"Saturday"
Single by Twenty One Pilots
from the album Scaled and Icy
ReleasedMay 18, 2021 (2021-05-18)
Recorded2020–2021
StudioTyler Joseph's home studio (Columbus, Ohio)
Genre
Length2:52
LabelFueled by Ramen
Songwriter(s)Tyler Joseph
Producer(s)
Twenty One Pilots singles chronology
"Choker"
(2021) 		"Saturday"
(2021) 		"The Outside"
(2021)
Music video
"Saturday" on YouTube

"Saturday" is a song recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, released on May 18, 2021, through Fueled by Ramen, as the third single from their sixth studio album, Scaled and Icy (2021). It was written and produced by the duo's frontman, Tyler Joseph, with Greg Kurstin credited as co-producer. A music video for the song was released on July 8, 2021.

On August 31, 2021, the song became the ninth by the duo to peak at No. 1 on the US Alternative Airplay chart.

Background

The song's bridge features an audio clip of a phone call with Tyler Joseph's wife Jenna, with her encouraging Joseph to move on with the creation of the track. Joseph stated that he was recording and decided it fit perfectly in the song. Jenna wanted to re-record the audio, as she didn't like the way it sounded, but Joseph convinced her to keep it.[1]

The song was created while communicating virtually as the COVID-19 pandemic limited interaction between the members of the band.[2]

Composition

"Saturday" is a pop[3] and funk[4] song that runs for a duration of two minutes and fifty-two seconds. It is considered a very upbeat song in contrast to the themes of their previous albums Trench and Blurryface. Joseph stated in an interview that he did not want to "hold a mirror up to our circumstances and create a record exactly as it appeared in front of us", continuing "I didn't think that a dismal record was appropriate; the idea of escaping that was more appealing to me. The reason why it feels almost disconnected from the reality in which the record was created is intentional. It's gonna feel a little lighter because of that."[5]

Music video

Upon the release of "Saturday", Twenty One Pilots released a lyric video to promote the song.[6] It shows depictions of 1980s synthwave-esque imagery, paired with the colors of Scaled and Icy – predominantly soft shades of pink, blue and yellow.

The official music video directed by Andrew Donoho was released on July 8, 2021, and filmed in San Diego, California. It features frontman Tyler Joseph and bandmate Josh Dun performing the song atop a submarine as people are entering, before the camera pans to the interior, in which a party is occurring and the duo are performing. Moments later, a gigantic sea dragon deliberately crashes into the submarine, causing it to break and begin to flood as the duo continue their performance submerged in water while the guests panic. Eventually, the band manages to escape from the sinking vehicle, and emerges on the surface. The video ends with the sea dragon swimming by, underneath the duo and remaining guests.[7]

Usage in media

"Saturday" appears on the soundtrack for the Electronic Arts video game NHL 22, released in October 2021.[8] It also appeared in the NCAA.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Scaled and Icy.[9]

Twenty One Pilots

Additional musicians

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Saturday"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[25] Gold 20,000‡
United States (RIAA)[26] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for "Saturday"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various May 18, 2021
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Fueled by Ramen [5]
United States July 20, 2021 Contemporary hit radio [27]

References

  1. ^ Lowe, Zane (May 18, 2021). "Tyler Joseph talks "Saturday" plus a call with Jack Antonoff". Apple Music. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Carter, Emily (May 18, 2021). "twenty one pilots drop new single Shy Away, announce upcoming album Scaled And Icy". Kerrang. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  3. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (May 21, 2021). "Twenty One Pilots' Scaled and Icy is an unengaging puzzle". Financial Times. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  4. ^ Kaufman, Gil (May 21, 2021). "Twenty One Pilots Climb to New Heights With Eye-Popping 'Scaled and Icy' Livestream: Recap". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Carter, Emily (May 18, 2021). "twenty one pilots get their dancing shoes on for new single Saturday". Kerrang. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  6. ^ Skinner, Tom (2021-05-18). "Listen to Twenty One Pilots "paint the town" on upbeat new song 'Saturday'". NME. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  7. ^ "Twenty One Pilots - Saturday (Official Video)". YouTube. Twenty One Pilots.
  8. ^ "NHL 22 Soundtrack". EA. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  9. ^ "TWENTY ONE PILOTS ' SCALED AND ICY' (TNSN DVSN)". TNSN_DVSN. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  10. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  11. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  12. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  13. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 202121 into search. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  14. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  16. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  17. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  18. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  19. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  20. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  21. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  22. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  23. ^ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  24. ^ "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  25. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – Saturday" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  26. ^ "American single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – Saturday". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  27. ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.

External links

Twenty One Pilots
Categories