"Days of the Week" by Stone Temple Pilots

       Ah yes, friends, I'm glad to see you have all made it over to my modest little corner of the “interwebs” in the new year! We kick off our fifth year of bringing you underplayed hits and overlooked album cuts, with an upbeat number from one of the '90s most influential alternative rock groups., although the song now carries a degree of sadness about it due to recent events. Tonight, we present, San Diego's own Stone Temple Pilots, and “Days of the Week”!

“Monday, back from the dead... I'm letting it go, back for another one.”

Featuring Eric Kretz on drums, bass by Robert DeLeo, Rob’s older brother Dean on lead guitar, and vocalist Scott Weiland’s deeply personal lyrics, “Days” serves as Scott's commentary on how heroin addiction negatively impacted his marriage. With lines that reference compulsion, frustration, and regret, in addition pushing away those you love, then desperately needing them back again, the song's remorse and self-awareness is made more palatable by the upbeat, hook-laden, Cheap Trick-style vibe of the music, authored by Dean.

“Tuesday, shoot me in the head, I'm takin' it back, takin' it back, I'll take it back.”

Released as a single from STP's 2001 LP Shangri-La Dee Da, “Days...” made its biggest impact on two rock-specific sub-charts of the Billboard listings. On the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, it reached #4, and the on the Modern Rock Tracks, it hit #5. This success did not translate into hot 100 acceptance, amazingly, and “Days...” ended up stalling one position below the hot 100, essentially landing at US #101. This phenomenon is known as “bubbling under”.

This was no anomaly in STP's chart career however. Despite their iconic status, STP never had a Billboard top 40 presence. Their highest single on the Hot 100 was 2000’s “Sour Girl”, which managed US #78. No, STP made their mark on the aforementioned Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock (Alternative) charts, in addition to the Album Rock charts. However, they were clearly no slouches in those areas, as Scott and the guys frequently reached the top 20 on all three lists with great tracks like “Sex Type Thing”, “Creep”, “Vasoline”, “Big Bang Baby”, “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart”, and their cover of the 1973 Led Zeppelin classic “Dancing Days”. 

Of course, STP’s popularity was also helped by frequent inclusion on the MTV programs 120 Minutes and Alternative Nation, (the latter of which was hosted by the snarky and beauteous Kennedy), so top 40 radio acceptance wasn't necessarily missed by the boys from San Diego. 

“Wednesday, she's looking for a friend, she'll get what she wants... can't seem to get enough.”

Tragically, Scott left us on December 3, 2015. There's no need to go into the reasons here, as you can read all about it on other websites if you choose. What we'd like to say is this...

Scott's legacy, perfected while singing lead for STP for the majority of their history, and with the supergroup Velvet Revolver, is that of an extremely talented vocalist, who always brought his own unique energetic presence to concerts, videos, and studio recordings. Scott’s lyrics, while often cryptic, nevertheless delved into topics like alienation, addiction, the loss of innocence, the trappings of fame, and troubled relationships, which resonated with an entire generation of cynical young adults coming of age in the ‘90s and beyond.

Thanks for the music Scott. From all of us here at the Dial, we hope you achieve much deserved peace in the next life.

“I've got to find a way to find her... where can she be? Four days of the week, she thinks I'm the enemy.”