25 or 6 to 4 – Chicago

Welcome to Tune Talk!

This is one of the truly classic epic Chicago horn explosions that they were so famous for in their music of the 70’s. When researching songs, I am always amazed with some of the crazy background stories that often come along with them, and 25 or 6 to 4 certainly has its share!

I learned that when keyboardist Robert Lamm sat down to write some of the music for the song, he didn’t do so on a piano. Instead, he picked up an old 12-string acoustic guitar that was missing two strings! Another interesting fact is that the country of Singapore actually banned the song in 1970 because of a rumor that got out of hand about the title being a reference to drug use. They apparently didn’t lift the ban until 1993.

I think we have all wondered what that title was about at some point, and for those of you who have never searched for the answer – it’s simply about the time! Robert Lamm happened to look at a clock across the room while struggling to write the song in the early morning hours, and couldn’t make out if the minute hand was on 25 or 26. What an innocous ending to all of the crazy theories out there about the meaning of the title!

As interesting as those facts were to me, they paled in comparison to the next one… As the story goes, Peter Cetera actually recorded the vocals through clenched teeth. He had no choice; his jaw was wired shut! Sometime prior to entering the recording studio to lay the track down, he had gone to cheer on his hometown team, the Chicago Cubs, and while there, a brawl broke out. Some locals who were not fans of the Cubs got into it, and Cetera ended up with his jaw broken in three places. The album producer couldn’t wait for him to fully heal, so the recording was made, and the rest is history.

On a personal level, 25 or 6 to 4 will always hold a special place in our hearts because it was the first song Max ever chose as a walk-up song for baseball. He has played for several years now, and we always loved that the first time he was asked to choose a song, he picked one from 1970! However long he chooses to play baseball, and no matter how many walk-up songs he chooses, over time this one will always be the one we think of the most. Finding out that the song has an unlikely tie to baseball via Peter Cetera, a brawl, and his broken jaw is truly the icing on the cake!

Now it’s your turn: How would you rate this song? Do you have favorite line in the lyrics? Drop a comment and let us know!