Friday, 14 July 2017

My Top Ten 5pm Songs


From 5 am to 5 pm. Let's blow this joint!


10. David Bowie - 5.15 The Angels Have Gone

Heathen isn't Dave's finest hour, but there are some pretty head-scratchingly intriguing songs on there. This is one of them.

9. Astrid - 5 O'Clock

What happens when you're already drunk by five o'clock: you start listening to Astrid.

8. Gang Of Four - 5.45

In which Jon King gets rather upset by the evening news...
How can I sit and eat my tea,
with all that blood flowing from the television?
At a quarter to six,
I watch the news,
Eating, eating all my food
As I sit watching the red spot
In the egg which looks like
All the blood you don`t see on the television.
7. Dolly Parton - 9 To 5

They just use your mind and never give you credit. Sound familiar?

See also The Kinks - Nine To Five

6. The Who - 5.15

Pete & Rog get out of their brain on the train home. Why should I care, why should I care?

5. Chris Isaak - 5:15

A controversial choice, putting this one ahead of The Who, but man... this recording is audio perfection.

4. The Supremes - 5.30 Plane

Post-Diana, Motown drafted in Jimmy Webb to work with The Supremes. Although the resulting album didn't set the charts alight, it contains some absolute gems. Let's face it: it's The Supremes and JIMMY WEBB. What's not to love?
How long have we been waiting for the light to change?
Long enough to know that green is dubious
Long enough to know that there's no sense to us
And the line is pretty long, yeah
Your starter for ten: name another song which features the word 'dubious' in its lyrics. (It is possible.)

3. Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffet - It's Five O'Clock Somewhere

I think I covered this one well enough in my last post. However, in retrospect, the song below might have been even more appropriate for that story...

2. The Jam - (Just Who Is) The Five O'Clock Hero?

This is one of those Jam singles that I always forget... and forget how good it is.
From this window I've seen the whole world pass
From dawn to dusk I've heard the last laugh laughed
I've seen enough tears to wash away this street
I've heard wedding bells chime and a funeral march

When as one life finishes another one starts...

Alright then, love, so I'll be off now
It's back to the lunchbox and worker / management rows
There's gotta be more to this old life than this
Scrimping and saving and crossing off lists...
1. Julian Cope  - 5 O'Clock World

Originally recorded in 1965 by The Vogues and covered by any number of people since (The Proclaimers, Hal Ketchum, Bowling For Soup, David McCallum... sadly I can't find that last one online, so please help me out if you have it). However, it's Lord Julian of Cope who gives the definitive reading, rewriting the lyrics to include 80's nuclear war paranoia and mixing in a little Petula Clark along the way.

Genius.




Which one would you take home after work?

5 comments:

  1. Which one would you take home?
    From that list it's a tough call
    The Who track is from my most favouritest album ever, and The Jam track is a corker (as an indicator of The Jam's popularity in 1982, it got to Number 8 in the charts, and was only available as a Dutch Import).
    Good call on JC at number 1 - the world can never have enough Julian

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  2. Yes that Jam song would have been appropriate for last time but always enjoy Alan and Jimmy's one as well.

    I haven't written about Dolly yet over at my place yet but I must as I've always thought she is wonderful. I still like that song as I associate it with the film where she made a great first stab at the acting lark. She stole the show in that one.

    BUT - where is Sheena Easton's 9 to 5? Lyrics to die for, literally.

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  3. Where to start with the compliments? Big fan of Heathen and think you featured the best song of the lot. One of my favorite Jam songs here and one I didn't know was ever issued as a single until 2012 when I found it in a shop. My jaw was on the floor. Cope's solo work and his zaniness was new to me until the blogging era. Too many bloggers to thank for setting me straight, but now he is an obsession. Toptastic list! No weaknesses.

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  4. A mighty fine run down Rol. The Gang of Four is the preference of this old post-punkster.

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  5. As TS says, a mighty fine run down.
    I'd very happily take Julian home.

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