THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

444-De La Soul-A Rolling Skating Jam Named ”Saturdays.””

1991-Number 22 single.

Best Bit-At 0.17. ‘All that scratchin’ is makin’ me itch.’

De La Soul (see also best songs 246) were formed in high school, in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York, United States, in 1988, by Kelvin Mercer, known by his stage name ‘Posdnuos,’ David Jolicoeur (1968-2023) ‘Trugoy the Dove,’ and Vincent Mason Jr. ‘Maseo,’ all three have used other stage names on occasions. A demo of the song ‘Plug Tunin” came to the attention of Paul Huston who is better known by his stage name ‘Prince Paul,’ (he is also a native of Amityville, New York) which led to him working with, and producing the first three critically acclaimed Albums of De La Soul.

‘A Rolling Skating Jam Named ”Saturdays.”” was the second of three singles released from ‘De La Soul Is Dead,’ the second studio Albums from De La Soul, from May 1991. The songs writing credits are attributed to all three members of De La Soul, along with the tracks producer Prince Paul, and Kamal Fareed, who raps the first verse, and is better known by his stage name of ‘Q-Tip,’ (see also best songs 850 and 636) he is a member of the Rap group ‘A Tribe Called Quest’. Rodney Mathews whose song ‘Evil Vibrations,’ performed with his American ‘Funk’ band ‘The Mighty Ryeders, from 1978, is heavily sampled, and for that he also receives writing credits, as does Barry Gibb (see also best songs 459-211 and 35) for the sampling of the horn riff from the song ‘Grease’ (see also best songs 768) from 1978. There are also vocals taken from the 1972 song ‘Saturday in the Park,’ by the band Chicago, (see also best songs 631 and 328) with that songs writer Robert Lamm also receiving writing credits. Samples are also taken from ‘Light My Fire,’ by Young-Holt Unlimited, from 1969, and ‘I Got My Mind Made Up,’ by Instant Funk, from 1978, (see also best songs 1041) there are also other samples used, but none of these receive writing credits. The female vocals on the track are performed by the unaccredited Vinia Mojica, and the intro of the song features the ‘Def Jam’ records co-founder Russell Simmons as a DJ from a fictional radio station called ‘WRMS.’

De La Soul were prominent members of the ‘Native Togues.’ The Native Tongues were a collective of late 1980’s, and early 1990’s ‘Hip-Hop’ artists known for their positive-minded, good-natured Afrocentric lyrics, and for pioneering the use of eclectic sampling and Jazz-influenced beats. Its principal members were the Jungle Brothers, (see also best song 805) De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Monie Love, and Queen Latifah. The Native Tongues took their name from a line in the song ‘African Cry,’ by the Motown ‘Funk’ group New Birth, which features the lyric, ‘took away our native tongues.’ The Native Tongues are regarded as one of the first alternative ‘Hip-Hop’ movements, by offering something different from the stereotypical rap music that was all about braggadocio, and pursuing more experimental subject matter, and also sampling more diverse types of music.

David Jolicoeur, known as ‘Trugoy the Dove,’ of De La Soul, has recalled, ‘The Native Tongues came about where, basically, we had a show together in Boston, (De La Soul and the Jungle Brothers) and we linked from there. We had a natural love for the art and a natural love for each other on how we put stuff together. So we invited the Jungle Brothers to a session, and when they hooked up with us, we happened to be doing ‘Buddy.’ It wasn’t business, it wasn’t for a check. It was just trading ideas and just seeing what you’re doing. Bottom line, it was just having fun.’ Q-Tip of ‘A Tribe Called Quest’ has said, ‘I remember Afrika ‘Baby Bam’ (of the Jungle Brothers) called me that night, like, two in the morning. ‘Yo these kids, De La Soul, you gotta meet ’em! I swear we’re just alike!” I went there, met them, and it was just fu#kin’ love at first sight. It was disgusting. In hip hop, it praises individualism. I think that’s the main achievement of the Native Tongues. It just showed people could come together.’

A Roller Skating Jam Named ‘Saturdays'” was written to show the ‘fun’ side of De La Soul. The song’s lyrics revolve around roller skating and the joy of weekends, The song shows that De La Soul also have a light-hearted side to them, as well as the serious one shown in much of their previous work.

‘Back once more with the wallop in the score. Must I ride and rip, should I make you rock your hip, reviver of a roller boogie in a rink.’