Almost Saturday Night

"Almost Saturday Night" is a song written by John Fogerty and first released on his 1975 album John Fogerty. It was released as a single and reached #78. It was also covered by a number of artists, including Dave Edmunds, who also released it as a single to more success, Gene Clark, Ricky Nelson, The Searchers and The Georgia Satellites.

The song describes the hero looking out the window and getting excited about the approaching weekend.

Fogerty released the song as the second single from John Fogerty, as a follow up to "Rockin' All Over the World, which reached #27. However, "Almost Saturday Night" could only reach #78.

"Almost Saturday Night" had more success when covered in a rockabilly by Dave Edmunds in 1981 from his album Twangin.... Edmunds' version reached #54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #18 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. Others who have since covered the song include The Searchers on Play for Today in 1981, Ricky Nelson on Playing to Win in 1981 and The Memphis Sessions in 1986 and Gene Clark and Carla Olson on So Rebellious a Lover in 1987. The Flying Burrito Brothers covered the song in 1984. Their version peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. A cover by Bob Woodruff peaked at number 89 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada in 1997.

Allmusic critic Mark Deming considers "Almost Saturday Night" one of Fogerty's best songs and describes the song as "a gloriously passionate hymn to the promise of the weekend." Deming felt that Fogerty's "gritty" vocals were better suited to the song than Edmunds' "smoother" vocals, but praised Edmunds' enthusiasm and "killer" guitar solo. Rolling Stone Magazine critic Dave Marsh praised the song's Beatles-like guitar part and double tracked vocal performance, claiming that it is the only song on John Fogerty which breaks the album's "predictable pattern." Others who have described the song as "great" include Allmusic critic William Ruhlmann and author Billy Poore.