SUPPORT OUR CHANNEL & GET 20% OFF AN AMAZING WATCH!!! We are now financially supported by our relationship with ProTek watches, so please use our special link and discount code to buy your next watch! Link: timeconcepts.net/?ref=LHndE27... Discount Code: MUSICROCKS
All fine and creative covers, not least the one done by the adorable Larkin Poe (They must be love children of Ry Cooder and Anastacia, somehow). Yet my favourite one is the Melodicka Brothers and Violet Orlandi, as they are the only ones who really paid attention to the song. Let me explain: Some years ago I watched Saturday Night Fever because I realised I had somehow not done that when it came out and wanted to catch up. Instead of the expected cheesy teen drama centered around a dance competition I watched a very dark view on life in the wrong part on town. Yes, there is that dance competition, but the plot itself consists of having an ill-paid job without perspective, partying hard to forget that job, engaging in gang warfare, comitting petty crimes, having meaningless sex with varying degrees of consent and last but not least consuming drugs. The key scene is not John Travolta wearing a white suit and striking that well known pose, but him falling apart in front of his once despised dance partner and begging for her help because he finally realised that he needs to get out of that environment if he wants to stay alive (one of his friends died short before) and she is the only one he knows who has managed to do that. Stayin Alive is played during the opening sequence, where John Travolta's character, working as an errand boy, has the decidedly unglamorous job of delivering one can of paint, while the lyrics either tell us or at least hint at what is going to unfold before our eyes in the next 90 or so minutes. But we ignore all this, because John Travolta's swagger, his good looks, a catchy groove and an admittedly brilliant arrangment totally absorb our attention. And that's why I think the dark music and videography of the Melodicka Brothers & Violet Orlandi fit the lyrics of the song remarkably well. Aditionally, I'm on a metal streak right now and I do own a Hohner melodica ;-) Having said all this in no ways diminishes the musical merits of all the covers featured here. How Luca Stricagnoli managed to get almost the complete original arrangement on to one acoustic guitar is beyond me. And seeing Leo rocking out with a pink ukelele (his daughter's?) is just hilarious.
Interesting analysis, Ralf! Actually, we didn't have time in this episode to go into the full history, but you're incredibly spot-on. We learned a lot while researching this episode. The original movie was not even called "Saturday Night Fever", but rather "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night", after a magazine article about growing up in Brooklyn. The producers then reduced it to "Saturday Night". It was supposed to be a dark movie with a dark storyline. The Bee Gees did not record the soundtrack until AFTER the movie was filmed (which means, BTW, that Travolta did all of his dance scenes to other music!). After they recorded "Night Fever", the studio changed the title of the movie to "Saturday Night Fever" before its theatrical release. Also, keeping in mind then-current history, the movie did not "launch" the disco era, but rather "revived" it, since by 1977 it was already on the decline. Back then, dancing in discos was not cool anymore, and that fact also lends a dark element to the story, since dancing is the only highlight of Travolta's character's sad life. Finally, we're guessing that the dark side of the film's plot and the dark lyrics to this song most likely contributed to its being so heavily covered by heavy metal bands around the world. And, yes, we completely agree that the Melodicka Brothers did an incredible job with their interpretation, which is precisely why we included them in this episode. Thanks again for your amazing insights!
SUPPORT OUR CHANNEL & GET 20% OFF AN AMAZING WATCH!!!
We are now financially supported by our relationship with ProTek watches, so please use our special link and discount code to buy your next watch!
Link:
timeconcepts.net/?ref=LHndE27...
Discount Code:
MUSICROCKS
Awesome choice of artists to feature!
We agree! They are all very talented
All fine and creative covers, not least the one done by the adorable Larkin Poe (They must be love children of Ry Cooder and Anastacia, somehow). Yet my favourite one is the Melodicka Brothers and Violet Orlandi, as they are the only ones who really paid attention to the song. Let me explain:
Some years ago I watched Saturday Night Fever because I realised I had somehow not done that when it came out and wanted to catch up. Instead of the expected cheesy teen drama centered around a dance competition I watched a very dark view on life in the wrong part on town. Yes, there is that dance competition, but the plot itself consists of having an ill-paid job without perspective, partying hard to forget that job, engaging in gang warfare, comitting petty crimes, having meaningless sex with varying degrees of consent and last but not least consuming drugs. The key scene is not John Travolta wearing a white suit and striking that well known pose, but him falling apart in front of his once despised dance partner and begging for her help because he finally realised that he needs to get out of that environment if he wants to stay alive (one of his friends died short before) and she is the only one he knows who has managed to do that.
Stayin Alive is played during the opening sequence, where John Travolta's character, working as an errand boy, has the decidedly unglamorous job of delivering one can of paint, while the lyrics either tell us or at least hint at what is going to unfold before our eyes in the next 90 or so minutes. But we ignore all this, because John Travolta's swagger, his good looks, a catchy groove and an admittedly brilliant arrangment totally absorb our attention.
And that's why I think the dark music and videography of the Melodicka Brothers & Violet Orlandi fit the lyrics of the song remarkably well. Aditionally, I'm on a metal streak right now and I do own a Hohner melodica ;-)
Having said all this in no ways diminishes the musical merits of all the covers featured here. How Luca Stricagnoli managed to get almost the complete original arrangement on to one acoustic guitar is beyond me. And seeing Leo rocking out with a pink ukelele (his daughter's?) is just hilarious.
Interesting analysis, Ralf! Actually, we didn't have time in this episode to go into the full history, but you're incredibly spot-on. We learned a lot while researching this episode.
The original movie was not even called "Saturday Night Fever", but rather "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night", after a magazine article about growing up in Brooklyn. The producers then reduced it to "Saturday Night". It was supposed to be a dark movie with a dark storyline.
The Bee Gees did not record the soundtrack until AFTER the movie was filmed (which means, BTW, that Travolta did all of his dance scenes to other music!). After they recorded "Night Fever", the studio changed the title of the movie to "Saturday Night Fever" before its theatrical release.
Also, keeping in mind then-current history, the movie did not "launch" the disco era, but rather "revived" it, since by 1977 it was already on the decline. Back then, dancing in discos was not cool anymore, and that fact also lends a dark element to the story, since dancing is the only highlight of Travolta's character's sad life.
Finally, we're guessing that the dark side of the film's plot and the dark lyrics to this song most likely contributed to its being so heavily covered by heavy metal bands around the world. And, yes, we completely agree that the Melodicka Brothers did an incredible job with their interpretation, which is precisely why we included them in this episode.
Thanks again for your amazing insights!