"9 to 5" is the title of a Grammy-winning, number-one 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.
The film's title song garnered Parton an Academy Award
nomination and four Grammy Award nominations, winning her the
awards for "Best Country Song" and "Best Country Vocal
Performance, Female". In addition to appearing on the film
soundtrack, the song was the centerpiece of Parton's
9 to 5 and Odd Jobsalbum, released in late 1980. The
song was released as a single in November 1980 and reached
number one on both the Billboard Country Chart and the
Billboard Hot 100 in January and February of 1981,
respectively. For a time, the song became something of an
anthem for office workers in the U.S., and as recently as 2004
Parton's song ranked number seventy-eight on American Film
Institute's "100 years, 100 songs".
The song—and film—owe their titles to an organization
founded in 1973 with the aim of bringing about better treatment
for women in the workplace.
Sesame Streetmade an educational parody of the song
performed by the Anything Muppet parody of Parton herself,
Polly Darton, called "Counting 1 to 5".
The song is one of the rare Billboard hits with the
endurance to hit number one, be replaced by another song at the
top spot (Eddie Rabbitt's "I Love A Rainy Night"), and then
return to the number one position three weeks later. It is also
one of the few Billboard chart songs to feature the clacking of
a typewriter. Parton has stated in a number of interviews
through the years that when she wrote the song, she devised the
clacking typewriter rhythm running her acrylic fingernails back
and forth against one another. [1]
The song is featured in a musical theater adaptation of the
film, featuring a book by the film's original writer, Patricia
Resnick, and 20 additional songs written by Dolly Parton.
9 to 5began previews in Los Angeles on September 9,
2008, and is slated to move to Broadway for the 2009 season,
with previews scheduled to begin at New York City's Marquis
Theatre on March 24, 2009.
A few months after Parton's song and the film, Scottish
singer Sheena Easton released a single called "9 To 5"
throughout much of the world. The Easton song was renamed
"Morning Train (Nine to Five)" to avoid confusion. Easton's
single reached the number one spot on Billboards Hot 100 Chart
three months after Parton's song left that spot. While Parton's
song features an empowered (if challenged) working woman,
Easton's song features a passive, love-struck woman waiting
around at home all day for her lover to return to her.
In 1981, Kikki Danielsson covered the song on her album
Just Like a Woman, and the song remains one of her most
famous country music recordings. The song was also covered by
Swedish punk band Millencolin and included in their 1999
compilation album The Melancholy Collection, a collection of
b-sides and rarities. Mark Wilson also sang "9 to 5" on
It Takes Twowith Rachael Beck. "9 to 5" was performed
with sitar accompaniment in the opening scenes of the 2008 film
The Love Guru, sung by the titular character played by
Mike Myers; this version appears on the film's soundtrack
album.
Although the Parton recording only reached #47 in the UK, it
remains a popular song on radio and in nightclubs through
Britain and was spliced between "Independent Women Part 1" by
Destiny's Child and "Eple" by Royksopp for the Soulwax album
As Heard On Radio Soulwax Part 2.
The song appears on the game
Karaoke Revolution Country.
The music video depicts a slideshow on a blue
background.