"Saturday Night" is a song by Australian recording artist

Jessica Mauboy Jessica Hilda Mauboy (born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and subseq ...

, featuring American rapper

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

. It was released as the second single from Mauboy's second studio album, '' Get 'Em Girls'', on 27 October 2010. The song was written by Angie Iron, Mauboy, Ludacris and Brian Kennedy, and was produced by Kennedy. Musically, "Saturday Night" is a dance-pop song that includes elements of electropop and

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

in its instrumentation; it utilizes a synthesizer beat and heavy drums. Both Jessica Mauboy and Ludacris's vocals are

Auto-Tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...

d. "Saturday Night" peaked at number seven on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified double platinum by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...

(ARIA) for sales of 140,000 copies, making it Mauboy's highest-charting single since 2008's "

Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur ma ...

" and highest-selling single since her debut, "

Running Back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

." An accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was directed by

Hype Williams Harold Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video director, film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens, New York. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adel ...

, and features tinted lighting and fast-paced graphics throughout; the video went on to achieve over 1 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

. "Saturday Night" was nominated for 'Highest Selling Single' at the 2011 ARIA Music Awards. Mauboy also recorded a simlish version of the song titled, "Surbiduh Nye", for the video game, '' The Sims 3: Late Night''.

Background and composition

"Saturday Night" was written by Angie Iron, Brian Kennedy and

, with Kennedy also producing the track alongside Israel Cruz and Khaled Rohaim. The rap verse on the song was written by Ludacris. When Mauboy heard the original verse, she was not happy with it and had Ludacris re-write it again. "Saturday Night" is written using

E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: : Changes needed ...

, D, and C

chords Chord may refer to: * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve * Chord ( ...

in its intro. It is a dance-pop tune which features instrumentation from both

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

and drums, and uses a synthesized backing. Both Jessica Mauboy and Ludacris use

auto-tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...

. Lyrically, the song is about Mauboy and her girlfriends getting ready to go to a party, and taking to the streets in their

Aston Martin DB9 The Aston Martin DB9 is a grand tourer produced by Aston Martin. Available both in coupé and a convertible bodystyles, the latter being known as the Volante, the DB9 was the successor to the DB7. It was first shown at the 2003 Frankfurt ...

. Ludacris's rap verse is somewhat more sexualized. Mauboy also recorded a

simlish Simlish is a fictional language featured in EA's ''Sim'' series of games. It debuted in ''SimCopter'' (1996), and has been especially prominent in ''The Sims'' franchise, as well as in its spinoff ''MySims'' series. Simlish can also be hear ...

version of the song re-titled, "Surbiduh Nye". The song was recorded to help promote the video game, '' The Sims 3: Late Night''. "Saturday Night" was released digitally on 27 October 2010, and was sent to Australian contemporary hit radio on 1 November.

Reception

Critical response

Majhid Heath of ABC Online Indigenous wrote that the song is a "fun dance number that'll help start off the Saturday nights of teenagers across the country." The song was nominated for 'Single of 2010' at the 2010 IT List Awards and 'Highest Selling Single' at the 2011 ARIA Music Awards. On 5 July 2016, the staff at 105.7 FM ("PopCrush 105.7") listed "Saturday Night" as one of the 'Best Weekend Songs', commenting that the track is " e essential girls night out anthem. LAYDIESSSS!"

Chart performance

"Saturday Night" debuted at number 13 on the ARIA Singles Chart on 22 November 2010. It peaked at number seven on 27 December, where it remained for two consecutive weeks. "Saturday Night" was certified double platinum by the

(ARIA), for selling 140,000 copies.

Music video

Background & Release

The music video for the song was directed by

and was filmed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

along with the video for " Get 'Em Girls". It premiered on

on 11 November 2010. A second version of the video without a guest appearance from Ludacris, was released on 2 December 2010.

Synopsis & Reception

Throughout the video, it shows tinted

lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylig ...

and fast-paced graphics. The video features close-up shots of Mauboy singing the song wearing a blue dress and large rounded earrings, with much makeup. There are also intercut snippets of a DB9 driving swiftly along a

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-acces ...

with a

license plate A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate (American English), or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identificatio ...

reading "JP Logistics", an anonymous dancer on a bar seat with curly hair, and city scenes including neon signage. Mauboy herself can be seen wearing a fox fur and dancing at a club with some girlfriends, while holding a glass of champagne, and a bottle of alcohol is also pictured. Ludacris makes a cameo appearance, raising his sunglasses to reveal himself in the beginning and illuminating the neon lighting with his hands in his rap solo. The video ends with Mauboy and her girlfriends parking their DB9 and getting out, and she is wearing a sparkling dress and a cap. Editors from MusicFix were impressed with the video and wrote that, "Mauboy gets sexier in each subsequent music video". A writer for The Fix wrote ahead of the video's release that it was going to be "one awesome video" and noted that Hype Williams is "responsible for

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

and

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...

's '

Gold Digger Gold digger is a term for a person, typically a woman, who engages in a type of transactional relationship for money rather than love. If it turns into marriage, it is a type of marriage of convenience. Etymology and usage The term "gold ...

' and Beyonce's '

Diva Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is cl ...

'."

Live performances

Mauboy performed "Saturday Night" on ''The X Factor'' (Australia) on 8 November 2010, followed by a performance of the song at the 2010

Perth Telethon The Channel Seven Perth Telethon, regionally known simply as Telethon, is an annual telethon established in 1968 by philanthropist James Cruthers, Sir James Cruthers and Brian Treasure, and produced by TVW, a Seven Network-owned television statio ...

on 13 November 2010. On 27 November 2010, she performed the song on '' Hey Hey It's Saturday''. On 4 December 2010, Mauboy participated in the YouTube Live Sessions program, where she performed several of the album's songs, including "Saturday Night". On 7 December 2010, Mauboy performed the song on the ''

Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It w ...

'', which was broadcast in Gold Coast, Queensland. On 10 December 2010, she performed the song at

Federation Square Federation Square (colloquially Fed Square) is a venue for arts, culture and public events on the edge of the Melbourne central business district. It covers an area of at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets built above busy ra ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, ahead of Oprah Winfrey's visit to the place. On 26 January 2011, Mauboy performed "Saturday Night" at the

Australia Day Live Concert Australia Day Live is a concert which is hosted each year on Australia Day, on 26 January at the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour. The concert features music from Australian artists and musicians. History The ''"Australia ...

, held on the grounds of the Parliament House in Canberra.

Track listing

*Digital download # "Saturday Night" (featuring Ludacris) – 3:25 *Digital EP # "Saturday Night" (No Rap Edit) – 3:12 # "Saturday Night" (featuring Ludacris) – 3:25 # "Saturday Night" (Christian Luke Radio Edit) – 3:48

Personnel

Songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

– Angie Iron, Brian Kennedy, Ludacris *

Production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

– Brian Kennedy *Additional production – Israel Cruz, Khaled Rohaim * Mixing –

Phil Tan Phil Tan is a Malaysian-American music and audio engineer. Early life and education Tan was born in Malaysia. He attended Full Sail University in Florida in the U.S., where he attained a degree in Recording Arts in 1990. Afterwards he moved to Atla ...

*Additional mixing – Damien Lewis * Mastering – Tom Coyne Source:

Charts

Weekly chart

Year-end charts

Certification

Release history

References

{{Ludacris singles 2010 singles Jessica Mauboy songs Music videos directed by Hype Williams Dance-pop songs Ludacris songs Songs written by Ludacris Songs written by Brian Kennedy (record producer) Sony Music Australia singles 2010 songs