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Saturday Night (Natalia Kills song)

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"Saturday Night"
Song

"Saturday Night" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Natalia Kills for her second studio album, Trouble (2013). It was serviced as the album's second single on June 28, 2013. Written by American record producer Jeff Bhasker and Kills, the song faces the themes of "squandered youth and disenchantment", and discusses growing up in a home where domestic abuse occurs. Sonically, it is a midtempo synthpop song that incorporates influences of new wave music.

Upon its release, critical response to "Saturday Night" was generally positive: contemporary music critics highlighted the lyrics' personal content and billed it the singer's best song to date. "Saturday Night" was able to peak at number twenty-three at the singles chart of New Zealand, although it failed to enter any other music charts. Along with the single release, a music video directed by Guillaume Doubet was uploaded onto YouTube on July 10, 2013. It revolves around the themes of domestic abuse, drug addiction and Kills' relationship with her parents, and has garnered more than one million views in total.

Background

During an interview with Elle, Kills described the songwriting process for "Saturday Night" and previous single "Problem" as difficult, and compared it to a confession.[1] This song was deemed by Kills as her life's soundtrack: "When I was almost 14, I left home, got a job, and thought I was going to be a big TV star. I was determined to prove myself. I kept telling myself, 'I'm going to be fine,' even when I wasn't—especially when I didn't even believe it. The song is about carrying on, even though you feel like you can't. It's about feeling OK when everything is not."[2]

"Saturday Night" was released on 28 June 2013 as Trouble's official second single: clean and explicit versions were released simultaneously before they were placed under its album's page.[3][4] More than four months later, a remix EP for the song was released, containing two already known[5][6] remixes by Gregori Klosman and Lovelife and two new remixes by Samantha Ronson vs. DK, and Yeasayer.[7] Another remix was produced by Betablock3r and released, but not included in the extended play.[8]

Music and lyrics

Written by Kills and record producer Jeff Bhasker, "Saturday Night" is a midtempo synthpop song with influences of new wave.[9] It received musical comparisons to the works of electronic music duo The Knife and Canadian band Austra.[9] Lasting 4 minutes and 45 seconds, the track commences with a short guitar melody, reportedly inspired by Nancy Sinatra.[10] Kills' vocal performance in the song was compared to American singer Lana Del Rey.[10][11] Bradley Stern from MuuMuse compared "Saturday Night" to band fun.'s 2011 single "We Are Young".[11] Allison from MuchMusic noted a contrast between its "serious subject matter" with an "uptempo, 80s synth beat", which according to the editor, creates a "visceral listening experience".[12]

Critical reception

Sam Lansky from Idolator praised the songs lyrics and classified the song as the best of the singer's career. Jacques from Arcadey also praised the lyrics and described the song as "tight and radio-friendly".[10][13] Bradley Stern from MuuMuse had a similar reaction to the song, as he deemed it "arena-ready" and a "major evolution in sound and substance".[11] Two So So Gay contributors reviewed the song: Greg White classified the song as Kills' most "personal" and "captivating" single to date, while Sam Johnson compared "Saturday Night" to "Family Portrait" by Pink and said the song made for "brilliant, confessional writing material".[14][15] Matt Collar from Allmusic felt "Saturday Night" was one of the album's standout tracks.[16]

Music video

Background and concept

A music video for "Saturday Night", directed by Guillaume Doubet, was shot in May 2013,[17] and was released onto Kills' Vevo official account on July 10, 2013. Additional behind-the-scenes footage for the music video was released on July 31, 2013 onto YouTube.[18]

It primarily depicts the "troubled" relationship between the singer and her parents.[19] The singer revealed to Life+Times how she translated the message of the song into a music video: "I wanted to make a song and a video that showed how fucked up youth can be; having no control, money or guidance." Furthermore, she deemed the video "literal", confirming that the actors look "just like [her] real family" and that the set designer built the set from photos of the house she grew up in.[20] During an interview with Playboy, Kills described the shooting of the video as "exciting" and revealed that she sent out pictures of what her real parents looked like and chose the actors that would play them in the video.[21]

Synopsis and interpretation

The video starts with her fictional mother applying blush over a bruised eye. As the music video continues, Kills repeatedly reenters the set with her parents as their relationship starts to "spiral".[17] Various suggestions of domestic abuse, illegal business, problems with the law and drug addiction are presented throughout the video. Bradley Stern from MuuMuse thought the music video was a metaphor for Kills' personal life, commenting: "As much as she escapes the room, she always winds up walking back inside. She never really can escape her past."[19]

