Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting (1973) 11/16/20

One of Elton John's “Greatest Songs of the '70s” was the ONLY one of his THIRTEEN hit singles released between 1972 and 1975 that DIDN'T make the Top 10 in the US (#12 on the Hot 100).

Why? Because many radio stations felt it glorified violence and didn't play it.

'Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) was the first single released from his 1973 album, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” and it really ROCKED! Music critics called it a “cross between '50s rock & roll and '70s glam rock.” Some even thought it sounded like something The Rolling Stones or The Who would record. In fact, the Who actually covered the tune in 1991! (For the record, Nickelback covered it, too...in 2003.)

Elton's lyricist, Bernie Taupin, based the lyrics on his teenage years, which were filled with fistfights at his local pub. So yeah, it was a song about violence---but pretty tame compared to what you might hear on the radio in 2020.

In spite of being banned in several areas, “Saturday Night's Alright” became one of Elton's best known songs. And, according to people who count these things, as of 2015, he had performed the track in concert more than 13-HUNDRED times over the years, also making it one of his most performed songs!

“Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting):” A Great Song of 1973! (Yes, I know All right is 2 words, but “Alright” is how Elton and Bernie spelled it!)

Just for fun, here's the cover version by The Who:

And if you're curious, here's Nickelback (with Kid Rock):

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