View source for Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

{{short description|1973 single by Elton John}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox song
| name          = Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
| cover         = Elton john Saturday Night's Alright for Fightingq (3).jpg
| alt           = 
| type          = single
| artist        = [[Elton John]]
| album         = [[Goodbye Yellow Brick Road]]
| B-side        = *"Jack Rabbit"
*"Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)"
| released      = June 29, 1973<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RBN6mKz83kgC&dq=Saturday+Night%27s+Alright+for+Fighting+1973&pg=PA71 | title=His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John | isbn=978-0-8230-8893-5 | last1=Rosenthal | first1=Elizabeth J. | date=8 April 2024 | publisher=Billboard Books }}</ref>
| recorded      = May 1973
| studio        = [[Château d'Hérouville]], France
| venue         = 
| genre         = 
*[[Glam rock]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Mastropolo|first=Frank|date=12 January 2018|title=Top 11 Glam Rock Songs|url=https://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/top-11-glam-rock-songs/|access-date=14 May 2021|website=Rock Cellar Magazine}}</ref><ref name="book">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vYJVDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT132|title=Marooned: The Next Generation of Desert Island Discs|last=Freeman|first=Phil|date=2007|publisher=Hachette Books|isbn=978-0-30681-640-6|page=132}}</ref>
*[[rock and roll]]<ref>{{cite magazine|date=31 May 2009|title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/elton-john-goodbye-yellow-brick-road-3-151503/|access-date=14 May 2021|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref>
*[[proto-punk]]<ref name="book"/>
| length        = *4:57 (album version)
*4:12 (single version)
| label         = * [[MCA Records|MCA]]
* [[DJM Records|DJM]]
| writer        = *[[Elton John]]
*[[Bernie Taupin]]
| producer      = [[Gus Dudgeon]]
| prev_title    = [[Daniel (Elton John song)|Daniel]]
| prev_year     = 1973
| next_title    = [[Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (song)|Goodbye Yellow Brick Road]]
| next_year     = 1973
}}

"'''Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting'''" (sometimes written "'''Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)'''") is a song originally recorded by English musician [[Elton John]]. John composed it with his long-time songwriting partner [[Bernie Taupin]]. It was released on John's best-selling album ''[[Goodbye Yellow Brick Road]]'' (1973) and as the first single. It has been covered by many artists and featured on motion picture, video game, and television soundtracks.

''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' found the song to be a cross between John's earlier single "[[Crocodile Rock]]" and the [[Rolling Stones]]' single "[[Street Fighting Man]]", suggesting that it may be a parody of the Rolling Stones but regardless is a "great fun record."<ref name=bb>{{cite news|title=Top Single Picks|newspaper=Billboard|access-date=2020-07-25|date=21 July 1973|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1973/Billboard%201973-07-21.pdf|page=75}}</ref>

==Background==
"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" is a lively throwback to early [[rock and roll]] with a [[Glam rock|glam]] edge. The lyrics discuss 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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.onthisveryspot.com/spot/Aston_Arms_Pub |title=Aston Arms Pub |publisher=On This Very Spot |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425064747/http://www.onthisveryspot.com/spot/Aston_Arms_Pub |access-date=8 October 2016|url-status=usurped |archive-date=25 April 2018 }}</ref>

==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 [[Mixolydian mode|G mixolydian]] alternating with [[Mixolydian mode|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==
[[File:Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting Elton John US single.png|thumb|One of side-A labels of the 1973 US single]]
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".<ref>{{cite news|title=CashBox Record Reviews|date=28 July 1973|page=16|accessdate=2021-12-11|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1973/Cash-Box-1973-07-28.pdf|newspaper=Cash Box}}</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' called it a "rip-snortin' rocker that is reminiscent of the [[Rolling Stones|Stones]] and [[David Bowie|Bowie]]" with "lotsa high-powered energy".<ref name=rw>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=July 28, 1973|accessdate=2023-03-23|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/73/RW-1973-07-28.pdf}}</ref>

In the UK, the song entered the ''Music Week'' Top 50 the week of 7 July 1973, rose to No.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;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 (song)|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").<ref name="auto">{{Cite book|title=  Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955–2012 |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2013 |publisher=Record Research |page=436}}</ref>

