'Everybody Loves Saturday Night'

Subject: 'Everybody Loves Saturday Night'
From:
Date: 01 May 00 - 04:57 PM

my community choir is singing a folk song from Nigeria called "Everybody Loves Saturday Night". Nobody seems to know what Nigerian language we are singing, however. The words are: bobo waro fero Satodeh. Does anyone know if this is Yoruba or Ibo or which of some 500 possible languages spoken in Nigeria? Thanks for your help.

Subject: RE: 'Everybody Loves Saturday Night'
From: GUEST,Garry of Australia
Date: 02 May 00 - 07:33 AM

Mary Jane, if you are the same one who was involved with the Macquarie Towns Folk Club, give us a call re the reunion concert later this year, you know my number

Garry

Subject: RE: 'Everybody Loves Saturday Night'
From: Callie
Date: 02 May 00 - 10:09 AM

Moya SImpson from Canberra teaches the song too - you could try calling her about it. If you need her number, send me a personal message and I'll respond with the number (don't like to post personal numbers here!) --Callie

Subject: RE: 'Everybody Loves Saturday Night'
From: Amos
Date: 02 May 00 - 11:22 AM

This song is sung in many languages, but I don't know the Nigerian version. The verse in French goes

"Tout le monde aime Samedi soir. FWIW

Subject: RE: 'Everybody Loves Saturday Night'
From: Sourdough
Date: 02 May 00 - 01:56 PM

I first heard the song in the Louis deRochemont widescreen movie (I think it was more of a documentary than anythng else - but beautifully shot as I recall) that came out in the mid-Fifties called "Windjammer". It was about he adventures of Nowegian naval cadets on board the Christiaan Radich, a steel hulled "tall ship" used by the Norwegian Navy for cadet training.

The song probably ran for three minutes and each verse was the same lyric sung in a different language. There was Polish, German, Chinese, Hebrew, etc. but the thought was always the same.

I don't know that this helps but it may offer you a lead or two.

Sourdough

Subject: RE: 'Everybody Loves Saturday Night'
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 02 May 00 - 06:03 PM

While not being able to help Jane with her question, I'd suggest we try and collect verses in as many languages as possible. This is the standard German version which proves again that German is a lamentably unmusical language ...

Jedermann liebt Sonnabend nacht
Jedermann liebt Sonnabend nacht
Jeder jeder jeder jeder
Jedermann liebt sonnabend nacht

Subject: RE: 'Everybody Loves Saturday Night'
From: Pablo
Date: 02 May 00 - 10:55 PM

So what does "Eider man hat dem Samstag abend" mean?

Subject: RE: 'Everybody Loves Saturday Night'
From: Frankham
Date: 03 May 00 - 09:30 AM

The song was popularized by Pete Seeger. I don't remember his source but he was responsible for putting the foreign language verses to it. I know because I was with him when he called a Chinese restaurant to add a verse.

As I understand the song from Pete, it's about the curfew placed by the government (Nigerian?) on the people for Saturday nights and this song was a protest against the restriction.

Frank

Subject: RE: 'Everybody Loves Saturday Night'
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 03 May 00 - 06:03 PM

Pablo, it's probably a corruption of what I posted. 'Eider' doesn't mean anything, but comes close to 'jeder' in pronunciation. 'Hat' is an easy substitution to make if you've forgotten the proper verb - it just means has. And 'Samstag abend' means basically the same as 'Sonnabend nacht' - 'Saturday evening / night'. 'Sonnabend' is a north German term, 'Samstag' the more common one over the rest of Germany. I find my version sings better. Where did you learn it? And is there a Spanish verse? - Susanne

Subject: RE: 'Everybody Loves Saturday Night'
From: Pablo
Date: 03 May 00 - 08:46 PM

I think mine is from the RUS book (blush), but I can add some Arabic, alternate Chinese (Mandarin?), and a modified Greek.