WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE AND HAVE A COLD ONE WITH PALS!

We have President Grover Cleveland to thank for making today a national holiday in the United States. The catalyst, as with many positive changes in U.S. history, involved bloodshed – the deaths of workers during the infamous Pullman Strike – but few things worth having happen without some loss. Now, Labor Day marks the beginning of football season and a long weekend for (some) laborers nationwide. Without getting all heavy on you, we thought we’d offer some tunes about work and a tiny encouragement to pause and reflect on those still struggling to get a day of rest and fair treatment in their labors. (Dennis Cook)

Here’s the man who wrote the tune Tennessee Ernie Ford made so famous to get us started.

We time travel back to 1982 for Huey Lewis and the News backed by the Tower of Power horns.

Fans of the Drew Carey Show will know this one. Such a nifty sway!

Perhaps forgotten by anyone outside of the U.K. and hardcore 80s music nuts, this is a quality rocker for the blue collar set from a band that never quite got their critical due.

Johnny Paycheck may have gotten the big hit but this is the man who penned this classic.

Beatles’ covers don’t come any sillier than this.

No way we could skip BTO in our little Labor Day song cycle.

Workers around the world have been singing “The Internationale” since it was composed in the late 1800s. It is sung in many languages but means the same thing the world over – a cry for justice and equality and fairness. There are many, many variations on the basic tune & lyric, and here’s a couple fine takes.