Tuesday Midnight

"Tuesday Midnight" is the debut single by Kuboian recording artist Louise Keys faeturing guest vocals and co-production from Clive Fulton, lead singer of Steady Rock. Loosely based on an event Keys witnessed a few years earlier, the lyrics tell the story of a girl who witnesses a gang planning a heist whilst out spending time with her family. It was released as a single on 10th April, 2005, serving as the lead single from her debut studio album Minus Degrees (2005).

"Tuesday Midnight" was written and recorded over a two-month period that lasted from November 2004 to 27th January, 2005 - the lyrics were co-written by Keys' maternal auntie, Marina Ackland, her father, Thomas Kilbride and Kuboian rapper and record producer Kool Teazer. Kool Teazer co-produced the song with Fulton, whilst DJ Kubin mixed the song and contributed to some additional lyrics and background vocals. The song was a number one hit on the Karuboia charts, becoming the only single for both Keys and Fulton to do so. It went on to become the best-selling single in Kuboia that year and received positive reviews from critics. The song has since been certified Platinum by the KSR.

Writing
Louise Keys was a contestant on the third series of Nick Karaoke Stars in 2004, and was eliminated in the quarterfinals, finishing fifth place overall. Although Keys' family tried getting her signed to Oyea Records immediately after her elimination, DJ Kubin said that she was not allowed to be signed until the current series of Nick Karaoke Stars came to an end.

However, Keys was approached by Kool Teazer, who agreed to help her record a new song immediately, and said that he would help her get signed to another record label if Kubin refused to allow her on to Oyea Records. Kool Teazer invited Keys and some of her family members over for lunch one day in December 2004, and suggested that Keys should rap about personal experiences like Iroune Ruby (who won the previous series of Nick Karaoke Stars did). However, the group were having difficulty deciding what the new song should be about - Keys' auntie, who she lived with at the time, said that she did not want Keys to simply rap about "stereotypical Kuboian teenage girl stuff".

Approximately a week later, Kool Teazer went to one of Steady Rock's gigs in Gutstone, and met the band backstage. The members, who were shocked to see him at one of their gigs, formed a bond with him. A few days later, Kool Teazer got Steady Rock's lead singer, Clive Fulton, to meet Keys and her family to help write a song for the former. Ultimately, they decided to write a song that was loosely based on an experience Keys had back in early 2003, where she and her family witnessed a shoplift attempt.

In 2010, Open Eagle ranked Kool Teazer's contributions to the song number eight in their "Top 20 Nicest Things Musicians Did In The 00s" list.

Recording and production
After discovering about what the group had been up to, DJ Kubin was reportedly angry with Kool Teazer, as he felt he was helping Keys take advantage of loopholes. However, he ultimately apologised and offered Keys the chance to record the song at MTV Recording Studio for free. Keys recorded her vocals in the studio on 29th December, 2004. Kool Teazer and Clive Fulton agreed to share responsibility for the song's production - Kool Teazer said "I am rap, Clive is rock. Together, we merged two of the greatest music genres for a masterpiece." Kool Teazer and Fulton regularly checked with Keys and her family to make sure the song was mixed in a manner they liked, Kool Teazer said "If Louise said no, we would ask what she wants different and we went back to the studio to change it up." Production for the song was complete on 18th January, 2001. Fulton returned to the atudio on the 27th that month to record his vocals for the song, and Kubin mixed the song "to make it sound professional" the same day.

Promotion
"Tuesday Midnight" was featured in an advertisement for McDonald's in March 2005, several weeks before the song's release - the advert in particular promoted their 'Midnight Snack' discounts. The song was also featured in the Kuboian teaser trailer for the video game Shadow the Hedgehog several weeks later.

Keys and Fulton performed the song on the first episode of Orbit Zone on 13th April, 2005. The duo also performed the song at a "Meet and Greet" event in Gutstone three days later.

Composition and song structure
"Tuesday Midnight" is in the key of C minor. It has a tempo of 107 bpm. The song takes inspiration from 1960s hard rock and blues music. Kool Teazer argued that the song is "pretty much for everybody, as it has a new style to it over an old-school sounding rock instrumental".

