"Saturday Night" is a song by Danish

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 singer Whigfield

Whigfield

Sannie Charlotte Carlson , best known as Whigfield and also as Naan, is a Danish singer best known for the song "Saturday Night", a hugely popular single during the summer of 1994.-Biography:...

, released to huge success in 1994.

Background

Italian producer Larry Pignagnoli had already had success with Spagna

Spagna

Spagna is an Italian singer and songwriter.-Career:She started her career singing in English and in the early 1980s she provided vocals and wrote songs for an Italo Disco duo project called Fun Fun; as well as writing songs for many other dance music projects until 1986, when she embarked on a solo...

 in the late 1980s and early 1990s before he produced "Saturday Night" with Danish former model Sannie Carlson aka Whigfield. The track was first released in Italy 1992 and then became a huge hit with UK holidaymakers on the Continent over the summer of 1994, leading to a huge demand for the track back in the UK.

Dance moves

The song famously had its own dance routine:

• Both arms bent at 90 degrees, elbows held at waist, both pushing to the right then to the left
• Left arm stationary, supporting right elbow, right upper arm twiddles. Then reversed.
• Bend over forwards rolling arms around each other
• Hands on waist, step forwards then backwards
• Four jumps, whilst rotating body gradually by 90 degrees.

The end of the cycle is marked by a clap, and leaves the body facing 90 degrees from the beginning.

Often, the fourth step is missed out. This is because people realise that the song is in 4/4 time and therefore believe that the dance should only have four steps.

Chart performances

It was released in the UK on September 5, 1994 and the pent-up demand saw the track sail straight in at number one - dethroning Wet Wet Wet

Wet Wet Wet

Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish pop rock band that formed in the 1980s. They scored a number of hits in the British charts and around the world. The band is composed of Marti Pellow , Tommy Cunningham , Graeme Clark and Neil Mitchell...

's 15 week chart-topper "Love Is All Around", despite that single increasing its sales from 65,000 the previous week to 104,000, when Saturday Night entered at number 1 with sales of 150,000. Whigfield was the first act to debut at number one in the UK charts with their debut single.

It stayed at number one for a total of four weeks selling 680,000 in the process, sold a total of 1,092,250 copies and is currently the 65th best selling single in UK chart history.

Controversy

Two claims of plagiarism

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...

 were made. It was alleged that the track ripped off both "Rub A Dub Dub" by the Equals

The Equals

The Equals were a pop/reggae/rock group that formed in North London, England in 1965. They are mainly remembered for its million-selling chart-topper, "Baby Come Back". Eddy Grant, then sporting dyed blonde hair, founded the group...

 and "Fog on the Tyne

Fog on the Tyne

Fog On The Tyne is a 1971 album by English rock band Lindisfarne. Bob Johnston produced the album, which was recorded at Trident Studios in the summer of 1971. It was released on Charisma Records in England and Elektra Records in America....

" by Lindisfarne

Lindisfarne

Lindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England. It is also known as Holy Island and constitutes a civil parish in Northumberland...

. Both claims were dismissed.

Track listings

CD single - UK [SYSCD3]

1. "Saturday Night" (radio mix)
2. "Saturday Night" (extended nite mix)
3. "Saturday Night" (nite mix)
4. "Saturday Night" (beagle mix)
5. "Saturday Night" (dida mix)
6. "Saturday Night" (deep nite mix)
7. "Saturday Night" (trance beat mix)

CD single - Australia (Released in 1997 in Australia)

1. "Saturday Night" (radio mix)
2. "Saturday Night" (euro beagle mix - radio edit)
3. "Saturday Night" (euro beagle mix - extended)
4. "Saturday Night" (classic vocal remix - U.S. remix)
5. "Saturday Night" (nite mix)
6. "Saturday Night" (radio edit)
7. "Saturday Night" (beagle mix)
8. "Saturday Night" (deep nite mix)
9. "Saturday Night" (dida mix)
10. "Saturday Night" (deep nite extra mix)
11. "Saturday Night" (fishbone beat's trance beat mix)
12. "Saturday Night" (fishbone beat's afternoon mix)

CD maxi - Remixes

1. "Saturday Night" (trance beat remix) — 4:44
2. "Saturday Night" (afternoon) — 4:40
3. "Saturday Night" (deep night remix) — 5:45
4. "Saturday Night" (extended nite remix) — 5:55
5. "Saturday Night" (radio mix) — 4:07

CD US maxi-single

1. "Saturday Night" (Remix) — 5:55
2. "Saturday Night" (Deep Nite Mix) — 5:45
3. "Saturday Night" (Beagle Mix) — 4:55
4. "Saturday Night" (Classic Vocal Mix - remixed by Darrin Friedman & Hex Hector) — 9:15
5. "Saturday Night" (Spike Vocal Mix - remixed by Darrin Friedman & Hex Hector) — 7:28
6. "Saturday Night" (Dida Mix) — 4:36

List of remixes

Below is a list of known official mixes of Saturday Night.

