A fun song that has a bit more of a kick than a regular Elton John song.
The song was written by Elton, who wrote the music, and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin who wrote the lyrics. He said it was his first attempt at writing a rock song that was totally English. Up until then, he focused on American Culture.
This song is about Taupin’s teen years going to British dance clubs, where fights were common. Many of Taupin’s songs are written to relate to Elton’s life, but not this one…it’s very unlikely that Elton would be fighting in a bar. Elton recorded this song while leaping around and standing up to get a certain feel.
The song was on the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and parts of it were recorded in Jamaica. This could very well be Elton John’s best album. It contained the title song, Bennie and the Jets, Candle in the Wind, and more. It was during a period when John and Taupin could do no wrong…they had the Midas touch. Everything they touched turned to gold and more times platinum. Between 1969 to 1976 the pair released 11 albums. Six of those were #1 in the Billboard 100 and all of them made it to the top ten.
The album was released in 1973 and it peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, #1 in the UK, and #5 in New Zealand in 1973.
The song peaked at #12 on the Billboard 100, #20 in Canada, #7 in the UK, and #12 in New Zealand in 1973.
As with other Elton songs…I was surprised when I saw the lyrics. He is one of the hardest singers to nail down the words I’ve ever heard…for me anyway. The line about getting drunk is brilliant…”Get about as oiled as a diesel train” but for the longest, I would just mumble… blah blah blah blah DIESEL TRAIN. This song though is clearer than some of his others.
Bernie Taupin on recording some of the album in Jamaica: “The climate was hospitable, but the natives weren’t. To use the terminology of the time, it was not a ‘good vibe.’ I remember a lot of barbed wire around the studio and armed guards. We spent a lot of time congregating around the pool area of the hotel, feeling there was safety in numbers. The Stones did manage to record there, but in retrospect, I think they had a mobile unit with them. The only thing I remember trying to record was ‘Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.’ It was an aborted attempt, just atrocious.”
Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
It’s getting late, have you seen my mates?
Ma tell me when the boys get here
It’s seven o’clock and I want to rock
Want to get a belly full of beer
My old man’s drunker than a barrel full of monkeys
And my old lady she don’t care
My sister looks cute in her braces and boots
A handful of grease in her hair
Don’t give us none of your aggravation
We had it with your discipline
Saturday night’s alright for fighting
Get a little action in
Get about as oiled as a diesel train
Gonna set this dance alight
‘Cause Saturday night’s the night I like
Saturday night’s alright alright alright
Well they’re packed pretty tight in here tonight
I’m looking for a dolly who’ll see me right
I may use a little muscle to get what I need
I may sink a little drink and shout out “She’s with me!”
A couple of the sounds that I really like
Are the sounds of a switchblade and a motorbike
I’m a juvenile product of the working class
Whose best friend floats in the bottom of a glass
Don’t give us none of your aggravation
We had it with your discipline
Saturday night’s alright for fighting
Get a little action in
Get about as oiled as a diesel train
Gonna set this dance alight
‘Cause Saturday night’s the night I like
Saturday night’s alright alright alright
Don’t give us none of your aggravation
We had it with your discipline
Saturday night’s alright for fighting
Get a little action in
Get about as oiled as a diesel train
Gonna set this dance alight
‘Cause Saturday night’s the night I like
Saturday night’s alright alright alright
Saturday, Saturday, Saturday
Saturday, Saturday, Saturday
Saturday, Saturday,
Saturday night’s alright
Saturday, Saturday, Saturday
Saturday, Saturday, Saturday
Saturday, Saturday,
Saturday night’s alright
Saturday, Saturday, Saturday
Saturday, Saturday, Saturday
Saturday, Saturday,
Saturday night’s alright