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 Louise 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 Louise's 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 from both artists to do so. It received positive reviews from critics and 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 Louise's 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, Louise 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 some of Louise and some of her family members over for lunch one day in December 2004, and suggested that Louise 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 - Louise's auntie, who she lived with at the time, said that she did not want Louise 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 Louise 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 Louise 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
After discovering about what the group had been up to, DJ Kubin was reportedly angry with Kool Teazer, as he felt he was helping Louise take advantage of loopholes. However, he ultimately apologised and offered Louise the chance to record the song at MTV Recording Studio for free. Louise 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 Louise 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.

Louise Keys and Clive 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 Louise 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 break after Louise's 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.

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 - 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)

CD single - Scandinavia

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