Brad, YES! The song is about a songwriter that has "writer's block". It is 25 or 26 before 4am and he can't come up with anything. He's debating whether to continue trying or give up and go to sleep.
Actually, you missed the real meaning … it’s WAY early in the morning and they’re all BUZZED UP , “ trying just to stay awake, wondering how much I can take … “ …. Go figure
Casual music listeners never have been interested in putting songs in genres, even to this day. More serious music fans always have put music in genres. I can remember music critics doing it in the 70s in the rock magazines I read. Chicago (early Chicago in particular) was lumped in with bands like Blood Sweat and Tears, Chase, Lighthouse and others that use horns. They were called jazz rock. Chicago ended up having so many huge hits that people thought of them as just a straight ahead pop-rock band but their origins were in jazz rock.
@@avanoosterhout8397 I have some OCD when it comes to music. I always think of what genre it fits into and the exact year. Within a few seconds of listening to any song I can identify the year it came out. I can't fully enjoy a song unless I reflect on what it's place is in the musical universe.
Back in the late 60’s Jimi Hendrix during an interview was asked, “ How does it feel to be called the greatest electric guitar player ever?”. Jimi responded, “ I don’t know, you should ask Terry Kath from the band Chicago that question.”
@@juliansuarez8809 One of the guys in Chicago likes to talk about the time he and Jimi were talking and Jimi told him, "your guys' guitar player is better than I am."
There was a time when horn sections in a band was nothing unusual. Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, Earth Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang, Tower of Power, AWB, War, Sly and The Family Stone and more. Music was remarkably ambitious in the late 60's and early 70's. Plenty of bands used horn section but in type of bands they featured their very own horn sections. Great stuff.
A one hit wonder band called Chase had a hit with a song called Get It On...unfortunately they were killed in a plane crash. A Chicago regional band called Ides of March had a national hit with a song called Vehicle. they both prominently featured horn sections and were great songs.
They are the "Chicago" genre. Try their early stuff like "Saturday in the Park" or "Does anyone really know what time it is?" They were the best, but they really don't have any "bad" songs.
make me smile, hell the entire Ballet for a girl in Buchannon if you're not into that whole brevity thing. I'm a man. Beginnings. Questions 67 and 68.... really anything Terry Kath. These guys are soo good.
Perhaps not bad, but after David Foster got his mitts on them they sure went sappy, the very thing Terry Kath wanted to avoid was them becoming a ballad band, had Kath not accidently killed himself I think it doubtful that they would have hired Foster, and if they still did he certainly would not have had the same level of influence. In the documentary I saw Foster complained about part of his " beautiful " closing song for the movie " Summer Lovers " being drowned out by an increasingly louder motorcycle, oh well, Foster should suck it up, the movie isn't about his song.
The song title is a time reference. 25 or 26 minutes before 4 o'clock AM. The keyboardist (Robert Lamm) had been up all night trying to write a song. He was getting frustrated in the early hours of the morning, just before 4 and it inspired this song. Great great classic rock n' roll with an amazing horn section. These guys had real talent, real musicians!!!!!
25 minutes or 26 minutes to 4 am. The writer was supposedly up all night trying to write a song. It got the be 25 or 26 minutes to 4 am and he was looking forward to go to sleep.
You can't go wrong with Chicago from their early years. So many great songs. "Saturday In The Park" "Feelin' Stronger Everyday" "Wishing You Were Here" "Searchin' So Long" & "Make Me Smile" Just to name a few. Peace Out 😊✌
We used to call it “jazz rock”. Chicago took Rock and added Jazz elements. Another band of that time, Blood, Sweat and Tears, was more of a jazz band that added rock elements.
That's pretty accurate I think: Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, and The Electric Flag all hewed pretty close to Jazz harmonies for their early albums. Steely Dan had leanings in that direction but were another animal altogether ultimately.
@@PlateOshrimp499 As someone said, most bands were one, blending in some of the other, while Steely Dan was much closer to a 50% mixture. You had Miles Davis and Weather Report and such mixing rock into Jazz, but mostly jazz. And bands like Chicago mixing jazz elements into rock. On the whole, I prefer rock with jazz and classical mixed in, but it's all good. Something I would point to do day is maybe Snarky Puppy, which has big jazz influences but brings it with the aggression of rock. Their live performance of Lingus is mind boggling.
Robert Lamm was up early in the morning trying to write a song and looked at the clock it was 25 or 26 to 4AM shortened to 25 or 6 to 4 to make the song lyric work.
Its interesting that although many have not heard of this band, in recent years they have moved to the front in a number of metrics that would fairly allow them to be characterized as the most successful music group in history.
The clue is at the very beginning of the lyrics: “Waiting for the break of day,,” i.e. waiting well before the break of day, at “25 or 6 to 4.” In other words, it's around 3:35 a.m. (25 to 4) or 3:34 a.m. (26 to 4).
@@HebroKeevin No doubt I wasn't clear, at first. The writer of a song is WAITING for the break of dawn, which will be quite a bit later than the present time he sees on the clock, which is only 25 or 26 minutes before 4 a.m. In other words it is 3:34 or so, and he still has time to wait for the sun rise. I didn't mean to imply that the sun would rise at 3:34. It's the WAITING that is at 3:34, not the sunrise.
I have a story about this. I rarely saw my father. One day he picked me up and handed me this 45 (not a 🔫 lol) and said you like this band? I was like yeah, thanks. I wouldn't have cared it I hated it just the fact that he thought about me long enough to get and give it to me was good enough for me. I was about 12 and we had a very up and down relationship mostly down. About 5 years later when I was 17 we started to really work on things, like forgiveness. But, he died that same year. Here's to good old Dad. 🍻
The author was staying up late "burning the midnight oil" so to speak, trying to write yet some more songs. He was getting tired and was having a hard time coming up with something. So he glances at the clock briefly as he gets up to splash water on his face to wake himself up. He's back in his room sitting back on the floor pushing through thinking he can't really remember what time it was when he got back to it because he's so tired. He can't remember if it was 25 minutes till 4 o'clock or 6 minutes to 4 o'clock, he's just that tired. The song is about the late night process of staying up to write more songs for the album and record producer. 25 or was it 6 minutes to 4, he can't remember. He's so tired.
