Tesla's music fit well with the blasting sounds of their 80s hair metal and glam rock contemporaries. Yet it was more bluesy and lyrics dealt with other themes than just the usual, girls, alcohol and violence. But what set them even more apart from their contemporaries was their t-shirt and jeans image, a 'street' look reminiscent of the Ramones (and other 70s punk groups) that was in strong contrast of the leather, spandex, and flashy-make type look of the time.
The band's early lifespan as City Kidd brought them considerable frustration, with them failing to break into the musical mainstream while also competing with another band with the same name. Their mutation into Tesla provided a clear shot at success. 'Mechanical Resonance', their debut that the boys released in 1986, became a commercial smash while also receiving significant critical praise. That album was certified platinum by the RIAA on October 5, 1989.
In total, the group has released six studio albums with original music, the latest of them being 2008's 'Forever More'. They have also created a a double-disc covers album, titled 'Real To Reel', as well as a number of compilations and live albums. Their sound has focused on a particularly melodic and accessible kind of hard rock with strong shades of classic heavy metal as well.
Tesla's popular 1990 remake of Signs, originally recorded by the Five Man Electrical Band (who also inspired the album which the remake came from, Five Man Acoustical Jam), is probably the most mainstream of Tesla's hits. However, many fans remember fondly Tesla's other hits such as Gettin' Better, Modern Day Cowboy, Little Suzi, Edison's Medicine and Love Song.
The band derived their name, certain album and song names (e.g. The Great Radio Controversy, Mechanical Resonance, etc), and some song content from events relating to Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American inventor and electrical engineer born in the 19th century in Smiljan, Austria-Hungary, modern day Croatia.
Saturday Night Special
Tesla Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a black cat do
And two bodies are layin' naked
A creeper think he got nothin' to lose
So he creeps into this house, yeah
And unlocks the door
And as a man's reachin' for his trousers
Mr. Saturday Night Special
Got a barrel that's blue and cold
That ain't no good for nothin'
But put a man six feet in a hole
Big Jim's been drinkin' whiskey
And playing poker on a losin' night
And pretty soon, ole Jim starts a thinkin'
Somebody been cheatin' and lyin'
So Big Jim commenced to fightin'
I wouldn't tell you no lie
And Big Jim done pulled his pistol
And shot his friend right between the eyes
Mr. Saturday Night Special
Got a barrel that's blue and cold
That ain't no good for nothin'
But put a man six feet in a hole
Oh, and it's a Saturday Night Special
And for twenty dollars you can buy yourself one too
Oh, let me tell you all about
Hand guns are made for killin'
They ain't no good for nothin' else
And if you like to drink your whiskey
You might even shoot yourself
So why don't we dump 'em people
To the bottom of the sea
Before some old fool come around here
And wanna shoot either you or me
Oh, Mr. Saturday Night Special
You got a barrel that's blue and cold
That ain't no good for nothin'
But put a man six feet in a hole
Oh, and it's a Saturday Night Special
I'd like to tell you what you could do with it too
Oh yeah, it's a Saturday Night Special
Oh, just like [Incomprehensible]
The lyrics of "Saturday Night Special" by the band Tesla tell stories of two separate incidents of fatal gun violence. The first verse talks about a man who breaks into someone's home and shoots him while he is reaching for his trousers. The second verse is about a man named Big Jim who shoots his friend between the eyes over suspicions of cheating and lying. The chorus is a reference to the gun used in both incidents, which is a low-quality, cheap gun called a "Saturday Night Special." The lyrics warn about the dangers of owning a gun, especially if you are a heavy drinker. The song urges people to get rid of these guns before they cause more meaningless deaths.
The lyrics make a strong statement about gun control and the misuse of firearms. The song depicts the dangerous consequences of owning guns, particularly cheap ones that can easily fall into the wrong hands. The lyrics also warn against the dangers of drinking while in possession of firearms. The song advocates disposing of handguns to save lives and prevent more tragedies.
The song was written by rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and it was first released in 1975 on their album "Nuthin' Fancy." Tesla's cover of the song was released in 1990 on their album "Five Man Acoustical Jam." The song is considered a classic rock anthem for gun control by many music fans. The song's powerful, straightforward lyrics and aggressive guitar riffs have resonated with listeners for decades and continue to be relevant today.
Line by Line Meaning
Two feet's they come a creepin', like a black cat do
Two unknown people are quietly entering a house, similar to how a black cat walks silently.
And two bodies are layin' naked, a creeper think he got nothin' to lose
Two people are dead and naked, indicating that the creeper who killed them didn't fear any consequences from his actions.
So he creeps into this house, yeah, And unlocks the door
The creeper quietly entered the house, using either a tool or a key to unlock the door.
And as a man's reachin' for his trousers, He shoots him full of .38 holes
The killer shot a man multiple times with a .38 caliber pistol, while the victim was reaching for his pants.
Mr. Saturday Night Special, Got a barrel that's blue and cold, That ain't no good for nothin', But put a man six feet in a hole
The Saturday Night Special gun's barrel is blue and cold, exclusively designed to kill someone and bury them six feet underground.
Big Jim's been drinkin' whiskey, And playing poker on a losin' night, And pretty soon, ole Jim starts a thinkin', Somebody been cheatin' and lyin'
Big Jim, who was having a bad night playing poker, starts to suspect that someone was cheating and lying.
So Big Jim commenced to fightin', I wouldn't tell you no lie, And Big Jim done pulled his pistol, And shot his friend right between the eyes
Big Jim started fighting and pulled out his pistol, fatally shooting his friend between the eyes.
Oh, and it's a Saturday Night Special, And for twenty dollars you can buy yourself one too
The Saturday Night Special gun is readily available by spending twenty dollars.
Oh, let me tell you all about, Hand guns are made for killin', They ain't no good for nothin' else, And if you like to drink your whiskey, You might even shoot yourself
Handguns are merely built to kill, and there's no other constructive purpose for them. Also, if somebody drinks whiskey, they're likely to end up shooting themselves.
So why don't we dump 'em people, To the bottom of the sea, Before some old fool come around here, And wanna shoot either you or me
It would be better to throw guns into the ocean to avoid a situation where somebody could use it to shoot you or me.
Oh, Mr. Saturday Night Special, You got a barrel that's blue and cold, That ain't no good for nothin', But put a man six feet in a hole
The song reiterates that the Saturday Night Special gun's exclusive purpose is to put a human being six feet under the ground.
Oh, and it's a Saturday Night Special, I'd like to tell you what you could do with it too, Oh yeah, it's a Saturday Night Special, Oh, just like [Incomprehensible]
The song concludes with a warning to the audience about the danger of the Saturday Night Special gun, making it clear they're not a toy for entertainment purposes.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDWARD C. KING, RONNIE VAN ZANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Christopher N. Savage
on Getting' Better
A shame that you can't see the original video, but this tune has the passion and power to lift you up and brighten your day!!!!!