"Saturday Night" is a song by Scottish band

The Blue Nile The Blue Nile was a Scottish band which originated in Glasgow. The group's early music was built heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation and percussion, although later works featured guitar more prominently. Following early champ ...

, released in 1991 as the third and final single from their second studio album ''

Hats A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

'' (1989). It was written by Paul Buchanan and produced by the band. "Saturday Night" reached number 50 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and remained in the top 100 for three weeks. It remains the band's highest charting single in the UK.

Background

"Saturday Night" was released as a single after it became a "live favourite" on the band's critically-acclaimed 1990 UK tour. It was intended to release the song as a single in 1990, with ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' reporting in January 1990 that the band were due to remix the song with

Bob Clearmountain Bob Clearmountain (born January 15, 1953) is an American recording engineer, mixer and record producer. He has worked with many major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Toto, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams, with whom he has a very ...

. A remixed version of "

Headlights on the Parade "Headlights on the Parade" is a song by Scottish band The Blue Nile, released in 1990 as the second single from their second studio album ''Hats'' (1989). The song was written by Paul Buchanan and produced by the band. It reached number 72 in the U ...

" was released as the second single from ''Hats'' instead.

Critical reception

On its release as a single, Chris Roberts of ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' picked "Saturday Night" as one of the magazine's "singles of the week". He described it as "a great love song" and added, "It's so tactile you could stroke it, so gentle you could breathe it, so perfectly understated you could fail to appreciate its beauty if you were 99 per cent of the British population." Simon Williams of ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' considered it to be "a gentle, synthetic respite" which "goes voyeuring through the twilight zone, exposing the empty hours for the burden they really are". He noted the song "sounds vacuous and tepid in the hustle and bustle of early evening", but added that it "attains breathtaking significance at dawn". In a review of ''Hats'', David Thigpen of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' commented, "Songs such as 'The Downtown Lights' and 'Saturday Night' have a sparse, soulful feel that blends the cool, nocturnal languor of

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ' ...

with the mystical hues of

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

." In a 1996 retrospective on The Blue Nile, George Byrne of the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'' wrote, "When Buchanan sings about 'an ordinary girl' ('Saturday Night'), he makes her sound like the most important woman on earth, and that's the essence of The Blue Nile."

Cover versions

In 1996, Irish singer-songwriter

Leslie Dowdall Leslie Dowdall is an Irish singer-songwriter from Howth, County Dublin. She was the singer in trad/rock group In Tua Nua IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, G ...

released a version of the song as a track on her debut album ''No Guilt No Guile''. In 2001, she told ''

Hot Press ''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. History ''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...

'', "I think we did a damn fine version of 'Saturday Night' and I don't care if Paul Buchanan hates it! There's a lovely feel to it, which is like the feel I wanted for the album."

Track listing

;7" and cassette single #"Saturday Night" (Edit) – 4:01 #"Saturday Night" (Album Version) – 6:18 ;12" single #"Saturday Night" (Edit) – 4:01 #"Saturday Night" (Album Version) – 6:18 #"Our Lives (Lost / Bolivia / New York)" – 7:15 ;CD single #"Saturday Night" (Edit) – 4:01 #"Seven A.M." (Live, U.S.A.) – 5:33 #"Saturday Night" (Album Version) – 6:18 ;CD single #"Saturday Night" (Edit) – 4:01 #"Our Lives (Lost / Bolivia / New York)" – 7:15 #"Saturday Night" – 6:18

Personnel

The Blue Nile * Paul Buchanan * Robert Bell * Paul Joseph Moore Production * The Blue Nile – producers *

Calum Malcolm Calum Malcolm is a Scottish record producer, sound engineer and keyboardist, who is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. He started his career in rock music with the band The Headboys in 1977. From 1974, he has worked with bands and musicians such a ...

– recording Other * The Blue Nile – sleeve design *

Stylorouge Stylorouge is a graphic design studio based in Yalding, Kent, formed in London by creative director Rob O'Connor in 1981. Art work created by the studio has included record sleeve designs for bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees for their 1981's ...

– artwork *

Jeanloup Sieff Jeanloup Sieff (November 30, 1933 – September 20, 2000) was a French photographer. He was born in Paris to Polish parents. He was a photography student of Gertrude Fehr. He is famous for his portraits of politicians, famous artists, landscapes, ...

– original photography "Paris La Nuit" (1956)

Charts

References

{{The Blue Nile 1991 songs 1991 singles The Blue Nile songs