Every songwriter has their own process. Sometimes, it starts with a melody. Other times, it begins with a hook or a single line. Maybe they overhear a conversation at the grocery store that sparks a song idea. A simple phrase or expression can lead to a hit song. It can start with an emotion. It can be about love or loss. A beautiful setting can inspire lyrics. Robert Lamm wrote one of Chicago’s most enduring hits as he looked out over Hollywood. Let’s take a look at the meaning behind “25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago.
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The Intro
The percussive riff that opens the song layers guitar, bass, and then drums. “Robert created that line. I think it’s become a required lick for every new guitar player,” Chicago trombonist James Pankow told Backstage with Joe Chambers in 2018. “We’ve closed the show with that thing forever. It’s become an anthem.”
The popular song has been used in movies, television shows, commercials, and video games and is a popular staple for school bands.
The Inspiration
Over the years, many theories have been brought forward about what the song is actually about—everything from odds on a horse race to being code for something to psychedelic drugs. In fact, the song was banned in Singapore when it was initially released in 1970 due to its alleged allusions to drug use.
“’25 or 6 to 4′ is a song about writing a song,” Pankow said. “Robert was laying on the floor of his house in the Hollywood Hills looking over the city of Los Angeles just before dawn. He had been up all night.”
Searching for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Dancing lights against the sky
Giving up, I close my eyes
Sitting cross-legged on the floor
25 or six to four
The Lyrics Began as a Placeholder
At the time, Lamm was living just up the road from the legendary Whisky a Go Go. He told Dan Rather in 2019, “Coming home one night from the Whisky, I was just kind of unwinding. I sat down at the piano and started playing something like the riff, the famous riff from the song ’25 or 6 to 4,’ which had no name and had no lyrics yet. And I just kind of fooled around with it for maybe half an hour. Looked out over the city of Hollywood, looking at the lights on the tall buildings. So, that was like flashing lights against the sky lyric. But I couldn’t figure out what the song was going to be about.
“I just, I looked across the room and there was an old Grandmother’s clock on the wall,” he continued. “I couldn’t quite make out what the time was, but the hands on the clock were somewhere around 25 or 26 to 4 a.m., and I just began to just jot down what the hell I was doing there, and I thought, ‘Well, for now, I’m just going to describe the process of writing this song, and I’ll figure out what the lyrics are going to be later,’ but I didn’t need to. So, once I laid out the grid and figured out what the chorus was, I took it into rehearsal—I think it was maybe the next day. We were rehearsing at the Whisky during the day. And I just, I played it for some of the guys, and I said, ‘This is a new song. What do you think?”
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 six to four
The Guitar Solo
The song was recorded at a length of almost five minutes. The single was edited by nearly a full two minutes to make it more radio-friendly. The entire second verse and most of Terry Kath’s wah-wah guitar solo were removed. Chicago leaned on a mix of rock, jazz, and R&B to create their symphonic brand of music featuring a horn section that was, according to Jimi Hendrix, “like one set of lungs.” Hendrix was a fan of Kath’s guitar prowess as well.
Through Clenched Teeth
An unfortunate altercation with some U.S. Marines forced bassist/vocalist Peter Cetera to sing the song differently. While celebrating the victory of their hometown Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium, four angry Dodger fans targeted Cetera not only for his team loyalty but also for his long hair. They broke his jaw in three places. Producer James William Guercio did not have time to wait for the injury to heal. The band needed to complete the recording. Cetera recorded the song through clenched teeth and went on to adapt his trademark singing style.
Feeling like I ought to sleep
Spinning room is sinking deep
Searching for something to say
Waiting for the break of day
25 or six to four
25 or six to four
Safe Schools for Alex
On February 14, 2018, a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Miami suburb of Parkland, Florida, killed 17 people and injured 17 others. One of those casualties was 14-year-old Alex Schachter, a Chicago fan whose favorite song was “25 or 6 to 4.” He played trombone in his school band. Alex’s father, Max, started a campaign to encourage increases in security measures at schools. The school band recorded a new version of the song and included it in an update of NBA 2K Playgrounds 2.
Max Schachter quit his job after the massacre to concentrate on school safety, “After 9/11, we hardened our airports and our cockpits. After the Oklahoma City bombing, we hardened our federal buildings,” the grieving father said. Chicago invited over 1,000 students and families to their West Palm Beach concert and dedicated the song to Alex.
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Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty images
