American Saturday Night (song)
Encyclopedia
"American Saturday Night" is the title of a song written by Ashley Gorley
and Kelley Lovelace, and co-written and recorded by American country
artist Brad Paisley
. The song originally charted as an album cut based on unsolicited airplay, charting at number 59 on the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
charts, and number 21 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100. It was then released as the third single
from his sixth studio album, also titled American Saturday Night
, in November 2009. Following its official release as a single, it re-entered the country charts at number 41.
, Canadian bacon, French kiss
ing, and toga
parties, using each as illustrative examples of the cultural diversity in the United States. In the last verse, he also addresses the country's acceptance of foreign immigrants.
Paisley wrote the song with Kelley Lovelace and Ashley Gorley, both of whom have written several of his other single releases. When the three were writing "American Saturday Night," they decided to make "up-tempo songs that weren't necessarily funny." Gorley and Lovelace decided to include a lyric that contained "Live from... it's Saturday night" in reference to Saturday Night Live
s introductory "Live from New York, it's Saturday night." After Paisley wrote the line "It's a French kiss, Italian ice, Spanish moss in the moonlight / Just another American Saturday night" for the chorus, the three decided to use the song to illustrate "the things that are borrowed from other countries and traditions that make America great," according to Gorley.
. Graphics make it look like a pop-up-book. Every person in this video is flat, like a board game piece. It was directed by Scott Scovill, & Craig Countryman.
and the title track, which see Paisley easing into an armchair and commenting on the world around him from a smart historical perspective." Matt Bjorke of Roughstock said that it was "a nice, observational piece of songwriting[.]" Chris Neal of Country Weekly
magazine gave the single four-and-a-half stars out of five, calling it an example of Paisley's "us[ing] his knack for clever lyrical details to address a hefty theme." Both Bjorke and Neal compared the song's theme to that of "Welcome to the Future."
based on unsolicited airplay. It later re-entered at number 41 on the chart week of November 21, 2009. It then peaked at number 2 in February 2010.
Ashley Gorley
Ashley Gorley is an American songwriter and producer. Gorley graduated from Belmont University in 1999, and in 2001 signed with Combustion Music...
and Kelley Lovelace, and co-written and recorded by American country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
. The song originally charted as an album cut based on unsolicited airplay, charting at number 59 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts, and number 21 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100. It was then released as the third single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from his sixth studio album, also titled American Saturday Night
American Saturday Night
American Saturday Night is the seventh studio album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released on June 30, 2009, by Arista Nashville. Like all of his previous studio albums, it is produced by Frank Rogers. The first single, "Then," has become his fourteenth Number One on the Hot...
, in November 2009. Following its official release as a single, it re-entered the country charts at number 41.
Content
In the song, the narrator lists off various foreign-themed items such as "Brazilian leather boots," a German car, The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Canadian bacon, French kiss
French kiss
A French kiss is a kiss in which one participant's tongue touches the partner's lips or tongue and usually enters his or her mouth. A French kiss is a slow passionate kiss which is usually considered intimate, romantic, erotic or sexual...
ing, and toga
Toga
The toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps 20 ft in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic. The toga was made of wool, and the tunic under it often was made of linen. After the 2nd century BC, the toga was a garment worn...
parties, using each as illustrative examples of the cultural diversity in the United States. In the last verse, he also addresses the country's acceptance of foreign immigrants.
Paisley wrote the song with Kelley Lovelace and Ashley Gorley, both of whom have written several of his other single releases. When the three were writing "American Saturday Night," they decided to make "up-tempo songs that weren't necessarily funny." Gorley and Lovelace decided to include a lyric that contained "Live from... it's Saturday night" in reference to Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
s introductory "Live from New York, it's Saturday night." After Paisley wrote the line "It's a French kiss, Italian ice, Spanish moss in the moonlight / Just another American Saturday night" for the chorus, the three decided to use the song to illustrate "the things that are borrowed from other countries and traditions that make America great," according to Gorley.
Music video
The music video was released to cmt.com on December 16, 2009. It is largely animated, and includes stop motionStop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
. Graphics make it look like a pop-up-book. Every person in this video is flat, like a board game piece. It was directed by Scott Scovill, & Craig Countryman.
Critical reception
CM Wilcox of The 9513, in his review of the album, said that "[t]he heart of the album is in songs like Welcome to the FutureWelcome to the Future
"Welcome to the Future" is the title of a song written by Chris DuBois and co-written and recorded by American country artist Brad Paisley. It was released in July 2009 as the second single from his studio album, American Saturday Night. It is the twenty-fourth chart single of his career...
and the title track, which see Paisley easing into an armchair and commenting on the world around him from a smart historical perspective." Matt Bjorke of Roughstock said that it was "a nice, observational piece of songwriting[.]" Chris Neal of Country Weekly
Country Weekly
Country Weekly is an American tabloid style weekly magazine established in 1994. The magazine focuses on country music stars and events, and regularly features exclusive interviews with recording artists and country music news...
magazine gave the single four-and-a-half stars out of five, calling it an example of Paisley's "us[ing] his knack for clever lyrical details to address a hefty theme." Both Bjorke and Neal compared the song's theme to that of "Welcome to the Future."
Chart performance
Before its release to radio, "American Saturday Night" charted at number 59 on Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
based on unsolicited airplay. It later re-entered at number 41 on the chart week of November 21, 2009. It then peaked at number 2 in February 2010.
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