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Saturday Night (Whigfield song)

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Wikipedia article




{{Infobox song

| name = Saturday Night

| cover = Whigfieldsaturdaynight.jpg

| alt =

| caption = 1994 European CD single

| type = single

| artist = Whigfield

| album = Whigfield

| released =

* 1992 (Italy)

* 1993 (Spain)

* 1994 (worldwide)

| recorded =

| studio = Labelle

| genre = Europop, dance-pop

| length = 3:40

| label = Energy

| writer =

* Larry Pignagnoli

* Davide Riva

| producer = Larry Pignagnoli

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title = Another Day

| next_year = 1994

| misc =

}}

"'Saturday Night'" is a song by Italian Eurodance project Whigfield, fronted by Danish-born Sannie Charlotte Carlson. It was first released in 1992 in Italy and November 1993 in Spain through Prodisc. In 1994, it was released in the rest of Europe, and experienced worldwide success. The song was written by Italian producers Larry Pignagnoli and Davide Riva, and produced by Pignagnoli. In 1994, the song was included on Carlson's debut album, 'Whigfield'.

The single entered at number one on the UK Singles Chart, making Whigfield the first artist to enter at the top in the UK with their debut single, dethroning Wet Wet Wet's 15-week chart-topper "Love Is All Around". As of October 2015, "Saturday Night" has sold a total of 1.18 million copies in the UK. It also reached number one in Germany, Ireland, Spain and Switzerland, and it became a top-10 hit in Austria, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. In Spain the single spent 11 weeks at the top position. Outside Europe, it peaked at number three in Zimbabwe, number 19 on the US 'Billboard' Hot Dance Club Play chart and number 78 in Australia.

'NME' magazine ranked "Saturday Night" at number 15 in their list of the 50 best songs of 1994. It was also nominated for Best Single, while Whigfield was nominated for Best New Act on the 7th annual 'Smash Hits' Awards in 1995.

Background and composition



Whigfield (AKA Sannie Charlotte Carlson) studied fashion design in Copenhagen and went to Bologna in Italy where she worked as a model by day and as a PR girl for clubs at night. One of the club DJs, Davide Riva, was part of a music production duo. He persuaded her to sing for them. She then visited Italian producer Larry Pignagnoli in his studio and performed a song sample. He hired her to record "Saturday Night" and she chose the name Whigfield after an old teacher in Denmark. Larry Pignagnoli already had success with Spagna in the late 1980s and early 1990s before he produced "Saturday Night" with Whigfield. With lyrics written by Pignagnoli in three days, the duo did over 20 takes, then they spliced the best bits together.

Reviews categorized "Saturday Night" as a melodic bubblegum-influenced pop-dance and Euro-pop track. James Hamilton from the magazine's 'RM' Dance Update compared it to "Do Wah Diddy Diddy". "Saturday Night" includes a rave-tinted rhythm section, chirpy female vocals, and a house piano at its fade-out. According to Whigfield, "Saturday Night" is "like a nursery rhyme, with lyrics about what girls do when they're getting ready to go out, and about getting hot when theyre out dancing." The "Dee dee na na na" was initially done as a joke, before they incorporated it as a initial hook. They chose to release the song for its simple, upbeat and club-ready nature, titling it "Saturday Night" to reflect that. The lyrical subject led Simon Cowell to compare it to Rebecca Black's "Friday", stating that they are "what we call a 'hair-dryer song'; a song girls sing into their hair dryers as they're getting ready to go out".

Release and commercial performance



Initially, no record companies were interested in publishing "Saturday Night". After it was played frequently in the Spanish radio show 'World Dance Music', interest in the song began to increase. The first label to pick up the song was a small label, Prodisc in Valencia. It was first released in Italy in 1992, then became a number-one hit in Spain at the end of 1993. In the summer of 1994, it became a hit with British holidaymakers on the continent, leading to a huge demand for the track in the United Kingdom. Whigfield was signed for the UK in February 1994 by Christian Tattersfield and Ben Kahn who run London offshoot Systematic. The label decided to delay the release in order to capitalise on the inevitable buzz built up among British tourists returning from summer holidays in mainland Europe. The single was not released in North America until February 1995.

