Almost Saturday Night
| "Almost Saturday Night" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by John Fogerty | ||||
| from the album John Fogerty | ||||
| B-side | "Sea Cruise" | |||
| Released | 1975 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 2:32 | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
| Songwriter | John Fogerty | |||
| Producer | John Fogerty | |||
| John Fogerty singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "Almost Saturday Night" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Dave Edmunds | ||||
| from the album Twangin... | ||||
| B-side | "You'll Never Get Me Up (In One Of Those)" | |||
| Released | April 1981 | |||
| Genre | Rockabilly | |||
| Label | Swan Song | |||
| Producer | Dave Edmunds | |||
| Dave Edmunds singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Almost Saturday Night" is a song written by John Fogerty and first released on his 1975 album John Fogerty. It was released as a single and reached No. 78. It has been covered by a number of artists, notably Dave Edmunds, who also released it as a single to more success.
The song describes the hero looking out the window and getting excited about the approaching weekend.[1]
Fogerty released the song as the second single from John Fogerty, as a follow-up to "Rockin' All Over the World, which reached No. 27.[2] However, "Almost Saturday Night" could only reach No. 78.[2]
Dave Edmunds version
[edit]"Almost Saturday Night" had more success when covered in a rockabilly style by Dave Edmunds in 1981 from his album Twangin....[3][4] Edmunds' version reached number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 18 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks.[5] A music video for Edmunds' version was also produced, gaining the song exposure on MTV.[6]
Other cover versions
[edit]Others who have since covered the song include The Searchers on Play for Today in 1981; Ricky Nelson on Playing to Win in 1981 and The Memphis Sessions in 1986; and Gene Clark and Carla Olson on So Rebellious a Lover in 1987.[7][8][9][10] The Flying Burrito Brothers covered the song in 1984.[11] Their version peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.[12] A cover by Bob Woodruff peaked at number 89 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada in 1997.[13]
Reception
[edit]Allmusic critic Mark Deming considers "Almost Saturday Night" one of Fogerty's best songs and describes the song as "a gloriously passionate hymn to the promise of the weekend."[1] Deming felt that Fogerty's "gritty" vocals were better suited to the song than Edmunds' "smoother" vocals, but praised Edmunds' enthusiasm and "killer" guitar solo.[1] Rolling Stone critic Dave Marsh praised the song's Beatles-like guitar part and double tracked vocal performance, claiming that it is the only song on John Fogerty which breaks the album's "predictable pattern."[14] Billboard described it as "top notch rock."[15]
Cash Box said that "loose guitar strings lend a sitar-like sound to the musical hookline within another pure rock tune from the master of simplicity-and-roll"[16] Record World said that "Punctuated by his gravelly vocals and a distinctly Creedence Clearwater sound, [Fogerty] is in top form producing, arranging, and doing just about everything here."[17] Others who have described the song as "great" include Allmusic critic William Ruhlmann and author Billy Poore.[3][8]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Deming, M. "Almost Saturday Night". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- 1 2 Bordowitz, H. (2007). Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Chicago Review Press. pp. 168, 191. ISBN 9781556526619.
- 1 2 Poore, B. (1998). Rockabilly: A Forty-Year Journey. Hal Leonard. p. 162. ISBN 9780793591428.
- ↑ Erlewine, S.T. "Twangin..." Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ↑ "Dave Edmunds awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ↑ Denisoff, R. Serge (4 September 2017). Inside MTV. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-51237-4.
- ↑ "Pay for Today". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- 1 2 Ruhlmann, W. "Playing to Win". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ↑ "The Memphis Sessions". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ↑ "So Rebellious a Lover". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ↑ "Burrito Brothers are back again". The Daily Reporter. May 5, 1984. p. 14. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
- ↑ "RPM Country Tracks". RPM. June 16, 1997. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
- ↑ Marsh, D. (September 18, 1975). "John Fogerty". The Morning Record. p. 36. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ↑ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. November 22, 1975. p. 76. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. November 22, 1975. p. 34. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
- ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. November 22, 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-09.