A 1979 rock classic by the Boomtown Rats turned a true crime tale of murder and chaos in San Diego into a timeless rock hit.
On January 29, 1979, Brenda Spencer, 16, used a .22 semi-automatic rifle and, from her home, shot and killed two men and wounded nine children at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California, per History. Police barricaded Spencer in her home, and after six hours, she was arrested. The rifle was reportedly a Christmas gift from her father.
When asked why she carried out the senseless attack, Spencer reportedly told police, “I just don’t like Mondays. I did this because it’s a way to cheer up the day. Nobody likes Mondays.”
After learning about the horrific murder, Boomtown Rats songwriter Bob Geldof transformed Spencer’s story into lyrics that captured her chilling actions. Rather than glorifying her crimes, Geldof aimed to explore the dark psychology behind them.
Far Out Magazine shared Bob Geldof’s comments with BBC Radio 6 Music about his reasons for writing the song. “I was doing a radio interview in Atlanta with Johnnie Fingers and there was a telex machine beside me. I read it as it came out."
"Not liking Mondays as a reason for doing somebody in is a bit strange. I was thinking about it on the way back to the hotel, and I just said, ‘silicon chip inside her head had switched to overload,’” he continued.
“I wrote that down. And the journalists interviewing her said, ‘Tell me why?’ It was such a senseless act. It was the perfect senseless act, and this was the perfect senseless reason for doing it. So perhaps I wrote the perfect senseless song to illustrate it. It wasn’t an attempt to exploit tragedy.”
"I Don't Like Mondays" earned the band top honors for Best Pop Song and Outstanding British Lyric at the 25th Ivor Novello Awards. Originally active from 1975 to 1986, the Boomtown Rats returned in 2013 and continue to tour.
In February 2025, the San Diego District Attorney's Office shared a press release stating that Spencer was again denied parole. It read, "The decision to deny release for Brenda Spencer, 62, came after a Board of Parole hearing which included three victim statements and input from the District Attorney’s Office."
San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan stated, "The shock of this brazen crime rippled through the community in San Diego at the time, and it continues to hold a place of infamy in the history of mass shootings in our nation.
“While new laws are in place that can potentially speed up releases for individuals who were convicted as minors, as well as inmates who are over 50 years old, our position is that the totality of the horrific circumstances of this crime and this case do not warrant release, and we are gratified that the Parole Board agreed with our position.”
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