Hall was an active member of the burgeoning Coventry music scene of the late 1970s, playing in local punk band Squad, and being credited as a composer on their single "Red Alert" / "£8 a Week". This scene also produced acts such as The Selecter and Hazel O'Connor.
As the frontman for The Specials (though initially called The Coventry Automatics), Hall primarily struck it big in Britain in 1979 when BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel played their single "Gangsters" on his show; the song was included in his Festive Fifty at #7 in that year. The Specials' first self-titled album features some of Hall's most recognizable and notable performances, including "Little Bitch", "Nite Klub", "Concrete Jungle", and "Gangsters".
In October of 1980, The Specials released their second album, More Specials. While singing such fan-favourites such as "Enjoy Yourself", "Rat Race", and "Hey, Little Rich Girl", Terry successfully helped the band recreate the upbeat music that the first album possessed. The next album The Specials recorded, 1984's In The Studio, did not include Hall.
After The Specials' last single with Hall, the UK #1 hit "Ghost Town", Hall left the band to start a new-wave group, Fun Boy Three, with two other Specials members, Lynval Golding and Neville Staples. Fun Boy Three's first hit single occurred in late 1981, entitled "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum)", then followed-up in early 1982 with "It Ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)", a duet with Bananarama. Fun Boy Three then provided guest vocals for Bananarama's single, "Really Saying Something". That same year, Hall and his bandmates appeared in the video for "Driving in My Car" by ska band, Madness. In February 1983, Fun Boy Three released Waiting. It consisted of the Top Ten hits "The Tunnel of Love" and the classic "Our Lips Are Sealed". The latter was a song Hall wrote with Jane Wiedlin, who had already made it into a hit the previous year with her group, The Go-Go's.
In 1984 Hall formed the Coventry based band The Colourfield, releasing the album Virgins & Philistines in 1985, which included the single "Thinking of You" (UK #12 hit single). This new musical direction would culminate in collaborations with the Lightning Seeds' Ian Broudie, contributing a number of songs to the Seeds' Sense (1992), Jollification (1994), Dizzy Heights (1996) and Tilt (1999) albums. Hall also co-wrote the song "Smoke Rings" for Broudie's debut solo album Tales Told. The track was subsequently released as the lead track on the Smoke Rings EP.
In 2001 he appeared as a guest on the Gorillaz-D12 single "911", which was a song about terrorist attacks in the U.S.
In 2007 he provided vocals for many tracks on the Dub Pistols album Speakers and Tweeters.
Hall was still struggling with his mental health. In 2003, he had begun self-medicating with alcohol. In the last decade of his life, he sought medication, having been wary of it since being put on Valium as a teenager, as well as taking up art therapy.
“It got to a point where I didn’t have a choice – and it’s done me so much good,” he said. “Talking about mental health problems is a conscious decision. It’s something I want to share with people.”
Terry Hall, an early singer in influential ska/new wave group The Specials, died on Dec, 18, 2022. He sang on the band's first two albums, The Specials and More Specials and, after rejoining when The Specials reformed in 2008, he sang on an additional two records.
Friday Night
Terry Hall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out my head by half past ten
Out with mates and dates and friends
That's what I do at weekends
I can't talk and I can't walk
But I know where I'm going to go
I'm going watch my money go
At the Locarno, no
When my feet go through the door
I know what my right arm is for
Buy a drink and pull a chair
Up to the edge of the dance floor
Bouncers bouncing through the night
Trying to stop or start a fight
I sit and watch the flashing lights
Moving legs in footless tights
I go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning
I go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning
I like to venture into town
I like to get a few drinks down
The floor gets packed the bar gets full
I don't like life when things get dull
The hen party have saved the night
And freed themselves from drunken stags
Having fun and dancing in
A circle round their leather bags
I go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning
I go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning
But two o'clock has come again
It's time to leave this paradise
Hope the chip shop isn't closed
'Cause their pies are really nice
I'll eat in the taxi queue
Standing in someone else's spew
Wish I had lipstick on my shirt
Instead of piss stains on my shoes
I go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning
I go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning
I go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning
I go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning
The song "Friday Night Saturday Morning" by Terry Hall speaks to the social life of youths partying on the weekends, and the aftermath of a hangover. The first verse illustrates how Hall's character wakes up early in the morning after a night partying with friends. He's feeling groggy from the night before, but knows where he's going next. He heads to the Locarno, a famous ballroom in Coventry, to watch his money disappear on drinks, which he knows he'll regret in the morning.
