Composition and Inspiration
"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" is a lively throwback to early rock and roll with a glam edge; the lyrics discuss a night out in town in which the narrator plans to "get about as oiled as a diesel train". Taupin has said that the song was meant to be an American rock and roll song, set in Britain, and was inspired by his raucous teenage days, in particular in the fights happening in his local pub, the Aston Arms in Market Rasen. This song was the only one recorded during Elton and the band's time in Jamaica, where they had initially planned to record the album, but was never used, due to the poor quality of the recording equipment. John described the sound of the Jamaican recording of "Saturday" as sounding like "it had been recorded on the worst transistor radio". This experience prompted the band to return to France to finish the album.
Apart from his contributions, in the Eagle Vision documentary, Classic Albums: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Taupin said the song also features what he called one of the great "strident" guitar riffs in rock and roll.
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