Every reason to party
Any reason in the world
Every reason to party
Any reason in the world
It’s December the 6th
I just fell in love
The principal let me back into school
The band just finished the first record
I actually finished high school
Every reason to party
Any reason in the world
I’m going into the army in another month
My best friend is going in too
I’ve been in for two years now
Just got my sergeant’s stripes
I’m getting out! Freedom Day so soon!
Every reason to party
Any reason in the world
What reason do you need to party?
What excuse do you need to find?
Summer’s here and the time is right
Too much work, time to unwind
I just moved into my new house
I’m getting out of here at last
Just for the hell of it
Just for the hell of it
We’re alive we’re alive we’re alive
My girlfriend is leaving the country
My girlfriend is back at my side
My girlfriend just became my fiancée
My fiancée’s becoming my bride!
Every reason to party
Any reason in the world
©2023 The Hesh Inc.
This one was written in the thick of my army service, probably in late 1986 when I was equidistant between my induction date and my discharge date, and I was looking forward to having a reason to party—and being alive to have a reason to party—when I'd finally complete my mandatory stint. Not everybody in the service is that fortunate, and I was keenly aware of that. I was also missing my girlfriend, whom I had dated in 1985 before she went back to college in the US ... she did in fact come back the following summer, at which point we got engaged and eventually married, and the rest is history.
Each line in the verses is another reason/excuse to have a party. The music is essentially Bruce Springsteen's "Badlands" set over a quasi-reggae beat. There is actually a recorded version of this song somewhere. My musical partner Izzy Kieffer was attending the Berklee College of Music at around the same time I was living in Boston (married to above-mentioned girlfriend-fiancée-bride), and he managed to get some recording time at a classmate's home studio. We recorded several songs, including this one, using keyboards and keyboard-controlled drums ... our first-ever use of MIDI. Nothing actually became of the demos we made but the experience was valuable.