"9 to 5" is a song written and originally performed by American country music entertainer Dolly Parton for the 1980 comedy film of the same name. In addition to appearing on the film soundtrack, the song was the centerpiece of Parton's 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs album, released in late 1980. The song was released as a single in November 1980. The song garnered Parton an Academy Award nomination and four Grammy Award nominations, winning her the awards for "Best Country Song" and "Best Country Vocal Performance, Female". For a time, the song became something of an anthem for office workers in the U.S., and in 2004, Parton's song ranked number 78 on American Film Institute's "100 years, 100 songs". The song was accompanied by a music video that featured footage of Parton and her band performing, intercut with clips from the film.
Background
The song 9 to 5 was written for the comedy film 9 to 5, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Parton in her film debut. The song—and film—owe their titles to 9to5, an organization founded in 1973 with the aim of bringing about fair pay and equal treatment for women in the workplace. The song is also featured in a musical theater adaptation of the film, featuring a book by the film's original writer, Patricia Resnick, and 20 additional songs written by Dolly Parton. 9 to 5 began previews in Los Angeles on September 9, 2008, and played on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre from April until September 2009 before touring. In 2012, a UK theatre tour of "9 to 5" got underway. A few months before Parton's song and the film, Scottish singer Sheena Easton released a single called "9 to 5" in the UK. When Easton's song was released in the U.S. the following year it was renamed "Morning Train " to avoid confusion. Easton's single reached the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart three months after Parton's song left that spot. Despite similar titles, the two songs are different in lyrical themes. While Parton's song features a working woman, Easton's song features a passive woman waiting around at home all day. Although the Parton recording only reached No. 47 in the UK, it remains a popular song on radio and in nightclubs through Britain and was spliced between "Independent Women Part 1" by Destiny's Child and "Eple" by Röyksopp for the Soulwax album As Heard on Radio Soulwax Pt. 2.
Commercial performance
"9 to 5" reached number one on the Billboard Country Chart in January 1981. In February 1981, it went to number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Adult Contemporary chart, respectively. It became her first No.1 entry on the former. The song was certified Gold on February 19, 1981, indicating shipment 500,000 of physical copies. It was certified Platinum on September 25, 2017. It has accrued 500,000 digital downloads as of February 2019 in the United States after it was made available for download in the 21st century. The song peaked at No. 47 in the UK singles chart in 1981. It has sold 303,511 digital copies in the UK as of 2014. it is Parton's biggest download in the UK, totaling 340,800, while it has also been streamed 8.46 million times.
The song was covered by an unknown beaver singer in the film Sing. In 2017, British singer Robbie Williams covered the song on his album Under the Radar, Vol. 2. In 2019, actress and singer Anna Camp covered "9 to 5" on an episode of Perfect Harmony. Her character, Ginny, imagines she is Dolly Parton while working at a diner. Her choir director watches from the outside and he tries to help Ginny overcome her stage fright.
The December 11, 2010 episode of Saturday Night Live features a Digital Short titled "Stumblin'", a music video whose song parodies "9 to 5". The video chronicles the adventures of a man stumbling his way through New York City. In a key plot point of a 2019 episode of The Orville, "Sanctuary", an alien feminist who hears the song uses it to empower her call for protection for her people. When giving a key speech on the subject, she quotes from the song as poetry, ending with "I swear sometimes that man is out to get me". The song is featured in the 2018 film Deadpool 2. In the initial scenes, the title character goes through a montage of mercenary missions with the song playing in the background.