I always read it as 25 or (twenty) six to four, with him just being slang and not repeating the twenty part like we do when we are speaking casually. The rest of what you said is dead on to my interpretation as well.
@@erickyoung8331 Correct, the writer, keyboardist Robert Lamm said so himself. Trying to write a song at twenty-five or twenty-six minutes to four in the morning because there wasn't enough time or had the creativity later in the day.
The song is about him trying to write a song, he’s having trouble and it’s 25 or 26 minutes to 4 AM. He’s searching for something to say getting up to splash my face. So he writes a song about the experience of being frustrated trying to write a song. Sometimes you two try to think too much. Keep it simple
You nailed it. I heard that same back story back in 1985 and it stuck with me. There are many hits that were done last minute as fillers. Another one is Night Moves by Bob Seger.
50 years later? Pep bands in high school and college STILL jam this!! 50 years later? The group STILL kicking ass today!! The music from the 70s were the best all kinds of genre'...and here a legendary group!!
This was the first album I ever bought with my own money. It was 1974. I heard that guitar lick on the radio and I was done! So much great music on that album!
You just explained why there are so many "Reaction" videos on You Tube right now. We (our generation, I was born in 1959) listened to the music ON THE RADIO. We heard all of the bands, one song at a time. We were exposed to all sorts of bands, sounds, and songs. Kids today create a personalized play list then only listen to those songs, over and over again. We listened to Chicago, Linda Ronstadt, Earth, Wind, and Fire, The Who, The Doors, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Beatles, Queen, Gerry Rafferty, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Simon & Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Bee Gees, Olivia Newton John, The Carpenters, etc. The list goes on and on. We may not have liked every song, but we were exposed to it. Now days they just listen to their play list and aren't exposed to the wide variety of NON-AUTO TUNED songs. There was one Reaction to Hotel California and the 'kid' didn't even know who the Eagles were. Nor did he know that there is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. smh
Chicago was Big Band Rock,. 25 or 26 minutes to 4am is just the time the song takes place. They were liked by kids for the hard rock guitar of Terry Kath, and the parents liked the Big Band Sound. They held the attendance record at Saratoga Performing Arts Center for over a decade until the Grateful Dead played there.
It's basically saying it's early in the morning. They are just using the shortened (and catchier) way to say 25 or 26 minutes to 4 o'clock -- "25 or (2)6 to 4(am)."
In a 2013 interview, Robert Lamm said he composed "25 or 6 to 4" on a twelve-string guitar with only ten strings - it was missing the two low E strings - and that he wrote the lyrics in one day. Lamm said the song is about trying to write a song in the middle of the night. The song's title is the time at which the song is set: 25 or 26 minutes before 4 AM (twenty-five or twenty-six until 4).
My daughter plays in the Notre Dame Marching Band. The group Chicago is a huge supporter and sponsor of the band. Two years ago, Chicago came to the campus and played this song (and a couple others), with the band during their half time show. The band still plays it during football games.
“Introduction” is the first song on the first ‘Chicago Transit Authority’ album. Start there, then “Beginnings”, “Make Me Smile”, “I’m a Man”, “Color My World”,…..
After the 70's you will be hard-pressed to find horn sections in bands. originally horns were the electric guitars of the day because they could produce so much sound volume-wise but then amps and the electric guitar took over.
It is called jazz rock or jazz fusion. Very popular in early 70's following the jazz fusion of artists like Miles Davis, John McLaughlin and Chick Corea. You should check out Blood, Sweat and Tears "Spinning Wheel"
I always thought it was about spending a night on a drug binge which Chicago did a lot. Years later, Robert Lamm who wrote the song said he was up late trying to write songs in a hotel room near or on the Hollywood strip and was having a hard time with it. Basically, it's a song about having trouble writing a song. 25 or 6 to 4 is a reference to the time. 25 or 26 minutes until 4am.
@@lathedauphinot6820 Terry Kath's wife said that on a documentary I saw made by Kath's daughter who was 1 or 2 when he died. It's a decent film focused on Kath's life and who he was as a person. She interviews all of his band mates except Cetera, who refused to interview, and most of the people close to the band except their first manager who also refused to be interviewed. Band fired him when they found out how bad he was ripping them off.
More Chicago please. Early Chicago will give you that big band sound combined with very soulful rock & roll. Long list of popular songs. A band I think you both will enjoy.
Love you guys. Brad searching for meaning in the lyrics, Lex finding meaning through the music. Perfect opposites and thus a perfect match. Brad's the perfect lab-analist; peering through microscopes to find a hint that leads to an answer, while Lex has all the answers inside of her, waiting to be touched by this or that song. Beautiful to watch both searching for, or coming to, answers. Brad's like a butcher who needs to chop-up an animal in order to see the different pieces, while Lex dissects that animal at the first look and sees the picture in her vivid mind...
The drummer and guitar player just got off. And then the horns in the background and that big band sound is just amazing. Yeah you can’t go wrong with Chicago. They’re pretty damn amazing. Soft rock genre
Thank you for acknowledging the great Danny Seraphine. The chemistry between him & Terry were the best thing about the band. Give credit to Pete Cetera for keeping up with them live, also.
This song is a champ. Heavier than folks want to admit. Looking for a 70's singalong with a story? Brandy by The Looking Glass. ... of the Edmund Fitzgerald as well.
I just have to say after years of being a fan watching Brad mean mug a song while not noticing Lex absolutely starting to jam breaks me every single time. May you two last a thousand years!