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,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting by Elton John Song Statistics |url=https://www.setlist.fm/stats/songs/elton-john-63d6be6f.html?songid=5bd64fe8 |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=Setlist.fm}}</ref> being played more than 1,800 times live (making it one of John's top ten most performed tracks in [[Elton John discography|his entire discography]]) as of December 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.setlist.fm/stats/elton-john-63d6be6f.html |title=Elton John Tour Statistics |website=Setlist.fm |access-date=8 October 2016}}</ref>

==Cover versions==
"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" has been covered by [[W.A.S.P. (band)|W.A.S.P.]],<ref>{{cite web | title=W.A.S.P, The Best of the Best: 1984–2000, Vol. 1 | publisher=[[AllMusic]] | url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/the-best-of-the-best-1984-2000-vol-1-mr0004367038 | access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> [[Flotsam and Jetsam (band)|Flotsam and Jetsam]], [[Nickelback]] (with [[Kid Rock]] and [[Dimebag Darrell]]), [[Queen (band)|Queen]], [[the Who]],<ref>{{cite web | title=The Who, Thirty Years of Maximum R&B | publisher=[[The Who|TheWho.com]] | url=https://www.thewho.com/music/thirty-years-of-maximum-rb-2/ | access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> and [[Fall Out Boy]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Fall Out Boy cover Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" for reissue box set | publisher=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]] | url=https://www.altpress.com/fall_out_boy_cover_elton_johns_saturday_nights_alright_for_fighting_for_rei/ | access-date=19 March 2014}}</ref> It has also been sampled in the hit "[[Gloria (Umberto Tozzi song)|Gloria]]" by [[Umberto Tozzi]] in 1979.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bonomi |first1=Ilaria |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U2eeCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT186 |title=L'Italiano della musica nel mondo |last2=Coletti |first2=Vittorio |date=28 September 2015 |publisher=[[Accademia della Crusca]] |isbn=978-8-86-797423-8 |page=186 |language=IT}}</ref>

A live performance featuring American recording artist [[Anastacia]] was released in 2000 as part of Elton's live album ''[[Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits|One Night Only]]''. 

==Track listing==
All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin

# "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" – 4:12
# "Jack Rabbit" – 1:50
# "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 [[Gilmore Girls (season 6)|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 (TV series)|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 theme song for the professional wrestling television show ''[[AEW Collision]]'', which airs on Saturday nights.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-17 |title=AEW Collision's Theme Song Is Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/aew-collision-theme-song-is-elton-johns-saturday-nights-alright-for-fighting/ |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1973)
!Peak<br />position
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|12|artist=Elton John|song=Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting|chartid=4907|access-date=September 23, 2024}}
|-
|[[Productores de Música de España|Spanish Singles Chart]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Salaverri|first=Fernando|title=Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002|publisher=Fundación Autor-SGAE|year=2005|isbn=84-8048-639-2|location=|pages=}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|21
|-
|UK Singles Chart<ref>{{cite web|title=officialcharts.com|website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21478/elton-john/|accessdate=22 April 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|7
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref name="auto">{{Cite book|title=  Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955–2012 |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2013 |publisher=Record Research |page=436}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|12
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Elton John|title=Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=1973|certyear=2024|access-date=18 December 2024|source=radioscope}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Elton John|title=Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting|award=Gold|relyear=2007|certyear=2023|id=16378-733-1|access-date=26 May 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=Elton John|title=Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)|award=Platinum|relyear=1973|certyear=2024|access-date= December 9, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

==Personnel==
* [[Elton John]] – piano, vocals
* [[Davey Johnstone]] – electric guitars
* [[Dee Murray]] – bass
* [[Nigel Olsson]] – drums

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/singles.shtml "BBC: The Official UK Charts Company"]. ''United Kingdom sales chart''. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
* [http://billboard.com "''Billboard''"]. Billboard ''Hot 100 airplay and sales charts''. Retrieved 11 June 2006.

{{Elton John songs|state=collapsed
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting}}
[[Category:1973 songs]]
[[Category:1973 singles]]
[[Category:Elton John songs]]
[[Category:Songs with music by Elton John]]
[[Category:Songs with lyrics by Bernie Taupin]]
[[Category:Star Academy France songs]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Gus Dudgeon]]
[[Category:DJM Records singles]]
[[Category:MCA Records singles]]
[[Category:British rock-and-roll songs]]
[[Category:Glam rock songs]]
[[Category:Protopunk songs]]
[[Category:Songs about nights]]