Matt Knight’s “4:20 HIT of the Day” – 7/26/22
Every weekday, I’m going to drop a song that I like to call the 4:20 HIT of the Day. What does this mean? Simply, it’s a song that I think will give you some good vibes, ‘spark up’ nostalgia or just remind you about a tune that you might love but just haven’t heard in a while.
Today’s HIT is in honor of the final shows from a legend this past weekend at MetLife Stadium (July 24/25) on the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.” From the ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ album, its Elton John “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting.)” This was the first single off the 1973 album and co-written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. This was one of the more rock-inspired songs that Elton released, similar to “The Bitch Is Back” and “Grow Some Funk Of Your Own.”
It features energetic, rapid-fire piano playing reminiscent of Jerry Lee Lewis. According to John, it may have been written on the piano at first, but the song ended up being recorded somewhat in reverse to the normal way he records, with the band putting their tracks down, and Elton overdubbing his piano afterward. (John’s typical process was to either record the piano first or play along with the band.) Elton called the song “hard to record.” Taupin said that a lot of the power of the song comes from the chords, adding it also features what he called one of the greatest “strident, blistering guitar chords ever created” in rock and roll.
In the US, the song entered the Billboard Top 40 the week of August 11th, 1973, rose to No. 12 and stayed in the Top 40 for nine weeks. It was the only single by Elton John that failed to make the Top 10 in the three-year, 13-hit period between May 1972 (“Rocket Man”) and October 1975 (“Island Girl”).