This is from the era that predates any of the "sub genre" distractions. Distractions, by the way, that were manufactured by the record companies to get album sales for more than just the top 100 hits. If everybody is in the same pool, only the top performers get sales. If you want to sell the smaller bands, you highly manage them and create sub genres.
Classic rock , as Lex said. Chicago has a unique sound like so many groups but they're pure rock. Even all of their beautiful ballads, which are more pop, is coming from a classic rock group. Terry Kath shredded the guitar in that song and the drummer was going nuts.
I get what you're saying but, I always thought of them as a jazzy rock band with horns. Great players all around. Cetera's voice is special and when people ask me what my favorite guitar solo is, this one is near the top. I once had a cop come by the house to check on a noise complaint from a neighbor. It turned out that I was going a little overboard with the volume on the solo. He understood and said just turn it down a bit, but play it again before I leave! Those days are gone.
@@allensaunders449 Yeah, the in between is where the goodness lies. From The Beatles to Hendrix , Zep, Jane's Addiction, GNR.... I love the balance of chops and songwriting.
This is pretty much Jazz Rock. Speaking of marching bands playing this in Mardi gras parades, this is one of two songs by Chicago that my high school band, Brother Martin, here in New Orleans would play at our football games and when we marched in Mardi Gras parades. So you are pretty much spot on with that!!
Chicago's album was due to be turned in at 6am the morning he was writing the lyrics or trying to finish writing the lyrics to this song. So the whole song is about trying to find words to a song. The band already had all the instruments laid down so all he had to do was write the lyrics and put the vocals down. What they came up with was this song about being up at 4:35 trying to figure out what to write the song about. It wound up being one of the best songs they made.
Early live version of this song has a guitar solo bordering on Gilmour’s solo at Pulse on “Comfortably Numb”….. Terry Kath was called the best guitarist ever by the one and only Jimi Hendrix.And this song is over 50 years old….
Jimi Hendrix called Terry Kath the greatest guitarist in the world, so that should tell you something. Also, the song title means 25 or 6 (25 or 26) minutes until 4 o' clock. The lyrics themselves are about having writers block and staying up all night trying to get a song written. "Waiting for the break of day, searching for something to say" "should I try to do some more, 25 or 6 to 4."
If you do "Poem 58" you will get an idea of the musicianship of this band. When they jam, few bands can keep up. They have vastly underrated stars in every position. However, "Make Me Smile," will make you smile.
Poem 58 is a deep track MUST. If the Devil thought he got beat by a Georgia kid with a fiddle, he'd listen to Kath and say, "I'm not even gonna try". Hendrix said Kath was better than Jimi himself.
they have a whole catalog of songs... "Does anybody know what time it is" "Beginnings" "Make me smile" "I'm a man" "Baby what a big suprise" and "Old day's" are all good songs from them, great reaction glad you liked Chicago.
Chicago has been performing for over 50 years, they had a bunch of huge hits in the '70s and then in the mid '80s they had a massive comeback as well kind of like Heart. The guitarist Terry Kath was accidentally shot when he was playing with his gun and it discharged. Jimi Hendrix said he played better than him.
There’s a live version on this song I TH-cam that has my personal preference. It starts with the drummer kind of rearranging his kit while the guitar player sets in the theme of the song. Then when everyone is ready, he gives the guitar a good swing and they come in with the hook. Also the solo live is insane.. it is like there is no distinction between the player and the guitar. Also maximum big band vibes. Give it a listen
They are a classic rock band. Them and Earth, Wind and Fire are the two biggest bands with an entire horn section. I have seen Chicago probably more than any other act. Saw them last year and I can say time is finally catching up to them. Always great fun to see them. They have an incredible variety of songs. They reached their Commercial height in the 80s with Peter Ceterra singing most of their hits.
The lyrics are about trying to finish writing a song in the wee hours of the morning. Sitting in the front room of a house in Laurel Canyon, overlooking West Hollywood and the airport, with the planes’ flashing lights against the sky, he was exhausted and empty from their tour, and the current nightly performance on Sunset Strip, preceded by all day rehearsals and recording sessions for their second album. Finally giving up on trying to write some lyrics and jotting down temporary throw-away lines, he penned a masterpiece. This was their opening song , the first time I saw them live, in 1971 or 72.
"Big Band" is not really what Chicago is. Tommy Dorsey or Glenn Miller and were mostly jazz and swing. Chicago is big numbers wise and wrote songs where the horns were out front, but definitely have there own style. If you go down the rabbit hole you'll discover the roots of this band are indeed Blues. Guitarist Terry Kath, who Jimi Hendrix stated was better than him, is a blues master and his phrasing was based in Blues. His rock chops were top notch as well. Definitely not Dio, though. Ronnie was a hundred percent heavy metal. I place Chicago in that weird folder along with Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers etc. They were and still are musically sophisticated classic blues rock. Twenty Five or twenty six minutes before four a.m.
25 or 6 to 4 is actually referring to what time it was in the morning when the lyric was penned. The sing is about struggling what to write about in the song and doing it in the wee hours of the morning. The song is about the struggle of writing a song.
I'm one of the biggest Chicago fans ever. Love them so much, have been to many concerts and I own every album they've ever put out. That being said, you folks need to do a search for Leonid & Friends and listen to their 25 or 6 to 4. They are the ultimate tribute band and if you know Chicago like I do, you'll see that they play the song note for note. Since all of the original Chicago guys (inlcuding me) are old dudes now, Leonid & Friends are a re-birth of Chicago. Catch one of their concerts. You won't be disappointed.
Awww! Damn it! You should watch the live video of this. Terry Kath’s guitar playing is off the charts! The whole band sounds killer. Please, do yourselves a favor and listen to/watch the live version. It’s long, but so worth it.
