Stone Temple Pilots’ Forgotten Big Hit “Days of the Week” Turns 25

Stone Temple Pilots were famous hitmakers by 2001, the year they released their fifth album, Shangri‑La‑Dee‑Da, when almost every single they released reached the top ten. Back then, acts would only release one lead single before the album arrived, and in this case, the lead single was the energetically poppy “Days of the Week.” It marked a sharp contrast from their previous lead singles, which were more about hard rock.

“Days of the Week” was the first music heard since STP’s “Break on Through,” found on The Doors tribute album from 2000. It was a short pop song that had some rocking sections but ultimately pushed forth its excellent melody and hooks. The lyric takes the title literally, going through each day of a typical week in singer Scott Weiland’s life, signifying his endless cycle of trying to push drugs away from his new marriage to his second wife, Mary Forsberg.

Released on June 5, 2001, “Days of the Week” quickly climbed the charts due to airplay from radio across the U.S. and MTV. The video has the band dressed as salesmen and astronauts, with different lives built around those differing jobs. That contrast created a cool balance for the video, just like the angsty, frustrated lyric contrasts with the optimistic and energetic mid‑tempo pop/rock. Spaceship scenes in the video are used during the song’s slower, spacy psychedelic bridge.

As usual, the STP single hit the top 5 on the Billboard Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts and the top 10 on rock singles charts in the U.K. and Canada. STP played the song live on The Howard Stern Show and unplugged on Rockline, and the sunny music video worked well in that 2001 summer.

But this hit, unlike most of STP’s others, hasn’t been a mainstay in their setlists. Yes, it’s clearly poppier than a lot of their work, but STP had already proved they were one of alt‑rock’s greatest acts when it came to stretching their sound toward pop, with “Sour Girl” being the most recent example. “Sour Girl” is still a beloved hit that the band continues to play to this day, but “Days of the Week” has gathered dust, not being pulled out for any occasion in decades.

The last time “Days of the Week” was played was in November 2001, just six months after it hit big on the charts. It’s only been played 24 times total. Compare that number to the stats kept by Setlist.fm, which shows their biggest hits like “Plush” and “Sex Type Thing” have been played almost 1,000 times.

The second single from Shangri‑La‑Dee‑Da, “Hollywood Bitch,” barely climbed into the top 25 of the Mainstream Rock chart, so clearly some of the band’s momentum was lost after “Days of the Week,” and the album itself also underperformed compared to prior long players. Yet “Hollywood Bitch” would become a live favorite, while “Days of the Week” has seemingly vanished forever.

STP fans may or may not have noticed that the band has not posted about either the 25th anniversary of Shangri‑La‑Dee‑Da or “Days of the Week.”

A large chunk of the fanbase doesn’t feel like their fifth album held up as well as their first three or four albums, and now this one seems to be becoming forgotten. But STP were too high‑quality a band to not win over some of their fanbase who still remembers this album and single. Perhaps it didn’t sell as well, perhaps it didn’t light up the charts, but there’s some amazing music on the album that should be remembered.