Songs About Saturday Night

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This is another list that I started some time ago and, for whatever reason, I did not finish. I'm not even sure why I started it, but looking at what I had done, this is quite the fun little collection of songs. If this was a reader request – thank-you. It is a great topic.

And so, with that in mind, this is songs about Saturday Night!


So, it seems that nearly every song about Saturday as a day of the week concerns Saturday night. I have to admit that, as a youngster, Saturday night was Blue Light Disco night once a month, and then became music at the Tivoli Hotel night. Saturday day was always doing sport, so maybe that's why the night felt so good when I was younger – winding down after a lot of activity. Still, that does mean that there are a heap of songs about Saturday night!

Once again, the normal rules apply – one song per artist, one version of each song, I need to like the song. And, for this one, the phrase "Saturday Night" must appear in the title of the song. Oh, and the Meat Loaf song 'Whatever Happened To Saturday Night' from Rocky Horror Picture Show is actually called 'Hot Patootie, Bless My Soul', and so (unfortunately) does not appear here.

Songs about Saturday night!
'Saturday Night Fish Fry' by Louis Jordan (1949)

To show how old this trope of Saturday night being the fun night is, let's start with some 1940s blues (verging on jazz). The idea of Saturday night being fun – and I really have no idea what a 'fish fry' is – is already there. And the word 'rocking' is already there!

'Saturday Night At The Duck Pond' by The Cougars (1963)

An instrumental from a band I know nothing about, except that I have this track on a compilation album. It doesn't matter, because it is a good little piece of rock music. Why the duck pond? Again, I'm not sure.
'Saturday Night At The Movies' by The Drifters (1964)

The first of the classic Saturday night songs, and, I have to admit, when there were no discoes, Saturday night was always a great time to go to the movies, especially when I entered the age of my life where girlfriends became prominent. Just like the song says.
'Saturday Night' by The Easybeats (1967)

One of the best bands Australia has produced, their songs covered by many , this track is one of so many of theirs that just rocks along wonderfully. Early Australian rock at its finest.
'Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting' by Elton John (1973)

Considering how beloved he is for his ballads, there was a time when Elton John's rockers were his bread and butter. This is one of his great ones, and it was so good that even The Who have done a cover of the song!
'Dancin' On A Saturday Night' by Barry Blue (1974)

This is odd. For someone who claims that he dislikes disco, disco tracks keep on appearing on these lists, which tells me it's not the genre I dislike but most of the music in it. Because this song is a fun one, and one I have danced to at the 70s/80s nights at a nightclub in town I can't remember the name of.
'On Saturday Night' by William Shakespeare (1974)

Another Australian artist, one who had a few hit singles, and who had some deep album cuts that were just as good, like this one (which also appeared as a B-side). Pop-rock from the Albert stable, this is just a fun song.
'Another Saturday Night' by Cat Stevens (1974)

Yes, I know this is a cover, and that Sam Cooke did the original, but I just prefer the Cat Stevens version. It sounds like he is having fun singing it, and that comes through in this, one of the few covers he released as a single.
'Saturday Night' by Cold Chisel (1984)

To me, this is the Saturday Night song, especially the album/video version with all the sound effects. It is Saturday night in song, encapsulating everything about that time of the week in four and a half minutes.
'Forty Miles To Saturday Night' by Paul Kelly (1987)

I've only seen Paul Kelly live once, back in the 1980s, and this song is still one of my favourites by the man. It's about the end of a working week, driving a big rig home to enjoy the weekend and all that it entails.
'It's Another Saturday Night' by The Cockroaches (1989)

The Cockroaches (who would go on to become The Wiggles) only had a couple of charting singles, but they released a lot of good songs, and this is just another one to add to their canon. The sense of joy in their pop-rock is probably why they have appealed to children subsequently. Oh, and the introduction on the video is an interesting snapshot as well.
'Almost Saturday Night' by John Fogerty with Keith Urban (2013)

John Fogerty released this originally on one of his early solo albums, but in 2013, he released an album where he recorded some of his early stuff with contemporary artists, and I prefer this version with Australia's Keith Urban to the original. No matter what, a good song.
There we are, a dozen songs about Saturday night and all that time of the week entails. Some truly amazing songs here, some genuine classics… but I have no idea why Saturday night in song really disappeared after the 1980s (the 2013 song is a cover, remember); maybe that night of the week just lost its allure.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one!
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