Jazz Fusion. There is a great concert from 1970. Chicago playing at a small 5500. This was just before they became famous. There is a sick version of 25 or 6 to 4, with an amazing guitar solo. The encore, featured the song "I'm a Man". The brass section put down the brass, and joined the rhythm section. The whole show is on youtube.. They were having a Blast playing together
I think I was a junior in high school (1969) when I heard a really cool song called "Make Me Smile" on my car radio, featuring a lead singer with a really husky, almost Ray Charles-like voice. A week or so later I heard another really cool song called "25 or 6 to 4", featuring a lead singer with a super high-range voice. And then, several days later I heard yet another excellent song called "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", featuring a lead singer with a super smooth, easy-to-listen-to middle range voice. When I found out that all 3 of those great new songs were by the same band (then known as Chicago Transit Authority), I was stunned. One band with 3 excellent lead vocalists? Wow!
Its actually jazz/rock fusion. Many of the musicians in Chicago were classically trained jazz musicians that got together with their friends and started a rock band.
Before digital clocks and watches, there were prehistoric analog clocks with hour and minute hands, so if the minute hand was somewhere between 25 and 26 minutes you might say it's "25 or 26" to 4 o'clock, but it sounds more melodic to say "25 or 6 to 4".
Certain bands around 1969-70 incorporated horns into their rock n roll. Groups like “Chicago,” “Blood, Sweat and Tears,” and “Ides of March,” were the main ones.
It's just rock and roll with a great horn section.
He's so close now! 'Beginnings' by Chicago just may be THE greatest song on the planet!
THat's pretty much how they used to describe themselves: a rock and roll band with horns
I hope they'll do ""25 or 6 to 4" live at Tanglewood. It's incredible.
@@corkydukeII5898 COLOR MY WORLD is real good
"Big Band" doesn't have that killer electric guitar.....
Brad, YES! The song is about a songwriter that has "writer's block". It is 25 or 26 before 4am and he can't come up with anything. He's debating whether to continue trying or give up and go to sleep.
Actually, you missed the real meaning … it’s WAY early in the morning and they’re all BUZZED UP , “ trying just to stay awake, wondering how much I can take … “ …. Go figure
well he may have writers block but the blockage in his nose is more important
@@sjs928bullshit
Back when this song came out there wasn’t a need to place songs into genres. It was just rock and roll!!
Genres are usually nonsense...back then, if you plugged in a guitar, you were Rock N Roll. From Bill Haley and the Comets to Slayer....it was Rock.
Casual music listeners never have been interested in putting songs in genres, even to this day. More serious music fans always have put music in genres. I can remember music critics doing it in the 70s in the rock magazines I read. Chicago (early Chicago in particular) was lumped in with bands like Blood Sweat and Tears, Chase, Lighthouse and others that use horns. They were called jazz rock. Chicago ended up having so many huge hits that people thought of them as just a straight ahead pop-rock band but their origins were in jazz rock.
@@StatisticsJason You need music genres in order to break down the boundaries 😉
@@avanoosterhout8397 I have some OCD when it comes to music. I always think of what genre it fits into and the exact year. Within a few seconds of listening to any song I can identify the year it came out. I can't fully enjoy a song unless I reflect on what it's place is in the musical universe.
Agreed the whole effort that goes into a musician into a genre is a waste of time and effort
Back in the late 60’s Jimi Hendrix during an interview was asked, “ How does it feel to be called the greatest electric guitar player ever?”. Jimi responded, “ I don’t know, you should ask Terry Kath from the band Chicago that question.”
The response from Hendrix changed every time he was asked that question.
@@TheNoncritical1 Oh I didn't know about that. Thanks for your reply, greetings from Chicago, Il.
@@juliansuarez8809 One of the guys in Chicago likes to talk about the time he and Jimi were talking and Jimi told him, "your guys' guitar player is better than I am."
@@TheNoncritical1 AFAIK Terry Kath is the only guitarist he said that about. He did say that Billy Gibbons is the next big thing after himself though.
@@TheNoncritical1 Yes. I heard him say that about Billy Gibbons.
You gotta see the "Live at Tanglewood" video of this song. Terry Kath kills that guitar solo during this song!
TANGLEWOOD VERSION OF THIS SONG IS THE BEST EVER!!!
Tanglewood performance YES .. 💯
Terry Kath's Strat 9 months after that show gave birth to a litter of baby Strats. That guitar needed a cigarette after that song!
I'm a man also. Kick ass!
SLAYS it!! Love that performance!!!!
There was a time when horn sections in a band was nothing unusual. Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, Earth Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang, Tower of Power, AWB, War, Sly and The Family Stone and more. Music was remarkably ambitious in the late 60's and early 70's. Plenty of bands used horn section but in type of bands they featured their very own horn sections. Great stuff.
#1 answer!!
A one hit wonder band called Chase had a hit with a song called Get It On...unfortunately they were killed in a plane crash. A Chicago regional band called Ides of March had a national hit with a song called Vehicle. they both prominently featured horn sections and were great songs.
My favorite of all times, but not Rock, was B.B.King. His horn section was so on it.
Don't forget Steely Dan
Brass Construction.
Terry Kath, the guitarist, was one of the all time greats. He died from an accidental gun death.
Hendrix said Kath was the greatest!
@@utubnagain Russian Roulette.
@@t.r.1708 He also said Billy Gibons or Phil Keagy were the best depending on what made up BS you want to beleive.
@@catherder78 It wasn’t Russian Roulette. It was a semi automatic, not a revolver.
@@catherder78 no he forgot there was one in the chamber
They are the "Chicago" genre. Try their early stuff like "Saturday in the Park" or "Does anyone really know what time it is?" They were the best, but they really don't have any "bad" songs.
make me smile, hell the entire Ballet for a girl in Buchannon if you're not into that whole brevity thing. I'm a man. Beginnings. Questions 67 and 68.... really anything Terry Kath. These guys are soo good.
