I hate work

March 20, 2008 7:24 AM

I need song suggestions to help me make a (de)motivational compilation CD for work - along the lines of 'We've got to get out of this place' and 'I hate the world today'.
posted by xoe26 to grab bag (70 answers total)

How about any one of the Ze Frank remixes of that guy singing "I'm about to whip somebody's ass" to his daughter who had a bad day at work?
posted by thejanna at 7:27 AM on March 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

I always enjoyed the chorus of Catch 22's Keasbey Night's- When they come for me I'll be sitting at my desk with a gun in my hand wearing a bulletproof vest
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:31 AM on March 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

take this job and shove it
posted by gcat at 7:32 AM on March 20, 2008

The Bevis Frond: Will to Lose
posted by flabdablet at 7:34 AM on March 20, 2008

Radiohead - No surprises
posted by oh pollo! at 7:37 AM on March 20, 2008

A Million Miles Away by David Byrne? (And yes, that is the Flying Blind opening credits, for those who remember "classic" early 1990s Fox TV)
posted by blahblahblah at 7:37 AM on March 20, 2008

"9 to 5", song from the movie soundtrack by Dolly Parton
posted by Melismata at 7:39 AM on March 20, 2008

I Quit My Job - Old Man Luedecke
Today Has Been a F*cked Up Day - Beck
All You Need Is Hate - The Delgados
I've Been So Mad Lately - Butt Trumpet.
posted by scruss at 7:40 AM on March 20, 2008

Most of the songs on the album Featuring Birds, by Quasi. Wonderfully deadpan.
posted by [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] at 7:41 AM on March 20, 2008

Is That All There Is? by Peggy Lee.
posted by otolith at 7:41 AM on March 20, 2008

Perhaps the Boomtown Rats I Don't Like Mondays?
posted by mephron at 7:42 AM on March 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

The soundtrack to the run up to me leaving my office based work misery in London 3 years ago to start a sabbatical that ended up with me living in New York, married and dog walking for a living was Placebo's Slave to the Wage. Excellent feeling walking out of the building at the end of my last day, my feet 6 inches off the ground with this pounding in my headphones. Still gives me goosebumps when I hear it.
posted by merocet at 7:44 AM on March 20, 2008

A suitable song with relevant ambiance rather than lyrics; "Everything's Fucked" by The Dirty Three.
posted by Jimbob at 7:45 AM on March 20, 2008

Beck: Soul Suckin' Jerk
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:49 AM on March 20, 2008

Flaming Lips "Bad Days."
posted by artifarce at 7:49 AM on March 20, 2008

Ah, good idea on Quasi. The Happy Prole would be especially good. One of my favorite lyrics of all time: "You need the money so you've got to play it dumb, but if you play it long enough it's just what you become."
posted by otolith at 7:50 AM on March 20, 2008

Not all exactly work related, but fitting to your purpose.
Extreme- "Momma, (don't want to go to school today)".
Richard Thompson- "Don't tempt me" and "I feel so good."
Johnny Cash - "Ring of fire"
Little Village- "Don't bug me when I'm working"
John Lennon- "Working Class Hero"
The Bouys- "Timothy"
Jethro Tull- "Locomotive Breath"
posted by Gungho at 8:01 AM on March 20, 2008

Todd Rungren's Bang the Drum All Day
posted by johnvaljohn at 8:03 AM on March 20, 2008

Also Elvis Costello's Welcome to the Working Week
posted by johnvaljohn at 8:06 AM on March 20, 2008

Hotel California.
posted by seanyboy at 8:10 AM on March 20, 2008

It's not specifically work related, but "Hangin' Around" by the Counting Crows definitely captures the feeling of needing to get out.
posted by vytae at 8:17 AM on March 20, 2008

"God Damn Job," the Replacements.
posted by COBRA! at 8:18 AM on March 20, 2008

Jonathan Coulton's "Code Monkey" sort of works.
posted by leapfrog at 8:19 AM on March 20, 2008

Nobody has mentioned Take this Job and Shove It?
posted by thomas144 at 8:22 AM on March 20, 2008

Mr. Lif - Live From the Plantation.
posted by Ufez Jones at 8:27 AM on March 20, 2008

