25 OR 6 TO 4

Robert Lamm

CHICAGO                                                                                                   1970                                                                   Columbia Records #45194

The second single from the album, CHICAGO II Chart: #4 . Time - 4:58.
Flip Side: "Where Do We Go From Here". Released in U.S.A., June 30, 1970.

Recorded at Columbia Studios, New York, New York, USA, in August 1969.
Produced by James William Guercio. Engineered by Donald Puluse, Chris Hinshaw and Brian Ross-Myring.

A new version was recorded and released Aug. 1986 from the album CHICAGO 18. This version had Jason Scheff on lead vocals and went to #48 on Billboard's singles chart.

According to Bill Champlain (a later lead singer of Chicago), the song is about whether the songwriter should stay awake and keep trying to write his songs or not. The new 1986 version is perhaps not as good, resulting in it's poorer chart performance. You can never out do an original. But were they trying to make it as good.....or just make a different version? - Larry -

CHICAGO II

Personnel

   Peter Cetera - lead vocals, bass
   Terry Kath - vocals, guitar
   Daniel Seraphine - drums
   Robert Lamm - vocals, keyboard
   Walter Parazaider - vocals, wind
   Lee Loughnane - vocals, trumpet
   James Pankow - trombone

ROBERT LAMM

"It's just a reference to the time of day [as in]waiting for the break of day. The song is about writing a song. It's not mystical."

ROBERT LAMM

" And "25 or 6 to 4" is really a song about just writing a song, and a reference to time. ...it was written up in the Hollywood Hills above Sunset; I was living in a house with some other people and I could look out kind of across the city and see flashing lights against the sky."

LEE LOUGHNANE - MSN Chat - 1999

"Robert Lamm wrote it. He was writing a song about writing a song. It is a reference to time. He was writing early in the morning and he looked across the room and he could barely make out the clock. It said either 25 or 26 to 4 am so there you have it. "

YOU TUBE LYRIC VIDEO - Original Version YOU TUBE LIVE 1970, Tanglewood, Lenox, MA YOU TUBE STUDIO TRACK OFFICIAL VIDEO 1986 remake Waiting for the break of day Searching for something to say Dancing lights againnst the sky Giving up I close my eyes Sitting cross-legged on the floor 25 or 6 to 4 Staring blindly into space Getting up to splash my face Wanting just to stay awake Wondering how much I can take Should have tried to do some more 25 or 6 to 4 Feeling like I ought to sleep Spinning room is sinking deep Searching for something to say Waiting for the break of day 25 or 6 to 4 25 or 6 to 4