People slam on Chicago going Disco but "Street Player" is FIRE. The album version with the horns is... AMAZEBALLS
Perhaps not bad, but after David Foster got his mitts on them they sure went sappy, the very thing Terry Kath wanted to avoid was them becoming a ballad band, had Kath not accidently killed himself I think it doubtful that they would have hired Foster, and if they still did he certainly would not have had the same level of influence. In the documentary I saw Foster complained about part of his " beautiful " closing song for the movie " Summer Lovers " being drowned out by an increasingly louder motorcycle, oh well, Foster should suck it up, the movie isn't about his song.
You guys definitely need to check out more old Chicago songs. Rip Terry Kath thanks for your unbelievable talent you left us way too soon 🙏🎸
yes Poem 58
He was extraordinary
Absolutely 👍R.I.P. TERRY(Jimmy Hendrix said he was the greatest guitarist. Great voice also , what a loss .❤️😢🙏
I love Terry Kaths voice as lead!
Best solo guitar EVER!!!
Chicago is one of the BEST live bands ever. Terry Kath's inspired guitar work, the horns, & vox always provide a great concert.
Make Me Smile is a great Chicago song with Terry Kath, guitarist, singing lead
lol what? that's a simple solo
On this it wasn't Terry. It was Peter Cetera - lead vocals, bass.
Not about a solo, it's about the song.
Beginnings is a long but great 👍
It was written by Robert Lamm at the Whisky ago go
Another Chicago classic: "Feelin' Stronger Every Day"
My favorite.
Oh many more
The song title is a time reference. 25 or 26 minutes before 4 o'clock AM. The keyboardist (Robert Lamm) had been up all night trying to write a song. He was getting frustrated in the early hours of the morning, just before 4 and it inspired this song. Great great classic rock n' roll with an amazing horn section. These guys had real talent, real musicians!!!!!
COCAINE … or … they’re all jacked up
One of the greatest American bands of all time.
25 minutes or 26 minutes to 4 am. The writer was supposedly up all night trying to write a song. It got the be 25 or 26 minutes to 4 am and he was looking forward to go to sleep.
lsd-25 lasts 6pm to 4am its a drug song
L-25 was a pure form of LSD back then
You got it right on the money.
I do reaction videos while high asf on my TH-cam channel 😅💨
Its a Chicago native thing...........you drop the second twenty...........twenty five of six to four.
So glad to see people still discovering Chicago. I saw Chicago perform live in 1970 when I was 15 at Tanglewood in Lenox Ma.
You can't go wrong with Chicago from their early years. So many great songs.
"Saturday In The Park"
"Feelin' Stronger Everyday"
"Wishing You Were Here"
"Searchin' So Long" &
"Make Me Smile"
Just to name a few.
Peace Out 😊✌
Check out Leonid and Friends and their Chicago covers now. Unreal. They do Earth, Wind, and Fire as well.
“Lowdown” is one of my favorites 👍
Don't forget "Beginnings".
as a 12 year old, this song began my rock journey and 50 years later it's so cool to hear and see you experience it too
Gotta listen to Beginnings. It showcases the kind of musical talent in the band.
And “Introduction”
We used to call it “jazz rock”. Chicago took Rock and added Jazz elements. Another band of that time, Blood, Sweat and Tears, was more of a jazz band that added rock elements.
That's pretty accurate I think: Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, and The Electric Flag all hewed pretty close to Jazz harmonies for their early albums. Steely Dan had leanings in that direction but were another animal altogether ultimately.
@@PlateOshrimp499 As someone said, most bands were one, blending in some of the other, while Steely Dan was much closer to a 50% mixture. You had Miles Davis and Weather Report and such mixing rock into Jazz, but mostly jazz. And bands like Chicago mixing jazz elements into rock. On the whole, I prefer rock with jazz and classical mixed in, but it's all good.
Something I would point to do day is maybe Snarky Puppy, which has big jazz influences but brings it with the aggression of rock. Their live performance of Lingus is mind boggling.
All the members are, were incredibly talented…especially Terry Kath. RIP .. one of my favorite guitarists ever, absolute monster on that ax. 🎸
Robert Lamm was up early in the morning trying to write a song and looked at the clock it was 25 or 26 to 4AM shortened to 25 or 6 to 4 to make the song lyric work.
Its interesting that although many have not heard of this band, in recent years they have moved to the front in a number of metrics that would fairly allow them to be characterized as the most successful music group in history.
This is classic rock with a horn section. There were several bands that incorporated horn sections. Check out some Blood, Sweat and Tears.
Yes, try out "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know"!
Real horn sections! Bring them back!
The clue is at the very beginning of the lyrics: “Waiting for the break of day,,” i.e. waiting well before the break of day, at “25 or 6 to 4.” In other words, it's around 3:35 a.m. (25 to 4) or 3:34 a.m. (26 to 4).
Where does the sun rise at 3:34?
@@HebroKeevin You can be waiting for something that's a still a couple hours away... ;)
That’s exactly it. Your so tired exact time doesn’t really matter. It’s 25 or 26 till 4 AM.
@@HebroKeevin No doubt I wasn't clear, at first. The writer of a song is WAITING for the break of dawn, which will be quite a bit later than the present time he sees on the clock, which is only 25 or 26 minutes before 4 a.m. In other words it is 3:34 or so, and he still has time to wait for the sun rise. I didn't mean to imply that the sun would rise at 3:34. It's the WAITING that is at 3:34, not the sunrise.
The line is "waiting for the break of day"
Thanks!
I have a story about this. I rarely saw my father. One day he picked me up and handed me this 45 (not a 🔫 lol)
and said you like this band? I was like yeah, thanks. I wouldn't have cared it I hated it just the fact that he thought about me long enough to get and give it to me was good enough for me.
I was about 12 and we had a very up and down relationship mostly down. About 5 years later when I was 17 we started to really work on things, like forgiveness. But, he died that same year. Here's to good old Dad. 🍻
Your story brought tears to my eyes. I'm glad you have that memory of your Dad.