"Saturday Night" was released in the UK on 5 September 1994, and went straight to number one - dethroning Wet Wet Wet's 15 week chart-topper "Love Is All Around" on 11 September, despite that single increasing its sales from 65,000 the previous week to 104,000, when "Saturday Night" entered at number one with sales of 150,000. Whigfield was the first act to enter at number one in the United Kingdom chart with her dbut single.1000 UK Number One Singles by Jon Kutner & Spencer Leigh, page 400 It stayed at number one for a total of four weeks selling 680,000 in the process, went on to become the second best selling single of the year, and has sold a total of 1.18 million copies. "Saturday Night" is also the 15th biggest-selling single by a female artist in the United Kingdom. It also was a No. 1 hit in Germany, Ireland, Spain and Switzerland, and a No. 2 hit in Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy and Norway. In Spain, the single spent a total of 11 weeks at number-one. Additionally, it reached the Top 10 also in Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden. Outside Europe, it peaked at number-one on the 'RPM' Dance Chart in Canada, No. 3 in Israel and Zimbabwe, No. 19 on the 'Billboard' Hot Dance Club Play in the United States and No. 78 in Australia.

Critical reception



"Saturday Night" was well-received by professional critics, both contemporaneous and retrospective pieces labeling the track as "irresistible", "catchy", and "infectious"."Whiggy's all set for another hot summer". 'Evening Herald'. 20 May 1995. page 16. Retrieved 2020-03-27. Larry Flick from 'Billboard' wrote that it "is a giddy pop/dance ditty that has already saturated radio airwaves throughout Europe. It also has gotten early spins on crossover stations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Nashvilleand rightly so. The tune has a simple, but killer hook that is matched by a jumpy, rave-coated rhythm section and chirpy female vocals." David Balls from Digital Spy noted its "feelgood Euro beats and memorable dance routine". Tom Ewing of 'Freaky Trigger' complimented it for being "one of those iconically simple pop hits" and for its "resistibility". He also added that the song is "charmingly unassuming, thanks mainly to Whigfield's matter-of-fact performance. If you do stick around, your reward is a lovely bit of house piano heading for the fade. But this song is never pushy. It's Saturday night. Whigfield is having a great time." Gavin Hills from 'The Observer' wrote that it is "wonderful",Hills, Gavin (4 February 1996). "Rave New World". p. 7. 'The Observer'. British magazine 'Music Week' called it "delightful frothy pop", and Stephen Meade from 'The Network Forty' considered it as "exciting".

Music video



The official music video for "Saturday Night" was directed by La La Land. It features numerous different scenes of Whigfield standing in front of a mirror, getting ready to go out on Saturday night. She's blow-drying her wet hair, before she braids it and puts on make-up. In some scenes, she flips through pictures of different men and selects one of them, which she kisses and attaches to the mirror. In the video for her next single, "Another Day", the same image appears, this time in a frame. Other scenes also show the singer trying to decide which clothes to wear, before she goes for a black singlet.

Associated dance routine



There is a dance routine which is commonly performed to the song (particularly at parties and nightclubs in the United Kingdom), the origins of which are uncertain. Some suggest that it began as an aerobic routine created by a gym instructor to accompany the song at a holiday resort, and followed the song back to the UK. The dance does not appear in the music video for the song, however it was performed by backing dancers during Whigfield's performance on Top of the Pops on 15 September 1994.

Whigfield stated in an interview with Justin Myers for the Official Charts Company, "I remember I did some promotion in this place north of Madrid and when I was doing the track [I] saw everybody doing this thing and they all jumped at the same time. I hadnt even known about the dance until then... I still remember the dance, but I didnt do it. I thought it was kind of nice that it was just the people doing it."