Commercial performance

On the week of 16 September 2013, "Saturday Night" entered at number 34 on the New Zealand Singles Chart,[22][23] and has since peaked at number 23.[24] On the week of October 14, 2013, "Saturday Night" dropped to number 30.[25] It reentered at number 33 on the week of November 11, 2013.[26]

Track listing

  • Digital download
  1. "Saturday Night" - 4:46
  • Saturday Night (Remixes) EP[7]
  1. "Saturday Night" (Yeasayer) - 4:16
  2. "Saturday Night" (Samantha Ronson vs. DK Remix) - 3:58
  3. "Saturday Night" (Gregori Klosman) - 4:51
  4. "Saturday Night" (Lovelife Remix) - 4:29

Credits and personnel

Recording places
Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Trouble, Interscope Records.[27]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[23] 23

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label
South Africa[28] June 28, 2013 Digital download Interscope Records
Portugal[29]
Brazil[30]
Italy[31]
Finland[32]
New Zealand[33]
Netherlands[34]
Czech Republic[35]
Slovenia[36]
Switzerland[37]
Germany[38] July 1, 2013
Austria[39]
Canada[40] July 2, 2013
United States[41]
Mexico[42]
Japan[43] July 3, 2013
Australia[44] July 5, 2013

References

  1. ^ Catarinella, Alex (25 June 2013). "Natalia Kills Problem Music Video - Natalia Kills Interview". Elle. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  2. ^ Lewis, Casey (July 2013). "Go Behind the Scenes of Natalia Kills' New Music Video, "Saturday Night"". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  3. ^ "Saturday Night: Natalia Kills: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  4. ^ "Saturday Night [Explicit]: Natalia Kills: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  5. ^ "Natalia Kills - Saturday Night (Gregori Klosman presents SLAK Remix) by Gregori Klosman". SoundCloud. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  6. ^ "Natalia Kills - Saturday Night (Lovelife Remix)". Cherrytree Records. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Saturday Night (Remixes) - EP". iTunes Store. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  8. ^ "Listen:Natalia Kills - Saturday Night (Betablock3r Remix)". Cherrytree Records. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  9. ^ a b "UK Dance-Pop Singer Natalia Kills Is Ready for "Saturday Night" - Song of the Day". Fuse. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  10. ^ a b c Lansky, Sam (28 June 2013). "Natalia Kills' "Saturday Night": Hear Her Truly Great New Single". Idolator. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  11. ^ a b c Stern, Bradley (30 June 2013). "Natalia Kills Premieres New Single "Saturday Night" and Video for "Problem", Remains A God Damn Problem". MuuMuse. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  12. ^ "Natalia Kills gets personal on Saturday Night". MuchMusic. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  13. ^ "Natalia Kills - Saturday Night (Single Review)". Arcadey. 30 June 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  14. ^ Johnson, Sam (18 September 2013). "Album Review: Natalia Kills - Trouble". So So Gay. So So Gay Ltd. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  15. ^ White, Greg (24 July 2013). "#NowPlaying: Natalia Kills - Saturday Night". So So Gay. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  16. ^ Collar, Matt. "Trouble - Natalia Kills". Cherrytree Records. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  17. ^ a b Corner, Lewis (10 July 2013). "Natalia Kills debuts new single 'Saturday Night' music video - Watch". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  18. ^ "Natalia Kills - Saturday Night (Behind The Scenes)". YouTube. July 31, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  19. ^ a b "Natalia Kills Bares Her Soul in Stunning Video for "Saturday Night"". MuuMuse. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  20. ^ Breslin, Yale (11 September 2013). "Natalia Kills: Bad Girl, Big "Trouble"". Life+Times. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  21. ^ Butler, Vanessa (18 September 2013). "Singer & Songwriter Natalia Kills Celebrity Interview". Playboy Online. Playboy Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  22. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart - 16 September 2013". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on September 16, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  23. ^ a b "Natalia Kills – Saturday Night". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  24. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  25. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart - 14 October 2013". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  26. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. November 11, 2013. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |archive-url= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  27. ^ Trouble (Media notes). United States: Interscope Records. 2013. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |albumlink= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |artist= ignored (|others= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (South Africa). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  29. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Portugal). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  30. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Portugal). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  31. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Italy). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  32. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Finland). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  33. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (New Zealand). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  34. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Netherlands). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  35. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Czech Republic). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  36. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Slovenia). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  37. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Switzerland). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  38. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Germany). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  39. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Austria). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  40. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Canada). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  41. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (United States). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  42. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Mexico). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  43. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Japan). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  44. ^ "Saturday Night - Single". iTunes Store (Australia). Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
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