Saturday Night

Album: Hats (1989)
Charted: 50
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • With their trademark synthesizer backing, this song finds Paul Buchanan of The Blue Nile singing about a romance with "an ordinary girl" who is anything but ordinary to him. Written by Buchanan, the song is part of the group's second album, Hats, which appeared five years after their debut. They did spend about two years working on the album, but also took on other projects in that time, including film music for the BBC.
  • This song takes place in the group's home city of Glasgow, which is also the setting for their debut single "Tinseltown In The Rain." One specific reference they made up though.

    When Mojo magazine asked frontman Paul Buchanan if the lyric "meet me outside the Cherry Light" pertained to a pub or club in Glasgow, he replied: "No, it's just an image, really, if I'm being honest, there was a British Home Stores I knew on Sauchiehall Street, and outside there was a popular place to meet your date. You'd see other guys waiting on their girls. Cherry Light just seemed more poetic than British Home Stores!"
  • Considering how much positive press The Blue Nile got in the UK, it's surprising their highest placing on the Singles chart is "Saturday Night" at #50. In America, they never made the charts at all, in large part because it was sparsely distributed there.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Female Singers Of The 90s

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

Sugarland

SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Meet the "sassy basket" with the biggest voice in country music.