There are three versions of the song; the single version, the radio edit, and the album version. The single version features an opening verse by Fulton, three verses by Keys, a chorus by Fulton which is sung after each verse and a short outro. The radio edit shortens the opening verse and omits the outro. The album version of the song contains an instrumental opening and a long instrumental break after Keys' third verse. It also features a closing bridge performed by both artists. When the song reaches this, the tempo slows down to 97 bpm, then again to 92 bpm right before the song ends.

Release and reception
"Tuesday Midnight" was released as a single in Kuboia on 10th April, 2005. It was released in the remainder of Europe the following day. Upon the song's immediately success, Kubin insisted the song should be released elsewhere. It was released in South America and Japan in May that year, which was followed by a United States release on 6th June.

Critical reception
About.com gave the song a four out of five stars, calling it a "catchy tune that describes a relatable story". Open Eagle named it the best new song of 2005.

Production
The music video for "Tuesday Midnight" was filmed at the Old Dominion Museum in Hausekeep, North Kuboia. Kool Teazer hired local residents and the staff who worked at the museum at the time to appear in the video. The video was filmed over a few hours during the night of 5th April, 2005. Keys and Fulton gave signed copies of the CD version of the single to all of the locals who participated in the video. All members who were in Steady Rock at the time make a cameo appearance in the video.

Synopsis
The video begins with Steady Rock performing whilst Keys and her family are having a casual three-course dinner together. As Keys goes to the bathroom, she notices two burgulars smashing up the museum's glass protectors and stealing most of the items. She hides and notices the burgulars fleeing in a black truck - she warns everybody what happened, and the museum owner calls the police.

Meanwhile, Fulton offers Keys a ride in his truck to try and chase the burgulars. Keys is able to direct Fulton to the van, but they discover it was a distraction van. With help from a couple of adult figures, they seize the driver and Keys discovers a map which leads to the burgulars' hideout. Fulton notifies the police, and the whole group finds the hideout and corner the burgulars (as well as the mob boss they were taking orders from). The police then appear and arrest the criminals.

The video regularly shifts to another scene which features Keys and Fulton performing on stage in front of the audience, which seemingly takes place immediately after the video's events.

Reception
The video was uploaded to Oyea Records' official YouTube channel on 24th April, 2006, and then to Keys' VEVO channel on YouTube on 2nd July, 2010. Together, the two videos have become very popular on the website - the former video has over 140 million views whilst the latter has over 500 million views.

Live performances
Keys and Fulton performed "Tuesday Midnight" at [TBA] on 28th June, 2005. The duo performed the single version of the song that evening and performed the extended album version at approximately midnight that same day.

On 11th November, 2020, Keys and Fulton performed the song at the Ericka Streets Tribute Concert at Gutstone, East Kuboia. According to Keys, it was the first time the duo had performed together in nine years, and was also the first time the two had physically seen each other in eight years. Fulton said he was "the most chuffed [he] had been in decades" upon seeing Keys again.

Tuesday Midnight Pt. II
Clive Fulton recorded an alternative version of the song, "Tuesday Midnight Pt. II", which omits Louise Keys' vocals in favour of new verses sung by Fulton alone. Outside of the new lyrics, the song's instrumental and structure is near identical to the original version.

Cassette single - Kuboia

 * 1) "Tuesday Morning" (single version)
 * 2) "Hard Day Today"

CD single - Kuboia

 * 1) "Tuesday Midnight" (single version)
 * 2) "Hard Day Today"
 * 3) "Last One Standing" (live Nick Karaoke Stars recording)
 * 4) "Tuesday Midnight" (instrumental)

CD single - Scandinavia

 * 1) "Tuesday Midnight" (single version)
 * 2) "Tuesday Midnight" (album version)
 * 3) "Last One Standing" (live Nick Karaoke Stars recording)

CD single - UK

 * 1) "Tuesday Midnight" (single version)
 * 2) "Tuesday Midnight" (DJ Fresh DnB remix)
 * 3) "Hard Day Today"
 * 4) "Last One Standing" (live Nick Karaoke Stars recording)