Allegations of plagiarism



Two claims of plagiarism were made. It was alleged that the track ripped off both "Rub a Dub Dub" by the Equals and "Fog on the Tyne" by Lindisfarne. Both claims were dismissed.

Impact and legacy



'The Guardian' ranked "Saturday Night" number 91 in their list of 'The 100 greatest UK No. 1s' in 2020. 'NME' placed it at number 15 in their list of the '50 best songs of 1994'. 'Smash Hits' nominated the song and act in the categories for Best New Single and Best New Act on the 7th annual 'Smash Hits' Awards in 1995. The song was played in the British TV series 'Everything I Know About Love' (2022present).

Track listings



* 'CD single UK [SYSCD3]'

# "Saturday Night" (radio mix)

# "Saturday Night" (extended nite mix)

# "Saturday Night" (nite mix)

# "Saturday Night" (beagle mix)

# "Saturday Night" (dida mix)

# "Saturday Night" (deep nite mix)

# "Saturday Night" (trance beat mix)

* 'CD single Australia (1997)'

# "Saturday Night" (radio mix) 4:06

# "Saturday Night" (Nite Mix) 5:29

# "Saturday Night" (Extended Nite Mix) 5:54

# "Saturday Night" (classic vocal remix - US remix) 9:15

# "Mega Pix Mix" 4:28

* 'CD maxi Remixes'

# "Saturday Night" (trance beat remix) 4:44

# "Saturday Night" (afternoon) 4:40

# "Saturday Night" (deep night remix) 5:45

# "Saturday Night" (extended nite remix) 5:55

# "Saturday Night" (radio mix) 4:07

* 'CD US maxi-single'

# "Saturday Night" (Remix) 5:55

# "Saturday Night" (Deep Nite Mix) 5:45

# "Saturday Night" (Beagle Mix) 4:55

# "Saturday Night" (Classic Vocal Mix - remixed by Darrin Friedman & Hex Hector) 9:15

# "Saturday Night" (Spike Vocal Mix - remixed by Darrin Friedman & Hex Hector) 7:28

# "Saturday Night" (Dida Mix) 4:36

Charts and certifications



Weekly charts



Year-end charts

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

|+1994 year-end chart performance for "Saturday Night"

!Chart (1994)

!Position

|-

!scope="row"|Canada Dance/Urban ('RPM')

| style="text-align:center;"|23

|-

!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)

| style="text-align:center;"|8

|-

!scope="row"|France (SNEP)

| style="text-align:center;"|30

|-

!scope="row"|Germany (Official German Charts)

| style="text-align:center;"|16

|-

!scope="row"|Iceland (slenski Listinn Topp 40)

| style="text-align:center;"|28

|-

!scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)

| style="text-align:center;"|37

|-

!scope="row"|Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)

| style="text-align:center;"|91

|-

!scope="row"|Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)

| style="text-align:center;"|23

|-

!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)

| style="text-align:center;"|2

|}

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

|+1995 year-end chart performance for "Saturday Night"

!Chart (1995)

!Position

|-

!scope="row"|Canada Dance/Urban ('RPM')

| style="text-align:center;"|44

|-

!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)

| style="text-align:center;"|79

|-

!scope="row"|France (SNEP)

| style="text-align:center;"|52

|-

!scope="row"|Norway (VG-lista) (Winter Period)

| style="text-align:center;"|19

|}

Certifications



Release history



References



Category:1992 debut singles

Category:1992 songs

Category:1993 singles

Category:1994 singles

Category:English-language Italian songs

Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles

Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles

Category:Music videos directed by La La Land

Category:Number-one singles in Germany

Category:Number-one singles in Scotland

Category:Number-one singles in Spain

Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland

Category:Scotland national football team songs

Category:Songs involved in plagiarism controversies

Category:Songs written by Larry Pignagnoli

Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles

Category:Whigfield songs

Category:Songs about nights

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