“25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago

The simplest way to describe Chicago’s “25 Or 6 To 4” is as it being based on the narrator suffering from writer’s block. The title itself is actually an abstract abbreviation, which has led to some confusion as to what they are actually about. For if it were to be fully spelled out, it would read ’25 or 26 minutes to 4:00’. 

In other words, the time setting of the storyline is actually during the wee hours of the morning. And what’s going down is that the singer, himself being a songwriter, is up at early dawn trying to get a tune out. And considering the anxiety displayed in the lyrics, the implication is that he is doing so by force, as in trying to meet a songwriting deadline. So once again when the lyrics are properly understood, “25 or 6 to 4” easily comes off as the expressions of a writer who has reached a creative roadblock.

Who wrote “25 or 6 to 4”?

This song was composed entirely by Robert Lamm. Robert is best known for being a member of Chicago. He actually co-founded the band and composed a lot of their most popular songs.

According to Lamm, he wrote this song during a time in his life when he was sharing a house with “a bunch of hippies”. He said the song came about while he was feverishly trying to describe “the process of writing the song that” he was writing. At the end of the day, he looked at his watch and the time was 25 or 26 minutes to 4 in the morning. This is how the song’s title was actually born!

Who sings lead vocals on “25 or 6 to 4”?

“25 or 6 to 4” is sung by Peter Cetera. It should be noted that Peter was Chicago’s bassist and one of its vocalists at the time. Peter eventually left the band in 1985 to concentrate on his highly successful solo career.

Release Date of “25 or 6 to 4”

In June of 1970, Chicago released “25 or 6 to 4” as the second and final single from their Grammy-nominated self-titled album (“Chicago”).

Chicago enjoyed major success in both the UK and US with this single. It peaked at positions 7 and 4 in the United Kingdom and the United States, respectively. It also did very well in Canada, where it reached number 2. The song was also really popular in France and Netherlands, where it enjoyed peak positions of 3 and 8, respectively. Thanks to the success of this song, it has over the years become one of Chicago’s most covered songs.

Song is banned in Singapore

This song has dealt with a considerable amount of persistent controversy throughout the years and was even at one point banned in Singapore. That’s because many people are actually under the impression that the lyrics are a reference to taking drugs.

The government of Singapore was forced to ban this song from the airwaves because they felt it glorified drug usage. The country in question is actually notorious for its zero tolerance policy for content it feels corrodes the moral fabric of its society.

Furthermore, Singapore is one of the countries in the world with extremely strict anti drug laws. Owing to this, a song like “25 or 6 to 4” (which the government felt contained major references to drug use) was swiftly banned.

Some other notable songs banned from Singapore’s airwaves due to allusions to drug include:

• “With a Little Help from My Friends” by The Beatles
• “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by The Beatles

In the early 1990s, the ban on “25 or 6 to 4” and several other initially banned songs (including the aforementioned Beatles tracks) was eventually lifted.