They Might Be Giant's 'Minimum Wage'
posted by dinty_moore at 8:29 AM on March 20, 2008

One more idea, The Israelites by Desmond Dekker.
posted by otolith at 8:31 AM on March 20, 2008

What about - REM - bad day?
posted by Laura_J at 8:31 AM on March 20, 2008

I made a similar CD mix for a friend. Some of these are general anti-authority and not work specific, but she reportedly enjoys the mix. Some of the songs:

Clash - Know Your Rights
Living in a Box - Living in a Box
We Care a Lot - Faith No More
Money's Too Tight - Simply Red
Killing in the Name Of - Rage Against the Machibne
Wild Sex in the Working Class - Oingo Boingo
Can't Get There from Here - REM
posted by pointystick at 8:32 AM on March 20, 2008

"happy workers" from the sountrack to the movie "toys"?
posted by rmd1023 at 8:36 AM on March 20, 2008

Meatloaf - Life is a Lemon (And I Want My Money Back), and/or Wasted Youth.
posted by Rendus at 8:36 AM on March 20, 2008

Ben Folds - Fred Jones, Pt 2
posted by santojulieta at 8:36 AM on March 20, 2008

That "Happy Workers" from Toys is by Tori Amos.
posted by santojulieta at 8:37 AM on March 20, 2008

"Spam Again" by Mo Tucker (about working at Wal-Mart, but generally appropos for any wage slave)
posted by carrienation at 8:37 AM on March 20, 2008

Aesop Rock - "9-5ers Anthem"
Built To Spill - "So-And-So So-And-So From Where-ever, Where-ever"
Grandaddy - "Nonphenomenal Lineage"
Modest Mouse - "Bankrupt on Selling"

And as others have said, tons of Quasi songs fit what you're looking for.
posted by burnmp3s at 8:38 AM on March 20, 2008

Some (all?) of these are a bit of a stretch.

Allman Brothers - Tied to the Whipping Post
Cave In - The End of Our Rope is a Noose
Modest Mouse - Tundra/Desert
Piebald - Still We Let It Choke Us
Refused - Worms of the Sense/Faculties of the Skull
Shotmaker - Pilot
Sleepytime Trio - Lancing Organic
posted by saladin at 8:44 AM on March 20, 2008

The Smiths - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
Morrissey - Every Day is Like Sunday
The Rakes - 22 Grand Job
posted by Bodd at 8:44 AM on March 20, 2008

"Fuck this, I'm leaving," by The American Analog Set.
posted by god hates math at 8:52 AM on March 20, 2008

Soup is Good Food - Dead Kennedys
posted by imaswinger at 8:55 AM on March 20, 2008

Tear down the rat-racial slime
Can't be king of the world if you're slave to the grind.
posted by Wolfdog at 8:56 AM on March 20, 2008

The Smiths' Frankly Mr. Shankly
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:18 AM on March 20, 2008

"This Place" by the Descendents
posted by fallenposters at 9:19 AM on March 20, 2008

"I Hate Work" from MDC (Millions of Dead Cops, god bless 80s hardcore nomenclature). It's killer thrash from their debut LP
posted by porn in the woods at 9:20 AM on March 20, 2008

If you hate your job, the song "Slack Motherfucker" by Superchunk may be helpful, because it contains the line "I'm workin, but I'm not workin for you: slack motherfucker".
posted by 23skidoo at 9:23 AM on March 20, 2008

'Workers Song' by the Dropkick Murphys..

That was my 'knock off' song for a long time..
posted by TheOtherGuy at 9:42 AM on March 20, 2008

"It's Not My Place (In the 9 to 5 World)" The Ramones
posted by octothorpe at 9:47 AM on March 20, 2008

we're not gonna take it - twisted sister?
also seconding still we let it choke us - piebald
posted by thenuts at 9:49 AM on March 20, 2008

Descendents -- "This Place Sucks"
posted by Laugh_track at 10:02 AM on March 20, 2008

Incidentally, "Happy Workers" from the Toys soundtrack was written by Tori Amos.
posted by leapfrog at 10:15 AM on March 20, 2008