@@djm4457 Thanks it's bittersweet
I really enjoy watching you guys groove to songs. Seeing Lex get into a guitar solo is it, that's exactly it, the feeling and joy! Thank you!
The author was staying up late "burning the midnight oil" so to speak, trying to write yet some more songs. He was getting tired and was having a hard time coming up with something. So he glances at the clock briefly as he gets up to splash water on his face to wake himself up. He's back in his room sitting back on the floor pushing through thinking he can't really remember what time it was when he got back to it because he's so tired. He can't remember if it was 25 minutes till 4 o'clock or 6 minutes to 4 o'clock, he's just that tired. The song is about the late night process of staying up to write more songs for the album and record producer. 25 or was it 6 minutes to 4, he can't remember. He's so tired.
I always read it as 25 or (twenty) six to four, with him just being slang and not repeating the twenty part like we do when we are speaking casually. The rest of what you said is dead on to my interpretation as well.
@@erickyoung8331 Correct, the writer, keyboardist Robert Lamm said so himself. Trying to write a song at twenty-five or twenty-six minutes to four in the morning because there wasn't enough time or had the creativity later in the day.
@@erickyoung8331 ok 🤷🏼♂️
It's such an awesome meta song. RIP Terry.
25 minutes or 26 minutes to four is the time frame as I understand it. Makes more sense.
The song is about him trying to write a song, he’s having trouble and it’s 25 or 26 minutes to 4 AM. He’s searching for something to say getting up to splash my face. So he writes a song about the experience of being frustrated trying to write a song. Sometimes you two try to think too much. Keep it simple
You nailed it. I heard that same back story back in 1985 and it stuck with me. There are many hits that were done last minute as fillers. Another one is Night Moves by Bob Seger.
B&L, you'll love their "Make Me Smile", "Saturday In The Park", "Just You And Me" and many more!! "25 or 6 To 4" is my favorite song by them
50 years later? Pep bands in high school and college STILL jam this!! 50 years later? The group STILL kicking ass today!! The music from the 70s were the best all kinds of genre'...and here a legendary group!!
This was the first album I ever bought with my own money. It was 1974. I heard that guitar lick on the radio and I was done! So much great music on that album!
You just explained why there are so many "Reaction" videos on You Tube right now. We (our generation, I was born in 1959) listened to the music ON THE RADIO. We heard all of the bands, one song at a time. We were exposed to all sorts of bands, sounds, and songs.
Kids today create a personalized play list then only listen to those songs, over and over again.
We listened to Chicago, Linda Ronstadt, Earth, Wind, and Fire, The Who, The Doors, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Beatles, Queen, Gerry Rafferty, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Simon & Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Bee Gees, Olivia Newton John, The Carpenters, etc. The list goes on and on. We may not have liked every song, but we were exposed to it.
Now days they just listen to their play list and aren't exposed to the wide variety of NON-AUTO TUNED songs.
There was one Reaction to Hotel California and the 'kid' didn't even know who the Eagles were. Nor did he know that there is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. smh
Chicago was Big Band Rock,. 25 or 26 minutes to 4am is just the time the song takes place. They were liked by kids for the hard rock guitar of Terry Kath, and the parents liked the Big Band Sound. They held the attendance record at Saratoga Performing Arts Center for over a decade until the Grateful Dead played there.
It's basically saying it's early in the morning. They are just using the shortened (and catchier) way to say 25 or 26 minutes to 4 o'clock -- "25 or (2)6 to 4(am)."
What he ☝️ said
In a 2013 interview, Robert Lamm said he composed "25 or 6 to 4" on a twelve-string guitar with only ten strings - it was missing the two low E strings - and that he wrote the lyrics in one day. Lamm said the song is about trying to write a song in the middle of the night. The song's title is the time at which the song is set: 25 or 26 minutes before 4 AM (twenty-five or twenty-six until 4).
It’s a reference to time. Laying on the floor effed up, you look and it’s 25 or 6 to 4(o clock).
He's not stoned, he's struggling to write the song.
25 or 26 to 4am
@@michaeldowson6988 But if you go enough hours without sleeping it's kind of like being stoned.
My daughter plays in the Notre Dame Marching Band. The group Chicago is a huge supporter and sponsor of the band. Two years ago, Chicago came to the campus and played this song (and a couple others), with the band during their half time show. The band still plays it during football games.
This song is a real look (sound) of why many consider Terry Kath as one of the Greatest Guitarists ever.
Jazz fusion combines jazz and rock
“Introduction” is the first song on the first ‘Chicago Transit Authority’ album. Start there, then “Beginnings”, “Make Me Smile”, “I’m a Man”, “Color My World”,…..
that's the lineup that works for me too
Some bands are so incredible and create their own genre. This genre is Chicago!
After the 70's you will be hard-pressed to find horn sections in bands. originally horns were the electric guitars of the day because they could produce so much sound volume-wise but then amps and the electric guitar took over.
I liked that the flute was used a lot with bands in the 70s. Not a big sound, but beautiful.
It is called jazz rock or jazz fusion. Very popular in early 70's following the jazz fusion of artists like Miles Davis, John McLaughlin and Chick Corea. You should check out Blood, Sweat and Tears "Spinning Wheel"
I always thought it was about spending a night on a drug binge which Chicago did a lot. Years later, Robert Lamm who wrote the song said he was up late trying to write songs in a hotel room near or on the Hollywood strip and was having a hard time with it. Basically, it's a song about having trouble writing a song. 25 or 6 to 4 is a reference to the time. 25 or 26 minutes until 4am.
Or it’s about both: staying up all night and doing drugs while trying to finish a song
@@lathedauphinot6820 Terry Kath's wife said that on a documentary I saw made by Kath's daughter who was 1 or 2 when he died. It's a decent film focused on Kath's life and who he was as a person. She interviews all of his band mates except Cetera, who refused to interview, and most of the people close to the band except their first manager who also refused to be interviewed. Band fired him when they found out how bad he was ripping them off.
