Beschreibung:

Original handwritten lyrics for Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" TAUPIN, BERNIE. Autograph Manuscript Signed ("B.J. Taupin"), 2 pp, legal folio, [Chateau D'Hérouville, France], December 11, 1972, written in black felt tip pen on three-hole foolscap, some toning to page, loss at hole punches to both leaves. With a 45 of "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" in the original sleeve. Provenance: Collection of Maxine Taupin. "Saturday Night" is an atypical song in the Elton John canon: a raucous rock-n-roll romp whose lyrics celebrate London's brawling pub culture, it could not be further away from the tender sentimentality of "Daniel" or the grief of "Candle in the Wind." It was, however, one of three top ten hit singles from the album, and remains today an anthem of the rock-n-roll thug life. As with many of these other lyrics, the outline of the final song is here in this early draft, though this version is decidedly more cockney than what we hear on the record. Saturday Nights (Alright) (For Fightin) it's getting late have yer seen me mates Ma tell me when the boys get here it seven-o-clock and I want to rock and I want to get a belly full beer me sister looks cute in her braces and boots and a handfull of grease in her hair me old man's drunker than a barrel full of monkeys and me old lady she dont care Cause Sat night the night I like Sat night alright cause we get us a draft and kick up stink lay a little action down So don't give us none of your aggrevation We've had it with your disaplin Saturday nights alright for fightin Get a little action in. Sat nights the night I like Sat nights alright create a state of panic any place Gettin about oiled as a diesel train were gonna set this dance hall alight Cause Saturday nights the night I like Saturday nights alright, alright alright Well there packed pretty tight in here tonight and Im looking fer a dolly who can see me right I may use a little muscle to get what I want need and theres some courage in the bottom of this ale. And theres some courage in bottle if Im in need I may sink a little drink and shout he She's with me. And the only a couple of the sounds that I really like are the sound of a switchblade and a motorbike I'm a juvenile product of the working class Who's best friend floats in the bottom a glass. Fußnoten "It's been said on so many occasions that 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting' relates to my English past. People says, 'Oh, Bernie wrote it about a pub he used to hang out and get into fights at.' It's quite possible there's a germ of truth in that. Did I say to myself, 'I'm going to sit down and write a song about my childhood watching the mods fight the rockers?' No, I don't think that I did. With so many of my songs, the lyrical content has been misconstrued, misinterpreted and you get to the point where you feel like you have to make something up in order to make somebody happy." —Bernie Taupin in Rolling Stone, March 14, 2014