| "9 to 5" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK single sleeve | ||||
| Single bySheena Easton | ||||
| from the albumTake My Time | ||||
| B-side | "Moody (My Love)" | |||
| Released |
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| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:20 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriter | Florrie Palmer | |||
| Producer | Christopher Neil | |||
| Sheena Easton singles chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover art | ||||
 US single sleeve | ||||
"9 to 5" (or "Morning Train") is a song by Scottish singerSheena Easton from her 1981 albumTake My Time. It was written by Florrie Palmer and recorded and released as a single in1980, becoming Easton's biggest hit. It peaked at number three on theUK Singles Chart in August 1980 and was certifiedgold.[3] In February 1981, it was released in the United States and Canada under the title "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" to avoid confusion withDolly Parton's recent hit "9 to 5". It reached number one in both countries, becoming Easton's only chart-topper in those nations.
Easton had released one single prior to "9 to 5": "Modern Girl". This had failed to chart highly, but after exposure on theBBC documentaryThe Big Time: Pop Singer, both "9 to 5" and "Modern Girl" were propelled into the top ten at the same time, making her the fourth female artist (afterRuby Murray,Shirley Bassey, andDonna Summer) to achieve this feat.[4] "9 to 5" became a top three UK hit and was one of the best-selling singles of the year.[5]
Early in 1981,EMI Records decided to launch Easton in the US and released "9 to 5" as her debut single.[6] Easton's song went to #1 on both the U.S.pop andadult contemporary charts; it remained at the top for two weeks onBillboard's pop chart, becoming Easton's only chart-topper. OnBillboard's 1981 year-end charts, it came in as the twelfth-biggest pop and thirteenth-biggest AC hit of the year 1981. It topped theRPM magazine pop and AC charts in Canada, and also reached #1 in New Zealand.
The song is about a woman who waits at home all day for her man to come home from work.[6] The music video was filmed on theBluebell Railway, aheritage line running between East and West Sussex in England. The video starsLondon and South Western Railway No. 488, a preservedLSWR 0415 Class locomotive.[citation needed]
Weekly charts[edit]
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Easton re-recorded the song ("El Primer Tren") for her Spanish-language albumTodo Me Recuerda a Tí, in 1983 for the Latin markets.[citation needed]
Swedish-born Norwegian singerElisabeth Andreassencovered the song in Swedish, as "Han pendlar varje dag" ("He commutes every day") with the new lyrics byOlle Bergman, on her 1981albumAngel of the Morning.[30] This version also stayed atSvensktoppen for nine weeks from 21 February to 18 April 1982, with a chart peak of #4.[31]
Bulgarian-French megastar in Europe singerSylvie Vartancovered the song with altered lyrics as "L'amour c'est comme une cigarette" in 1981. The song reached number one for weeks in France and Belgium.
Idols South Africa winnerAnke Pietrangeli covered the song on her albumTribute to the Great Female Vocalists in 2009.[32]
The documentaryJohn Peel's Record Box revealed that British radio DJJohn Peel loved the record so much that he kept two copies of it in a small wooden box of his 142 favourite singles.[33]
The song was featured twice in the NBC sitcomSeinfeld. It first appeared in a scene from the season 8 episode "The Bizarro Jerry"', in a montage ofKramer's "work" experience.[34] Its second appearance was in the season 9 episode "The Butter Shave", where George Costanza 'commutes' to work at Play Now.[35][6]
In 2004, Easton recorded an advert for Australian Railway CompanyConnex Melbourne. It featured passengers singing the song in the train carriage, which pulls up toBurnley railway station, where Easton boarded the train.[36]
The song also appears in the 2004 teen comedyEuroTrip. Two of the film's protagonists played byScott Mechlowicz andJacob Pitts enter a fictionalBritish pub called the Fiesty (sic) Goat inLondon, unaware that it is a privateManchester United football supporters' bar. They are forced to sing the song when confronted by a group offootball hooligans and their leader, performed byVinnie Jones. The original song is also played during the scene.[37][38]
It was briefly sung byEric Cartman in theSouth Park season 5 episode "Kenny Dies".
["Morning Train"] sounds like somebody's halfway-effective attempt at replicating old American pop music.
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