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9 to 5 (Sheena Easton song)
Encyclopedia
"9 to 5" is the title of a popular song
written by British songwriter Florrie Palmer and recorded by Sheena Easton
in 1980
, becoming her biggest hit. It peaked at number three in the United Kingdom in August 1980 and was released in the United States in February 1981 (retitled "Morning Train" to avoid confusion with Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5
”), where it reached number one.
". This had failed to chart highly, but after exposure on the BBC
documentary, The Big Time
, both "9 to 5" and "Modern Girl" were propelled into the top ten at the same time, making her the first female artist to achieve this feat. "9 to 5" became a top three hit and was one of the best-selling singles of the year.
Early in 1981, EMI Records
decided to launch Easton in the US and released "9 to 5" as her debut single. The title of the song was changed to "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" to avoid confusion with the Dolly Parton
song of the same name
. Easton's song went to #1 on both the U.S. pop
and adult contemporary
charts; it remained at the top for two weeks on Billboard's pop chart. On Billboards 1981 year-end charts, it came in as the twelfth-biggest pop and thirteenth-biggest AC hit of the year 1981. It also topped the RPM magazine pop and AC charts in Canada, reigning over the former for two weeks in May 1981.
The song is about a woman who waits at home all day for her man to come home from work. The music video was filmed on the Bluebell Railway
, a heritage line running between East and West Sussex in England. The video stars London and South Western Railway
No. 488, a preserved LSWR 0415 Class locomotive.
Norwegian
singer Elisabeth Andreasson covered
the song in Swedish
, as "Han pendlar varje dag" ("He commutes every day") with the new lyrics by Olle Bergman, on her 1981 album
Angel of the Morning
. This version also stayed at Svensktoppen
for 9 weeks during the period 21 February-18 April 1982, with a chart peak of #4.
Sylvie Vartan
remade "Morning Train" for the French market as "L’amour c'est comme une cigarette" ("Love is like a cigarette"): the lyrics were written by Michel Mallory who reworked a number of English language hits for Vartan. The concept of Vartan's version was echoed in the Dutch remake by Benny Neyman
: "Liefde is als een sigaret", which reached #49 in the Netherlands in 1982.
In 1980 Margot Werner recorded the German rendering "Du lebst nur einmal auf der Welt"
Helena Vondráčková
recorded the Czech rendering "Nac vlastne v puli vzdavat mac" for her 1982 album Podivej, kvete ruze.
A Portuguese rendering of "Morning Train": "Uma Noite De Solidão" ("A night of solitude"), was recorded in 1989 by Mara for her eponymous album.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written by British songwriter Florrie Palmer and recorded by Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
in 1980
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
, becoming her biggest hit. It peaked at number three in the United Kingdom in August 1980 and was released in the United States in February 1981 (retitled "Morning Train" to avoid confusion with Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5
9 to 5 (Dolly Parton song)
"9 to 5" is a song written and originally performed by Dolly Parton for the 1980 film comedy Nine to Five, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Parton in her film debut....
”), where it reached number one.
Background
Easton had released one single prior to "9 to 5": "Modern GirlModern Girl (Sheena Easton song)
"Modern Girl" is the debut single by Scottish pop singer Sheena Easton. The song was originally released in February 1980. It made a lowly #56 in the charts before being re-released to top ten success in August of the same year...
". This had failed to chart highly, but after exposure on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary, The Big Time
The Big Time (TV series)
The Big Time was a British documentary and reality television series made by the BBC, which ran from 1976 to 1980.Devised and produced by Esther Rantzen and narrated initially by Rantzen but later by John Pitman, each programme followed a member of the public placed in the limelight as a result of...
, both "9 to 5" and "Modern Girl" were propelled into the top ten at the same time, making her the first female artist to achieve this feat. "9 to 5" became a top three hit and was one of the best-selling singles of the year.
Early in 1981, EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
decided to launch Easton in the US and released "9 to 5" as her debut single. The title of the song was changed to "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" to avoid confusion with the Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
song of the same name
9 to 5 (Dolly Parton song)
"9 to 5" is a song written and originally performed by Dolly Parton for the 1980 film comedy Nine to Five, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Parton in her film debut....
. Easton's song went to #1 on both the U.S. pop
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and adult contemporary
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
charts; it remained at the top for two weeks on Billboard's pop chart. On Billboards 1981 year-end charts, it came in as the twelfth-biggest pop and thirteenth-biggest AC hit of the year 1981. It also topped the RPM magazine pop and AC charts in Canada, reigning over the former for two weeks in May 1981.
The song is about a woman who waits at home all day for her man to come home from work. The music video was filmed on the Bluebell Railway
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
, a heritage line running between East and West Sussex in England. The video stars London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
No. 488, a preserved LSWR 0415 Class locomotive.
Other versions
Swedish-bornSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
singer Elisabeth Andreasson covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
the song in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, as "Han pendlar varje dag" ("He commutes every day") with the new lyrics by Olle Bergman, on her 1981 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Angel of the Morning
Angel of the Morning (Elisabeth Andreassen album)
Angel of the Morning, released in 1981, is the debut album of Norwegian singer Elisabeth Andreassen, and the first of several solo albums. Previously, she sang with Mats Rådberg on his album I'm the Singer, You're the Song...
. This version also stayed at Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen is a record chart at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003, the songs had to be in the Swedish language. Svensktoppen has aired since 1962, except for the years 1982-1985. Svensktoppen airs once a week...
for 9 weeks during the period 21 February-18 April 1982, with a chart peak of #4.
Sylvie Vartan
Sylvie Vartan
Sylvie Vartan is a French singer. She was one of the first rock girls in France. Vartan was the most productive and active of the yé-yé style artists, considered as the toughest-sounding of those. Her performance often featured elaborate show-dance choreography. She made many appearances on French...
remade "Morning Train" for the French market as "L’amour c'est comme une cigarette" ("Love is like a cigarette"): the lyrics were written by Michel Mallory who reworked a number of English language hits for Vartan. The concept of Vartan's version was echoed in the Dutch remake by Benny Neyman
Benny Neyman
Wilhelmus Albertus Neyman was a Dutch singer.-Biography:...
: "Liefde is als een sigaret", which reached #49 in the Netherlands in 1982.
In 1980 Margot Werner recorded the German rendering "Du lebst nur einmal auf der Welt"
Helena Vondráčková
Helena Vondrácková
Helena Vondráčková is a Czech singer whose career has spanned five decades.- Early life/career :Vondráčková spent her childhood years in the town of Slatinany. She took piano lessons from an early age...
recorded the Czech rendering "Nac vlastne v puli vzdavat mac" for her 1982 album Podivej, kvete ruze.
A Portuguese rendering of "Morning Train": "Uma Noite De Solidão" ("A night of solitude"), was recorded in 1989 by Mara for her eponymous album.