THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

695-Suede-Saturday Night.

1997-Number 6 single.

Best Bit-At 2.46. While the rest of us are going to the pub on a Saturday night, this lot are going to freak shows.

Suede (see also best songs 244) were formed in London, England, in 1989, by Brett Anderson (vocals) and Justine Frischmann, (guitar) (see also best songs 1018) who had met in 1988, and became romantically attached while studying at the ‘University College London.’ The pair decided to form a band, and were soon joined by Anderson’s childhood friend Mat Osman (bass.) The original line up was completed by Bernard Butler, (guitars, keyboards and piano) and Simon Gilbert, (drums) who joined in 1990. After Bernard Butler left the group in 1994, he was replaced by Richard Oakes, (guitars and piano) Neil Codling, (synthesizers, and rhythm guitars) joined in 1995, and the other two members who have come and gone are Justin Welch, (drums) and Alex Lee (keyboards and guitars.) In total there have been nine different members, with Anderson, and Osman being the two constants since 1989. Suede were active until 2003, but then reformed in 2010, their ninth studio Album ‘Autofiction’ was released in 2022.

Brett Lewis Anderson was born on September 29th, 1967, in Lindfield, Sussex, England. After Suede disbanded in 2003, he once again joined forces with Bernard Butler who had left Suede in 1994 on bad terms, to form the ‘supergroup’ ‘The Tears,’ with three others. ‘The Tears were active between 2004-2006, issuing the studio Album ‘Here Comes the Tears,’ which reached Number 15 in the UK, as well as two single, ‘Refugees,’ (UK Number 9-2005) and ‘Lovers’ (UK Number 24-2005.) Bret Anderson has also released four solo studio Albums between 2007-2011, and six singles and EP’s in the same time period. Anderson caused anger and controversy in the early days of Suede when making the comment that he was ‘A bisexual man who never had a homosexual experience.’ He has also suffered from drug addition, and has said,’Anyone who has ever tried crack will know exactly why I took it. It’s the scariest drug in the world because the hit you get from it is so, so seductive. I wanted to experience that, and I did repeatedly. Bret Anderson’s music, and stage image, is heavily influenced by David Bowie, (1947-2016) and Marc Bolan, (1947-1977) from the ‘Glam-Rock’ era. The music press dubbed ‘Suede’ as one of the components of the ‘Britpop’ ‘big four’ alongside Oasis, Blur, and Suede, a term Anderson always hated, as he didn’t want his music pigeonholing.

‘Saturday Night’ was the third of five singles released from ‘Coming Up,’ the third studio Album from Suede, from September 1996, the song can be filed under the genres of ‘Britpop,’ Glam Rock,’ and ‘Alternative Rock.’ ‘Saturday Night’ was co-written by Brett Anderson, and Richard Oakes, with the production by Ed Buller, who was born Edmund Wilbur Hudson Buller, on August 9th, 1962, in Reigate, Surrey, England. Buller is a long term collaborator with Suede, having produced six of their nine studio Albums. His production work also includes Albums with Pulp, (His ‘n’ Hers) (see also best songs 605) The Courteeners, (Falcon) and The Boo Radleys (Everything’s Alright Forever.)

Brett Anderson has spoken about what inspired him to write ‘Saturday Night,’ The sentiment of ‘Saturday Night’ was something I’d never tried to do before, which was finding beauty in something ordinary and average. Before it was sort of casting myself as the kind of tortured Byronic hero.’ ‘Saturday Night’ comes across as a love song, where the narrator wants to give his girlfriend a memorable night out, but in my opinion it’s more about a couple going on a wild night out in order to forget the trivial everyday unsatisfying life of the rest of the week. The song may sound like fun, but there’s an underlying desperation there.

‘Today she’s been sat there, sat there in a black chair, office furniture. But it’ll be alright, ‘cos tonight we’ll go drinking, we’ll do silly things, and never let the winter in. And it’ll be okay, like everyone says, it’ll be alright and ever so nice. We’re going out tonight, out and about tonight.’