"9 to 5"
UK single sleeve
Single by Sheena Easton
from the album Take My Time
B-side"Moody (My Love)"
Released
  • 16 May 1980 (UK)[1]
  • February 1981 (1981-02) (US)
Recorded1979
Genre
Length3:20
Label
  • EMI (original)
  • RT Industries (current)
Songwriter(s)Florrie Palmer
Producer(s)Christopher Neil
Sheena Easton singles chronology
"Modern Girl"
(1980)		 "9 to 5"
(1980)		 "One Man Woman"
(1980)
Alternative cover art
US single sleeve

"9 to 5" (or "Morning Train") is a song by Sheena Easton from 1981 album Take My Time. It was written by British songwriter Florrie Palmer and recorded and released as single in 1980, becoming Easton's biggest hit. It peaked at number three in the United Kingdom in August 1980 and was certified gold.[4] In February 1981, it was released in the United States and Canada under the title "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" to avoid confusion with Dolly 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 the BBC documentary, The Big Time: Pop Singer, both "9 to 5" and "Modern Girl" were propelled into the top ten at the same time, making her the third female artist (after Ruby Murray and Shirley Bassey) to achieve this feat.[5] "9 to 5" became a top three UK hit and was one of the best-selling singles of the year.[6]

Early in 1981, EMI Records decided to launch Easton in the US and released "9 to 5" as her debut single.[7] 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 Billboard's 1981 year-end charts, it came in as the twelfth-biggest pop and thirteenth-biggest AC hit of the year 1981. It topped the RPM 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.[7] 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.

Chart performance

Other versions

Easton re-recorded the song ("El Primer Tren") for her Spanish-language album Todo Me Recuerda a Tí, in 1983 for the Latin markets.

Swedish-born Norwegian singer Elisabeth Andreassen 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.[27] This version also stayed at Svensktoppen for 9 weeks during the period 21 February-18 April 1982, with a chart peak of #4.[28]

Bulgarian-French singer Sylvie Vartan covered the song with altered lyrics as L'amour c'est comme une cigarette in 1981.

Idols South Africa winner Anke Pietrangeli covered the song on her album Tribute to the Great Female Vocalists in 2009.[29]

It was revealed in the documentary, John Peel's Record Box, that British radio DJ John Peel loved the record so much that he kept two copies of it in a small wooden box of his 142 favourite singles.[30]

The song was featured twice in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It first appeared in a scene from the season 8 episode, "The Bizarro Jerry"', in a montage of Kramer's "work" experience.[31] Its second appearance was in the season 9 episode "The Butter Shave".[32][7]

In 2004, Easton recorded an advert for Australian Railway Company Connex Melbourne. It featured passengers singing the song in the train carriage, which pulls up to Burnley railway station where Easton boarded the train.[33]

It was briefly sung by Eric Cartman in the Season Five episode "Kenny Dies".

See also

References

  1. ↑ "BPI".
  2. ↑ Breihan, Tom (4 May 2020). "The Number Ones: Sheena Easton's "Morning Train (Nine to Five)"". Stereogum. Retrieved 10 October 2022. ["Morning Train"] sounds like somebody's halfway-effective attempt at replicating old American pop music.
  3. ↑ Breihan, Tom (4 May 2020). "The Number Ones: Sheena Easton's "Morning Train (Nine to Five)"". Stereogum. Retrieved 10 October 2022. The song has a clomping, graceless music-hall beat...
  4. ↑ BPI - search Sheena Easton (Certification and UK release date) Archived 11 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "Biography : Sheena Easton - The Official Website". Sheena Easton. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 Breihan, Tom (4 May 2020). "The Number Ones: Sheena Easton's "Morning Train (Nine To Five)"". Stereogum. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "Cash Box - International Best Sellers" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Cash Box. 2 May 1981. p. 36.
  9. 1 2 "National Top 100 Singles for 1981". Kent Music Report. 4 January 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 11 January 2022 – via Imgur.
  10. ↑ "Sheena Easton – 9 to 5 (Morning Train)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  11. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 20 June 1981. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  12. ↑ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. 24 July 1981. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  13. ↑ "Irish Singles Chart – Search for song". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  14. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Sheena Easton" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  15. ↑ "Sheena Easton – 9 to 5 (Morning Train)". Top 40 Singles.
  16. ↑ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  17. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  18. ↑ "Sheena Easton – 9 to 5 (Morning Train)". Swiss Singles Chart.
  19. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  20. ↑ "Sheena Easton".
  21. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 5/16/81". Tropicalglen.com. 16 May 1981. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  22. ↑ "UK Singles of the Year" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications. 27 December 1980. p. 30. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  23. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  24. ↑ "Top Selling Singles of 1981 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 31 December 1981. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  25. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1981/Top 100 Songs of 1981". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  26. ↑ "The CASH BOX Year End Charts: 1981".
  27. ↑ "Angel of the morning - Svensk mediedatabas". Smdb.kb.se. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  28. ↑ "Svensktoppen" (TXT). Sr.se. 1982. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  29. ↑ Niel Bekker. "Anke - Tribute to the Great Female Vocalists". Channel24.co.za. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  30. ↑ Barnes, Anthony (30 October 2005). "Revealed: John Peel's 142 favourite records". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2008.
  31. ↑ Trinacria, Joe (13 April 2017). "The Songs That Should Win SEPTA's Commute Playlist Contest". Philadelphia. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  32. ↑ Tracy, Liz. "Ten Best Seinfeld Musical Moments". New Times Broward-Palm Beach. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  33. ↑ sheenaeastoncouk (2005). "Sheena Easton Connex Advert". YouTube. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
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