About The Song
“25 or 6 to 4” is a classic rock song by the band Chicago, written by Robert Lamm. The title refers to the time at which the song is set: 25 or 26 minutes before 4 a.m., phrased as, “twenty-five or twenty-six [minutes] to four [o’clock],” (i.e. 03:34 or 03:35). The song’s title has been misinterpreted in the past as a quantity of illicit drugs, but this is not the case. The song was released in 1970 on Chicago’s second studio album and remains a beloved classic in the realm of rock music.
The song is about a musician trying to write a song in the middle of the night, struggling to find inspiration while looking at the clock. The lyrics capture the feelings of frustration and fatigue that can accompany late-night creative sessions. The phrase “25 or 6 to 4” poetically captures that experience of being up late, on the verge of completing a task, but not quite there yet.