Rock

The song “Five O’Clock World” by The Vogues is a good example of Sixties rock music. The Vogues were a vocal-only group from Turtle Creek, Pennsylvian (a suburb of Pittsburgh). Their best-known record, “Five O’Clock World,” tells the story of a man who doesn’t much like his job, but when five o’clock comes around he is happy to go home to his wife and life looks much better.

The song opens with a twelve-string riff and is punctuated with work-song shouts of “hey.” A modal tune signals the monotony of a day at work, while the melody lifts when the group sings about quitting time.

On January 9th 1966, “Five O’Clock World” peaked at #4 (for 2 weeks) on the Billboard Hot 100. The record had entered the chart on November 21st, 1965 and spent 14 weeks in the Top 100.

The Vogues were: Bill Burkette (lead baritone), Don Miller (baritone), Hugh Geyer (first tenor) and Chuck Blasko (second tenor).

“Five O’Clock World” was used in the soundtrack to the 1987 movie Good Morning, Vietnam, in the soundtrack to the 2003 movie Big Fish, and was heavily featured on The Drew Carey Show as its opening theme song during the second season.

Here are the lyrics to “Five O’clock World” by The Vogues:

“Up every morning just to keep a job
I gotta fight my way through the hustling mob,
Sounds of the city pounding in my brain
While another day goes down the drain.

But it’s a five o’clock world when the whistle blows,
No one owns a piece of my time.
And there’s a five o’clock me inside my clothes,
Thinking that the world looks fine. Yeah! Adalee!

Trading my time for the pay I get
Living on the money that I ain’t made yet,
Gotta keep goin’ gotta make my way
But I live for the end of the day.

‘Cause it’s a five o’clock world when the whistle blows,
No one owns a piece of my time.
And there’s a long haired girl who waits, I know,
To ease my troubled mind. Yeah! Adalee!<

In the shelter of her arms everything’s o.k.
She talks and the world goes slipping away
And I know the reason I can still go on
When every other reason is gone.

In my five o’clock world she waits for me,
Nothing else matters at all.
‘Cause every time my baby smiles at me,
I know that it’s all worthwhile, yeah.”

For another song by The Vogues: “Turn Around Look at Me.”

Check Out The Groove Pad for More 1960s Music

The Pass the Paisley Groove Pad is a resting stop, a place to chill out and listen to the featured song on the stereo. If the mood strikes you, click on the juke box to access and listen to the 50+ commercial free online songs there. The TV has several channels, with selections updated twice a week. Every now and then, Pass the Paisley hosts an all-request of 1960s and 1970s songs for a Be-In at the juke box in the Groove Pad. Keep on truckin’. Hope you enjoyed “Five O’Clock World” by The Vogues.