I saw them live in late 70's at an outdoor Festival in my home-town. They were fantastic.
I saw them in the early ‘70’s. I, still to this day, remember the whole concert.
More Chicago please. Early Chicago will give you that big band sound combined with very soulful rock & roll. Long list of popular songs. A band I think you both will enjoy.
Love you guys. Brad searching for meaning in the lyrics, Lex finding meaning through the music. Perfect opposites and thus a perfect match. Brad's the perfect lab-analist; peering through microscopes to find a hint that leads to an answer, while Lex has all the answers inside of her, waiting to be touched by this or that song. Beautiful to watch both searching for, or coming to, answers. Brad's like a butcher who needs to chop-up an animal in order to see the different pieces, while Lex dissects that animal at the first look and sees the picture in her vivid mind...
The drummer and guitar player just got off. And then the horns in the background and that big band sound is just amazing. Yeah you can’t go wrong with Chicago. They’re pretty damn amazing.
Soft rock genre
Thank you for acknowledging the great Danny Seraphine. The chemistry between him & Terry were the best thing about the band. Give credit to Pete Cetera for keeping up with them live, also.
They became soft rock later in the '70s, but this is regular rock lol
70's Chicago certainly was NOT soft, that was later into the 80's... but maaaaan was Terry Kath awesome!!
3:35 or 3:34 a.m wrote a song about staying up late not being able to think of the words for a song. Kind of ironic.
This song is a champ. Heavier than folks want to admit. Looking for a 70's singalong with a story? Brandy by The Looking Glass.
... of the Edmund Fitzgerald as well.
I just have to say after years of being a fan watching Brad mean mug a song while not noticing Lex absolutely starting to jam breaks me every single time. May you two last a thousand years!
This is from the era that predates any of the "sub genre" distractions. Distractions, by the way, that were manufactured by the record companies to get album sales for more than just the top 100 hits. If everybody is in the same pool, only the top performers get sales. If you want to sell the smaller bands, you highly manage them and create sub genres.
Classic rock , as Lex said. Chicago has a unique sound like so many groups but they're pure rock. Even all of their beautiful ballads, which are more pop, is coming from a classic rock group. Terry Kath shredded the guitar in that song and the drummer was going nuts.
They self-described as "rock and roll band with horns"
This is 100% blues based
I get what you're saying but, I always thought of them as a jazzy rock band with horns. Great players all around. Cetera's voice is special and when people ask me what my favorite guitar solo is, this one is near the top. I once had a cop come by the house to check on a noise complaint from a neighbor. It turned out that I was going a little overboard with the volume on the solo. He understood and said just turn it down a bit, but play it again before I leave! Those days are gone.
RIP Terry Kath!! Bad ass guitarist!!!
I'd call this song pretty progressive. Chicago started as a blues rock band and eventually became pop.
In-between those two they were so good
@@allensaunders449 Yeah, the in between is where the goodness lies. From The Beatles to Hendrix , Zep, Jane's Addiction, GNR.... I love the balance of chops and songwriting.
Judges rule that Classic Rock is an acceptable answer to describe 25 or 6 to 4.
this song will live forever. Excellent choices lately Brad & Lex!
This is pretty much Jazz Rock. Speaking of marching bands playing this in Mardi gras parades, this is one of two songs by Chicago that my high school band, Brother Martin, here in New Orleans would play at our football games and when we marched in Mardi Gras parades. So you are pretty much spot on with that!!
My dad's favorite song... 25 = LSD 25 ... and as for the big band vibe it is definitely a favorite of the WVU pep band at basketball games
The 1970 performance at Tanglewood is epic and Terry Kath shreds his Stratocaster 😎🎸
Absolutely
Worked at Alice's restaurant across the street best outdoor concerts
Chicago's album was due to be turned in at 6am the morning he was writing the lyrics or trying to finish writing the lyrics to this song. So the whole song is about trying to find words to a song. The band already had all the instruments laid down so all he had to do was write the lyrics and put the vocals down. What they came up with was this song about being up at 4:35 trying to figure out what to write the song about. It wound up being one of the best songs they made.
Early live version of this song has a guitar solo bordering on Gilmour’s solo at Pulse on “Comfortably Numb”….. Terry Kath was called the best guitarist ever by the one and only Jimi Hendrix.And this song is over 50 years old….
That Terry Kath guitar solo was all blues. An explosion of sounds. Fabulous.
Has to rank as one of the great guitar solos....
It would be a tough race between him and Larry Carlton’s solo in Kid Charlemagne.
Jimi Hendrix called Terry Kath the greatest guitarist in the world, so that should tell you something.
Also, the song title means 25 or 6 (25 or 26) minutes until 4 o' clock. The lyrics themselves are about having writers block and staying up all night trying to get a song written. "Waiting for the break of day, searching for something to say" "should I try to do some more, 25 or 6 to 4."
If you do "Poem 58" you will get an idea of the musicianship of this band. When they jam, few bands can keep up. They have vastly underrated stars in every position. However, "Make Me Smile," will make you smile.
Poem 58 is a deep track MUST. If the Devil thought he got beat by a Georgia kid with a fiddle, he'd listen to Kath and say, "I'm not even gonna try". Hendrix said Kath was better than Jimi himself.
Lex is so upbeat, OMG she is amazing to watch and her reactions. What an amazing person.
You need to check out the live version from 1970 , Terrys solo is AMAZING. Jimi Hendrix once called him the greatest guitarist in the universe…🎉
they have a whole catalog of songs... "Does anybody know what time it is" "Beginnings" "Make me smile" "I'm a man" "Baby what a big suprise" and "Old day's" are all good songs from them, great reaction glad you liked Chicago.
Chicago has been performing for over 50 years, they had a bunch of huge hits in the '70s and then in the mid '80s they had a massive comeback as well kind of like Heart. The guitarist Terry Kath was accidentally shot when he was playing with his gun and it discharged. Jimi Hendrix said he played better than him.