I don't have a link, but the Austin Lounge Lizards have a lot of songs like this. Look for Industrial Strength Tranquilizers on their second album "Highway Café of the Damned."
posted by vilcxjo_BLANKA at 10:16 AM on March 20, 2008

"Scent Of A Robot" - Pete Miser
posted by nicwolff at 10:17 AM on March 20, 2008

To Whom It May Concern by Million Dead.
posted by terrynutkins at 10:19 AM on March 20, 2008

Lee Dorsey - Workin' in a Coal Mine
posted by Pollomacho at 10:21 AM on March 20, 2008

Also not quite work related, but captures the spirit nicely - The Postal Service, This Place is a Prison.
posted by crazycanuck at 10:29 AM on March 20, 2008

Descendants, "This Place Sucks", as mentioned above, is perfect.

Also, I'm kinda partial to "Born To Do Dishes" by The Queers. Tangentially related, by the same band, are the classic anthems, "Drop the Attitude, Fucker", "Fuck You", "Fuck the World", and "See You Later, Fuckface".

I love The Queers so hard.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:43 AM on March 20, 2008

Midnight Oil's "Blue Sky Mine"?
posted by kuperman at 11:10 AM on March 20, 2008

The Queers also have a song called "This Place Sucks"

More Queers that might be appropriate for your mix:

"I Don't Wanna Work"
"I'm Useless"
"We'd Have a Riot Doing Heroin"

And

"Ursula Finally Has Tits" (mainly because it's AWESOME)
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 11:23 AM on March 20, 2008

Loverboy - Everybody's Workin' for the Weekend
posted by Pollomacho at 11:24 AM on March 20, 2008

The Torture Never Stops- FZ
posted by TedW at 11:27 AM on March 20, 2008

The Fall - "Middle Class Revolt" and "Shut up" (both off of Middle Class Revolt)
posted by Burhanistan at 11:32 AM on March 20, 2008

Sublime - Burritos (one of my favorite fuckall songs)
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:55 AM on March 20, 2008

Also:

Black Flag- "Rise Above" and "You Bet We've Got Something Personal Against You" tend to get the job done for me.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:42 PM on March 20, 2008

Working Man - Rush
posted by stenseng at 1:27 PM on March 20, 2008

When I was having a bad day in my old job, I used to put on O Fortuna. The customers loved it.
posted by hot soup girl at 2:13 PM on March 20, 2008

Alanis Morrisette's So-called Chaos.

And more interestingly, They Might Be Giants' Never Go to Work.
posted by howiamdifferent at 2:51 PM on March 20, 2008

Some obscure stuff buried in my collection, other than the afformentioned:
King Missle --"Take Stuff From Work" [work is to be exploited and well worth getting]
Dead Kennedys -- "At My Job" [work is soulless]
Tom Russell's -- "What Work Is" [work as part of the endless despair of life]
posted by Ogre Lawless at 3:10 PM on March 20, 2008

The Perishers, "Weekends:

You don’t know me
But I’m sitting next to you
Every morning
On the bus or on the tube

You look tired
Would it help to hear me say
Don’t you worry
Friday’s not that far away?

On the weekends
We try to get our share
Of excitement and of fresh air
Trying to forget
Who we’re gonna be
When the alarm rings
On monday morning

If in the evening
All you do is watch TV
Cause your too tired for anything else
You’re just like me

Just remember
As you struggle through the day
Relief awaits you
Friday’s not that far away
posted by andifsohow at 3:39 PM on March 20, 2008

omg omg Cheesecake Truck
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 4:22 PM on March 20, 2008

Delta 5 "Mind Your Own Business"
Big Black "Racer X"
Cows "The Man" (off Peacetika, that might be hard to find.. but great)
The Warmers "No One Like Me No One Like Me"
Pavement "Stop Breathing" (it's funny.. I love Pavement..)
Six Finger Satellite, "Board the Bus" (classic!!!!!)
PiL "Albatross"
actually how about just put on PiL Metal Box and leave that on all day, that'll do it.
posted by citron at 11:24 PM on March 20, 2008

Pavement Tune, by The Frames.
This situation's killing me
It's got me right under the thumb
I don't know where I want to be
This doesn't make no sense at all
posted by shannonm at 2:31 PM on April 1, 2008