“It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere”
Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett
Written by Jim “Moose” Brown and Don Rollins
Radio & Records
#1 (8 weeks)
August 1 – September 12 and September 26, 2003
Billboard
#1 (8 weeks)
August 9 – September 20 and October 4, 2003
This is as good as a record like this can get.
The title hook is an instant classic, perfect for conversation shorthand and nautically themed decorations. The production is a balanced blend of nineties country and island soft pop, blending the styles of the two singers.
Those two singers have enough gravitas to keep things grounded, with Jackson playing the working class hero as credibly as Buffett plays that working man’s muse.
And it doesn’t spill over to making this a lifestyle, even with the lifestyle king on the track. Jackson will be back to work the next day, and his boss will yell at him, but he’s too valuable an employee to sack. He just needed a little break.
One of Jackson’s most charming hits, and it’s still the lesser of the two number one singles from this hits collection.
“It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” gets an A.
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I understand how big of a hit this one is but it never hit for me. It’s just a bit silly for my personal taste and don’t see anything excellent about the lyrics, production, or vocals. At best I would rate a “B-“
This song was always a modest pleasure for me but never really elevated above easy-listening background music. Alan Jackson was always pretty crafty about taking advantage of listener trends while still keeping things country and straddles the fence effectively again here. I’m pretty sure “it’s five o’clock somewhere” had already been a cliche for quite a while when this song was released but even if the term wasn’t original it was ready-made to be a country song title. Jackson rode the wave as effectively as was possible and recruiting Jimmy Buffet as a foil was inspired. Their chemistry at the end of the song was particularly engaging and even if I tune out the majority of song amidst recurrent airplay, I still find myself focusing in on Jackson and Buffet’s banter.
But I’d probably remember this song more fondly if it was merely a top-10 summer hit rather than a song that spent half the summer at #1. In terms of its deserved legacy, it was a river’s length behind “Chattahoochee”, and yet radio allowed “Five O’Clock” to be a bigger hit. It had charm, but only in the downwardly adjusted country radio status quo of 2003 was it treated as the kind of royalty worthy of multi-month chart domination. And for better or for worse, I’d say we have to “Five O’Clock” to thank for Kenny Chesney’s “island rat” pivot.
Grade: B
I still remember the first time I heard this song, and was SHOOK when Jimmy came in. I don’t know why I was surprised he was on the track lol.
It’s a catchy song of no real substance – I’d give it a “B”