As he enters the Locarno, Hall's character identifies his dominant hand to pull up a chair, buy a drink, and sit at the edge of the dance floor. He observes as bouncers try to stop fights from breaking out, and people dance in footless tights under the flashing bright lights.
In the last verse, he admits to his vices and conveys the struggles of returning home from an all-night club escapade. He hopes the nearby chip shop is still open because their pies are nice, and finds his own road to redemption amidst the stomach-churning scene in the taxi queue. The chorus repeats, reminding us that this cycle of partying on Friday and coming home on Saturday morning is all too familiar.
Line by Line Meaning
Out of bed at eight am
I wake up early in the morning
Out my head by half past ten
I have a quick hangover recovery
Out with mates and dates and friends
I spend time with my buddies
That's what I do at weekends
My weekends are for socializing
I can't talk and I can't walk
I'm heavily intoxicated
But I know where I'm going to go
I have a regular spot at Locarno
I'm going watch my money go
I'll spend all my money at Locarno
At the Locarno, no
I party at Locarno nightclub on weekends
When my feet go through the door
Upon entering Locarno
I know what my right arm is for
I order drinks with my right arm
Buy a drink and pull a chair
Sit down, drink and relax
Up to the edge of the dance floor
I'm near the dance floor
Bouncers bouncing through the night
Bouncers try to maintain order
Trying to stop or start a fight
They may have to break up fights
I sit and watch the flashing lights
I'm amused by the dance club environment
Moving legs in footless tights
I'm watching dancing ladies in tights
I like to venture into town
I enjoy going to the city
I like to get a few drinks down
I like drinking
The floor gets packed the bar gets full
People fill up the dance floor and bar
I don't like life when things get dull
I don't want a dull life
The hen party have saved the night
The ladies' group adds liveliness to the night
And freed themselves from drunken stags
They're without their male counterparts
Having fun and dancing in
They're enjoying the dance floor
A circle round their leather bags
They've formed a circle with their bags at the center
But two o'clock has come again
It's already 2am
It's time to leave this paradise
The night has to end
Hope the chip shop isn't closed
I want a snack from the chip shop
'Cause their pies are really nice
I like the pies they sell
I'll eat in the taxi queue
I'll eat while waiting in line for a taxi
Standing in someone else's spew
I have to stand in someone else's vomit
Wish I had lipstick on my shirt
I wish the stain on my shirt was lipstick instead of urine
Instead of piss stains on my shoes
I don't want urine stains on my shoes
I go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning
I party long and hard, often until dawn
I go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning
I love to party, regardless of the price
I go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning
I'm a party animal and it affects my weekend sleep schedule
I go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning
I don't mind losing sleep for a good time
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TERRY HALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jim brusso bigtimecavaliersfan
I don't think enough people recognize the greatness of Terry Hall!
MDH
One of my fave Specials too! Same voice, same Terry! I love Terry (followed him in all his bands)! And I envy all those who saw them live.
Lynne D Jones
I LOVE TERRY HALL! Saw the specials at the Apollo last night, they were just amazing!!!!!!
Paula Vitória
Eles são muito bons!!!!
Ricardo Andres Vega Torres
Que cancionsota The Special para siempre y que viva el ska carajo
Billy Jango
I love the Specials! This was the best song they did! I know it was a B side but it is the BEST!!
treacle
One of my favourite Special songs too. Whata great performance..wish I was there watching it, dancing round my Primark bag.
A J
This was life back then. God bless Terry you legend x
slizzamtizzam
cheers Terry.... u are the most amazing vocalist in my world... at the moment everyone thinks im crazy... because i live in the US
FartgalleryFilms
This song can be summed up in one word ... thanks to The Krankies ... "Fan-Dab-A-Dozy!'. Wunnerful!!!! What a singer!