25 or 6 to 4

Infobox Single
Name = 25 or 6 to 4


Artist = Chicago
from Album = Chicago
B-side = "Where Do We Go From Here"
Released = June 1970
Format = 7"
Recorded = August 1969
Genre = Hard rock
Length = 4:50 (album version) 2:53 (single version)
Label = Columbia Records
Writer = Robert Lamm
Producer = James William Guercio
Certification =
Last single = "Make Me Smile" / "Colour My World" (1970)
This single = "25 or 6 to 4" (1970)
Next single = "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" (1970)
Misc = Extra chronology
Last single = "Along Comes a Woman" (1985)
This single = "25 or 6 to 4" / "One More Day" (1986)
Next single = "Will You Still Love Me?" (1986)"25 or 6 to 4" is a song written by Robert Lamm for the rock 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 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. To this day, it is one of the most frequently played Chicago songs on classic rock and album-oriented rock stations.

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 1988 single "What Kind Of Man Would I Be?".

Meaning

Chicago fans have long argued about the meaning of the song. When it was released, there was speculation that the lyrics were drug-related; but the same thing was said about many songs in the late 1960s and early 1970s and the rumor has been largely dismissed. [cite web |url=http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/m25or6to4.html |title=What does the Chicago lyric "25 or 6 to 4" mean? |accessdate=2007-05-10 |format= |work=The Straight Dope] 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." [cite web |url=http://www.chicagotheband.com/history06.htm |title=Chicago History, Chapter VI |accessdate=2006-11-24 |format= |work=Official Site of Chicago the Band ] 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. Lamm was not above perpetuating the mythology of the song, though. In one interview, he referred to the song title as "a cricket score."citequote|date=August 2008

Cover versions

This song has been covered by multiple artists, including Vince Neil, Straitjacket, Local H, Intruder, Bruce Foxton (solo, ex The Jam), The Moog Cookbook and Earth, Wind, and Fire.

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. [ [http://www.jonathancoulton.com/2005/11/18/thing-a-week-10-when-im-25-or-64/ Jonathan Coulton Blog Archive] ]

In other media

* The song has been featured in a few episodes of the animated sitcom "King of the Hill".
* The 31 July 2008 episode of "Morning Joe" used the music to segue to commercial.

References