rats, Bob Geldof was at the time known for being a ‘controversial rocker’. With the use of eerie children in the music video who appear to be victims, and direct quotes from the shooter, ‘I don’t like Mondays’ is successful in shocking us in reflection. The song addresses the issue of school shootings, and attempts to draw attention to the unsettled minds of those behind the events, as well as to the victims. This song was accompanied by a four-minute long music video, which quickly took of in popularity. In 1979 the UK’s chart topping punk rock band the Boomtown Rats, released the controversial song ‘I don’t like Mondays’.
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