Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" is a lively throwback to early rock and roll with a 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.{{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 }}

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.

File:Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting Elton John US single.png

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".{{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}} Record World called it a "rip-snortin' rocker that is reminiscent of the Stones and Bowie" with "lotsa high-powered energy".{{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}}

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").{{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}}

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,{{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}} 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.{{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}}

"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" has been covered by W.A.S.P.,{{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}} Flotsam and Jetsam, Nickelback (with Kid Rock and Dimebag Darrell), Queen, the Who,{{cite web | title=The Who, Thirty Years of Maximum R&B | publisher=TheWho.com | url=https://www.thewho.com/music/thirty-years-of-maximum-rb-2/ | access-date=14 December 2019}} and Fall Out Boy.{{cite web | title=Fall Out Boy cover Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" for reissue box set | publisher=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}} It has also been sampled in the hit "Gloria" by Umberto Tozzi in 1979.{{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}}

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

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.

• 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 theme song for the professional wrestling television show AEW Collision, which airs on Saturday nights.{{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}}

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{{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}}

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

{{Reflist}}

• [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.

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Category:1973 songs

Category:1973 singles

Category:Elton John songs

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Category:Songs with lyrics by Bernie Taupin

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Category:Song recordings produced by Gus Dudgeon

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