1. Radio Edit 3:39
2. Radio Mix 4:07
3. Nite Mix 5:28
4. Deep Nite Extra Mix 5:55
5. Deep Nite Mix 4:30
6. Dida Mix 4:37
7. Radio Nite Mix 4:03
8. Extended Nite Mix 5:55
9. Extended Nite Mix 4:20
10. Trance Beat Remix 4:44 (also known as Fishbone Beat's Trance Beat RMX)
11. Beagle Mix 4:55
12. Euro Radio Beagle Mix 3:20
13. Afternoon Remix 4:40 (also known as Fishbone Beat's Afternoon Remix)
14. Remix 5:55
15. Classic Vocal Mix 7:28 (also known as US Remix)
16. Spike Vocal Mix 7.28
17. US Radio Mix 3:29
18. Extended Dance Mix 5:15
19. Original Nite Mix 3:42
20. Spike Dub 7:45
21. Noche Mix (The Spanish Vocal Mix)
22. Instrumental Classic Vocal Mix 9:15
23. Edit 97 3:37
24. Edit 97 - Extended
25. Abigail's Party Mix 5:10
26. 2003 Villa Club Mix 5:49
27. 2003 Villa Radio Cut 3:51
28. 2003 Lion Project Extended Cut 6:37
29. 2003 Lion Project Radio Cut 3:47
30. Saturday Night (Di Di La La La) ft Whigfield - King Africa
31. All In One Album/2007 Version 4:00
32. KLM Music Edit 2:51
33. KLM Music Extended Mix 4:17
34. Sound Bugz Remix Edit 2:50
35. Sound Bugz Remix 5:18
36. Electro Remix Edit 2:59
37. Electro Remix 5:36
38. Secret Sunday Edit 2:59
39. Secret Sunday Remix 5:04
40. Sunflake Remix Edit 3:02
41. Sunflake Remix 5:25
42. Duke Alba Remix Edit 2:46
43. Duke Alba Remix 4:57
44. Sonic Zone Remix Edit 2:47
45. Sonic Zone Remix 4:54
46. Julian Remix Edit 2:38
47. Julian Remix 4:56
48. Bass In Your Face Remix Edit 3:47
49. Bass In Your Face Remix 5:34
50. Magic Tune Remix Edit 2:48
51. Magic Tube Remix 4:25
52. Ultra DJ's 2:29 (Whigfield vs Ultra DJ's - 2009)
53. Ultra Dj's 4.36 (Whigfield vs Ultra DJ's - 2009)
54. Rivaz Classic Remix (2010) 5:12
55. Rivaz Club Remix (2010) 5:58
56. Ivan Kay & Marcel Remix (2010) 6:52

Saturday Night 2003

"Saturday Night 2003" is the second remix of her biggest hit back in 1994 (the first being in 1997). The song mainly got attraction in the clubs with its heavier beat and updated sounds.

Releases

• Germany: CD-Maxi: ZYX Music
  ZYX Music
  ZYX Music is a German record label which was founded in 1971 by Bernhard Mikulski. Until 1992, the label's name was Pop-Import Bernhard Mikulski. The label specialized in disco and early house music. Founder Bernhard Mikulski is credited with coining the term Italo disco in the 1980s...
  
  

1. Saturday Night 2003 (Villa Radio Cut)
2. Saturday Night 2003 (Villa Club Mix)
3. Saturday Night 2003 (Lion Project Radio Cut)
4. Saturday Night 2003 (Lion Project Club Cut)

Sampling in other songs

Black Duck

Black Duck (group)

Black Duck was an Italian group whose sole single was "Whiggle In Line".Released in 1994 on the label X Energy Records this single was an electronic Euro House style take on the hugely popular 1994 Whigfield hit single "Saturday Night"....

 samples this extensively for his December 1994 #33 hit "Whiggle in Line" to the point of which the only new elements were added vocals. Coincidentally, Black Duck and Whigfield both used the same producer.

Peak positions

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Austrian Singles Chart	4
Denmark (IFPI)	2
Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...	7
Eurochart Hot 100	1
French SNEP Singles Chart	2
German Singles Chart	1
Irish Singles Chart	1
Italian Singles Chart	1
Norwegian Singles Chart	2
Swedish Singles Chart	9
Swiss Singles Chart	1
UK Singles Chart	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	19

End of year charts

End of year chart (1994)	Position
Dutch Top 40	37
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	2
French Singles Chart	30
Swiss Singles Chart	23
End of year chart (1995)	Position
French Singles Chart	52

Certifications

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified
France	Silver	January 2, 1995	125,000
Germany	Platinum	1995	500,000
Norway	Gold	1994	5,000
UK	Platinum	September 1, 1994	600,000

Chart successions