Chris Young’s feel-good new summer anthem, “Young Love & Saturday Nights,” features David Bowie’s memorable “Rebel Rebel” guitar lick. While Young didn’t write the song, it was this guitar part and the song’s relatable lyrics that made him want to record “Young Love & Saturday Nights.”
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“I connected with the guitar riff and the lyrics the first time I heard it,” Young tells American Songwriter. “From the girl at the hole in the wall where he plays…to the old trucks, I can really relate to this song, remembering the little bars I used to play in and my beat-up old truck I drove early in my career. I think a lot of people will be able to relate to it.”
“Young Love & Saturday Nights” was written by Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley, and Josh Thompson. The late Bowie is also credited as a writer on the song. As Thompson explains, the track was “Frasure’s brainchild.”
“I was honored to be invited into such a unique opportunity,” Thompson says. “Having the chance to have ‘co-written’ a song with the great David Bowie, then adding a true and genuine country voice like Chris Young’s to it, equaled not your average story. Pretty damn cool.”
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Frasure says he was first approached by David Bowie’s estate and their Warner Chappell representatives Steve Butler and Ben Vaughn. The group was curious to hear his Bowie interpolation ideas.
“I’m a huge fan and immediately thought about doing ‘Heroes,’ but also always loved the melodic hooks in Bowie’s catalog like ‘Ziggy Stardust’ or ‘Rebel Rebel,’” Frasure explains. “I went the route of ‘Rebel’ because I felt like the energy of that guitar lick fit our genre and since David never really sings that melody directly, I thought it could be cool to do.”
Frasure recalls building a track and working on ideas for the chorus and vocal phrasing before calling Thompson and Gorley to pitch them the song. “They immediately loved the idea and for songwriters, interpolating a catalog like Bowie is an honor,” Frasure adds.
“We didn’t have any artists in mind,” he admits. “I feel like you can sometimes do a disservice to the song by doing that, especially in this situation. Spencer Nohe from Chappell played the song for Margaret at Sony Records and they loved it and sent it to Chris.”
Frasure says Young’s voice is a “gritty soulful perfect fit for an anthem like this.” He adds that he hopes country fans who aren’t familiar with Bowie’s work will take the initiative to dive in.
“For the people that love David Bowie in our country genre, I hope this makes them smile,” he adds. “For those that didn’t know the original, I hope they go and explore the rest of his incredible catalog. Either way, we are proud to be listed next to his name as co-writers on this summer jam.”
(Credit John Shearer / Monarch Publicity)
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