25 or 6 to 4
| "25 or 6 to 4" | ||||||||||||||
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| Single by Chicago | ||||||||||||||
| from the album Chicago | ||||||||||||||
| B-side | "Where Do We Go From Here" | |||||||||||||
| Released | June 1970 | |||||||||||||
| Format | 7" | |||||||||||||
| Recorded | August 1969 | |||||||||||||
| Genre | Rock | |||||||||||||
| Length | 4:50 (album version) 2:53 (single version) |
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| Label | Columbia | |||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Robert Lamm | |||||||||||||
| Producer | James William Guercio | |||||||||||||
| Chicago singles chronology | ||||||||||||||
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"25 or 6 to 4," also written as "Twenty-Five Or Six To Four," is a song written by American musician Robert Lamm, one of the founding members of the rock/jazz fusion band Chicago. It was recorded for their second album, Chicago (1970), with Peter Cetera on lead vocals. The song was edited and released as a single in June of that year, climbing to number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart[1] and number seven on the UK Singles Chart. This recording features an electric guitar solo using a wah-wah pedal by Chicago guitarist Terry Kath, and has been included in numerous Chicago compilation albums.
An updated version of "25 or 6 to 4" was recorded for the 1986 album Chicago 18 with James Pankow listed as co-writer. Featuring new band member Jason Scheff on lead vocals, the single reached number 48 on the U.S. chart. This version was also used as the B-side for the band's next single in 1986 "Will You Still Love Me?".
The song appears as an on-disc track in the video game Rock Band 3.
Meaning [edit]
While it has been speculated that the song's lyrics are drug related, that rumor has been largely dismissed. Lamm himself says that the title is "just a reference to the time of day," and that "the song is about writing a song. It's not mystical." The time of day in reference is 3:35 AM (or 3:34 AM), which would then be 25 (or 26) minutes to 4 AM.[2][3]
Cover versions [edit]
This song has been covered by multiple artists, including Vince Neil (on Carved in Stone); Thunderhead; Straitjacket; Local H; Robert Forster; Intruder; Bruce Foxton; The Moog Cookbook; Earth, Wind, and Fire; Pacifika; and Umphrey's McGee.
In 2005 Jonathan Coulton made "When I'm 25 or 64," a mashup of "25 or 6 to 4" with "When I'm Sixty-Four" by The Beatles.[4] For the Results Night performance on the finale of the ninth season of American Idol, Lee DeWyze performed "25 or 6 to 4," along with "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" and "If You Leave Me Now," with the band. Constantine Maroulis released his version of the song as a single in 2011.[5]
References [edit]
- ^ "Chicago Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
- ^ "What does the Chicago lyric "25 or 6 to 4" mean?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on 22 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-10.
- ^ "Chicago History, Chapter VI". Official Site of Chicago the Band. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ Jonathan Coulton Blog Archive
- ^ Chicago Admin. "Constantine Maroulis releases his version of Chicago classic: 25 Or 6 To 4". Chicago The Band Music Community. Archived from the original on 22 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
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