It's Five O'Clock Somewhere
| "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "That'd Be Alright"[1] |
"It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" is a song performed by Alan Jackson with Jimmy Buffett, and written by Jim "Moose" Brown and Don Rollins. It was released in June 2003 as the lead single from Jackson's 2003 compilation album Greatest Hits Volume II. It spent eight non-consecutive weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in summer of 2003. In addition, the song hit number 17 on the US Hot 100, making it the biggest pop hit Jackson and the first top forty for Buffett since the seventies. On November 5, 2003, it also won the Country Music Association (CMA) Award for Vocal Event of the Year. The song became the #3 country song of the decade on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart.
Content
The title refers to a popular expression used to justify drinking at any time of day, given that somewhere in the world it's 5:00 p.m. (an acceptable time to start drinking). The narrator states that he hasn't had a day off in over a year and that he wants to leave work and consume alcohol. The lyrics include the phrase, "It's only half-past twelve but I don't care. It's five o'clock somewhere", which means that even though it is not five o'clock in the narrator's time zone, it must be in another part of the world.
History
Jim "Moose" Brown wrote "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" with Don Rollins. Although Brown had several other cuts recorded by other artists, this song was the first to make the final cut of an album. The title lyric was inspired by a teacher who worked with Rollins. Brown recorded the demo and offered it to Kenny Chesney, who turned it down. It was then offered to Jackson, who said that he was looking for a song that he could record as a duet with Buffett.[2]
Music video
The portion of the music video featuring Jimmy Buffett was shot at Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana. The tiki bar featured in the video is the Square Grouper in Jupiter, Florida, near Jackson's home. It also features Jackson's personal boat, the "Hullbilly".
Chart performance
"It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" debuted at number 31 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of June 21, 2003. The song held the number 1 position for 7 consecutive weeks, falling to number 2 on the chart dated September 27, 2003 while Dierks Bentley's "What Was I Thinkin'" overtook it at number 1. On the following chart (October 4), Bentley's song fell, allowing "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" to return to number 1 for an eighth and final week.
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 17 |
Year-end chart
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs | 4 |
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 201. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Gazdziak, Sam (14 December 2010). "The story behind "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere"". The 9513. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
- ^ "Alan Jackson Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Alan Jackson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.