How do you feel about Saturday night? Sounds like a bit of an inane question, but is more interesting than it might seem. Traditionally Saturday night is party night, the time in the middle of the weekend when you can go wild, make love, meet people, be your total self. But ironically, precisely because that’s its reputation, not living your perfect life on Saturday night can result in depression and disappointment. Saturday night is, in short, Janus-faced, and it turns out their are songs which express both sides of the coin; songs which build you up for romance and fun on the way … and songs which bemourn the failure of those hopes and wishes.



In this episode, journalists and music writers Fred de Vries and Tim Cohen gallop over songs you might listen to before the wild partying begins, songs you might listen to while the parting is happening, and songs that bemoan the dashed hopes that Saturday night promised. The songs in this set are: (Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night by Tom Waits; Saturday Night by Herman Brood and his Wild Romance; 10:15 Saturday Night by The Cure; Forever Young by Sparks; Saturday Nite by Earth Wind and Fire and Another Saturday Night by Sam Cooke.



Finally we choose the perfect song for a Saturday night … or do we. Maybe there should be a song for the hopeful Saturday night and another for the hopeless Saturday night. Let us know your thoughts, preferences, songs we left out and whether, in fact, the best night of the week is not actually Saturday night, but Friday night. Emails us on perfectsongfor@gmail.com; donations at patreaon.com/theperfectsongfor. Full songs on Spotify