Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

Background

"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" is a lively throwback to early rock and roll with a glam edge. The lyrics refer among other things to a night out in town in which the narrator plans to "get about as oiled as a diesel train". Taupin has said that the song was meant to be an American rock and roll song set in Britain. It was inspired by his raucous teenage days and in particular, the fistfights in his local pub, the Aston Arms in Market Rasen.

Composition and recording

The song, which showcases the guitar playing of Davey Johnstone, with lyrics by Bernie Taupin and music by John, is written in the key of G mixolydian alternating with C mixolydian on the chorus. It is one of John's harder-rocking songs (similar to "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" and "The Bitch Is Back"), with a sound echoing bands such as the Who and the Rolling Stones.

It was the only song that John and his band recorded in Jamaica, where they had initially planned to record the album, but was never used due to the poor quality of the recording equipment. John described it as sounding like "it had been recorded on the worst transistor radio." The experience prompted the band to return to France to finish the album.

"Saturday" is one of the most aggressive and lively rock inspired tracks ever recorded by John. It features energetic, rapid-fire piano playing reminiscent of Jerry Lee Lewis. The song was one of the few John-Taupin songs that Elton said was not a "typical piano number". According to John's recollection in Elizabeth Rosenthal's His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John, it may have been written on the piano at first, but the song ended up being recorded somewhat in reverse to the normal way he records, with the band putting their tracks down, and Elton overdubbing his piano afterward. (John's typical process was to either record the piano first or play along with the band.) Elton called the song "hard to record".

Apart from his lyrical contributions, in the Eagle Vision documentary, Classic Albums: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Taupin said that a lot of the power of the song comes from the chords, adding it also features what he called one of the greatest "strident, blistering guitar chords ever created" in rock and roll.

Release

The song was released in 1973 as the album's first single. Cash Box called the song an "infectious rocker that carries 'Crocodile Rock' just one step further". Record World called it a "rip-snortin' rocker that is reminiscent of the Stones and Bowie" with "lotsa high-powered energy".

In the UK, the song entered the Music Week Top 50 the week of 7 July 1973, rose to No. 7, and stayed in the charts for 9 weeks and is one of John's most critically and commercially successful singles in that country.

In the US, the song entered the Billboard Top 40 the week of 11 August 1973, rose to No. 12, and stayed in the Top 40 for nine weeks. It was the only single by Elton John that failed to make the Top 10 in the three-year, 13-hit period between May 1972 ("Rocket Man") and October 1975 ("Island Girl"). It was the only Elton John single that failed to go gold or platinum in the three-year, 11-hit period between December 1972 ("Crocodile Rock") and October 1975 ("Island Girl").

Despite only being a modest success compared to his other hits, it remains one of his best-known songs as the song has been a staple of John's live performances for many years, being played more than 1,800 times live (making it one of John's top ten most performed tracks in his entire discography) as of December 2015.

Cover versions

"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" has been covered by W.A.S.P., the Who, Fall Out Boy and Nickelback. It was also sampled in the hit "Gloria" by Umberto Tozzi in 1979.

A live performance featuring American recording artist Anastacia was released in 2000 as part of John's live album One Night Only.

Track listing

All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin

1. "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" – 4:12
2. "Jack Rabbit" – 1:50
3. "Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)" – 2:50

Both B-sides were included later on Rare Masters and issued as bonus tracks on the remastered edition of Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player.

In popular culture

• The song was referenced in an episode of the sixth season of Gilmore Girls.
• The song was used in the 2017 film Kingsman: The Golden Circle, which John featured in the film as himself during a fight sequence, even singing a parody by replacing the lyric "Saturday" with "Wednesday".
• It was also used in the final episode of Knuckles.
• The song is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto V, on the in-game radio station Los Santos Rock Radio.
• Since June 2023, the song has been used as the opening theme for the professional wrestling television show Collision produced by AEW, which airs on Saturday nights.

Charts

Certifications

Personnel

• Elton John – piano, vocals
• Davey Johnstone – electric guitars
• Dee Murray – bass
• Nigel Olsson – drums

References

References

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7. (28 July 1973). "CashBox Record Reviews". Cash Box.
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14. "Fall Out Boy cover Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" for reissue box set". [[Alternative Press (magazine).
15. (19 September 2023). "Classic Album Review: Nickelback The Long Road".
16. (28 September 2015). "L'Italiano della musica nel mondo". [[Accademia della Crusca]].
17. (2023-06-17). "AEW Collision's Theme Song Is Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"".
18. Salaverri, Fernando. (2005). "Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002". Fundación Autor-SGAE.
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