Super Safi’s Monday Morning Musings 47 – 9 to 5

Morning Musically-Minded, Medically-Minded, Masticators!

(Today’s post is sponsored by the letter “M”)

Over the past 600+ episodes, The Simpsons has taken us on an amazing journey involving music, science, and food to name a few concepts.

And what better way to start your week, then by discussing some of these concepts Monday morning?

So let’s get started this week by talking about a Grammy award winning song from 1980.

In the forty seventh episode of The Simpsons, I Married Marge (Season 03, Episode 12), when Marge thinks she may be pregnant and goes to the doctor, Homer tells the kids the story of Bart’s birth.

In the year 1980, Homer and Marge are dating, while Homer works at the mini putt. Marge and Homer finds out she is pregnant with Bart. When Homer finds out, he proposes to her, and marries her at Shotgun Pete’s.

Homer starts buying all sorts of things for the baby, but needs a higher paying job to afford them. Homer starts by going to the new power plant, only to be rejected. He then goes through a series of jobs in a video montage to the song ‘9 to 5’, including a candle maker, a door-to-door knife salesman, and a target for attack dogs.

When the baby’s possessions are repossessed, Homer decides Marge and the baby will be better off without him. That is until Marge comes to find her husband and gives Homer the motivation he needs to get the job at the Power Plant.

But have you ever wondered where the montage song ‘9 to 5’ comes from?

9 to 5 

“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, “9 to 5”, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton as three working women who live out their fantasies of getting even with their autocratic, sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, bigot boss, played by Dabney Coleman. The film premiered on December 19, 1980. The film is number 74 on the American Film Institute’s “100 Funniest Movies”.

The song was released as a single on November 3, 1980. In addition to appearing on the film soundtrack of “9 to 5”, the song was the centerpiece of Parton’s “9 to 5 and Odd Jobs” album, released on November 17, 1980. The song is number 78 on American Film Institute’s “100 years, 100 songs”.

The song garnered Dolly an Academy Award nomination and four Grammy Award nominations, winning her the awards for “Best Country Song” and “Best Country Vocal Performance, Female”.

Dolly Parton (January 19, 1946 – Present)

Here are lyrics of the award winning song:

Tumble out of bed
And stumble to the kitchen
Pour myself a cup of ambition
And yawn and stretch and try to come to life
Jump in the shower
And the blood starts pumpin’
Out on the streets, the traffic starts jumpin’
For folks like me on the job from 9 to 5
Workin’ 9 to 5
What a way to make a livin’
Barely gettin’ by
It’s all takin’ and no givin’
They just use your mind
And they never give you credit
It’s enough to drive you
Crazy if you let it
9 to 5
For service and devotion
You would think that I
Would deserve a fat promotion
Want to move ahead
But the boss won’t seem to let me
I swear sometimes that man is
Out to get me, hmmm
They let you dream
Just a watch ’em shatter
You’re just a step on the boss man’s ladder
But you got dreams he’ll never take away
In the same boat with a lot of your friends
Waitin’ for the day your ship’ll come in
And the tide’s gonna turn
And it’s all gonna roll you away
Workin’ 9 to 5
What a way to make livin’
Barely gettin’ by
It’s all takin’ and no givin’
They just use your mind
And you never get the credit
It’s enough to drive you
Crazy if you let it
9 to 5
Yeah, they got you were they want you
There’s a better life
And you think about it, don’t you?
It’s a rich man’s game
No matter what they call it
And you spend your life
Putting money in his wallet
9 to 5
Oh, what a way to make a livin’
Barely gettin’ by
It’s all takin’ and no givin’
They just use your mind
And they never give you credit
It’s enough to drive you
Crazy if you let it
9 to 5
Yeah, they got you where they want you
There’s a better life
And you dream about it, don’t you?
It’s a rich man’s game
No matter what they call it
And you spend your life
Putting money in his wallet
9 to 5

Now that we’ve learned more about ‘9 to 5’, be sure to come back next week when we continue our Monday morning musings with the next episode of The Simpsons.

Were you familiar with the song ‘9 to 5’? What about the movie ‘9 to 5’? What’s your favourite Simpsons musical reference? What about your favourite Simpsons episode with a flashback story? Have you ever had a period of life where you tried out a whole variety of jobs? What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? Sound off in the comments below. You know we love hearing from you.