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“Tell Me Why?” – The Story Behind I Don't Like Mondays
San Diego, Monday morning, January 29, 1979. At 8:30 a.m., 16-year-old Brenda Spencer fired a rifle into the schoolyard of Grover Cleveland Elementary School . Two adults were killed and nine others were injured. The perpetrator fired from the window of her parents' house—across the street.
A reporter calls the Spencer family. Brenda answers and confesses without hesitation. When asked why, she simply replies: "I don't like Mondays." A sentence that sounds as casual as it is cruel—yet embodies the coldness of this act.
Meanwhile, Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats is sitting in a US radio studio, giving interviews about their new album – rushed, empty, routine. When news of the school massacre comes in over the telex, he's stunned. The girl's sentence hits him like a bullet. Geldof recognizes a parallel to the absurdity of his own everyday life – a senseless activity, timed by PR appointments.
While still on the plane, he begins writing "I Don't Like Mondays." Next to him lies an article about a certain Bill Gates , who claims that in the future, every household will own a computer—as soon as enough data can be stored on a tiny chip. This simultaneity of technological euphoria and human despair flows into the lyrics. According to Geldof, the lyrics were finished in 20 minutes.
The result: a bittersweet piano intro. A voice that asks:
"Tell me why? I don't like Mondays..."
A chorus that sounds like a melancholic children's song—yet describes a disturbing reality. The song became a number one hit in 32 countries , reaching number two in Germany (BRAVO charts). To this day, many mistakenly consider it an ironic anthem against Monday fatigue.
But in truth, it's a quiet, plaintive cry against the senselessness of killing. The most important line isn't "I don't like Mondays," but the almost helpless "Tell me why?" – a question that will never have an answer. The massacre remains senseless. The song remains – as a minor-key memorial.
