The Undertones are a Northern Irish punk band formed in Derry, Northern Ire… Read Full Bio ↴The Undertones are a Northern Irish punk band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1975. The original band consisted of:

* Feargal Sharkey (lead vocals),
* John O'Neill (guitar),
* Damian O'Neill (guitar, keyboards and vocals),
* Michael Bradley (bass and vocals), and
* Billy Doherty (drums).

John O'Neill was the original main song writer, with his brother Damian and Mickey Bradley writing in various solo & combined variations for most of the remainder.

Sharkey's power pop tenor was distinctive, and the band regarded a tight ensemble. By 1977 they were performing their own three-chord pop punk material influenced by Nuggets-type material and Ramones, and in 1978 released their debut four-song EP Teenage Kicks on Good Vibrations. It became a hit with support from DJ John Peel, who considered that EP's title song (Teenage Kicks) his all-time favourite. The song has been covered by many including boyband Busted (at the 2003 Brit Awards), American group The Raconteurs, Swedish band [aritst]Sahara Hotnights and French band Nouvelle Vague.

The original band released four studio albums:

* The Undertones (1979)
* Hypnotised (1980)
* Positive Touch (1981)
* The Sin Of Pride (1983).

Falling sales linked to their changing musical direction and tensions within the band, leading to their split in 1983. A compilation album titled All Wrapped Up featured a woman dressed in lunch meats wrapped in clear plastic on the (non band approved) cover. Several other compilations including the superb BBC sessions CD Listening In (named after a song on their first album) (2004) exist.

The O'Neill brothers went on to form That Petrol Emotion. The Undertones reconvened in 1999, initially to play a few shows in their hometown of Londonderry, replacing singer Feargal Sharkey with a similarly warbling new recruit, Paul McLoone. Since this time, the band has continued to play a small number of gigs each year in various places around the world.

The band have also released two further studio albums:

* Get What You Need (2003)
* Dig Yourself Deep (2007)

NOTE: There is another band with this name - The Undertones, a subset of the University of Notre Dame Glee Club who sing a capella arrangements of popular songs. For more information on these guys, check out www.nd.edu/~utones.

When Saturday Comes
The Undertones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hear your mother on the telephone
Partying people happy people home
Everywhere there's sceptic magazines
Shooting different colour jelly beans

Anyday of the week - when Saturday comes
Anyday of the week - she's almost gone

Hiding pictures of her takeaway
Only laughing on a Saturday
Tomorrow's Sunday - special radio
Warning her the dangers long ago

Anyday of the week ...

Such an independent girl
Think you've got what it takes
If you won't sit down next to me
Girl that's my mistake

Teenage bop form a nervous holiday
Attracting lips form a hidden stowaway
Telegram go gos got to yesterday
Shocking tears will never go away

Anyday of the week

Overall Meaning

The Undertones’s song When Saturday Comes is a catchy song that combines a lively tune with lyrics that have an interesting meaning. The first verse of the song sets the scene for a phone conversation with a mother. The lyrics appear playful and upbeat, with talk of “partying people”, “happy people”, and “sceptic magazines”. However, as the verse progresses, the lyrics start to become stranger, with talk of “shooting different colour jelly beans” leaving a surreal feeling. The second verse is much darker, talking about hiding pictures, only laughing on Saturdays and warning of dangers.

Overall, the song appears to be about a teenage girl who is becoming disconnected from the real world. Saturday is the day when she can escape and be herself, but she only embraces this freedom once a week, and appears to be hiding away from reality. The chorus emphasises the importance of Saturday to the girl, with “Anyday of the week - she's almost gone”, indicating that she only truly ‘lives’ on Saturdays. The last two lines of the song suggest that this lifestyle is not sustainable, with the lyrics “Shocking tears will never go away”, indicating that hidden emotions and struggles will always be there.

Line by Line Meaning

Hear your mother on the telephone
Listening to your mother talking on the phone

Partying people happy people home
Happy people having parties at home

Everywhere there's sceptic magazines
Magazines that doubt or question things can be found everywhere

Shooting different colour jelly beans
Someone might be throwing or shooting colourful jelly beans around

Anyday of the week - when Saturday comes
Any day can feel like a Saturday when the weekend finally arrives

Anyday of the week - she's almost gone
The singer's love interest is almost leaving, regardless of the day

Hiding pictures of her takeaway
Hiding photos of the food she took home

Only laughing on a Saturday
Only happy and carefree on Saturdays

Tomorrow's Sunday - special radio
A special radio program on Sundays

Warning her the dangers long ago
Warning her of the dangers of something long ago

Such an independent girl
She is a very independent woman