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Wild Weekend Saxophone Music

Says Johnny: Wild Weekend was originally a vocal song that was a regional hit but it wasn’t until the Rockin’ Rebels released it as a saxophone lead instrumental that it became a national radio hit in the early 60’s.

Our version available here is written out in the same key used by the Rockin’ Rebels, G major. That means A major for tenor sax and E major for the alto saxophones.

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Midweek Music Break: The Rockin’ Rebels, “Wild Weekend”

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The Rockin’ Rebels’ Wild Weekend; When Instrumentals Were Fun!

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AI Overview

Wild Weekend by The Rockin’ Rebels is a classic 1962 instrumental rock-and-roll hit that started as a local radio station theme song before peaking at #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in early 1963.

History of the Song

Radio Origins: The song was written by Phil Todaro and Tommy Shannon, a weekend disc jockey for WKBW radio in Buffalo, New York. It was originally created as a vocal jingle demo (“Top tunes, news and weather, so glad we can get together…”) for Shannon’s Show.

The Local Band:

A local garage group called The Rebels asked Shannon if they could cover his theme song as an instrumental at a record hop. Liking what he heard, Shannon moved them into a recording studio.

Initial Release: The track was first released locally in 1960 on the small Marlee label under the name The Rebels and became a regional hit.

National Re-release: In late 1962, Swan Records picked up the master recording and re-issued the single.

Fun FactsName Change: To avoid confusion with established artist Duane Eddy and his backing group the Rebels, the band was rebranded as The Rockin’ Rebels for the national release, though early pressings still credited just “The Rebels”.

The Original Band Broke Up:
By the time the track became a massive national hit in 1963, the actual garage band members who recorded it had already parted ways.

The B-Side:
Later pressings of the 45rpm single featured a quirky flip-side track titled “Wild Weekend Cha-Cha”.

The Fade-Out Flub:

Music historians note that the recording is far from virtuosic; near the end of the track, the drummer accidentally turns the beat around right on the fade-out, and the producers just left it in the final mast

Later Covers: The instrumental was famously covered or re-interpreted years later by roots-rock icons NRBQ, who added official lyrics and retitled it “It’s a Wild Weekend”.

Notable Covers and Legacy:

Because it was an instrumental, it became a favorite for surf rock and garage bands to cover. Famous covers include versions by The Ventures and The Surfaris.

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Original

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Sha Na Na

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NRBQ

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LYRICS

Hey boys its a wild weekend
We did it then and we’ll do it again
We’re having fun and it just got started
We’re on the run and we’re crashing parties
Get ready ’cause its a wild weekend
Johny pulls up and we all got in
Rock’n roll is what we did, my friend
Im feelin’ good, yeah, i feel so crazy
The girl’s a drag, but it dont even phase me
Get ready, its a wild weekend
Tired waiting for the [?] for the weekend
It’s getting harder as the days go by
Aause every boy needs a girl at night
It makes him feel alright
There’s a place just around the bend
The same place where it all began
Its the best, man, you just cant beat it
And later on when the place gets heated
Get ready, cause its a wild weekend
Tired waiting ’til its time for the weekend
It’s getting harder as the days go by
Aause every boy needs a girl at night
It makes him feel alright
Hey boys its a wild weekend
We did it then and we’ll do it again
We’re having fun and it just got started
+
We’re on the run and we’re crashing parties
Get ready ’cause it’s a wild weekend
Get ready, it’s a wild weekend
Get ready
Get ready

(source: https://lyricsondemand.com/nrbq/its_a_wild_weekend)

Songwriting Credits: NRBQ’s version (“It’s a Wild Weekend”) credits band members Terry Adams, Al Anderson, and Joey Spampinato alongside Phil Todaro as co-writers.

Album Release Copyright: Both the sound recording (℗) and the artwork/content (©) for the 1989 Virgin Records release are officially copyrighted by Virgin Records America, Inc.

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Wild Weekend Saxophone Music & Backing Track