There’s a live version on this song I TH-cam that has my personal preference. It starts with the drummer kind of rearranging his kit while the guitar player sets in the theme of the song.
Then when everyone is ready, he gives the guitar a good swing and they come in with the hook. Also the solo live is insane.. it is like there is no distinction between the player and the guitar. Also maximum big band vibes. Give it a listen
If you like Big Band stuff, you should try The Brian Setzer Orchestra. Truly great rockin' stuff.
Their version of Stray Cat Strut is better than Seltzer’s original rockabilly version with the Stray Cats.
@@ZacCostilla yep. All kinds of brilliant stuff for sure
They are a classic rock band. Them and Earth, Wind and Fire are the two biggest bands with an entire horn section. I have seen Chicago probably more than any other act. Saw them last year and I can say time is finally catching up to them. Always great fun to see them. They have an incredible variety of songs. They reached their Commercial height in the 80s with Peter Ceterra singing most of their hits.
You've done 2 Chicago songs now and no I'm a Man yet. You have to do it. A great version.
The Year Was 1970
I’m a Man is a Spencer Davis Band song. That said, Chicago does a good version of the Spencer Davis classic.
@@ronwalker403 Yep. I also wouldn't mind seeing them go down a Steve Winwood rabbit hole.
Love this, and yes, classic rock
them performing this live at tanglewood is a must to react to, terry the guitar player goes off even longer then this version
The lyrics are about trying to finish writing a song in the wee hours of the morning. Sitting in the front room of a house in Laurel Canyon, overlooking West Hollywood and the airport, with the planes’ flashing lights against the sky, he was exhausted and empty from their tour, and the current nightly performance on Sunset Strip, preceded by all day rehearsals and recording sessions for their second album.
Finally giving up on trying to write some lyrics and jotting down temporary throw-away lines, he penned a masterpiece.
This was their opening song , the first time I saw them live, in 1971 or 72.
"Big Band" is not really what Chicago is. Tommy Dorsey or Glenn Miller and were mostly jazz and swing. Chicago is big numbers wise and wrote songs where the horns were out front, but definitely have there own style. If you go down the rabbit hole you'll discover the roots of this band are indeed Blues. Guitarist Terry Kath, who Jimi Hendrix stated was better than him, is a blues master and his phrasing was based in Blues. His rock chops were top notch as well. Definitely not Dio, though. Ronnie was a hundred percent heavy metal. I place Chicago in that weird folder along with Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers etc. They were and still are musically sophisticated classic blues rock. Twenty Five or twenty six minutes before four a.m.
They’re referring to a marching band.
The brass, Guitar, drums all on point. What a epic triumph over trouble over not coming up with a song
Everyone loves Chicago! lol
They were bluesy and jazz influenced.
25 or 6 to 4 is actually referring to what time it was in the morning when the lyric was penned. The sing is about struggling what to write about in the song and doing it in the wee hours of the morning. The song is about the struggle of writing a song.
I've always considered this jazz rock, along with bands like Steely Dan. With most rock music, it's always a little more nuanced than that.
I'm one of the biggest Chicago fans ever. Love them so much, have been to many concerts and I own every album they've ever put out. That being said, you folks need to do a search for Leonid & Friends and listen to their 25 or 6 to 4. They are the ultimate tribute band and if you know Chicago like I do, you'll see that they play the song note for note. Since all of the original Chicago guys (inlcuding me) are old dudes now, Leonid & Friends are a re-birth of Chicago. Catch one of their concerts. You won't be disappointed.
Y'all worry about labels and categories way too much.
Awww! Damn it! You should watch the live video of this. Terry Kath’s guitar playing is off the charts! The whole band sounds killer. Please, do yourselves a favor and listen to/watch the live version. It’s long, but so worth it.
Chicago has a lot of great songs!
Jazz Fusion. There is a great concert from 1970. Chicago playing at a small 5500. This was just before they became famous. There is a sick version of 25 or 6 to 4, with an amazing guitar solo. The encore, featured the song "I'm a Man". The brass section put down the brass, and joined the rhythm section. The whole show is on youtube.. They were having a Blast playing together
Feel good music! Every song! Enough said. Instruments played are musical Heaven!!
No one ever knows what hit ‘em when this guitar solo starts - it’s the best!
I think I was a junior in high school (1969) when I heard a really cool song called "Make Me Smile" on my car radio, featuring a lead singer with a really husky, almost Ray Charles-like voice.
A week or so later I heard another really cool song called "25 or 6 to 4", featuring a lead singer with a super high-range voice.
And then, several days later I heard yet another excellent song called "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", featuring a lead singer with a super smooth, easy-to-listen-to middle range voice.
When I found out that all 3 of those great new songs were by the same band (then known as Chicago Transit Authority), I was stunned. One band with 3 excellent lead vocalists? Wow!
There is a Chicago cover band called Leonid and friends. Chicago fans it's a must.
I am here for all of it… the horns and that blistering guitar… and I think Lex, you are too… you guys nailed it
Its actually jazz/rock fusion. Many of the musicians in Chicago were classically trained jazz musicians that got together with their friends and started a rock band.
Before digital clocks and watches, there were prehistoric analog clocks with hour and minute hands, so if the minute hand was somewhere between 25 and 26 minutes you might say it's "25 or 26" to 4 o'clock, but it sounds more melodic to say "25 or 6 to 4".
The man on guitar was Terry Kaye. He was playing Russian Roulette and didn't know there was a live round in the guns chamber.
RIP and RESPECT
What a great band!! It's Genere is actually called Progressive Jazz Rock
Certain bands around 1969-70 incorporated horns into their rock n roll. Groups like “Chicago,” “Blood, Sweat and Tears,” and “Ides of March,” were the main ones.
My grandparents owned this record and it reminds me of Sunday mornings reading the LA Times.. love you guys